Nigeria Times

By Guo Jinpin, People’s Daily

The 7th China International Import Expo (CIIE) kicked off at the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai) on Nov. 5. Running from Nov. 5 to 10, the 7th CIIE has attracted 3,496 exhibitors from 129 countries and regions. It also sets a new record with 297 Fortune Global 500 companies and industry leaders attending the event.

Besides, it has brought together 77 countries and international organizations to participate in the Country Exhibition, with France, Malaysia, Nicaragua, Saudi Arabia, Tanzania and Uzbekistan serving as guest countries of honor.

Political and business leaders from 152 countries, regions and international organizations attended the opening ceremony. Around 3,800 Chinese and foreign journalists from more than 400 media outlets are participating in the coverage of this event.Additionally, the area dedicated to cultural exchanges exceeded 32,000 square meters, marking a new high in the history of the expo.

Opening up is a defining feature of Chinese modernization and is also the core philosophy of the CIIE. Hosting the import expo is an important step for China to further open up and a concrete action China took to build an open world economy.

In July this year, the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) concluded its third plenary session, drawing up a grand blueprint for further deepening reform comprehensively to advance Chinese modernization.

The CPC noted that to further deepen reformcomprehensively, it is a must to maintain a unified approach to reform and opening up. The deeper the reform goes, the higher the requirements for the level of opening up; the higher the level of opening up, the greater the boost to reform.

As a significant economic diplomatic event held after the Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the CPC, this year’s CIIE highlights China’s confidence, determination, and practical actions in further deepening reformcomprehensively, promoting high-quality development, and advancing high-level opening-up.

Based on the super-sized Chinese market, the CIIE has enabled exhibits to become traded goods and exhibitors to spot more investment opportunities. It has become a catalyst for enhancing global consensus on open cooperation and pursuing an open world economy, creating new opportunities for the world through China’s further development.

Open cooperation is a defining feature of the CIIE, and the key to its success. The annual expo has leveraged the strengths of China’s enormous market and fulfilled its platform function for international procurement, investment promotion, people-to-people exchanges and open cooperation, facilitating the exchanges of cultures and ideas, as well astransactions of goods and services.

The CIIE has continuously embraced innovation and green development. The previous six editions of the expo saw nearly 2,500 new products, technologies, and services make their debut. The 7th CIIE has, for the first time, establishedthe new materials section, which showcases over 400 representative new products, technologies, and services, unleashing the vitality of innovation and green development.

Theexpo has served as a platform of high-standard opening up that allows China’s enormous market to be shared by the world. The first six editions of CIIE have generated a total intended transaction amount exceeding $420 billion. Additionally, over 1,130 foreign enterprises and investment promotion organizations have conducted targeted connections across the country.A total of 186 enterprises and institutions have achieved full attendance across all seven editions of the expo, and many exhibitors have gone on to open new stores, factories, and R&D centers in China.

With a population of over 1.4 billion, a middle-income group exceeding 400 million people, a complete supply chain, a well-developed infrastructure, an abundant talent pool, and a vibrant innovation ecosystem, the Chinese market continues to unleash tremendous dividends, enabling all parties to achieve mutual benefit.

“The CIIE is a unique grand eventfilled with opportunities,” said Nicolas Hieronimus, CEO of L’Oreal androtating chairman of the CIIE Enterprise Alliance. He noted that the expo serves as an “amplifier” for new product debuts, a “catalyst” for cooperation, and a “propeller” for business development.

The spring breeze of China’sopenness has continuously brought warmth to all parts of the world. So far, China has signed 22 free-trade agreements with 29 countries and regions. The country has been continuously deepening regional economic and trade cooperation by applying the highest standards in implementingthe Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreementand taking proactive steps to align its economic and trade rules with the high standards of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) and the Digital Economy Partnership Agreement (DEPA).

In the first three quarters of this year, China’s goods trade volume exceeded 32 trillion yuan ($4.45 trillion), reaching a new high, and its trade with over 160 countries and regions around the world achieved growth.

As a developing country and a natural member of the Global South, China is a staunch supporter, active participant and key contributor of South-South cooperation. By committingitself to openness to meet development challenges, fostering synergy for cooperation, building the momentum of innovation, and delivering benefits to all, China has provided all nations with greater and fairer access to the fruits of development.

Since its inaugural edition of the CIIE, China has offered free booths and other support measures to the least developed countries, such as product transportationand personnel reception, to help them showcase their products at the import expo.

This year’s CIIE offered more than 120 free exhibition booths for vendors from 37 least developed countries. To expand unilateral opening to the least developed countries, the expo has also enlarged the exhibition area for African agricultural products.

