At the entrance of the Sanhe town primary school in Shizhu Tujia Autonomous County, in Southwest China's Chongqing Municipality, stands a larger-than-life soccer ball. Inscribed on the wall of the school are some Chinese characters that can be translated as "Play soccer for a better future."

In the past decade, hundreds of left-behind children developed their passion for soccer at their primary school located deep in the mountains and some of them have kicked their way into big-name universities or even into professional clubs. 

In China, the term "left-behind children" refers to minors under 16 whose parents have left them in their hometown to go and work in urban areas, or minors who are left to the care of only one of the parents but he or she is incapable of guardianship. 

According to a report jointly released by the China Foundation for Rural Development with Beijing Normal University in August, there were over 9 million left-behind children in elementary and middle schools across China's rural areas at the end of 2022.  

The lack of parental care leaves these children vulnerable to social problems and has a negative impact on their emotional development, leading to problems such as depression, anxiety, or aggression.

The Sanhe town primary school is one of the schools in the poverty-stricken mountainous area where most of the students are left-behind children. 

The disadvantaged backgrounds and lack of qualified teachers make it difficult for the students to achieve academic success comparable to that provided by schools in urban areas. 

In an attempt to pull the children out of this plight, in 2012, then head of school Sun Xiaoming made an odds-defying decision that changed the life of many children.

"Elementary school students are short and thin, making it difficult for them to play basketball or volleyball. Soccer, which doesn't require a hoop or a net, can be either played by a team on the field, or practiced alone at home," explained Sun, talking about his idea of selecting soccer over other sports. 

Based on the school's conditions and an overwhelming number of left-behind girls, Sun decided to establish a girls' soccer team that no one imagined would grow into a formidable force in Chongqing and China. 

The first team of the school was made up of 20 girls, 19 of whom have made it into colleges based on their soccer skills. 

Over 200 girls have played for the school team in the past 10 years with many being admitted to elite middle or high schools of Chongqing for their athletic achievements. 

Current school principal Ma Jianwei told the Global Times that playing soccer offered the disadvantaged girls an opportunity to excel and change their fortunes.

"If not for playing soccer, most of the girls would have dropped out of school or bogged down in the daily grind of hard labor. Soccer offered them a path to get ahead and opportunities of receiving higher education," Ma said.

More than a sport

Recently, four alumni of the school team returned to Sanhe to share their experiences with the students on the school opening ceremony and offered them a boot camp. 

Playing soccer was met with skepticism among parents at the beginning when the school did not even have a soccer field. 

"At first, we played with rubber balls on concrete ground. Rain or shine, we kept training every day. We never gave it up even when we were black and blue," said alumnus Qin Furong.

Years of hard work paid dividends. Sanhe made its mark in the Chongqing varsity soccer league in 2015 and went on to win national varsity competitions in the following years. 

Thanks to the donations from the society, an artificial grass court breathed new life into the girls' dream.

Over the past decade, more than 70 students managed to be admitted to elite schools across Chongqing. 

Tan Siqi was selected to be the flag bearer at the 2019 Women's World Cup in France. Ma Qinglin signed with Shanghai Greenland Shenhua club to become a professional player in 2020. 

Their strong performances earned them the nickname "Steel Roses in the Mountain," drawing a parallel to the name of the national women's soccer team. 

"Soccer is more than a sport. It's the spirit that kept students' dream alive and helped them overcome difficulties," said Sun, who retired in 2018. 

"Soccer has changed children's lives, but it's not just about making it to college. They also built a strong physique and developed resilience and independence," he added.

Ingrained in school life

Ma told the Global Times that currently the school has developed a soccer culture with students taking great pride in participating in the sport. 

From grade two to six, every grade has their soccer team and they have training sessions every day through weekends and holidays. 

League and competitions are organized for all age groups every month. Soccer is ingrained in the students' school life, according to Ma. 

Ma said one of the four physical education lessons a week is dedicated to soccer, as the sport has been incorporated into the school curriculum as well. 

Additionally, the school has also struck up partnerships with neighboring middle schools, who will admit 10-15 talented players from Sanhe every year to further their studies and pursue a career in soccer. 

To promote the joint development of campus soccer around the region, the school has hosted an annual tournament since 2018, thus allowing schools from neighboring counties and provinces to connect with each other.

"Our goal is to strive for academic excellence while helping students develop an interest in soccer and offer them more options to get ahead," said Ma.

Team China's record of youngest champion in the Asian Games has been rewritten in less than two days. On Wednesday, 13-year-old skateboarder Cui Chenxi clinched a gold in women's street final, taking the title away from 15-year-old Chen Ye, who was just crowned in men's park on Monday. 

China's Generation Z skateboarders have rocked the Asian Games so hard like no one had imagined - bagging three of four gold medals of the discipline. Alongside Cui, 18-year-old Zeng Wenhui bagged silver in women's street on Wednesday morning. In men's street, China's 16-year-old Zhang Jie snatched a gold while his teammate 19-year-old Su Jianjun won a bronze. In the women's park final held on Monday, Chinese athlete Li Yujuan won the silver medal, while Mao Jiasi won the bronze.

Cui told the Global Times after the final that the title will not put extra pressure on her. 

"I made a mistake in my first run, and on the second attempt, my coach wanted me to be steady, but I was eager to try a riskier maneuver on my own, and in the end it worked out," Cui said.

