Nigeria Times

By Li Qiang, People’s Daily

In recent years, Chinese smart manufacturing products, represented by artificial intelligence (AI), cloud computing, drones, smart home appliances, and new energy vehicles (NEVs), have become popular in Europe, bringing new experiences to European consumers and contributing to Europe’s green and low-carbon transformation.

At the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympics Games, 1,100 Chinese-made drones accurately formed the Olympic rings, the emblem, and the image of a torchbearer symbolizing hope and dreams. The perfect integration of technology and nature was achieved through the interplay of light and shadow. This drone formation, provided by Chinese company HighGreat, was unquestionably a surprise. 

An executive of the company said that the drones used in the performance were equipped with an upgraded mounting system that allowed them to carry different attachments such as fireworks and party sprays. This mirrored the company’s technological innovation capability in product development.

Chinese technology also contributed to the innovation in Olympic broadcasting methods. At the Paris Olympics, cloud computing surpassed satellites for the first time as the main distribution method for live signals, with over two-thirds of the signals being distributed globally via Alibaba Cloud, the cloud computing arm of Alibaba, a Chinese e-commerce giant. 

It is reported that the Paris Olympics produced over 11,000 hours of ultra-high-definition content, an increase of more than 15 percent compared to the Tokyo Olympics, while the size of the Olympic broadcasting center decreased by nearly 23 percent. 

“This was largely due to the extensive use of Alibaba Cloud during the Games,” said Sotiris Salamouris, chief technology officer of Olympic Broadcasting Services.

Hisense Group, a Chinese multinational major appliance and electronics manufacturer, was named the official screen provider for Video-Assisted Referee (VAR) of the UEFA EURO 2024 held in July, helping referees make more accurate judgments.

It marked the first time for UEFA to grant a sponsor exclusive right to provide the official screens for VAR, which indicated the recognition received by Chinese display technologies.

Chinese NEV manufacturer BYD also became an official partner of the event, providing green and low-carbon travel services. 

Paul Tai, regional director of the Far East & Global Head of MainettiCare, a leading global retail solutions provider based in Italy, said that Chinese brands are competitive, and with the increasing application of AI and automation technology, Chinese smart manufacturing will continue to move toward the high end of the global industrial and value chains.

In recent years, Chinese companies have increased their investment in technological innovation and R&D, continuously launching new technologies, products, and solutions. As a result, the recognition of Chinese brands by European consumers has been steadily improving.

To meet the demand of French consumers for high-tech products, Hisense France has set up a product development team composed of local personnel and headquarters staff. 

Liu Tao, general manager of Hisense France, said that 92 percent of the components of Hisense laser TVs can be recycled, and their energy consumption is only one-third of regular LCD TVs. Chinese smart manufacturing well aligns with the consumer demand for intelligence and sustainability in the European market.

China emerged as the top exhibitor group for the first time at the Smarter E Europe 2024 held this June in Munich, Germany, with nearly 1,000 Chinese companies participating in the event.

A report released by SolarPower Europe during the exhibition noted that China’s vibrant new energy market has injected strong impetus into the global photovoltaic industry. The global photovoltaic power generation has achieved record growth, largely driven by China, the report added.

China has grown into the world’s largest manufacturer of new energy equipment and a major user of new energy. Chinese companies and their European counterparts continue to expand their cooperation in photovoltaic products and NEVs. They work together to develop competitive and high-quality products and technologies, contributing to energy structure improvement and low-carbon development in Europe.

In the Francisco Pizarro solar power plant in Extremadura, Spain, 1.5 million solar panels are neatly arranged, providing clean energy to 334,000 households. In May this year, Chinese new energy company Rich PV announced to build a solar panel factory with an annual capacity of 1 GW and a 200 MW solar power plant in Paracin, Serbia. Once completed, this power plant will become the largest solar farm in Serbia, contributing to local clean energy transition.

In early 2023, Chinese power battery manufacturer CATL inaugurated its first European battery factory in Thuringia, Germany. The factory is expected to produce 30 million battery cells annually at full capacity, which can be used in the assembly of 185,000 to 350,000 electric vehicles. The factory supplies European car manufacturers such as BMW, Daimler, and Bosch, and provides approximately 2,000 jobs for local communities.

Thierry Laurent, chairman of the Climate Change Working Group, French Foreign Trade Advisors China Committee, said that China’s achievements in the green industry have benefited the world, and China has made significant contributions to global green development.

By He Yin, People’s Daily

With its door opened wider to the rest of the world, China demonstrates strong appeal to foreign investors and continues to serve as an important engine for global development and prosperity.

Against the backdrop of rising anti-globalization sentiments and mounting unilateralism and protectionism, China perseveres in expanding high-level opening up, turning China’s enormous market into enormous opportunities for the world. 

In the first seven months of this year, the total value of China’s foreign trade in goods reached 24.83 trillion yuan ($3.48 trillion), up 6.2 percent year on year. 

During the same period, the number of newly established foreign-invested enterprises nationwide reached 31,654, which represents a year-on-year growth of 11.4 percent. 

The upcoming fifth Qingdao Multinationals Summit to be held in Qingdao, east China’s Shandong province, has confirmed the participation of nearly 500 representatives from multinational companies, indicating a larger “circle of friends” for China. 