Starting from Dec. 1 this year, China will give all the least developed countries having diplomatic relations with China zero-tariff treatment for 100 percent tariff lines. This significant measure was announced by Chinese President Xi Jinping at the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC). China is the first major developing country and major global economy to implement such a measure.

The 7th CIIE has once again demonstrated to countries around the world that China remains committed to high-level openingup and open international cooperation. By further deepening reforms comprehensively and open its doors wider to the outside world, China will always be an important opportunity for global development.

By Yuan Quan, Xu Yuyao, People’s Daily

To the southwest of Geladaindong Peak in northwest China’s Qinghai province, stands Jianggudiru Glacier, which rises up to 6,542 meters above the sea level. It is one of the sources of the Yangtze River, the largest river in China.

At the foot of the glacier, lies Maqu township, Amdo county, Xizang autonomous region. To protect the glacier and the meadows surrounding it, Maqu township has reduced the number of livestock by nearly 40 percent in the recent decade.

“To chase short-term interests is something we’ll never do,” said Tsewang Drolma, Party head of Maqu township. According to her, the township has banned development in all forms within the key protection area of the glacier.

Protecting the ecological environment of Xizang benefits future generations and serves the whole world. In recent years, Xizang has kept enhancing ecological protection and restoration efforts to reinforce the shields for ecological security.

It has comprehensively implemented a law on ecological protection of the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau, and carried out large-scale land greening initiatives and urban space greening projects. It is also actively advancing the establishment of a protected areas framework with a focus on national parks.

Committed to optimizing the development of territorial space, Xizang is working to protect every blade of grass and every mountain and river on the plateau.

With the priority given to eco-environmental conservation, Xizang adheres to integrated conservation and restoration of mountains, rivers, forests, farmland, lakes, grasslands, deserts, glaciers and snow mountains.

The autonomous region has implemented regulations on building itself into a pacesetter of ecological civilization, enforced protective measures to restrict access to important snow-capped mountains and glaciers, and promoted the inclusion of key areas such as Changtang, Mount Qomolangma, and Mount Kailash into a layout plan of national parks. Currently, nature reserves in Xizang account for 36 percent of the autonomous region’s total land area.

As of the end of 2023, Xizang was home to 1,072 species of wild terrestrial vertebrates. It led the country in the number of large and medium-sized wildlife. In particular, the population of Tibetan antelope exceeded 300,000 in the autonomous region, while the number of Tibetan red deer, once believed to be extinct, had grown to over 800.

To improve the systematic governance mechanism, efforts have been strengthened for the ecological protection and restoration of important river basins.

In the middle reaches of the Yarlung Tsangpo River, a lush “green ecological corridor” that is 1,800 meters wide stretches approximately 160 kilometers long.

From a high vantage point in Luodui village, Chaqi township, Chanang county, one can see endless trees.

“Forty years ago, there wasn’t a single tree here. Now, greenery is increasing,” said villager Paljor, who manages a nursery spanning over 450 mu, or 30 hectares.

In recent years, he has taken on a number of greening projects. “We’ve improved the environment, earned money, and lifted our living standards – all in one go,” he said.

Xizang is accelerating key ecological projects, including afforestation in the mountains to the north and south of Lhasa and around Gonggar Airport in the middle reaches of the Yarlung Tsangpo River, and greening projects for the basins of the Yarlung Zangbo, Nujiang, Lhasa, Nyangqu, Yalong and Shiquan rivers.

The region is also establishing an ecological compensation mechanism that covers forests, wetlands, grasslands, and water ecosystems.

In 2023, Xizang completed 1.2 million mu of afforestation, restored and rehabilitated 6.14 million mu of degraded grasslands. Its forest coverage rate was lifted to 12.31 percent, and fractional vegetation coverage on grasslands to 48.02 percent.

Nyingchi has been recognized as a national forest city, while 11 counties, prefecture-level cities and districts, including Bome, Qonggyai and Gyamda, have been awarded the title of national demonstration zones for eco-environmental progress.

In the 2023 report on Xizang’s ecological environment, all ecological quality indicators were rated as excellent. The health rating for rivers and lakes across the autonomous region stood at 100 percent, and 99.96 percent of key rivers and lakes met standards regarding ecological flow. The report said Xizang is one of the regions with the best ecological quality in the world.

With continuous improvement in ecological quality, a green development pattern has been initially established in Xizang. The clean energy and low-carbon industries are growing steadily, with clean energy accounting for over 90 percent of the installed power capacity in the autonomous region. More than 2.2 million farmers and herders benefit from subsidies for grassland ecological protection.