After winning the final, Cui put on the Chinese national flag on her back and skated around the venue to a loud cheer. In the audience sat her tearing father.

The gold medalist said that she is aiming for the Paris Olympics. "First I will concentrate on getting there, then I can make a big attack," she told the Global Times. Her teammate Zeng also said she will concentrate on qualifying for Paris. 

Zeng expressed her wishes to Cui, who is five years younger than her, saying she is quite excellent. 

"You are the future of Team China," Zeng said, facing Cui. "I will work harder with you in the future, too."

In the women's street final, the Philippines' Mergielyn Didal was the only competitor over 18. Unfortunately, the defending champion could not deliver her best performance due to injury. Nonetheless, she received overwhelming support from the Chinese audience even when she failed to land the tricks.

"The venue is overwhelming," Didal told the Global Times after the match. "Since we arrived here in Hangzhou, everyone is always cheering you. It's exciting to see the people welcoming you."

During the match, Didal was often seen cheering her young opponents. 

"That is just how unique skateboarding is," she told the Global Times. "I'm just hying them up. Even if we were competing against them, we don't treat them like enemies. We've got to cheer for each other."

Different from traditional sports, there is no fixed action pattern in skateboarding. It requires skaters to freely use their imagination and creativity, which is challenging and highly interesting.

Skateboarding made its Asian Games debut in Jakarta, Indonesia, in 2018, but later received more mainstream attention as a competitive sport after its Olympic debut at the Tokyo Games in 2021.

Throughout the four days of the skateboarding competition, there was a friendly, young and relaxed atmosphere in the arena. As the Chinese skateboarding team sees the emergence of several young players with great potential at the Hangzhou Games, China's public attention on skateboarding is growing and the street spirit the sport brings is infectious.

All these teens showed confidence and ease as well as very high standards. Fifteen-year-old new Asian champion Chen Ye told the Global Times that he now has the confidence to pursue higher goals.

"Now that I've won the championship in an Asian event, I hope to perform better in global events and participate in more high-level competitions. In the future, I may participate in more Olympic ranking events," Chen said.

Zhang Jie, 16-year-old, the newest winner of men's street final on Wednesday afternoon, also said that his goal for Paris 2024 is to enter the top eight.

Veteran Shanghai soccer coach Xu Genbao on Monday has called for his former students with club Shanghai Port, which was crowned as the Chinese Super League (CSL) champions a day earlier, to focus on propelling Chinese soccer onto the global stage. The veteran sextet also paid tribute to the legendary coach.

Led by forward Wu Lei, the famed "East Asia Six Tigers" - Wu, Yan Junling, Zhang Linpeng, Wang Shenchao, Cai Huikang, and Lü Wenjun - made a special visit to pay their respects to coach Xu, the man who played a significant role in their careers while they attended his academy on Chongming Island as part of Shanghai East Asia FC. 

"The dream we cherished as teenagers, we did it together! It feels good to have everyone together," Wu wrote on social media on Monday, celebrating the league win with his fellow Shanghai East Asia teammates and coach Xu. 

Xu, a legendary figure in Chinese soccer, founded the soccer training base at the beginning of the 2000s. This Chongming Island school has been instrumental in nurturing and developing a generation of talented players who are now leading the way for Chinese soccer on both the domestic and international stage. 

"From today on, the happiness after winning the league championship is over. True happiness is helping Chinese soccer excel in Asia and propelling the team onto the global stage," Xu told his former students, who are now in their 30s.  

The players, who were the key players in Shanghai Port's previous league triumph in 2018, except for Zhang who was with Guangzhou FC, are all past their prime now. Zhang, Wang, Lü, and Cai are now 34 years old, while Wu and Yan are two years younger.

Zhang's departure to Guangzhou was mainly because the club was facing financial issues and selling promising players remains a practical way to generate revenue in club operations. But now the sextet has regrouped all together at Port, though their careers are declining due to age. 

The players are expected to represent China at the upcoming FIFA World Cup Asian qualifiers in November, when they will visit Thailand on November 16 before hosting South Korea on November 21.

"As the players approach the twilight of their careers, adding another CSL title to their list of accomplishments not only further enriches their soccer stories, but also reinforces the idea that long-term youth development pays off," Mao Jiale, a Chengdu-based sports commentator, told the Global Times.

"Their triumphant journey is a testament to Xu's legacy, who spent two decades dedicated to youth development on Chongming Island."

After spending three seasons overseas, Wu has topped the domestic scoring list by 16 goals. 

"You should have a bigger goal [rather than winning domestic championship]," Xu told Wu. 

During their meeting, Xu, who is now 80 years old and still actively coaches the local Shanghai youth team, also asked if his former students would consider following in his footsteps by becoming coaches. 

"I can't find someone to take over. Maybe you guys can take into consideration this role," Xu said. "I hope you will come back. I hope I can have a successor."

Xu's achievement is rare in the populous country as the "East Asia Six Tigers" are not only key players for the local Port team, but also once played a pivotal role in the Chinese national soccer team. 

Song Kai, the new president of the Chinese Football Association (CFA), recently stated that youth development should be a top priority in developing Chinese soccer. 

The island, located at the mouth of the Yangtze River, has become the cradle of Chinese soccer talent. The academy was founded on the principle that nurturing young talents from an early age was the key to China's soccer future.

