For major public health emergencies that result in more than five deaths or critical cases, provincial health authorities must report to China's top health authority within two hours upon receiving the report, according to new medical emergency regulations released by the National Health Commission (NHC) on Monday.
The NHC released the trial regulation to clarify the mechanisms and processes for emergency medical responses to sudden incidents, and to standardize and efficiently carry out emergency medical rescues in order to avoid and reduce casualties and ensure people's safety and health.
When the casualty situation is not clear, the situation should be reported first, with specific casualties submitted later. Health administrative authorities below the provincial level can directly report to the NHC, while copying the higher-level health authorities. The NHC should promptly report to the State Council upon receiving the report, according to the regulation.
The drafting of the trial regulation was based on relevant emergency, medical laws, regulations and contingency plans, including the Emergency Response Law of the People's Republic of China, Basic Healthcare and Health Promotion Law and the national emergency response plan for public health emergencies, said the NHC.
The trial medical emergency regulation was released in a timely manner, providing clear guidance and assistance to medical institutions in dealing with sudden health emergencies, Lu Hongzhou, head of the Third People's Hospital of Shenzhen, told the Global Times on Tuesday.
For example, based on the Law on Prevention and Treatment of Infectious Diseases and other relevant laws and regulations, infectious disease patients should be promptly transferred to designated medical institutions for treatment, Lu said.
The trial regulation standardizes the system of medical emergency information discovery and reporting, as well as the entire process of medical emergency disposal. It clarifies the work responsibilities of relevant departments and institutions.
The health authorities will establish a system for retroactive investigation and accountability in order to strengthen inspection and guidance and improve the timeliness and accuracy of reporting. For those units that report late, omit, lie, or conceal information, they shall be resolutely held accountable in line with relevant regulations.
It also clarifies the standards for on-site medical emergency disposal, injury classification, treatment of the injured and other facets. It stipulates the management of medical emergency teams and base construction, the establishment of a medical emergency expert database, the formulation of medical emergency plans, the reserve of medical supplies, training and drills and other areas as well.
The US and the UK's support for anti-China rioters exposed their ill intention to destabilize the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said at Friday's regular press briefing, in response to the latest remarks by US and UK politicians regarding the issuing of arrest warrants for five fugitives that have fled the HKSAR to overseas.
China strongly deplores and firmly opposes certain countries' flagrant slandering against the national security law for Hong Kong and interference in the rule of law in the HKSAR, and the issuing of arrest warrants for the five fugitives is in line with international law and common practice, said Mao.
The National Security Department (NSD) of the Hong Kong Police Force said on Thursday that the police have put on the wanted list five individuals who have fled overseas and are suspected of having committed offences under the national security law for Hong Kong.
The five are Cheng Man-kit, Hui Wing-ting, Joey Siu, Fok Ka-chi and Choi Ming-da, according to the HKSAR.
The HKSAR government also on Friday strongly opposed and condemned certain countries' remarks on the issuing of arrest warrants for the five individuals.
The police issued arrest warrants of these five individuals according to the law, which is necessary and legitimate, said Mao. The national security laws of other countries including the US and the UK also have extraterritorial effect. These five individuals, under the pretext of "democracy" and "human rights," have engaged in activities that undermine China's national security, Mao said.
The Commissioner's Office of Chinese Foreign Ministry in HKSAR also expressed strong dissatisfaction and firm opposition on Friday. The spokesperson from the Commissioner's Office said that the extraterritorial application of the national security law for Hong Kong is fully in line with the principles of international law and common practice, and is a necessary and justified measure to ensure Hong Kong's long-term stability and order.
Meanwhile, the 2023 Implementation Rules for Amending the Implementation Rules for Article 43 of the Law of the People's Republic of China on Safeguarding National Security in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region took effect on Friday.
"The amendments are technical in nature and the scope of the proposed amendments is extremely narrow: it only aims at making clear provisions in respect of the validity period of freezing notice, without changing the basis or principle for issuing such notice," said a spokesperson from HKSAR on Friday.
The amendments can make sure that the freeze notice of property related to offenses under the national security law for Hong Kong remains valid until the legal proceedings conclude, according to the HKSAR.
Lawmaker Elizabeth Quat Pui-fan supports the revision of the implementation rules. The lawmaker told the Global Times on Friday that it can "effectively combat serious crimes that endanger national security."
Anti-China figures are still using various means to deny and evade their crimes that endanger national security. The anti-China forces in the US and the West are eager to continue stirring up trouble and messing up Hong Kong, the lawmaker emphasized.
Authorities are launching a direct strike against anti-China elements and those who disrupt Hong Kong, by pursuing the criminal acts of Jimmy Lai Chee-ying and his peers in accordance with the law and freezing their assets. They have brought this upon themselves and HKSAR is obligated to handle it in accordance with the law, Quat said.
It is necessary to uphold the rule of law in governing HKSAR, using legal means to maintain stability and uphold social justice, the lawmaker said.
