Nigeria Times

By He Yin, People’s Daily

This year marks the beginning of the implementation of the outcomes of the Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC). Recently, several African countries including Chad, Djibouti, Madagascar, and the Republic of the Congo signed economic and technical cooperation agreements with China.

The efficient and pragmatic cooperation between China and Africa in various fields has been further deepened, demonstrating the joint efforts of the two sides to move towards modernization together.

Under the guidance of President Xi Jinping, the FOCAC Beijing Summit was successfully held last year, after which bilateral relations between China and all African countries having diplomatic ties with China were elevated to the level of strategic relations and the overall characterization of China-Africa relations was elevated to an all-weather China-Africa community with a shared future for the new era.

Jointly advancing modernization that is just and equitable, open and win-win, that puts the people first and features diversity and inclusiveness, and that iseco-friendlyand underpinned by peace and security, China and Africa have strengthened strategic alignment in development and exchanged governance experiences. This has expanded shared values, paving the way for a broader horizon and injecting more momentum into the development of bilateral relations.

There is always vast space for African brothers in China’s endeavor to expand high-standard opening up; and China will never be absent from Africa’s pursuit of development and revitalization.

The ten partnership actions for modernization jointly promoted by China and Africa have set a roadmap for comprehensive deepening of cooperation. China is committed to providing Africa with a broader market, more practical technologies, and more stable investments for its modernization.

China has been granting zero-tariff treatment for all tariff product categories to all least developed countries that have diplomatic relations with China, which creates favorable conditions for high-quality African products to enter the Chinese market. China is also deepening vocational skills training and human resources cooperation with African countries to help the latter strengthen capacity building.

The cumulative installed capacity of photovoltaic power plants built by Chinese companies in collaboration with Africa has exceeded 1.5 GW, and the two sides will also construct an “African Solar Belt”, truly embarking on the path of green and low-carbon development.

President of the Republic of the Congo Denis Sassou Nguesso recently stated that Xi’s proposal of the ten partnership actions for modernization at the FOCAC Beijing Summit covers all areas of China-Africa cooperation and addresses the challenges facing Africa, which is in line with Africa’s needs.

On the journey to modernization, the FOCAC has played a significant role in promoting Africa’s development and improving the livelihoods of the people on the continent. Over the past 25 years since the establishment of the forum, China has helped Africa build 100,000 kilometers of roads, more than 10,000 kilometers of railways, nearly 1,000 bridges and nearly 100 ports. Over the past three years alone, over 1 million jobs have been created in Africa. The livelihood projects implemented in Africa, such as those related to food security, water supply, and education, have benefited the people of many African countries.

Today, the forum has become a symbol of China-Africa solidarity and cooperation, a banner of South-South cooperation, and a model for guiding international cooperation with Africa. The importance China attaches to Africa has attracted increased attention and support from the international community, further promoting Africa’s development.

In the face of profound changes unseen in a century, the world increasingly needs strengthened cooperation between China and Africa. The development of China and Africa represents the rise of the Global South, embodying the strengthening of just forces.

Under the guidance of Pan-Africanism, African countries have accelerated the integration process of seeking strength through unity and pursuing development and revitalization, playing an increasingly important role in international affairs and contributing transformative power to global governance.

China will always be the most trustworthy friend of its African brothers and sisters, the most reliable partner in their pursuit of development and revitalization, and the strongest supporter of Africa on the international stage.

The tradition of making Africa the first overseas destination for China’s foreign minister each new year is a hallmark of Chinese diplomacy, which has been upheld consistently for 35 years. It is a testament to the enduring friendship between China and Africa, and China’s consistent friendly cooperation with Africa.

Strengthening solidarity and cooperation between China and Africa, and jointly safeguarding the legitimate rights and interests of developing countries, aligns with historical justice and the trend of the times.

Regardless of the changing international situation, China and Africa will steadfastly advance cooperation to a higher level, deeper level, and broader scope, jointly promote modernization and build an all-weather China-Africa community with a shared future for the new era.

