China’s zero-tariff policy opens new opportunities for Africa’s development

By Michael Oduro

A significant announcement recently captured attention across African social media: China has granted zero-tariff treatment to all 53 African countries with which it has diplomatic relations.

This move comes at a critical time, as global protectionism rises and the international trade environment faces unprecedented challenges. China’s move has created a significant opportunity for Africa to expand exports and accelerate industrialization. 

As an African journalist living and working in China, I have gained intimate, firsthand insights into the potential impact of this policy. 

In recent years, I have noticed how African products are gradually becoming more visible in Chinese daily life. Ethiopian coffee, Ghanaian shea butter, Kenyan tea — products that once felt distant are now available on major e-commerce platforms and increasingly appearing in supermarkets and specialty stores across China. Crucially, they are finding a warm reception among Chinese consumers.

It is no exaggeration to say this zero-tariff policy is reshaping the structure of China-Africa trade, opening new commercial pathways, and fostering a deeper appreciation among Chinese consumers for the quality of African goods. By lowering trade costs and expanding market access, China is effectively opening its doors — the world’s largest consumer market — to African farmers, businesses, and entrepreneurs more directly than ever before. Rooted in the principle of shared prosperity, this initiative fully demonstrates China’s commitment to supporting Africa’s economic development and its deeper integration into the global trading system.

Africans understand profoundly the historical difficulties African products have faced in penetrating global markets. For years, Africa’s foreign trade has been constrained by structural bottlenecks that severely undermined its international competitiveness. 

High tariffs, complicated customs procedures and weak cross-border logistics have often squeezed profit margins long before products even left the continent. 

Simultaneously, protectionist policies and additional tariffs imposed by some developed economies further compounded Africa’s trade challenges.

Given this context, China’s announcement of zero-tariff treatment for these 53 nations struck me as a powerful potential accelerator for development. It offers African goods unprecedented efficiency and reach into the vast Chinese market.

My coverage of last year’s 8th China International Import Expo left a lasting impression, particularly the debut of a dedicated exhibition zone for products from least developed countries. Seeing African specialties showcased there was deeply moving. Many African entrepreneurs told me the expo provided unmatched exposure for their products, and they eagerly anticipated the opportunities the zero-tariff policy would bring. Today, that anticipation is translating into tangible purchase orders and genuine benefits for African producers.

Of course, policy dividends do not automatically guarantee development. African countries must act proactively and seize the opportunity. Key steps include improving cross-border logistics, aligning products with Chinese market quality standards, and developing distinctive goods tailored to Chinese consumer preferences to transform policy advantages into concrete economic gains.

From my vantage point in China, I’ve witnessed African entrepreneurs tackling market challenges with impressive resolve. They are strategically positioning themselves within the Chinese market, adapting to consumer demands, and scaling up production. A growing number of African business leaders are blending entrepreneurial drive with strategic clarity, striving to convert potential into tangible improvements in livelihoods across the continent.

Through years of study and work in China, and participation in various Sino-African economic, trade, and cultural exchange activities, I’ve also felt a strong mutual desire for respect and cooperation. This embodies the true value of the China-Africa partnership — one built on solidarity and shared development.

The year 2026 marks the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and African countries. The zero-tariff policy vividly demonstrates China’s efforts to practice the principles of the country’s Africa policy — sincerity, real results, amity and good faith, and to pursue the greater good and shared interests. It reflects China’s openness, sense of responsibility, and belief in shared prosperity.

The “zero-tariff express” has started running. The challenge now is for African countries to seize this historic opportunity by strengthening their industrial foundations, improving logistics infrastructure, ensuring product quality, and building competitive brands that resonate with the Chinese consumers. 

With the strong foundation of China-Africa friendship and mature cooperation mechanisms already in place, African countries are fully capable of turning the advantages of zero tariffs into tangible economic and social benefits.

The future has already arrived. And Africa, without question, is beginning to pick up speed.

Tianzhou missions: a decade of space innovation in China

By Liu Shiyao, Shi Lei, People’s Daily

Before dawn on May 11, a Long March-7 carrier rocket launched from China’s Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site in Hainan, successfully sending the Tianzhou-10 cargo spacecraft into its preset orbit.

The Tianzhou series serves as a vital supply carrier for China’s space station. Since the maiden flight of Tianzhou-1 in April 2017, the Tianzhou cargo spacecraft program has entered its 10th year.

Over the past decade, ten successful missions have demonstrated relentless innovation and technological breakthroughs. China has steadily enhanced its capabilities in space cargo transport and in-orbit resupply, providing robust support for its space program.

What new supplies dose this “space delivery” carry? What scientific experiments will follow on China’s space station?