Mao, the foreign ministry spokesperson, reiterated that Hong Kong affairs are purely China's internal affairs that brook no interference from any external forces. China maintains firm resolve in safeguarding the nation's sovereignty, security and development interests. Relevant countries should respect China's sovereignty and the rule of law in HKSAR and stop interfering in China's internal affairs, she said.
The US-led joint patrol in the Red Sea following Houthi militia attacks against ships heading toward Israel shows that the Palestinian-Israeli conflict in Gaza is not only affecting the whole region, but also the international community. Chinese analysts pointed out that the root cause of the trade route problem is the ongoing conflict in Gaza, and only a sustainable cease-fire and allowing humanitarian aid to enter Gaza via land and sea routes can solve the problem in the Red Sea.
China will pay close attention to the situation, and Chinese naval vessels that conduct UN authorized anti-piracy missions in the region will keep performing their duty, analysts said, adding that China will stick to the priority of realizing a cease-fire and clear the way for humanitarian aid for the people in Gaza, rather than joining the US to conduct any military operations without UN authorization to escalate the crisis in Gaza.
The US and a host of other nations are creating a new force to protect ships transiting the Red Sea that have come under attack by drones and ballistic missiles fired from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced Tuesday in Bahrain, the AP reported.
The UK, Bahrain, Canada, France, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Seychelles and Spain have joined, Austin said. Some of those countries will conduct joint patrols while others will provide intelligence support in the southern Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.
The Houthi militia attacked two commercial ships in the Red Sea with naval drones on Monday. The recent attacks have caused concerns about the impact on the passage of oil, grain and other goods on what is an important global trade route, and have pushed up the cost of insuring and shipping goods through the Red Sea, Reuters reported.
The Shanghai-based news website The Paper reported on Tuesday that following other international shipping companies including Denmark's Maersk and France's CMA, Chinese shipping giants like COSCO and Orient Overseas Container Line (OOCL) also suspended transport through the Red Sea.
Ma Xiaolin, dean of the Institute for Studies on the Mediterranean Rim at Zhejiang International Studies University, told the Global Times on Tuesday that the trade route via the Red Sea is truly important for China as it connects Europe, Asia and Africa, so China will pay close attention to the situation.
"However, although China has naval vessels in the region, their mission is about anti-piracy, rather than intervening in regional issues and other countries' internal affairs. Only a solution to the ongoing crisis in Gaza can effectively solve the problem in the Red Sea," Ma said.
On December 9, Al Jazeera reported that the armed group in Yemen claimed that "it will target all ships heading to Israel, regardless of their nationality, and warned all international shipping companies against dealing with Israeli ports."
"If Gaza does not receive the food and medicines it needs, all ships in the Red Sea bound for Israeli ports, regardless of their nationality, will become a target for our armed forces," the group's spokesperson said in a statement on Saturday, according to Al Jazeera.
Song Zhongping, a Chinese military expert and TV commentator, told the Global Times on Tuesday that the "Houthis are specifically targeting Israel, so it's unlikely it will attack Chinese vessels. China doesn't need to be too worried about the situation and the Chinese warships in the region will stick to their plan."
"China will keep making efforts to realize a sustainable cease-fire and clear the way for humanitarian aid to get into the Gaza Strip. This is the real priority that needs to be done," Wang Jin, an associate professor at the Institute of Middle Eastern Studies at Northwest University, told the Global Times on Tuesday.
If Washington and its allies want to solve the Red Sea problem, they should play a responsible role in the UN Security Council to pass a cease-fire resolution and to put concrete efforts into improving the humanitarian situation in Gaza, which would be more effective than sending warships to conduct joint patrols, experts said.
The humanitarian situation in Gaza remains severe. According to Reuters on Tuesday, Israeli missiles and air strikes on the Rafah area in southern Gaza struck three houses killing at least 20 Palestinians, Gaza health officials said on Tuesday. Tens of thousands of displaced Palestinians have crammed into Rafah on Gaza's border with Egypt to escape Israeli bombardments.
The lack of unity in the UN that is mainly caused by the US is another key reason why the situation is far from easing. The UN Security Council delayed until Tuesday morning a vote on an Arab-sponsored resolution calling for a halt to hostilities in Gaza to allow for urgently needed aid deliveries to a massive number of civilians as members intensified negotiations to try to avoid another veto by the US, the AP reported.
Wang Wenbin, a spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, said at a routine press conference on Tuesday that "the UN General Assembly has adopted two resolutions with an overwhelming majority. We hope the US will listen to the voice of the international community, stop single-handedly blocking Security Council resolutions, and play its due role to promote an immediate cease-fire and prevent an even larger humanitarian catastrophe."
China's university swimming team concluded their seven-day FISU Games campaign on a high note on Monday as they tallied 18 gold and two bronze medals to sit atop the leader board in swimming.