By Zhong Sheng, People’s Daily

Over the past few years, China-U.S. relations have gone through ups and downs, but one thing remains unchanged: only through cooperation can the two countries achieve mutual benefit and win-win outcomes.

The 2025 Consumer Electronics Show recently concluded in the U.S. city of Las Vegas once again demonstrated how Chinese and American interests are deeply intertwined, and proved that the two countries can benefit from win-win cooperation.

It is reported that over 1,300 Chinese companies participated in the event, accounting for about 27 percent of all exhibitors.

The latest cooperation achievements between Chinese and American tech companies garnered substantial attention. For example, Chinese artificial intelligence company APLUX and U.S. tech giant Qualcomm jointly unveiled Ultra Magnus, the first humanoid robot prototype. The robot can communicate freely and naturally with visitors and serve them beverages, demonstrating efficient service capabilities.

During the event, Chinese and American companies engaged in face-to-face exchanges across multiple consumer technology sectors, including artificial intelligence glasses, health wearable devices, new energy vehicles, and smart homes. The two countries boast immense potential for cooperation, which will benefit the two peoples.

Under the current circumstances, common interests between China and the U.S.are expanding rather than shrinking. This is a sentiment shared by the vast majority of businesses and people from both sides, and serves as an important foundation for the two countries to work in the same directionfor mutually beneficial cooperation.

Looking back at 2024, China hosted over 3,800 economic and trade events. American companies had the largest exhibition area at the seventh China International Import Expo, and took the largest share of overseas participation at the second China International Supply Chain Expo. ManyU.S. corporate executivesfrequently visited China. These China-U.S. business exchanges have opened up opportunities and fostered mutual success.

The cooperation between Chinese and American enterprises demonstrates that as long as the two countries stay committed to mutual respect, mutual benefit, and equal-footed consultation, follow economic and market rules, and expand and deepen mutually beneficial business cooperation, they can achieve win-win outcomes.

In the past 46 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the U.S., the international situation and the bilateral relationship have gone through tremendous changes. However, a comprehensive examination of China-U.S. relations reveals a wide range of common interests shared by the two sides, with mutual benefit and win-win cooperation being the essential characteristics of bilateral relations.

This is sufficient to enlighten both sides that they should be partners rather than rivals; help each other succeed rather than hurt each other; and seek common ground and reserve differences rather than engage in vicious competition.

Chinahas proposed that both countries should uphold the principles of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation, and find the right way to get along in the new era. This is both a profound summary of past experience and a crucial guide for the future.

Chinese ancestors once said, “Parties involved in trade can have their needs met and obtain more benefits.” At the entrance of the Commerce Research Library of the U.S. Department of Commerce, there is an inscription that reads: cultivate peace and commerce with all. This means that mutual benefit and reciprocity holds true in both ancient times and today, and is a shared belief in both Chinese and American businesses.

In 2024, Tesla’s electric vehicle sales in the Chinese mainland hit a record high of 657,000 units, up 8.8 percent yearonyear. Starbucks added 290 new stores to its footprint on the Chinese mainland in the fourth quarter of 2024, entering 78 new county-level markets.

More than 73,000 American companies have established businesses in China by 2024, with the total investment exceeding $1.2 trillion, covering sectors such as electronics and communications, automobile manufacturing, consumer goods, and financial services.

Countless examples show that American businesses investing and doing business in China not only yield profits but also benefit the people of both countries. As China is advancing Chinese modernization and the U.S. isrevitalizing its economy, there is plenty of room for their cooperation.

The interests of China and the U.S. are closely intertwined. Naturally, the two countries have divergences and disagreements between them. Yet these should not become obstacles to their bilateral cooperation.

Faced with the recent years’ new and evolving situationin China-U.S. business ties, the two sides should stay committed to mutual respect, seek common ground while shelving differences, and take constructive measures to enhance understanding and expand consensus.

Tariff wars, trade wars, and tech wars are against the trend of history and laws of economics. They will only disrupt normal trade exchanges and the stability of global industrial and supply chains, which does not serve the interests of any party.