Tianzhou-10 carries more than 6 tons of cargo, including daily essentials and work materials for the Shenzhou-23 and Shenzhou-24 astronaut crews, as well as instruments, spare parts, and maintenance equipment for the space station. In total, the shipment comprises more than 220 items for astronaut systems, station operations, cargo spacecraft functions, and space applications.

Notably, the craft delivers a third-generation extravehicular spacesuit — replacing current models — and a new space treadmill for astronaut fitness. It also carries 700 kg of propellant to replenish the station.

Tianzhou spacecraft perform irreplaceable roles: delivering supplies and propellants, supporting experiments, returning waste to Earth, and assisting with station orbit and attitude adjustments while docked.

Tianzhou-10 will remain docked for up to 12 months — a record duration. Previous missions (Tianzhou-2 to Tianzhou-5) typically stayed for six months. Starting with Tianzhou-6, enhanced capabilities allowed docking periods to extend to 9-10 months. This extension reduces launch frequency and operational costs while demanding higher reliability standards. To ensure success, the China Academy of Space Technology (CAST) team optimized designs and rigorously tested systems and equipment.

Tianzhou-10 carries the largest number of experimental payloads in the series’ history.

The spacecraft holds six experimental payloads, the highest number since the completion of the China space station. These payloads will support research in microgravity science, fluid physics, aerospace technology and other fields.

Tianzhou-10 is capable of hour-level Earth-to-space delivery.

The craft carries biologically sensitive samples requiring low-temperature storage, which demand ultra-timely transportation. To ensure their freshness, the Tianzhou team adopted an hour-level rapid delivery solution. After the spacecraft was transported to the launch tower, temperature-sensitive cargo was loaded at the tower and placed inside the craft’s refrigerator. Just hours after launch and docking, astronauts can retrieve and use the samples, a vivid example of China’s increasingly refined space supply support capability.

The arrival of the “space delivery” has paved the way for a new batch of space science experiments.

According to Gong Yongsheng, a researcher at the Technology and Engineering Center for Space Utilization, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 17 standard cargo packages and one cell life support device were sent to the space via Tianzhou-10, totaling 67 sets of research equipment with a combined weight of 768.2 kilograms.

Once transferred to the space station, these supplies will support 41 scientific research projects covering space life science, biotechnology, and microgravity physics. A host of high-profile experiments will be carried out in orbit, including high-resolution greenhouse gas monitoring and space embryo development research.

Positioning Chinese large models as a foundation for global innovation

By Yang Zhilin

Terms like “AI agent” and “token” are becoming commonplace, reflecting how once-niche open-source AI projects are now spawning entirely new business models and market opportunities.

Amid this wave of technological transformation, China’s homegrown large models are advancing rapidly and finding broader real-world applications, injecting fresh momentum into the intelligent economy while increasingly serving as a foundation for global innovation.

As a core engine driving the next technological revolution and industrial upgrade, AI is now approaching a critical stage of development. In programming, for example, AI has already demonstrated enormous potential in code design, writing, testing and deployment. For many knowledge-intensive tasks, AI now performs at levels comparable to human professional experts.  

There is broad industry consensus that AI will significantly boost productivity in the coming years, becoming an increasingly capable in both professional and personal contexts.

In the past, discussions about China’s internet and digital economy largely focused on the country’s vast user base and diverse application scenarios. Those advantages have continued into the AI era. In March this year, China’s daily token usage surpassed 140 trillion, marking more than a 1,000-fold increase in just two years. The number of users of generative AI has exceeded 600 million, or 42.8 percent of the total Chinese population. Crucially, China has developed a new generation of self-developed large models capable of competing with the world’s leading systems, solidifying its role as an increasingly important contributor to global AI innovation.

China’s large models are advancing on multiple fronts: not just in quantity, but also in quality, real-world adoption and global influence. Examples include their top-tier performance on international AI benchmarks, rapid progress in multimodal capabilities, and the evolution from single agents to agent clusters.

Last year, Chinese open-source large models topped global downloads. In a recent technical report, our team redesign the residual connection, a key component of the Transformer architecture, from its underlying logic, marking the first such redesign in a decade. This has unlocked new evolutionary horizons for model training and has sparked widespread discussion at home and abroad. The new technology not only enables a broader range of domestic chips to be effectively used for large-model inference, but also reduces overall operating costs.

Chinese open-source models today boast advantages in both quantity and quality. They are increasingly setting benchmarks in global model evaluations and important samples for overseas research institutions, while gaining greater international influence. 

Kimi, the large model developed by our team at Moonshot AI, has gained substantial traction in the global market due to its strong cost-performance ratio. It has become a high-productivity tool for numerous overseas developers and end-s, with paid API (Application Programming Interface) calls and other key business metrics showing robust growth.

We believe Chinese open-source models offer a distinct path from closed, proprietary systems. They are well-suited for widespread global adoption and can foster a healthy, open ecosystem — one that drives worldwide AI progress through collaboration and shared innovation. As the adage goes, “many hands make light work.”