Wang Junzheng, secretary of the Communist Party of China Xizang Autonomous Regional Committee, said that Xizang will continuously enhance its sense of responsibility and mission in ecological and environmental protection.

The region will make every effort to safeguard the ecology of the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau according to law, and strive to build a beautiful Xizang where human and nature coexist harmoniously, Wang added.

By Liu Shiyao, Yu Sinan, People’s Daily

At 4:27 am Beijing time on Oct. 30, a dazzling beam of light illuminated the pitch-black night sky. The Shenzhou-19 crewed spaceship, atop a Long March-2F carrier rocket, took off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China and headed towards the Chinese space station.

At 12:51 pm on Oct. 30, the Shenzhou-19 crew successfully joined the Shenzhou-18 crew in the space station. After finishing handover, the crew of China’s Shenzhou-18 spacecraft returned to the Dongfeng landing site in north China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region on Nov. 4.

Cai Xuzhe, born in the 1970s, serves as the commander of the Shenzhou-19 crew. It is the first time for him to be in this position.With this ongoing mission, he set a new record for the shortest interval between two spaceflights for Chinese astronauts.

Crew members Song Lingdong and Wang Haoze, both born in the 1990s, are on their first spaceflight mission. Prior to being selected, Wang was a senior engineer at the Academy of Aerospace Propulsion Technology, China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation. She is China’s only female space flight engineer and the third Chinese woman to participate in a crewed spaceflight mission.

The Shenzhou-19 mission marks the fourth crewed flight in the application and development phase of China’s space station and the 33rd flight of China’s manned space program.

Its primary goals are to complete an in-orbit crew rotation with the Shenzhou-18 crew, reside on the space station for about half a year, conduct space science and application experiments, perform extravehicular activities (EVAs), manage cargo entry and exit, install and recover space debris protection devices and other external equipment on the space station, and engage in science education, public welfare activities, and other payload tests. The aim is to further improve the operation efficiency of the space station and maximize the comprehensive benefits of its applications.

It is reported that the Shenzhou-19 mission will carry out 86 space science research and technology experiments, covering various fields including space life science, microgravity fundamental physics, space material science, space medicine and new space technologies.

The Shenzhou-19 crew will conduct structural analysis of protein crystal growth and non-equilibrium dynamics of soft matter under microgravity conditions.

The astronauts are expected to advance frontier research into basic theories, the development of new materials, the physiological effect mechanism of space radiation and weightlessness, hypomagnetic biological effects and molecular mechanisms.

A report on the scientific research and application development of the space station Tiangong is slated for release on the second anniversary of its completion, to introduce the representative results achieved by the space station since it was sent to orbit

According to Lin Xiqiang, spokesperson for the China Manned Space Agency, the selection of the fourth-batch Chinese astronauts concluded in May this year. Ten astronaut candidates made to the final list, including eight space pilots and two payload experts. Their training started this August.

The fourth-batch Chinese astronauts will not only perform tasks related to the space station, but also prepare for future manned lunar missions. Therefore, their training subjects emphasize essential skills such as living, working and maintaining health in a weightless environment. They will also master specialized skills including EVAs, equipment maintenance, and space science experiments.

Besides, they will develop capabilities in spacecraft operation, lunar rover driving, celestial navigation, geological fieldwork, as well as adapting from weightlessness in space to walking with loads on the lunar surface.

China is pressing ahead with its mission to land astronauts on the Moon by 2030, moving quickly with development and construction to turn this goal into reality.

The production and ground tests of prototypes of the Long March-10 carrier rocket, the manned spacecraft Mengzhou, the lunar lander Lanyue, the spacesuit to be worn by astronautsand the manned lunar rover are underway as planned.

A series of major tests have been completed, including the integrated airdrop test for the spacecraft, and the separation test for the two modules of the lander.

The scientific research objectives and overall payload plan for the manned flight tests and the first manned lunar mission have been basically determined. The development and construction of systems such as launch sites, telemetry and communication, and landing sites are progressing in an orderly manner as planned.

Lin said that currently, the first batch of payloads selected under cooperation between China and the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs are conducting experiments in orbit. Simultaneously, efforts are being made with relevant countries to promote the implementation of more joint experimental research, consultations, selection and training of astronauts to participate in flights to the Chinese space station.

Lin said the China’s space station serves not only as a national asset but also as a platform for advancing space technology and bringing benefits to all of humanity. The world is always welcome to participate in flight missions of the Chinese space station.