Gary Shapiro, CEO of the U.S. Consumer Technology Association (CTA), warned that the tech sector is America’s economic engine, but proposed tariffs threaten the deflationary power of tech in the global economy. According to a report released by CTA,President-elect Donald Trump’s tariff proposals on technology products could lead to $90 billion-$143 billion decline in U.S. consumer purchasing power in 2025.

MauriceObstfeld, former chief economist of the International Monetary Fund, recently observed that using tariffs to increase U.S. powerin the global economy will likely backfire and damage the U.S. economy.

It is never too late to do the right things. At the critical crossroads in the development of China-U.S. relations and the key moment of world economic recovery, it is especially important to define China-U.S. relations by mutual benefit and win-win cooperation, and to take actions responsible for both countries and the world.

Looking ahead, China and the U.S. can help each other succeed and prosper together through cooperation. Together, they can accomplish great things that benefit both countries and the world.

(Zhong Sheng is a pen name often used by People’s Daily to express its views on foreign policy and international affairs.)

By Yang Yi, People’s Daily

The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) is thefree trade area with the biggest population, the largest trade scale and the greatest potential for development.

Since the RCEP came into force in January 2022, it has deliveredincreasingly prominent institutional dividends such as tariff reductions, simplified customs procedures, and trade and investment facilitation. It has played a crucial role in safeguarding the stability and smooth flow of regional industrial and supply chains, propelling the Asia-Pacific into a new period of high-quality economic development.

On the morning of Jan. 2, 2025, a freight train loaded with fresh fruits and vegetables set off from Wangjiaying West Station in Kunming, southwest China’s Yunnan province, bound for Laos along the China-Laos Railway.

This marked a new milestone for the railway, which has transported over 50 million tons of cargo, including 11.58 million tons of cross-border goods, since its full operation on Dec. 3, 2021.

Over the past three years since the RCEP came into force, the China-Laos Railway has emerged as a crucial transport corridor linking China, Thailand, Cambodia, and other countries. With the opening of more shipping routes, goods from Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, and Japan can now directly reach Xiamen Port and Quanzhou Port in southwest China’s Fujian province, as well as ports in east China’s Shandong province.

According to a study conducted by the Asian Development Bank, the RCEP is expected to add $245 billion annually to regional income and 2.8 million jobs to regional employment. With the continuous improvement of regional connectivity, the RCEP will unleash more trade benefits.

Providing tremendous opportunities for regional enterprises

Boten townin northern Laos’Luang Namtha province, located only 3 kilometers from the Chinese border town of Mohan in Yunnan, is a crucial border station for transporting goods between China and Laosby land.

“Three years ago, there were only about a dozen customs clearance companies in Boten. Now, there are around 150,” said Zhang Jianli, head of the freight transfer division at the Boten Station of the China-Laos Railway.

Inside the offices of these customs clearance companies, business agents were busy submitting documents, inspecting goods, and paying taxes to ensure timely shipment of goods for their customers.

Thanaleng Dry Port, a border checkpoint located between Lao capital Vientiane and border city Nong Khaiin northeast Thailand, primarily handles goods that need to transit through Laos before reaching China or Thailand.

An official with Thanaleng Dry Port said that with the opening of the China-Laos Railway, the time needed to transport goods by trucks from Vientiane to Boten has reduced from two days to only around four hours, enhancing the logistics efficiency in the region.

By implementing tariff commitments, rules of origin, trade and investment liberalization and facilitation, and other trade regulations, the RCEP has maximized the integration of 27 trade arrangements and 44 investment agreements of its members in the region. This has effectively advanced the development of the multilateral trading system and helped maintain the stability of industrial and supply chains across the region.

An executive from the United Overseas Bank in Singapore said that the RCEP has broken down tariff barriers among its members and simplified trade rules. Singaporean enterprises can enjoy an average of 92 percent tariff reduction in China, which provides them with more favorable conditions for expanding their presence in the Chinese market.

Unny Sankar Ravi Sankar, minister of economic affairs of the Malaysian Embassy in China, noted that the RCEP provides abundant opportunities for businesses and investors in the region, contributing significantly to the stable economic development of the Asia-Pacific.