Butterfly specialist Zhang Yufei remains the biggest contributor to China's medal haul as she scored gold medals out of all nine competitions in which she participated.
Monday night saw her win two gold medals in women's 50 meters freestyle and 4x100 meters medley relay at the Dong'an Lake Sports Park Aquatics Centre.
The Southeast University student was participating in the FISU University Games back-to-back with the World Aquatics Championships, which ended on July 30, a day before the FISU swimming competition began.
"The University Games competition is more like training for me. Even though I'm tired, I have to wake up when I step into the arena. Regardless of my mental state, once I'm on the competition stage, I have to give my all and take the race seriously," Zhang told reporters.
The 25-year-old threw all the gifts she received at the award ceremony to the audience on Monday.
Zhang, also a two-time Olympic champion and a two-time world championship title holder, said she is trying to get used to participating in back-to-back tournaments.
"It can be exhausting joining back-to-back events like the World Championships, University Games and the upcoming Asian Games, but it's all about building myself up," she said.
"A significant portion of my training is done on dry land. Through these exercises, I enhance my physical fitness to improve my ability to compete in multiple events. Since I will be participating in many events at the Olympics next year, I started preparing from this year, making multiple races a habit for myself," she added.
Distance freestyle specialist Li Bingjie, 21, representing Shanghai Jiao Tong University, also had to swim back-to-back after winning the 400 meters freestyle.
The last swimmer in the women's relay, she was struggling to stand thus was carried by her teammates after the final as her efforts ended with China leading the second-place Poland team with a one-second-sharp lead.
Li, a Tokyo Olympics gold medalist and six-time world championship medalist, totaled eight gold medals at the FISU Games, including a clean sweep in the women's 400, 800 and 1,500 meters freestyle.
Li has said that she hopes to narrow the gap between her and the world's most decorated swimmer, Katie Ledecky of the US, in the lead up to the Paris Olympics, but she insists that she will continue to focus on her own rhythm rather than following others.
"I've made mistakes in this aspect before, allowing others' pace to dictate my pace, which ended in the later stages with me losing control of myself," Li told reporters.
"Now I primarily focus on swimming according to my own rhythm."
Also that night, the Chinese university men's 4x100 meters medley relay team, headed by breaststroke world champion Qin Haiyang, set a new FISU record of 3:32.58 seconds.
Speaking about the physical fatigue of participating in back-to-back races, Qin emphasized the importance of mental relaxation.
"My primary focus after training is on relaxing my mind. Physical fatigue can be recovered through a good sleep, but mental relaxation is more crucial because training is usually quite intense," Qin, whose given name Haiyang means "ocean," told reporters.
"As my journey into swimming was also a serendipitous process, I feel that there is a sense of destiny associated with swimming," Qin said, speaking about his given name.
Qin thanked the home audience for their continuing support to the team.
"The spectators are truly enthusiastic," Qin Said.
"Only during home games can you hear such fervent cheers and shouts!"
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.
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 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.
The Embassy of Colombia in China celebrated the country's National Day in Beijing, on July 27. The Colombian Ambassador Sergio Cabrera attended the event and expressed his willingness to maintain cultural exchanges with China.
Ambassador Qiu Xiaoqi, Special Representative for Latin America and the Caribbean of the Government of China was the special guest at the event. Around 350 attendees, including representatives from diplomatic missions, party and state officials, representatives from provincial governments, and business people were also present at the event.
Ambassador Cabrera delivered a speech at the event in which he said, "Culture, a sector to which I have been committed for all my life, is a tool for opening spaces for international dialogue. In China, our cultural agenda includes the planning of events in literature, gastronomy, plastic and visual arts, cinematography, and music."
Cabrera attended cultural and education promotion events in different cities around China in June. These included a conversation about Colombian literature and film in Southwest China's Chongqing Municipality and in Beijing, he talked about the Colombian film El olvido que seremos (Forgotten We'll Be) with Colombian writer Héctor Abad. During the visit, other activities carried out with the Foreign Affairs Office of the Chongqing Municipal People's Government included a live radio broadcast to promote Colombian music, showcasing songs from Colombia's most traditional musical genres such as Cumbia, Salsa, and Vallenato. It also included the well-known instruments such as the Caucasian flute which was the main instrument played to celebrate the friendship between Colombia and China at a concert in 2022. The ambassador also talked about Colombia's relations with China, especially with the city of Chongqing, and cooperation in education, culture, trade, and other areas.
The ambassador used an ancient and well-known proverb to demonstrate his country's friendly relations with China, says "Nothing, neither mountains nor seas, can separate peoples who share the same ideals and objectives." He said that, "China and Colombia are two nations and two peoples separated geographically but are unwaveringly united in our common goals and ideals in the pursuit of peace, harmonious development, environmental protection, and mutual benefit, and nothing can separate us."
At the end of the event, the embassy served different Colombian cuisines such as coffee, chocolate and memorable Colombian traditional dances were also presented.
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.