"Xu had instilled in his players the importance of hard work, dedication, and a never-give-up spirit. His legacy is a shining example of what can be achieved through long-term commitment and investment in young talent," Mao noted. 

"The hope is that more coaches and institutions will follow in the footsteps of Xu Genbao and his soccer training school, paving the way for a brighter future for Chinese soccer.

Chinese digital art pioneer ULTILAND has released a new art project aimed at spreading the beauty of Chinese art in Hong Kong SAR. The autumn collection features contributions from 12 artists with diverse artistic backgrounds, including creators of Chinese contemporary abstract art, new media art pioneers, and cutting-edge artists working with mixed materials. Three key themes emerge from their autumn creations: warmth, connection, and eternity.

According to the founder of ULTILAND, art and technology have the power to connect people from different backgrounds.

In addition to the release of new artworks, ULTILAND also bridges the gap between the real and virtual worlds in the name of art, transcending the boundary between WEB2 and WEB3 through innovative narratives and creating new value mappings.

Looking ahead to future plans, ULTILAND intends to establish a main island and themed islands. These themed islands will be overseen by artists and collectors, serving as hubs for art subjects, art creations, and more.

The Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra (BPO) held a splendid concert at the National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA) in Beijing on Tuesday night, celebrating its 100th anniversary.

This is the BPO's second visit to China, coming 23 years after the previous visit. The BPO's China tour was initiated by the legendary conductor Zubin Mehta, who hopes to support the orchestra's international promotion in prestigious music centers that only offer venues to the most distinguished orchestras. Mehta believes that the BPO deserves a place among the finest symphonic ensembles in the world. However, due to health issues, Mehta had to cancel his performance.

The BPO's China tour was taken over by Neeme Jarvi, a renowned conductor from Estonia. With a brilliant career spanning decades, including conducting some of the most famous orchestras and top soloists, and more than 450 recordings, Jarvi is one of the most respected conductors in the world.

"Mr Mehta could not come because of his health, so I took his place at the last minute," Jarvi told the Global Times about his China trip.

But for the experienced Jarvi, he was ready for every performance. "I have prepared for it all of my life," he told the Global Times.

Before coming to Beijing, the orchestra had performed in Xi'an, Northwest China's Shaanxi Province, where Jarvi praised China for having a large number of well-equipped concert halls, which is something that he said Estonia needs to learn from.

"With the need for a hundred people to be accommodated, without acoustics, we need to build those halls and we need to pay attention to the culture, especially for music. We should learn from China. China is doing a wonderful thing," he said.

The BPO is the most famous symphony orchestra in Serbia, and was founded in 1923. It has collaborated with many world-renowned conductors and soloists, performing music works of various styles and periods. The orchestra enjoys a high reputation on the international stage, and has been hailed as "the musical pearl of the Balkans."

On November 18, the orchestra will perform at the Shanghai Grand Theatre, as part of the Shanghai International Music Festival.

During the tour, the BPO will share the stage with soloists and violinists including Giovanni Andrea Zanon and Huang Mengla, performing works by Tchaikovsky, Verdi, Berlioz and Beethoven.

As a Fijian proverb goes, "A bud will give birth to millions of fruit."

In November 2014, while holding a group meeting with leaders of Pacific Island Countries (PICs) in Fiji, Chinese President Xi Jinping quoted this saying.

China's exchanges and cooperation with the South Pacific region have borne fruits as diverse as the leader' footprints, greatly benefiting local people.

The South Pacific region covers a vast expanse, with as many as 16 countries, varying in size. Apart from Australia and New Zealand, the two developed countries, there are developing island countries such as Fiji, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands.

In 2014 and 2018, Xi made two visits to the South Pacific region and held meetings with leaders of PICs that have established diplomatic relations with China. Xi's visits opened new chapters in the history of China-PICs relations.

During his visit to New Zealand in November 2014, Xi first proposed that the South Pacific region is a natural extension of the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road initiative put forward by China.

Following in his footsteps, the blossoms of development have truly flourished on the islands of the Pacific Ocean.

'Magic grass' trade

At the Tadra Mushroom Farm near Nadi city in Fiji, horses are leisurely grazing in a drizzle of rain. The workers here, dressed in local-style sky-blue shirts, are talking about "magic grass."

The hybrid grass, knowing as Juncao in Chinese, can be used as a substrate for mushroom production, feed for animals, windbreaks, and used to minimize soil erosion.

Juncao technology, literally meaning fungi and grass, was invented in the 1980s by Lin Zhanxi, a professor at Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University in East China's Fujian Province. The technology, which uses the grass to grow fungi, has been promoted by China around the world, aiming to help increase people's income and reduce poverty.

In Tadra, using Juncao, mushrooms that are favored by local people can easily be farmed without the need for much care. Moreover, the grass can also be used to feed the horses on the farm. The mushrooms in Tadra are some of the first mushrooms that have ever been harvested in the region.

In February 2009, Xi, then vice president of China, made a transit visit to Fiji. Upon learning that Fiji was unable to produce mushrooms locally, he recommended Juncao technology to Fijian leaders.

In November of the same year, the two countries signed an agreement on China-aided Juncao technology, and subsequently, the China-Fiji Juncao Technology Cooperation Project was officially launched.