Invigorating regional economic integration

In December 2024, the RCEP Support Unit(RSU)was officially established in Jakarta with the joint efforts of China, the non-ASEAN rotating chair of the RCEP that year, and the ASEAN chair Indonesia.

Kao Kim Hourn, secretary-general of ASEAN,said that the establishment of the RSU was another significant milestone in the development of the RCEP. It will help implement the RCEP in a more comprehensive and high-quality manner and provide support to relevant institutions.

Over the past three years, the RCEP has been unleashing benefits in trade, investment, and regional value chains. As the largest economy of the RCEP, China has been an active promoter of high-quality implementation of the agreement. In the first three quarters of 2024, imports and exports between China and other RCEP members totaled 9.63 trillion yuan ($1.31 trillion), a year-on-year increase of 4.5 percent.

China’s continuous expansion of high-level opening up has injected stability and vitality into the economic development of the Asia-Pacific, providing tremendous opportunities for regional countries to share China’s development benefits.

Data released at the Boao Forum for Asia Bangkok Roundtable in August 2024 indicated that Cambodia is expected to graduate fromLDC (least developed country)status by 2028 due to the development dividends brought by the RCEP.

Cambodian Ministry of Commerce’s Secretary of State and Spokesperson Penn Sovicheat, said that the RCEP and bilateral free trade agreements that Cambodia signed with countries like China and South Korea greatly boosted Cambodia’s trade growth.

According to statistics released by the Department of Trade Negotiations under the Ministry of Commerce of Thailand, in the first ten months of 2024, Thailand’s trade with other RCEP members reached around $269.7 billion, accounting for 53.13 percent of its total trade, up 2.69 percentage points from a year ago.

Tang Zhimin, director of China-ASEAN Studies at the Bangkok-based Panyapiwat Institute of Management, observed that the model of pre-establishment national treatment plus a negative list for foreign investment is one of the most important achievements of the RCEP investment rules.

“Since the implementation of the RCEP three years ago, China has made significant progress in facilitating services trade and investment cooperation with ASEAN countries, demonstrating an increasingly higher level of opening up,” Tang noted.

By Han Xin, People’s Daily

At around 9 am, a ship laden with cargo arrived at a fully automated container terminal of Qingdao Port in east China’s Shandong province. As the ship docked, intelligent operation promptly commenced.

Several gantry cranes descended from a height of tens of meters, their “arms” expertly grabbing and positioning the large containers onto automated guided vehicles (AGVs). Nearby, high-speed rail-mounted gantry cranes swiftly navigated the yard, accurately stacking and organizing the incoming containers.

The smooth loading and unloading operations were made possible by automation.

“Construction of the fully automated terminal began in 2015, divided into three phases, with the third phase terminal becoming operational by the end of 2023,” said an employee with Qingdao Port.

According to the employee, the terminal has lifted operational efficiency by six percent and throughput by 15 percent.

On Jan. 1, 2025, the automated container terminal at Qingdao Portachieved an average single-crane productivity of 60.9 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) per hour during aloading task. This marks the 12th time that the terminal has set a world record for automated terminal efficiency.

Heading north along the coastline from the port, there is a bulk cargo terminal that has been revitalized.

At the ore terminal in the west port area of Yantai Port, the work site was totally unmanned, but as an orange ship unloader swung its mechanical arm, cargos were grabbed out of the hold. Conveyor belts, rotating fast, worked in close coordination with reclaimers and loaders, handling cargos with high efficiency.

Thanks to fully automated terminal control technology, the ore terminal at Yantai Port has achieved unmanned operations throughout the entire work process. Compared to traditional operating modes, both the comprehensive unloading efficiency and bulk cargo loading efficiency have increased by over 20 percent.

The two ports in the north and south of the Shandong Peninsula are vivid examples of the accelerated construction of intelligent ports across China.

According to data from China’s Ministry of Transport, the country has built 52 automated container and bulk cargo terminals so far, ranking first in the world in terms of both completed and under-construction scales. Chinese ports also rank at the forefront globally in the level and application of automation technology.