The rapid evolution of large models also requires patience, persistence and long-term commitment. Technological breakthroughs never happen overnight. Throughout the process of exploration, solving one problem often leads directly to the next. Only by confronting challenges head-on and steadily working through them can we continue making meaningful progress along the long road of AI development, with persistent efforts eventually delivering substantial long-term returns.

For thousands of years, humanity has sought new ways to push beyond the boundaries of knowledge. Today, AI has the potential to become one of the most powerful tools for achieving that goal. By pursuing solid foundational innovation and embracing an open and collaborative mindset, we aim to provide accessible AI technologies to the world and contribute greater Chinese insights and strength to the future of global innovation.

(Yang Zhilin is founder and CEO of Kimi developer Moonshot AI. The article was compiled and edited from an interview with People’s Daily reporter Gu Yekai.)

Who is poisoning Japanese society on online platforms?

By Wu Xian

Recently, a Japanese student learned about the historical facts of the Nanjing Massacre at an international school and later expressed feelings of remorse at home. Instead of encouraging reflection, the student’s father reacted with fury. He posted on social media calling for a “boycott of international education” and attempted to mislead his daughter using distorted historical records promoted by Japan’s right wing.

Even more alarming was the response online. Large numbers of Japanese netizens echoed his views. Some falsely claimed that teaching the historical facts amounted to “brainwashing children,” while others demanded tighter government oversight of international schools to prevent students from learning about this period of history.

Such an absurd episode raises an unsettling question: faced with well-documented historical facts, why have such distorted perceptions become so widespread on Japanese online platforms?

Behind this phenomenon lies years of systematic manipulation by Japan’s right-wing forces.

One method has been the creation of a dark industrial chain of online opinion manipulation. 

According to an investigation by Japan’s The Asahi Shimbun, the Japanese crowdsourcing platform CrowdWorks has long paid netizens to deliberately collect or use AI to generate smear content. Such false narratives label Chinese people as uncivilized, brand them as anti-Japanese, and even claim the Nanjing Massacre is a lie.

They exploit right-wing narratives that distort history and stoke confrontation as a means to chase online traffic and monetary gains, forming a fully fledged malicious industrial chain.

Leveraging online platforms, Japanese right-wing forces manufacture rumors and spread extremist remarks in a systematic, industrialized way. This has left many Japanese netizens, already misled by distorted historical views, further unable to reflect on and condemn the wars of aggression.

Another driving force has been the role of Japan’s right-leaning government in amplifying such narratives.

The widespread circulation of distorted historical views and anti-China rhetoric in Japanese society did not emerge on its own. According to available statistics, since 2015, Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has allocated more than 56 billion yen ($356 million) under programs labeled “strategic international information dissemination,” much of which has reportedly been used to promote negative narratives about China overseas.

This has included funding foreign media outlets, think tanks and online influencers to spread claims such as “China reopens historical wounds” or “stirs anti-Japanese sentiment.” The aim is to confuse international public opinion and whitewash Japan’s wartime history.

Public funds intended for domestic welfare have, according to these reports, been diverted to amplify right-wing narratives. This has contributed to an online environment where distorted historical views, particularly targeting younger generations, are systematically reinforced.

By continuously smearing China and exaggerating the so-called “China threat,” Japanese right-wing forces seek to manufacture regional tensions and create public support for loosening the constraints of Japan’s pacifist constitution, expanding the role of the Self-Defense Forces and increasing overseas military involvement.

From distorting the history of World War II and glorifying aggression to hyping external threats and fostering security anxieties, these efforts all serve a broader strategic ambition: reviving militarist thinking and paving the way for Japan to pursue the status of a major military power.

This year marks the 80th anniversary of the beginning of the International Military Tribunal for the Far East, also known as the Tokyo Trials. Yet eight decades of historical judgment, moral reflection and legal restraint have failed to fundamentally change the entrenched historical revisionism of Japan’s right-wing forces or erase their lingering militarist mindset.

Instead, aided by the rapid evolution of new media and AI technologies, Japan’s right-wing forces are continuously upgrading their methods of manipulating public opinion and expanding the reach of historical revisionism, militarism and extreme nationalism. These narratives now spread more pervasively across online spaces, shaping public perceptions in increasingly sophisticated ways.

The lessons of history are still fresh. Japan’s right-wing forces manipulate online public opinion to create disturbances, drum up support for military buildup and war preparedness, and fuel efforts to break away from the postwar international order. Such moves only mislead and poison its own people, split social consensus, heighten strategic mutual suspicion in the region, and ultimately leave Japan discredited by the international community.

(Wu Xian is an associate researcher at the Institute of Japanese Studies, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.)

Is Japan preparing for “protracted warfare” and repeating its historical mistakes?