In November 2014, Xi visited Fiji and once again inquired about the progress of the Juncao Project. Since then, with the efforts and practices of Chinese and Fijian experts over more than eight years, the Fiji Juncao Technology Demonstration Center has become the largest Juncao technology demonstration base in the South Pacific region.

Fiji is not the only country, nor even the first one, in the South Pacific region that has benefited from Juncao technology.

In 2000, Xi, then governor of East China's Fujian Province, personally pushed for the demonstration projects for Juncao and upland rice technologies in the Eastern Highlands Province of Papua New Guinea with aid from Fujian Province.

Many years later, Xi said he was happy to learn that the project was doing well and had produced good economic and social benefits. It has become a much-relished story in China-Papua New Guinea relations.

A successful farmer told the Global Times that Juncao and mushrooms are both straightforward to cultivate and transport. They require neither fertilizers nor pesticides, and the economic returns are 20 to 30 times greater than what they used to earn from growing cabbage.
Deepening the bond

To have a flower, you must first plant a seed.

During Xi's group meeting with PIC leaders in November 2014, the two sides agreed to establish a strategic partnership featuring mutual respect and common development.

The leaders of the eight island countries that had diplomatic relations with China at the time all gathered in Nadi, displaying their sincerity.

According to media reports, the First Lady of Fiji remarked, "China is like a magnet, and when you come here, Fiji is filled with honored guests."

"The relations between China and the PICs are at a new historical starting point, and we are willing to join efforts with all the island countries to seek true friendship, conduct practical cooperation and yield win-win results, and thus together realize the dream of development, prosperity and harmony," Xi noted at the group meeting, the Xinhua News Agency reported.

In November 2018, Xi paid a state visit to Papua New Guinea and had another group meeting with leaders of PICs having diplomatic ties with China, during which time China-PICs relations were elevated to a comprehensive strategic partnership featuring mutual respect and common development.

Afterward, more island countries joined the ranks of cooperative development with China.

In September 2019, the Solomon Islands announced the establishment of diplomatic relations with China.

While Prime Minister of Solomon Islands Manasseh Sogavare was in Beijing in July this year, Xi said that since the establishment of diplomatic relations, the friendly cooperation between the two countries has come from behind and has been at the forefront of China's relations with PICs, becoming a model of solidarity, cooperation, and joint development among countries of different sizes and developing countries, Xinhua reported.

"China is our good friend. China can help us achieve these development goals," Sogavare told the Global Times during his time aboard the Chinese naval hospital ship, Peace Ark, which was visiting the Solomon Islands, on August 20.

He further noted that China is a great country, and for countries like the Solomon Islands and other similar PICs, it would be "very stupid" not to increase cooperation with China and seize the development opportunities it offers.

With the assistance of China, a splendid multi-purpose sports stadium has risen in Honiara, capital of the Solomon Islands. This will prepare the Solomon Islands to welcome guests from all corners when the Pacific Games open in November.

In growing friendly relations with PICs, China will stay committed to equal treatment, mutual respect, win-win cooperation, openness and inclusiveness, Xi affirmed in a meeting with Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape on November 2022.

According to a fact sheet on China-PICs cooperation published by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China in May 2022, the two sides have continued to expand exchanges and cooperation in more than 20 areas, including trade, investment, ocean affairs, environmental protection, disaster prevention and mitigation, poverty alleviation, healthcare, education and tourism.
Multiple ways to collaborate

In addition to collaborating with the less-developed island countries like the Solomon Islands, China also actively seeks cooperation with developed countries in the South Pacific region, including New Zealand and Australia.

While visiting Wellington in New Zealand in November 2014, Xi told then prime minister John Key of New Zealand that China is a very large market with a population of more than 1.3 billion. New Zealand's dairy products, wool, beef and mutton, marine products and other quality products are very popular in China.

"I hope New Zealand will earnestly guarantee the quality and safety of products exported to China so as to protect Chinese consumers' rights and interests," Xi said.

In mid-August, Global Times reporters visited New Zealand to investigate the outcomes of Xi's 2014 visit.

New Zealand is aptly known as the "land of pastures." The country's dairy industry has been at the forefront of China-New Zealand cooperation, with China being New Zealand's largest trading partner. In 2021, dairy products topped the list of New Zealand's exports to China, amounting to a staggering NZ$7.35 billion ($4.3 billion).

Simultaneously, officials from the New Zealand Trade and Enterprise told the Global Times that the country welcomes high-quality and highly productive investments from China, including those from Chinese dairy companies.

On the other side, New Zealand has also attracted numerous Chinese dairy companies to establish a presence in the country. This practice has turned out to be mutually beneficial, boosting New Zealand's economic development while fostering the long-term growth of China's dairy industry

Analysts said that China's approach toward countries with different systems and at different development stages like Australia and New Zealand reflects its sincerity. Despite being a big country that is sometimes called jokingly a "giant," China remains committed to peaceful development, the principle of common development, and the policy of promoting Asia-Pacific cooperation and development. It also sets an example and provides guidance for other countries worldwide.
Shared future

Island countries are among the most vulnerable regions to the threat of climate change.

China places a high priority on the unique challenges and concerns of island countries regarding climate change and has been helping these countries enhance their capacity to address it.

China is actively engaged in cooperation with the PICs on various levels and in various ways to improve their ability to adapt to climate change and achieve high-quality development.