In recent years, China has successively formulated and released a series of industry technical standards such as the design specifications for automated container terminals and automated coal and ore terminals, which have driven and supported the development of smart port construction. Some technical solutions for automated container terminals have been introduced overseas and applied in ports in some countries.

“To achieve full-process unmanned operation for ship loading and unloading, container transfer, and yard handling at a container terminal, a complete set of automated port machinery equipment and loading/unloading systems are indispensable,” said Li Yiming, director of a design and research institute of Shanghai Zhenhua Heavy Industries Co., Ltd. (ZPMC).

Li took the Yangshan phase IV automated terminal in Shanghai as an example. When a large vessel docks, the quay crane is the primary equipment for loading and unloading containers at the terminal. By introducing dual-trolley automated quay cranes, it is possible to achieve a relay operation with two trolleys, increasing the efficiency of loading and unloading operations by 50 percent.

After the containers are unloaded, AGVs will efficiently transport the containers to the yard. Following this, the world’s first dual-container automated rail-mounted gantry cranes come into play, capable of lifting two containers at one go, doubling the efficiency of yard operations.

“Up to now, ZPMC has provided a total of 28 automated quay cranes, 121 automated rail-mounted gantry cranes, 145 AGVs, and a complete set of loading and unloading systems, helping the Yangshan phase IV automated terminal become the largest and most intelligent fully automated container terminal in the world,” said Li.

In recent years, the company has been involved in over 70 percent of automated terminal construction projects around the world, he added.

The smooth and efficient operation of various port machinery, including shore cranes, rail-mounted gantry cranes, and AGVs, depends on a robust automation software system.

In the Meishan port area of Ningbo-Zhoushan Port in East China’s Zhejiang province, real-time scenes of ship loading and unloading, automated operations of quay cranes and gantry cranes, and unmanned container trucks shuttling back and forth were displayed on a large screen. With the support of an independently developed automation software system, hundreds of port machinery equipment have achieved precise and orderly scheduling, underpinning the formulation of production plans and complex task management for tens of millions of TEUs.

“The large-scale application of intelligent equipment has laid a solid foundation for the efficient operation of the port area, contributing to new highs of the port’s throughput,” said an executive of Ningbo Zhoushan Port Company Limited.

In the first 11 months of 2024, Ningbo-Zhoushan Port reported a cargo throughput of 1.268 billion tons, a year-on-year increase of 3.27 percent, and completed a container throughput of 36.145 million TEUs, up 10.2 percent from a year ago. In recent years, Chinese ports have been vigorously promoting the specialization and intelligent transformation of terminals, further enhancing port service capabilities. From January to November 2024, China’s total port cargo throughput reached approximately 16.04 billion tons, showing a year-on-year increase of around 3.4 percent. The container throughput reached 300 million TEUs, with a year-on-year growth of 7.3 percent, maintaining a steady increase

By Wang Zheng, People’s Daily

Two humanoid robots Walker S1 developed by Chinese robot manufacturer UBTECH recently conducted practical training in a logistics warehouse of Chinese new energy vehicle manufacturer BYD in Changsha, central China’s Hunan province.

The two robots, 172 centimeters in height, each squatted down and picked up a six-kilogram material box from a tray. Holding the box in front of their chests, they backed up and turned, took small steps towards an unmanned warehouse dolly, bent, and placed the boxes onto it. After this task was accomplished, they returned to the tray to repeat the process for another round.

“Since late October 2024 when they entered the factory for training, their handling efficiency has doubled. From the initial run-through of all handling scenarios by a single humanoid robot, to achieving collaborative operations with unmanned warehouse dollies, and now to two robots working together, ” said Jiao Jichao, vice president of UBTECH.

This is not the first time for UBTECH humanoid robots to enter an automobile plant. Previously, when the 400,000th vehicle manufactured by Chinese carmaker Zeekr rolled off the production line, a Walker S1 was at Zeekr’s 5G intelligent plant, practicing millimeter-level precision quality checks for vehicle logos and car lamps. At the turn of the year, the Walker S1 also worked in three other manufacturing enterprises for training.