By Ding Duo

On May 6, Japan fired Type 88 in the joint military exercise “Balikatan” between the U.S. and the Philippines, the first time Japan launched offensive missiles overseas after World War II.

More troubling still, the Japanese government took advantage of the joint drill as cover to formally revise its “three principles on transfer of defense equipment and technology” and their implementation guidelines, dramatically loosening restrictions on arms exports to the point where, in principle, nearly all defense equipment can now be transferred overseas. 

Cloaked in rhetoric about a “severe security environment” and “mutual support among partner countries,” the move effectively hollowed out Japan’s longstanding limits on weapons exports.

Recently, the Japanese government also convened its first expert panel meeting to discuss revisions to the three key security documents. At the meeting, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi went so far as to claim that revising the documents was work that would determine the future of the Japanese nation, calling on Japan to prepare for “new ways of warfare” and even for “protracted warfare.” 

Such remarks completely stripped away the facade of Japan’s so-called “exclusively defense-oriented policy” and laid bare the adventurist ambitions of what can only be described as a “neo-militarism.”

These dangerous developments once again show that Japan’s right-wing forces are accelerating the country’s remilitarization process. The push toward “neo-militarism” is no isolated phenomenon. Rather, it is part of a deliberate and organized effort to break through the postwar peace framework, with potentially grave consequences.

First, these actions undermine the postwar international order. 

The UN Charter and Article 9 of Japan’s constitution both impose clear constraints on Japan’s military development. Yet today, Japan is steadily dismantling those restraints and reducing them to little more than empty words. The international community must remain vigilant: will Japan repeat its historical mistakes and once again become a source of instability in East Asia?

Second, Japan’s military adventurism is emboldening right-wing forces. 

As the country continues down this path, rational anti-war voices are increasingly sidelined while militarist thinking resurfaces. This trend poses a deep and lasting threat to regional peace. As thoughtful voices within Japan have warned, “to forget the wounds of war is to plant the seeds of future disasters.”

Third, Japan’s actions are undermining regional peace and stability. 

Japan has repeatedly deepened military coordination with certain regional countries while expanding cross-regional cooperation with NATO. In doing so, it continues to inject instability into East Asia, raising the risks of confrontation and conflict and seriously damaging the broader environment for regional peace.

At the core of these developments lies Japan’s persistent regression in its understanding of history. Recently, Takaichi sent a ritual offering to the Yasukuni Shrine in the name of “prime minister,” where 14 convicted Class-A war criminals of World War II are enshrined. The act openly defied the shared understanding of the international community regarding Japan’s wartime aggression and once again exposed the deeply entrenched distortions in the historical outlook of some Japanese politicians. A country unwilling to face its history honestly can hardly be trusted to genuinely safeguard peace.

The intertwining of historical revisionism and military expansionism has made Japan’s accelerating remilitarization a reality, posing a tangible threat to peace and stability across the Asia-Pacific. All countries that value regional peace must remain highly alert. The hard-won peace of the region must never be sacrificed to Japan’s dangerous militaristic adventurism.

(Ding Duo is director of the Research Center for International and Regional Issues at the National Institute for South China Sea Studies.)

‘Vegetable bus’ offers glimpse into China’s people-centered governance

By Li Anqi, People’s Daily

A video captured by American social media influencer Jackson Hinkle in southwest China’s Guizhou province has sparked considerable interest overseas. It showcases an ordinary yet revealing scene: Guiyang city’s pre-dawn “Vegetable Bus” — Route No. 252.

This specialized bus service helps local farmers transport their fresh produce into the city at minimal cost. While outwardly unremarkable, the bus features detachable storage racks. The driver assists farmers, acting as a porter to lift shoulder poles and load vegetable baskets. The passengers are local growers heading to city markets at daybreak.

The video resonated with international viewers. Comments praised the “simple but efficient” solution, the “smiles on their faces,” and described China as “a country full of care.” Through this relatable microcosm, many glimpsed the workings of China’s grassroots governance.

The power of the “Vegetable Bus” lies in its directness. It eschews grand gestures to address concrete rural needs: early-morning transport, moving produce, and market access costs. Details like detachable shelves, direct routes, and low fares embody a governance philosophy centered on improving daily life.

Hinkle observed that challenges often deemed difficult by American elites were addressed in China by a practical solution like a dedicated bus route. This comment, though casual, touches on a key feature of China’s approach: prioritizing tangible solutions over rhetoric for ordinary people’s problems.

This approach manifests in various forms nationwide. 

In Beijing, residents collaborate in “courtyard discussion halls” on issues from laundry drying to neighborhood planning. In Hubei province, volunteer “alley stewards” address community concerns like clearing clutter. In Chongqing, officials hold “courtyard meetings” with villagers to discuss industry and infrastructure.