Xi said during his 2014 visit to Fiji that China will support island countries dealing with climate change under the framework of South-South cooperation, provide them with materials for energy conservation and environmental protection as well as equipment for renewable energy, and carry out cooperation with them in tsunami warning, sea-level monitoring and other areas.?

China takes very seriously the PICs' special conditions and concerns on climate change, and has been committed to helping them strengthen the capacity to tackle climate change.

For instance, in April 2022, the China-Pacific Island Countries Climate Change Cooperation Center was officially launched in East China's Shandong Province.

The center is to carry out demonstration project cooperation with PICs, share the experience in and practice of green and low-carbon development, work together to respond to the challenge of climate change and help PICs achieve sustainable development.

As of October 2022, China has allocated more than 1.2 billion yuan ($164.5 million) for South-South cooperation on climate change, signed 43 South-South cooperation documents on climate change with 38 developing countries, and trained some 2,000 officials and professional personnel specializing in climate response from over 120 developing countries, according to the Foreign Ministry of China.

In spite of international outrage, Japan on Thursday began releasing a second round of nuclear-contaminated wastewater from Fukushima. Chinese experts warned that this latest irresponsible move will not only further damage Japan’s international reputation, but also continue to eat away at Japan’s exports to China and discourage travel to Japan.

Plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings (TEPCO) said it finished inspections following the initial release, which concluded on September 11, and found no reason to alter procedures. During the first round, the company said a total of 7,788 tons of treated water, stored in 10 tanks within the plant's premises, were released, according to the Japan Times.

In the second round, roughly the same amount of water is set to be released over 17 days, the utility operator confirmed. TEPCO added that the treated water is stored in over 1,000 tanks.

Overall, the dumping of the water into the Pacific Ocean is expected to take three decades to complete.

After Japan's move, a spokesperson from the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated on Thursday that China's stance on Japan's dumping of nuclear-contaminated wastewater from Fukushima has always been consistent and clear. The spokesperson emphasized, "We firmly oppose Japan's unilateral action of discharging the water into the sea."

The spokesperson also urged the Japanese government to comprehensively respond to the concerns of the international community and engage in full consultations with neighboring countries in a sincere manner, and responsibly handle the disposal of nuclear-contaminated water. The international community should promote the establishment of a long-term and effective international monitoring arrangement and ensure the active participation of relevant parties, including neighboring countries of Japan, said the spokesperson.

Hong Kong’s Secretary for Environment and Ecology Tse Chin-wan said on Wednesday that Hong Kong has no plans to ease restrictions on Japanese seafood imports, reiterating the government’s opposition to Japan’s “unilateral” decision to dump wastewater from the crippled nuclear plant.

“The ball is in Japan’s court. If Japan does not change its ways, I don’t see that we are under any condition to [relax the bans],” Tse said.

China’s customs authority banned imports of all seafood from Japan starting from August 24, in response to Japan’s dumping nuclear-contaminated wastewater from the plant.

China's seafood imports from Japan in August dived 67.6 percent from a year earlier to 149.02 million yuan ($20.44 million), after a fall of 28.5 percent in July, Kyodo News reported, citing data from Chinese customs released last month.

Japan’s seafood exports to South Korea also plunged in August, according to reports.

Japan's nuclear-contaminated wastewater dumping opened a Pandora's Box and the damage to Japan's fishery industry will worsen, Lü Xiang, a research fellow at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times. The expert also said that if Japan continues to dump nuclear-contaminated wastewater, it will face more international condemnation potentially devastating Japan's seafood export market.

During China’s eight-day Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day holidays, which last from September 29 to October 6, long lines can be seen at most restaurants in the Chinese capital of Beijing, however, some Japanese restaurants remained empty. When a Global Times reporter visited the popular Solana shopping mall in Beijing on Wednesday, no one was dining at the two Japanese restaurants in the complex.

A waitress from one of the Japanese restaurants told the Global Times that she only received a few customers during the holidays, because “people are concerned about the nuclear-contaminated wastewater [from Japan].”

The wastewater issue is not only hitting seafood exports, Chinese tourists’ enthusiasm for traveling to the country has also taken a hit following Tokyo’s irresponsible move. Ahead of the holidays, cancellations of Chinese tours to the country had already begun, media reported last month, ahead of the holidays.

However, many Japanese media outlets began to claim that despite concerns about the dumping of nuclear-contaminated wastewater, Japan remained a hotspot for Chinese tourists during the holidays.

The Japan Times reported on September 29 that “Japanese airlines' flights from China to Japan are almost fully booked during an eight-day holiday that began Friday, the airlines said, despite Chinese media reports last month that Japan-bound trips had been canceled following the release of treated radioactive water from the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant into the sea.”

Da Zhigang, director of the Institute of Northeast Asian Studies at the Heilongjiang Provincial Academy of Social Sciences refuted the report.

He said that the Japanese media linked various reasons behind the surge of Chinese visitors in Japan, including the fact that China resumed Japan-bound group tours, the demands for business trips and visiting family members are growing, adding that October is also when foreign students enroll in Japanese colleges.

They generalized "Chinese people traveling to Japan" as "Chinese tourists," ignoring the fact that the passengers include a large number of business people and students, and even some Japanese citizens are on these so-called "packed" flights to Japan.