At the 2022World Robot Conference, only three humanoid robots were showcased, and the number increased to 10 in 2023 and 27 in 2024. As of Nov. 18 last year, the humanoid robot sector had witnessed 49 financing events totaling 8 billion yuan ($1.09 billion), with the largest single investment nearing 1 billion yuan, according to Jiang Lei, chief scientist of the National and Local Co-Built Humanoid Robotics Innovation Center.

Jiang said the number of humanoid robot manufacturers across China has increased from 31 in early 2024 to 80, and the number stands at over 200 globally.

In addition to humanoid robots, embodied intelligence has also gained significant attention. Recently, many technological experts in autonomous driving sector have shifted their focus to embodied intelligence, leading to a surge in investment and entrepreneurship activities in this area.

Embodied intelligence refers to integrating artificial intelligence into physical entities such as robots, enabling them to perceive, learn, and interact dynamically with the environment like humans do, Jiao explained.

This concept, first proposed in 1950, emphasizes that intelligent behavior is generated through the interaction between the intelligent agent’s body and the environment. In China’s national artificial intelligence development strategy, embodied intelligence is seen as the only way for artificial intelligence to interact with the physical world, which will have profound implications on the real world.

Humanoid robots are one physical form of embodied intelligence. Academician Sun Ninghui of the Chinese Academy of Engineering said that embodied intelligence refers to intelligent entities with physical bodies able to interact with the physical world, such as robots and unmanned vehicles. These entities process various sensory data inputs through multimodal large models and generate motion commands to drive the intelligent agents, replacing traditional rule-based or mathematical formula-based motion control methods. This approach achieves a deep integration of virtual and real worlds.

Jiang told that there are two paths for the development of humanoid robots. One is the Honda ASIMO (Advanced Step in Innovative Mobility) path, which emphasizes that robots are just a hardware platform and focuses more on the mechanical engineering and motion capabilities. However, this path ceased development in 2018.

The other path is the Tesla path, which advocates for integrating the development of humanoid robots with embodied intelligence, emphasizing the support of artificial intelligence infrastructure such as intelligent computing center, data center, and cloud service platform.

Jiang said, “The next generation of humanoid robots should be a combination of robots, embodied intelligence, and artificial intelligence infrastructure.”

According to Tesla’s plan, this year, the humanoid robot “Optimus,” also known as the “Tesla Bot,” will enter limited production this year and mass production in 2026. Similarly, leading Chinese humanoid robot companies see 2025 as the “year one” for mass production.

On Dec. 26, 2024, Leju Robot, a high-end tech firm committed to the development of humanoid robots, officially launched its first production line, with an estimated annual output of 200 humanoid robots.

UBTECH also plans to increase the delivery volume of its Walker series. Chairman of Leju Robot Leng Xiaokun noted that the company’s humanoid robot “Kuavo” has already been employed in industrial settings, with the ultimate goal of transitioning to home services.

By Wang Hao, People’s Daily

In a farm in northwest China’s Gansu province, sensors are inserted into the soil to monitor humidity, while a miniature weather station tracks wind and light conditions.

“Last year, the sunflower yield per mu (about 667 square meters) exceeded 280 kilograms, an increase of 15 percent,” said Zou Changsheng, head of the project department of the farm.

With the use of smart irrigation, bountiful harvests were guaranteed, and the water usage per mu has decreased from 650 cubic meters to 300 cubic meters, Zou added.

The irrigation water comes from the Shule River, which flows through the desert, nurturing oasis along its path. The Shule River provides irrigation water for a total of 1.34 million mu of farmland spread across 22 townships in Jiuquan, Yumen, and Guazhou county, as well as six farms.

The Shule River basin receives less than 70 millimeters of precipitation annually, while the evaporation is as high as 2,800 millimeters. How can this water-deficient river achieve intensive water conservation while ensuring proper irrigation?