The methods differ, but the principle is consistent: bringing governance to the community level (“the last mile”), empowering residents as active participants, and making governance a direct, shared experience.

Strikingly, this people-centered approach resonates across cultures. Somalia’s Ambassador to China, Hodan Osman Abdi, admired the “handle matters with at most one trip” slogan at a community center, calling China’s governance “remarkable.” A Nepalese delegation visiting a township committee meeting was impressed to see democracy deeply integrated into practice, not just theory.

International students and foreign businesspeople in China are even participating in local governance, serving as volunteer coordinators or cultural mediators. Their participation reflects not only recognition of the effectiveness of China’s grassroots governance, but also the broader appeal of a people-oriented approach that transcends borders.

From the “Vegetable Bus” to courtyard discussions, China’s diverse grassroots governance practices showcase the unique character of its modernization. 

This path is defined not just by economic growth, but also by responsive, humane governance. It translates the abstract principle of “putting people first” into tangible realities: a warm sunbeam on an early bus, a cup of tea easing tensions, and the quiet certainty felt by ordinary citizens that they are valued and cared for.

This, perhaps, is the most compelling insight China’s governance offers the world.

China-U.S. relations cannot return to past, but can move toward better future

By Guo Jiping

At the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping, U.S. President Donald Trump will pay a state visit to China from May 13 to 15.

After many twists and turns, China-U.S. relations have arrived at a new historical juncture. The year 2026 carries special significance for both countries. China is embarking on its 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030), while the United States celebrates its 250th anniversary. 

Amidst increasing global uncertainty and volatility, the international community looks to Beijing, hopeful that this high-level engagement will offer clarity and stability for the future trajectory of China-U.S. relations.

Observers note that over the past decade, the relationship has weathered two significant periods of strain. The first began in 2018 with the U.S. initiation of trade tariffs against China. Stabilization was achieved only after extensive dialogue and complex interactions spanning several years. The second period of tension occurred more recently in 2025. Remarkably, the cycle from rising friction to renewed stability unfolded within just a few months this time.

The progression from years-long to months-long stabilization cycles, and from repetitive friction-dialogue patterns towards clearer strategic direction and consensus-building, reflects China’s consistent approach: readiness to negotiate combined with firm adherence to principles and clear boundaries. China’s demonstrated resilience has garnered international respect and created conditions conducive to resolving differences through dialogue.

Today, China-U.S. dialogue occurs on a more equitable basis. Communication is increasingly pragmatic, with clearer articulation of respective bottom lines. This resilience suggests the potential for a new, more stable chapter in the relationship.

Head-of-state diplomacy plays an irreplaceable strategic guiding role. Last year, when a wave of tariff tensions rattled the world, the two presidents steered China-U.S. economic and trade ties back on course. 

Under the guidance of the consensus reached by the two presidents, the teams from both sides have so far held six rounds of consultations and are currently engaged in a new round of talks. 

Since the meeting between the two heads of state in Busan last October, China-U.S. relations have generally maintained a stable and improving momentum — a trend widely welcomed by both peoples and the international community.

The strategic guidance provided by the two heads of state helps identify “dangerous reefs” ahead in China-U.S. relations. The Taiwan question is the most important and most sensitive issue at the very core of China-U.S. relations, and it concerns the political foundation of bilateral ties. 

Xi has repeatedly elaborated China’s principled position on the Taiwan question to Trump, emphasizing that Taiwan is China’s territory, and China must safeguard its own sovereignty and territorial integrity, and will never allow Taiwan to be separated. Clearly defining principles and bottom lines is precisely the responsible approach needed to prevent serious risks in China-U.S. relations.

The aspiration of the Chinese and American business communities to deepen ties and cooperation has never changed. At present, more than 7,000 Chinese-funded enterprises operate in the United States, while about 80,000 American-invested enterprises are active in China. 

These firm choices made at the forefront of the market clearly and powerfully demonstrate the true nature of China-U.S. economic and trade relations: mutual benefit and win-win cooperation. 

As China enters the 15th Five-Year Plan period, its commitment to high-quality development and high-standard opening up will create broader incremental space for China-U.S. cooperation.

The will of the people stands as a profound and enduring force shaping the trajectory of China-U.S. relations. Whether at those pivotal moments when China and the United States seized every moment to break the ice, or when bilateral relations slid to a low ebb, the sincere aspiration of the two peoples for mutual understanding and friendship has never changed.

As exchanges deepen and produce tangible results, perceptions are improving positively. More Americans are actively participating in fostering people-to-people friendship, contributing greater rationality and constructive perspectives to the relationship.

In the face of profound changes unseen in a century, China and the United States, as permanent members of the United Nations Security Council and the world’s two largest economies, shoulder even greater responsibilities. Promoting global development, safeguarding peace and security, and improving global governance all require cooperation between the two countries. 