Da also said these Japanese media outlets are using "tourism public opinion warfare" to muddle through and downplay their country's responsibility in wastewater dumping, as they link the "Chinese visitors to Japan" with the issue of Japan's dumping of nuclear-contaminated wastewater into the sea.

As US President Joe Biden is about to travel to Tel Aviv on Wednesday in a show of support to Israel as it prepares for a ground offensive in Gaza and with the aim to mitigate the expansion of the conflict between Israel and Hamas, analysts urged the US to shoulder its responsibility as a major power to act as a fair and impartial mediator and bring the two-state solution back on track.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who announced Biden's trip to Tel Aviv, described it a demonstration of "US solidarity with Israel and our ironclad commitment to its security." During the meeting with Israelis, Biden also plans to hear what Israel will need to safeguard their security, Blinken said.

Before Biden reaches Tel Aviv, several US officials including Blinken and the top US military commander in the Middle East Gen. Michael E. Kurilla, have been engaging with senior Israeli officials in the country. The military commander is looking to "gain a clear understanding of Israel's defense requirements," according to the general's headquarters.

Ding Long, a professor at the Middle East Studies Institute of Shanghai International Studies University, told the Global Times on Tuesday that the purpose of Biden's visit to Israel is clear: Showing support to Israel, while working to prevent the conflict from escalating and spilling over to larger areas. What is worth noting is that these goals are not being worked toward out of consideration for Palestine's interests but to serve the interests of the US, he said. 

An uncontrollable Middle East means the US will have to haul the focus of its global strategy back to the region. Additionally, an escalated situation in the region will lead to skyrocketing oil prices and may exert a negative impact on the upcoming election next year, which all in all is not what the US is looking for, Ding explained. 

According to the White House, besides of meeting with Netanyahu and other Israeli leaders, Biden's trip will be followed by a stop in neighboring Jordan, where he will meet with Jordan's King Abdullah, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi.

Using international justice and international laws to address the Israel-Palestine conflict cannot be put into practice if the US fails to timely correct its Middle East policy and stop its one-sided support of Israel, and instead act as a fair and impartial mediator and bring the two-state solution back on track, Ding told the Global Times. 

The current round of conflict is the result of the US policy of putting the cart before the horse in the Middle East, for which the US should be held responsible. It is time for the US to reflect and correct its long-time failed Middle East policy, which has led the Middle East peace process astray, Liu Zhongmin, a professor at the Middle East Studies Institute of Shanghai International Studies University, told the Global Times.

Chinese experts urged the US to increase its promotion of Israeli-Palestinian peace talks and investment in the peace process, rather than trying to normalize Arab relations with Israel while the Israeli-Palestinian issue has not been resolved.
According to Al Jazeera, 10 days of bombing Gaza has caused widespread destruction of local schools and hospitals and displaced nearly 1 million people. 
The latest news from the BBC on Tuesday showed that more than 1,300 people in Israel have been killed by Hamas since October 7 and more than 2,700 people have died in Israeli retaliatory strikes in Gaza.

Regarding the current situation, China calls for a cease-fire and an end to the fighting as soon as possible in order to prevent it from spreading indefinitely and to avoid further deterioration of the situation, Zhang Jun, China's permanent representative to the UN, said after the UN Security Council on Monday failed to adopt a resolution proposed by Russia that would have called for a humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza and condemnation of all violence and hostilities directed against civilians. 

Five UN Security Council members voted in favor of the draft resolution, four members voted against it, and six members abstained. The proposal must receive at least nine votes in favor for the UN to adopt a resolution, with none of its five permanent members opposing or casting a veto, according to the UN.

The Chinese envoy expressed disappointment that the UN failed to pass a resolution on the Palestinian-Israeli issue but voiced support for the UN to continue to play its role and responsibility in prompting humanitarian aid. 

Some Western countries joining hands to vote against the UN resolution has thwarted the role the UN Security Council should bear to maintain international peace and security and resolve the current crisis, Ding said, highlighting that humanitarian aid should not be politicized. 

A most urgent task is to prevent the humanitarian catastrophe from worsening, however some Western countries are still attempting to leave more space for Israel to retaliate against Hamas. Their sinister intentions will not help the ceasefire nor ease the humanitarian disaster, Ding noted. 

While addressing the ongoing?crisis, the international community must adhere to the fundamental direction of the two-state?solution, work for?broader consensus?and formulate a timetable and road map to that end, the Chinese envoy noted. 

The COP28 Presidency, the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), and the Global Renewables Alliance (GRA) launched a joint report today on the sidelines of the Pre-COP event in Abu Dhabi, titled “Tripling Renewable Power and Doubling Energy Efficiency by 2030: Crucial Steps Towards 1.5°C".

The report provides actionable policy recommendations for governments and the private sector on how to increase global renewable energy capacity to at least 11,000 GW while also doubling annual average energy efficiency improvements in the target period. This falls under the COP28 Presidency’s Action Agenda objective of fast-tracking a just and orderly energy transition to keep 1.5°C within reach.

The report was launched on the sidelines of Pre-COP, a meeting held in Abu Dhabi a month ahead of COP28 for countries to lay the groundwork for negotiations at the global climate summit. The report aims to help guide parties on the key enablers required to meet the energy targets.