“We have ‘digitized’ the Shule River,” said Zhang Farong, deputy director of the planning department of the Shule River basin water resources utilization center in Gansu province.

By leveraging geographic information systems and building information modeling, a virtual model has been constructed to simulate the river channel, canal system, reservoirs, and water gates in equal proportion, creating a “digital twin” of the river, Zhang explained.

Through large model simulation, water resource scheduling plans have been continuously optimized. Manual gate operations have been automated, enabling precise water release based on demand. The construction of high-standard farmland is advancing in sync, with integrated water and fertilizer technologies such as drip irrigation and precision fertilization, saving both labor and water. By combining data, algorithms, and computing power, the Shule River irrigation area is gradually becoming a leading example of water conservation.

These efforts to use digital technology to promote water-saving agriculture in the Shule River basin reflect China’s rapid progress in developing a digital twin system for water resources management.

“In simple terms, digital twin water resources management refers to the use of technologies such as artificial intelligence, 5G, and large models to virtually replicate natural water systems and hydraulic engineering structures on the internet. This enables the simulation of interactions between physical and virtual objects, facilitating precise forecasting, early warnings, rapid scenario simulations, and the development of contingency plans,” said Sun Chunpeng, director of the hydrological information forecasting center at the Ministry of Water Resources.

In recent years, China’s water resources sector has completed 94 construction tasks of digital twin for water resourcemanagement .

The construction of a comprehensive water monitoring system covering the Yangtze River basin has commenced, accelerating the formation of a prototype digital twin of the Yangtze River.

A digital twin Yellow River project is advancing in an orderly manner, which aims at promoting the deep integration of the real-world Yellow River, Yellow River models, and a digital twin of the Yellow River.

In the development of digital twin water networks, a framework for constructing a national backbone digital twin water network has been completed. Progress has been made in the preliminary establishment of a digital twin for the first phase of the South-to-North Water Diversion Project’s central route, and 10 provincial-level pilot areas have achieved practical results in building their digital twin water networks. Efforts are also underway to advance the construction of digital twin water networks at the municipal and county levels.

Regarding digital twin projects, continuous iterative optimization is being carried out for key sites such as the Three Gorges Dam, Xiaolangdi Dam, Danjiangkou Reservoir, and Yuecheng Reservoir. From 2023 to 2025, 49 digital twin irrigation areas will be piloted. Besides, large and key medium-sized water conservancy projects newly constructed in 2025 will launch information infrastructure, digital twin platforms, and business application systems.

Digital twin in water conservancy enable more targeted management of rivers and lakes. China’s Ministry of Water Resources has established a national key rivers and lakes ecological flow monitoring and early warning platform. This platform gathers monitoring data such as water levels and flow rates from 283 ecological flow sections of key rivers and lakes. It enables real-time monitoring and early warning for 235 ecological flow control sections across 165 key rivers and lakes, as well as 65 water allocation sections.

A national water use management platform has been set up, allowing for dynamic monitoring of violations such as excessive water use, exceeding control limits, and lack of measurement for water users with permits. Up to now, 131,000 online monitoring points and 551,500 offline monitoring points nationwide have been connected to the platform.

Digital twin in water conservancy enable more science-based management of water conservancy projects.

In water conservancy engineering construction management system, information from over 40,000 enterprises, more than 1.07 million professionals, and over 420,000 project performance records and credit evaluations in the water resources industry have been consolidated.

In the water resources project operation management information system, electronic archives of over 90,000 reservoirs across nine industries, including water conservancy, energy, and transportation, have been shared.

In the rural water resources and hydropower information management system, basic and operational information for 520,000 centralized water supply projects, 42,000 small hydropower stations, and 7,326 large and medium-sized irrigation areas are updated annually, with a daily average of over 3,000 visits.

By Li Ya’nan, People’s Daily

The Tianshan Shengli Tunnel, the world’s longest expressway tunnel located in northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, completed tunneling on Dec. 30, 2024.

Built by China Communications Construction Company Limited (CCCC), the 22.13-kilometertunnel will reduce the time it takes to drive across the middle section of the Tianshan Mountains from several hours to about 20 minutes once operational.