This year, China will host the APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting and the U.S. will host the G20 Summit. Whether the two sides can demonstrate the vision and responsibility expected of major countries, and deliver more tangible benefits to the world, bears directly on the well-being of both peoples and the future of humanity.

China-U.S. relations cannot return to the past, but they can move toward a better future. Both sides should proceed from a sense of responsibility to history, to the people, and to the world, and explore ways to build a strategic, constructive, and stable China-U.S. relationship featuring mutual respect, peaceful coexistence, and win-win cooperation.

Young innovators drive China’s carbon fiber breakthrough in northeast

By Liu Yiqing, People’s Daily

Inside the production workshops of Jilin Carbon Valley Carbon Fiber Co., Ltd. (Carbon Valley), a subsidiary of Jilin Chemical Fiber Group (JLFiber) in northeast China’s Jilin province, silver strands of carbon fiber precursor raced through roaring production lines. 

Through processes including pre-washing, humidification, oxidation, low-temperature carbonization, and winding, the material was transformed into carbon fiber.

“The carbon fiber filament is even thinner than a human hair,” said Chen Hao, deputy director of the company’s high-performance workshop. “Its density is less than a quarter that of steel, yet its strength can reach seven to nine times higher.”

In 2025, a major research project jointly developed by JLFiber, Donghua University, and eight other universities, research institutes, and industry-leading enterprises passed technical appraisal. The project, titled Key Technologies for the Large-Scale Manufacturing of Large-Tow Carbon Fiber and Composite Materials and the Industrialization of Large Wind Turbine Blades, marked a key breakthrough in the application of 35K large-tow carbon fiber composites in offshore wind turbine blades.

But what defines “35K” carbon fiber? 

The “K” unit measures carbon fiber tows, where 1K representing 1,000 filaments. A 35K tow therefore consists of 35,000 ultra-fine filaments requiring exceptional consistency.

“Human hair varies in thickness,” remarked Yu Jian, a manager in the company’s quality management department. “To ensure performance, the length, thickness, and other indicators of all 35,000 filaments must remain highly uniform.”

For years, the large-tow carbon fiber market was dominated by foreign companies due to the complexity of production processes and proprietary formulas.

In 2016, seeking cost reduction and competitive enhancement, Carbon Valley formed a young R&D team dedicated to innovation. Through rigorous experimentation, they identified 35K carbon fiber as optimal for balancing performance, production efficiency, and cost.

General manager Chen Haijun explained how the team overcame technological bottlenecks through process upgrades and equipment innovation. The company coordinated with supply chain partners and conducted eight specialized technical seminars.

Team members immersed themselves in laboratory work, repeatedly testing and optimizing spare-part materials, process parameters, and channel structures step by step. With each seminar, multiple production indicators for the 35K carbon fiber improved further.

After more than half a year of intensive work, the team successfully produced 35K carbon fiber in 2017 that fully met standards for hardness, strength, and other mechanical properties.

Compared with traditional metal materials, carbon fiber offers clear advantages including high strength, low weight, and strong plasticity. But manufacturing carbon fiber is costly and resource-intensive: producing a ton of finished carbon fiber requires roughly two tons of precursor material. Any production error can therefore result in substantial losses.

To compete in the market, large-scale production and cost-effectiveness became essential.

Although the core research and development work had been largely completed, new problems emerged during mass production.

Unlike laboratory experiments, industrial production requires continuous manufacturing of 100,000-meter-long 35K carbon fiber tows, which must then be wound into cylindrical rolls for transportation and sale. The longer the tow became, the greater the risk of problems such as insufficient strength or broken filaments.

To tackle these issues, Shan Xin, deputy director of the spinning workshop, led his team in upgrading production-line equipment.

The team redesigned transmission roller connections from single-sided support to double-sided support, while continuously testing new materials to improve equipment durability and transmission stability. These changes reduced friction-related filament breakage.

At the same time, the team implemented systematic clean-production upgrades. Starting from the polymerization stage at the source of production, the team introduced layer-by-layer cleaning and filtration processes throughout the entire system and production flow to minimize impurities and improve the stability of the 35K carbon fiber.

“When early testing showed the performance didn’t meet standards, I was anxious,” Yu recalled, having witnessed the development of 35K carbon fiber from scratch. “But nobody gave up. Everyone kept searching for solutions.”

Today, pass rates for key indicators such as strength, modulus, and fineness continue to rise steadily. “We are confident enough to stand up to microscopic-level checks,” Yu said.

As evening fell, batches of newly packaged 35K carbon fiber precursor left Carbon Valley and were shipped to downstream carbonization and composite-material manufacturers.

After further processing, these lightweight yet highly durable materials became carbon plates used in the main beams of wind turbine blades.