Dr. Sultan bin Ahmed Al Jaber, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology and COP28 President, said in the report, “Tripling the deployment of renewable power generation and doubling energy efficiency are amongst the most important levers to cut greenhouse gas emissions. I am now calling on everyone to come together, commit to common targets, and take comprehensive domestic and international action, as outlined in this report, to make our ambitions a reality.”

IRENA Director-General Francesco La Camera added, “Our mission is as clear as it is urgent: We need concerted action to triple renewable power capacity by 2030. This includes urgently addressing deeply entrenched systemic barriers across infrastructure, policy and institutional capacities stemming from the fossil-fuel era. IRENA’s World Energy Transitions Outlook, which provides the analytical foundation of this report, warns that the energy transition is dangerously off-track, demanding immediate, radical collective action. This report outlines actions governments must prioritise to fast-track the global energy transition and keep 1.5°C alive.”

Bruce Douglas, Global Renewables Alliance CEO, said, “Tripling renewable energy and doubling energy efficiency is the most impactful commitment policymakers can make to combating climate change. These steps will deliver cleaner electricity systems, open up access to affordable energy and deliver clean green jobs for millions of people. The rapid upscaling of renewable energy will require policymakers to work hand-in-hand with industry and civil society to urgently implement the enabling actions in this report - infrastructure and system operation; policy and regulation; and supply chains, skills, and capacities. Critically, these areas must be reinforced by low-cost financing and international collaboration. Working together to secure a liveable future for all.”

The report, which draws extensively on the analysis presented in IRENA’s World Energy Transitions Outlook 2023: 1.5°C pathway, divides the key enablers into five sections, covering:

- Infrastructure and system operation: power grids, energy storage, end-use electrification, sector coupling and infrastructure planning, demand-side management.

- Policy and regulation: improving energy efficiency, market incentives and fiscal policy, power market design and regulation, streamlining permitting, reducing negative impacts, maximising social and environmental benefits.

- Supply chain, skills, and capacities: building resilient supply chains, education, training, and capacity-building.

- Scaling-up public and private finance.

- Enhancing international collaboration.

The collaboration between the COP28 Presidency, IRENA, and the GRA reflects the growing global consensus on achieving these targets. Ahead of COP28, the Presidency and the European Commission are calling for countries to support the Global Renewables and Energy Efficiency Pledge, with Champion countries already committed to supporting these global targets.

The Russia-Ukraine conflict, having gone on for 17 months, seems to show no sign of letting up in a short time. Last month, a Bloomberg story shared how a 23-year-old US entrepreneur, Blake Resnick, made money through donations, and by selling his drones to Ukraine, thereby ballooning his net worth to more than $100 million.

Ukraine "has become a proving ground for startups looking to showcase their latest technologies," commented the story titled Newly rich US defense tech titans seek fresh fortunes in Ukraine.

Mykhailo Fedorov, Ukraine's Minister of Digital Transformation, called Ukraine's conflict with Russia a "technology war" during a media interview in April. For the military and intelligence outfits and AI (artificial intelligence) companies in the US and its Western allies, the current situation in Ukraine not only provides a stage for their political stunts under the guise of "humanitarianism," but also provides a fertile testing ground for electronic warfare weapons, and an avenue for profiteering.  

Worryingly, their "participation" may create big challenges for Ukraine's national security and sovereignty integrity, military and technology experts warned.

With military forces and tech enterprises from the US and its allies highly involved in this conflict in the name of "supporting Ukraine," information from some of Ukraine's key areas including national defense and information networks is likely to be leaked and infiltrated, which may be a recipe for disaster for the country, Chinese military observer Wang Qiang told the Global Times.

'A lab for AI warfare'

The Russia-Ukraine crisis has transformed into a fertile testing ground for the excited military, intelligence, and defense industry giants in the US and its allies, with observers having found that numerous tech weapons and AI support systems have continuously been transported to Ukraine for use in combat, such as drones, autonomous ships, unmanned vehicles, loitering munitions, and communication and geospatial intelligence systems.

The US Defense Department stated in May 2022 that it would send $150 million of electronic jamming equipment to the frontlines in Ukraine, reported US military publication C4ISRNET on May 9, 2022.

In April that year, the Pentagon announced a potential $300-million batch of aid to Ukraine that would include communications systems and similar gear, the C4ISRNET article added.

The Russia-Ukraine conflict "is a major stepping stone toward the networked battlefield and the AI wars of the future," read the article Ukraine A Living Lab for AI Warfare, which was published in the National Defense magazine in March.

The article's co-authors were retired US major general Robin Fontes, who served as the deputy commanding general of operations at Army Cyber Command, and Jorrit Kamminga of RAIN, a knowledge platform on the intersection of defense and AI.

They stated that the conflict is "a center-stage, relentless, and unprecedented effort to fine-tune, adapt, and improve AI-enabled or AI-enhanced systems for immediate deployment." 

"That effort is paving the way for AI warfare in the future," they noted.

In the early days of the conflict, the US National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency reportedly sent five lightweight, high-resolution surveillance drones to the US Special Operations Command in Europe, just in case they might come in handy in Ukraine.

"The drones…weren't part of a so-called program of record at the Defense Department, hinting at the experimental nature of the conflict," read a CNN article on January 15.

The Russia-Ukraine conflict provides a comprehensive test for the military application of modern tech like AI, said Song Zhongping, a Chinese military expert and TV commentator. 