It is a key project of the Urumqi-Yuli Expressway, which runs from the regional capital of Urumqi in northern Xinjiang to Yuli county in southern Xinjiang.

Since construction began in 2020, thousands of builders have worked in the mountains. Over the course of 52 months, the construction team overcame challenges suchas complex geological conditions, highaltitudes, extreme cold, and high ground stress, achieving another groundbreaking featin China’s expressway tunnel construction.

Notably, this project was the first in the country to use a hard rock tunnel boring machine (TBM) for expressway construction and pioneered an innovative construction method for rapid excavation, significantly shorteningthe construction period.

How to pass through the fault zones?

According to Huang Dengxia, chief engineer of the fifth section of the Urumqi-Yuli Expressway project under CCCC, the tunnel passes through 16 geological fault zones, 12 of which are located at the tunnel’sentrance, featuring fragile and complex rock formations. Besides, the tunnel’s construction faces high ground stress, with peak stress reaching nearly 22 MPa, said Huang.

“It’s just like working in a ‘tofu pudding’ environment with a high risk of mud surges and rock bursts,” Huang remarked.

At 1,900 meters into the entrance, the construction team encounteredF6, the largest fault zone along the route that spans 440 meters in width. Its fractured, water-rich rock posed immense difficulties for construction.

“Hard rock TBMs are especially vulnerable to the environment where the rock alternates between hard and soft layers,” said Wu Teligen, head of the engineering department of the fifth section. “Collapses and water inflows often occur in such conditions. Sometimes, water inflows could reach as much as 7,000 cubic meters in a single day.”

To address the persistent threat of collapses, the team anchored over 37,800 polyethylene pipe foam concrete components into the rock face, creating a shock-absorbing layer that is 70centimeters thick, which helps mitigate the fault zone’s stress impact on the surrounding rock supports. After 80 arduous days, the team successfully navigated through the fault zone F6.

How to shorten construction period?

With traditional drilling and blasting methods, it would take 72 months to cut two 22.13-kilometer-long holes through the Tianshan Mountains.However, to foster regional development and address local people’s transportation needs, it is important to shorten the construction time.

“After extensive research and analysis, we broke down the construction into smaller, more manageable segments, allowing for faster excavation,” said Miao Baodong, chief engineer of the Urumqi-Yuli Expressway project.

To be specific, the team added a middle drift between the two parallel main tunnels, with hard rock TBMs, customized by CCCC for the Tianshan Shengli Tunnel, acting as “trailblazers,” Miao said, adding that this approacheffectively segmented the main tunnels into multiple sections for simultaneous excavation.

At the construction site, the two TBMs, named “Tianshan” and “Shengli,” advanced respectively from the northern and southern sides of the Tianshan Mountains, withthe massive cutterheadsdriving dozens of blades forward to crush rock into fragments. The machines proceeded at a speed of 20 to 30 meters per day, which was over five times faster than manual drilling, thereby reducing the original construction time to 52 months.

How to ensure construction safety and efficiency?

The innovative construction method has significantly increased the excavation speed and provided additional working faces. However, it also presented new challenges – how to ensureconstruction safety and efficiency at the same time.

“During peak construction, the exit end of the tunnel alone had seven working faces operating simultaneously, with over 1,200 personnel and 600-700 vehicles passing throughevery day,” said Li Yalong, manager of the sixth section of the Urumqi-Yuli Expressway project.

“To ensure safe and orderly operations, we created an intelligent system to coordinate transportation within the tunnel, equipped vehicles with positioning devices, and adopted electronic access control for personnel. Technology has been a vital tool in our construction,” Li added. For instance, a digital monitoring and command center has been established, providing real-time data on the movement of personnel and vehicles within the tunnel in a single interface.

The project also set up a specialized technical team to ensurethat the two TBMs running from the opposite sides met precisely within the mountain. Every six months, the team conducted joint measurements from both the entrance and exit ends of the tunnel to carefully calibrate the plane control points and elevation control network so as to keep the tunnel alignment on track.