Carbon Valley has now signed long-term supply agreements with multiple major domestic wind turbine manufacturers in partnership with downstream enterprises. Chinese-made 35K carbon fiber is now being applied on a large scale at wind farms across the country.

Drones establish lifeline for rural healthcare in China’s Hainan mountains

By Cao Wenxuan, People’s Daily

In the mountainous county of Qiongzhong in central Hainan province, south China, drones are revolutionizing rural healthcare by transporting medical samples, emergency supplies, and medications between remote villages and county hospitals. 

A new low-altitude medical network now connects all 15 township health centers across the county through four drone routes spanning 205 kilometers. Since its launch, medical delivery times have been reduced by 50 percent.

For residents like Cheng Chuanhe from Sihe village in Zhongping township, this innovation has proven life-changing.

When Cheng sought treatment for severe leg cramps at the township clinic, doctors suspected low calcium levels but lacked testing equipment. Previously, this would have required a 60-kilometer mountain journey to the county hospital. “We’ll draw your blood here — the drone will transport it,” assured Chen Zhao, the clinic’s lab technician.

The announcement immediately set off an aerial relay operation across the mountains.

At a drone station beside Qiongzhong County Central People’s Hospital, staff quickly replaced batteries and uploaded pre-flight verification photos. More than 100 kilometers away in Haikou, capital of Hainan province, Lin Shuyu, an operations employee at Dronexpress, a professional drone operation service provider, confirmed that weather conditions and flight routes were clear before tapping a screen to launch the drone remotely.

With a sharp buzz, the drone lifted off the cruised steadily along its pre-programmed route, transmitting real-time data on speed, position, and flight status.

The blood sample reached Zhongping in under 30 minutes. After battery replacement and sample loading, the drone continued to collect additional specimens before delivering all samples to the county hospital within 40 minutes. Two hours later, Cheng received results via provincial health platform: “No calcium deficiency — just rest and monitor,” his doctor advised by phone.

Relieved, Cheng could finally set aside his worries.

The invisible “air corridor” now threading through the mountains is bringing county hospitals and township clinics into much closer coordination, ensuring that medical samples, emergency medicine, and equipment can reach remote communities far more quickly.

Qiongzhong sits within the core ecological area of central Hainan, where mountains and hills account for roughly 80 percent of the terrain. For township residents, complex medical testing once meant either long journeys for patients or time-consuming trips by medical staff to transport samples.

“Previously, we could only ask villagers heading to the county seat to carry samples for us,” Chen recalled. “If there was an emergency, we had no choice but to drive all the way ourselves.”

While Zhongping township has relatively manageable road conditions, many remote mountain towns face steep roads, sharp curves, and difficult terrain, with a single round trip often consuming most of the day.

The breakthrough came with the explosive growth of China’s low-altitude economy.

In April 2025, Dronexpress was established. Following in-depth research, the company set its sights on the medical logistics sector. Only one month later, Hainan’s first county-wide full-coverage low-altitude medical logistics project completed its maiden flight.

According to Li Baoming, head of the company’s operations department, the network uses Qiongzhong County People’s Hospital and Qiongzhong County Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital as dual hubs. Two drones operate along four intelligent logistics routes linking all 15 township clinics.

Taking into account cost, payload, flight range, and mountain conditions, the company selected drones capable of flying about 30 kilometers per trip with a maximum payload of 9 kilograms.

“The drones are user-friendly for grassroots staff,” Li said. “Workers only need to fit the battery before launch, with minimal professional maintenance required. Before official operations, we ran multiple hands-on training sessions for medical personnel. All flights are remotely monitored and intelligently dispatched from our operations center in Haikou.”

To improve coverage and efficiency, the drones use a relay-style “leapfrog” system, functioning much like aerial buses that stop along the route for battery swaps and loading before continuing toward county hospitals.

By the end of March this year, Qiongzhong’s low-altitude medical logistics network had safely completed 225 flights, covering more than 2,276 kilometers. The breakdown includes 130 trips for routine medical sample delivery, 80 for emergency infectious disease testing, two for emergency medicine transport, and 13 for medical supply delivery. The overall delivery time has been reduced by half.

The success of the project has already drawn attention from across Hainan, with delegations visiting Qiongzhong to study this model. Li and his team are now working to expand the “air corridor” system to more cities and counties across the province.

China’s ecological protection red line system strengthens ecosystem protection

By Chang Qin, People’s Daily

Spread across a desk in the office of the National Territorial Spatial Planning Bureau of China’s Ministry of Natural Resources is a special map of the country. Across it run vivid red lines, weaving through mountains, rivers, major water sources, and wildlife habitats — boundaries drawn to safeguard China’s ecological security.

China first introduced the concept of “ecological protection red lines” in 2011, and by 2022 had completed the nationwide delineation of ecological protection red lines covering both land and sea. Under the system, areas with critically important ecological functions and environmentally fragile or sensitive ecosystems are placed under the strictest protection.