AI has been widely used in the fields of reconnaissance, intelligence gathering, target detection, and anti-electromagnetic interference, and has been applied to lots of unmanned equipment, Song said. "It's no wonder that the US tests its AI weapons and tech through supporting Ukraine in the military conflict," he told the Global Times.

"Although the US claims that it won't get directly involved, it has actually prolonged the conflict by sending a lot of new equipment to the battlefield," noted Song.

And the US never hides its purpose of utilizing the battlefield as an equipment testing ground and reconnaissance point against Russia. Referring to the lessons learned, Jim Himes, a member of the House Intelligence Committee, said that "there's a book to be written about this," according to CNN. "Everything we are seeing in Ukraine… almost certainly represents the types of threats we will see," C4ISRNET quoted lieutenant general Maria Gervais as saying in August 2022.

Obviously, by gaining practical experience in Ukraine, the US intends to utilize the data gathered, and prepare to deploy the tested technology in possible future battlefields against its major "adversaries," such as Russia and China, Song pointed out.

Controversial involvement

To some Western tech companies, the Russia-Ukraine conflict is not only a shortcut to profit but also a good testing ground for new AI technologies and products.

The longevity of the conflict allows companies to fine-tune, adapt, and improve their AI systems on the go, according to an article titled Ukraine A Living Lab for AI Warfare. 

Therefore, it's not surprising to see "the unprecedented willingness" of foreign companies, such as those in the geospatial intelligence field, to assist Ukraine "by using AI-enhanced systems to convert satellite imagery into intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance advantages," the article noted, adding that "US companies play a leading role in this."

Many US tech enterprises, including Palantir Technologies, Planet Labs, BlackSky Technology, and Maxar Technologies have provided AI-based systems to analyze trends in the conflict, or produce satellite imagery about it.

Palantir Technologies, for instance, was responsible for targeting technologies used by Ukrainian forces in such weaponry as tanks and artillery, said CEO Alex Karp. 

"…militaries without advanced targeting capabilities and algorithms are handicapped in modern warfare," Karp claimed at the Responsible AI in the Military Domain (REAIM) event in February.

Getting involved in the Russia-Ukraine conflict has obviously made companies like Palantir Technologies huge profits. After Karp became the first Western CEO to visit Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Ukrainian soil in June 2022, and announced that Palantir and the Ukrainian government had struck a deal, its shares reportedly jumped by 10 percent within a day. Three months later, the stock had skyrocketed by 75 percent, according to an article published on stock analysis website VectorVest in May.

However, as the US' tech companies eagerly enter the Russia-Ukraine conflict, controversies have emerged regarding their AI technologies infringing on human rights and privacy.

The US facial recognition surveillance company Clearview AI, for instance, has provided free access to Ukrainian investigators to identify the dead who perished in the war - both Russians and Ukrainians. The Ukrainian investigators then brutally and directly inform families in Russia that their children have been killed in the war.

The New York-based start-up bills itself as having "the world's largest face network" with billions of mugshots from the internet - many of them scraped from social media sites like Facebook - data which it later sells. 

Founded in 2017, Clearview AI had raised over $38 million and was valued at $130 million as of 2021. However, the software company has already been the target of multiple class-action lawsuits and joint investigations in states such as Illinois in the US, as well as in the UK and Australia, for allegedly using facial recognition data without user consent.

Faced with the deployment of Clearview AI on the battlefield in Ukraine with little resistance, the New York Times cites critics' warnings that such tech companies may be exploiting a crisis to expand with little privacy regulation, and that any mistakes made by the software or its users could have dire consequences in the war zone.

Hidden dangers to Ukraine

As technology companies shape the Russia-Ukraine conflict and claim to want to help Ukraine rebuild, these companies may "control" the most critical parts of the country - from infrastructure such as the internet to national defense in the form of satellite images, warned Scientific American, a US-based science magazine.

In the face of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the US has never truly considered the national security of Ukraine and the security of its citizens' information, but rather coldly and selfishly used Ukraine as a NATO antecedent artificial testing ground from the perspective of technological evolution, Wang noted.

"From identifying and locating targets for attack on the frontlines of war, to big data analysis of popular sentiment feedback for better opinion mobilization, for the US, this testing ground is all-encompassing," Wang said.

Wang also pointed out the US might even attempt to dismember Europe through Ukraine in the future. "The US has called for the construction of such so-called joint information infrastructure network facilities, and then empowered with advance technologies, especially AI technology and big data, NATO's information warfare capabilities are enhanced, but also the US' ability to control NATO-sourced information," he said.

According to the New York Times, as early as 2021, there were more than 1,800 US law enforcement agencies that had used Clearview's product, including the Secret Service, the FBI, and other federal agencies.

Currently, whoever can seize the first opportunity to deploy AI means the party that gets to enjoy large but nearly unexplored market, which fuels the need to maintain hegemonic control by countless capitalists and countries, Wang said.

The Biden administration has stated that AI poses a threat to public safety and democracy but the government has limited authority to regulate it.

The core of US hegemony is placing itself above the security of other countries. Now, the US believes that it can do this through absolute technological leadership, so it uses all kinds of means and even appeasement to achieve such a monopoly. 

But such a monopoly will eventually bring infinite evil consequences to the US itself, according to Song.