Today, these red lines encircle 3.19 million square kilometers, including about 3.04 million square kilometers of land and 150,000 square kilometers of marine areas. The system has not only strengthened the country’s ecological security, but also contributed Chinese solutions and experience to global environmental governance.

Xie Haixia, director general of the National Territorial Spatial Planning Bureau, elaborated on the formulation approach of China’s ecological protection red lines.

She said the whole initiative adhered to the principles of strengthening overall coordination, integrating delineation and management, prioritizing protection, and designating all areas that ought to be included.

It was formulated based on the assessment of resource and environmental carrying capacity and territorial spatial development suitability, and closely linked with the development of the nature reserve system, she added.

“All regions with critically important ecological functions, such as water conservation and biodiversity protection, as well as ecologically fragile areas vulnerable to soil erosion, desertification, and rocky desertification, were included within the ecological protection red lines,” Xie said.

To further improve the diversity, stability, and sustainability of ecosystems, China also incorporated habitats of species with extremely small populations, along with mangroves, glaciers, permanent snowfields, coral reefs, and seagrass beds into protected zones, in addition to forests, grasslands, and wetlands.

National Park of Hainan Tropical Rainforest in south China’s Hainan province tells a special story of giving way to nature.

To create more space for one of the park’s original inhabitants, the critically endangered Hainan black-crested gibbon, authorities carried out an ecological relocation program in the park’s core area.

Fu Zhiming, head of the village committee of Xingaofeng village in Baisha Li autonomous county, recalled the difficult decision: “Generations of villagers had lived deep in the mountains, drawing our livelihoods from the forests, so at first many people were reluctant to leave. But the red line is inviolable. We must make sacrifices for this national treasure of the rainforest.”

Today, the Hainan black-crested gibbon population has steadily grown to seven groups totaling 44 individuals.

A total of 459 households and 1,975 villagers relocated from remote mountain areas into new housing communities. Before relocation, annual per capita income was only a little over 2,000 yuan ($294), and today, the figure has jumped to more than 20,000. Villagers now make a living from rubber groves arranged via land swaps, alongside under-forest businesses and edible mushroom planting.

Another transformation can be seen along the Tiaodeng River located within a key ecological zone of the Yangtze River basin in southwest China’s Chongqing municipality.

“In the past, the river was covered in foam, and there were scattered polluting workshops all along the banks,” recalled an elderly local resident surnamed Wang, who has lived by the river for three decades.

Beginning in 2018, the districts of Jiulongpo and Dadukou in the municipality shut down 550 heavily polluting small businesses in accordance with law, demolished 243,000 square meters of illegal structures, and restored more than 652,900 square meters of river ecological space.

Local authorities also introduced a joint river-management system combining “government river chiefs” and “corporate river chiefs.” Executives from 25 key polluting enterprises were appointed as corporate river chiefs, turning former polluters into protectors and encouraging companies to carry out advanced wastewater treatment.

Today, chemical oxygen demand, ammonia nitrogen, and total phosphorus levels at the river’s outlet into the Yangtze River have fallen by 46 percent, 97 percent, and 64 percent respectively. What was once a foul-smelling waterway has been transformed into a riverside park, while revenue in surrounding sectors such as dining and lodging has risen by 75 percent.

Over the past decade, China has built a comprehensive and increasingly strict regulatory framework for ecological protection red lines.

The management system has been incorporated into China’s environmental code, while revisions and new legislation, including the national park law and regulations on nature reserves, have further strengthened the legal foundation for ecological protection.

Strict management also depends on strong technological support.

Zhang Bingzhi, president of the China Land Surveying and Planning Institute, said China has established an integrated “air-space-ground” monitoring network. Using remote sensing, big data, artificial intelligence, and other advanced technologies, authorities are now able to dynamically and accurately monitor human activities within protected zones.

In east China’s Shandong province, newly developed rapid-recognition technologies can precisely detect illegal land-use activities. In Jiangxi province in east China, a field observation and research station in the Poyang Lake basin has accumulated millions of ecological data points to support policymaking.

This science-based supervision has effectively curbed illegal development and construction activities within protected areas.

The results are visible. According to the 2025 Blue Book of China’s Ecological Conservation Red Lines, since the implementation of the red line system, forest area within protected zones has increased by 3,344 square kilometers, while water areas have expanded by 320 square kilometers.

Meanwhile, urban and rural construction land inside protected zones has decreased by 6.5 square kilometers, and mining land has shrunk by 5.6 square kilometers.

Average vegetation coverage within ecological protection red lines has risen by 1.29 percent, while net primary productivity has increased by 2.22 percent. Ecological functions such as water conservation and soil retention have continued to improve steadily.