China’s development path is based on the country’s realities. It is a path that puts people’s interests first and pursues reform and innovation, and also a path of pursuing common development through opening-up. 

China is committed to its fundamental national policy of opening to the outside world and pursues a mutually beneficial strategy of opening up. It continuously enhances the interaction between its domestic market and overseas markets, striving to deliver more benefits to other countries and peoples while promoting its own development. 

In recent years, China has established 22 pilot free trade zones, built the Hainan free trade port, and promoted the signing and implementation of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) agreement, building a globally-oriented network of high-standard free trade areas. 

China has also frequently shortened its negative lists for foreign investment; relaxed market access restrictions for fields in the service sector, such as telecommunications and healthcare; actively promoted high-quality cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI); and established international economic and trade cooperation platforms such as the China International Import Expo, China International Fair for Trade in Services, and China International Consumer Products Expo. 

These major measures aimed at expanding high-level opening up have enabled the international community to benefit from China’s development, and made China’s positive development outlook a global consensus.

China’s successful practice of promoting reform and development through opening up has been instrumental in its pursuit of progress and growth.

The country’s experience in domestic development has proven that China’s modernization cannot be achieved without opening up. 

The goal to achieve the largest-scale and most challenging modernization in human history requires China to actively expand domestic demand, leverage the advantages of its super-large market, and amplify the interplay between domestic and international markets. 

By promoting high-level opening up to drive high-quality development, China can lay a solid material foundation for its path to modernization.

Despite the backlash against economic globalization and the downward trend of the World Openness Index, the history of international cooperation has proven that only openness, inclusiveness, and win-win cooperation is the right way forward for humanity, and that open development and mutually beneficial development is the common aspiration of people around the world. 

Standing on the right side of history, China perseveres in expanding high-level opening up and endeavors to make economic globalization more open, inclusive, balanced and beneficial to all. 

These efforts can not only open up broad prospects for China’s path to modernization, but also contribute to the common development of all countries and the advancement of global modernization.

China has formulated plans for refining the institutions and mechanisms for high-standard opening up, which involve steadily expanding institutional opening up, deepening the foreign trade structural reform, further reforming the management systems for inward and outward investment, optimizing the layout for regional opening up, and improving the mechanisms for high-quality cooperation under the BRI.

China’s steadfast commitment to high-level opening up reflects its dedication to aligning with high international standards, adopting a proactive approach to opening up, and unilaterally opening its doors wider to the least developed countries. This approach is aimed at boosting the development of new quality productive forces and facilitating win-win cooperation.

Taking the endeavor to advance its accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) and the Digital Economy Partnership Agreement (DEPA) as an opportunity, China strives to develop new institutions for a higher-standard open economy, establish compliance mechanisms that are aligned with prevailing international rules, create new advantages in its increasingly advanced open economy, and unleash new dividends of opening up.

China plans to further relax market access and open its market to the rest of the world more actively. It is making efforts to foster new consumption scenarios, cultivate new drivers for foreign trade, and enhance its appeal to foreign investors, in a bid to make the vast Chinese market a strong magnet for global innovation activities. 

The country has also pledged to make the “cake” of opening up bigger, extend the list of cooperation, fully participate in the reform of the World Trade Organization (WTO), expand its “circle of friends” for free trade, and support the building of an open world economy.

As an international observer pointed out, China’s high-level opening up benefits the entire world with win-win cooperation and allows people from all countries to share China’s development achievements.

Remaining firmly committed to advancing high-level opening up and adhering to the path of seeking common development through opening up, China is poised to share new opportunities for global development through its achievements in modernization.

By Che Bin, People’s Daily

Cote d’Ivoire is the world’s largest cocoa producer and exporter, accounting for nearly 40 percent of global production and exports.
In the PK24 industrial park on the outskirts of Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire’s economic capital, a cocoa processing plant and cocoa bean warehouse are nearing completion.
The project, contracted to China Light Industry Nanning Design Engineering Co., Ltd., is set to become Cote d’Ivoire’s largest domestic cocoa processing facility, boosting the local cocoa industry’s development.
The cocoa sector is a pillar of Cote d’Ivoire’s economy. According to the Coffee-Cocoa Council of Cote d’Ivoire, cocoa exports make up 40 percent of the country’s total export revenue, and 6 to 8 million people in the country work in relevant industries.
However, Cote d’Ivoire’s cocoa industry faces an urgent need to increase product value and achieve industrial upgrading. Statistics showed that in 2019, only 35 percent of Cote d’Ivoire’s cocoa was processed locally. According to the International Cocoa Organization, the global chocolate market is valued at about $100 billion, but only 6 percent of this value reaches cocoa-exporting countries, with a mere 2 percent trickling down to cocoa farmers.
“The Ivorian government’s vision is to process 100 percent of our cocoa beans locally. We hope to increase Cote d’Ivoire’s cocoa processing rate with China’s help. This is crucial for our country,” said Kone Brahima Yves, director general of the Coffee-Cocoa Council of Cote d’Ivoire, in an interview with People’s Daily.
In 2018, President of Cote d’Ivoire Alassane Ouattara attended the Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation and paid a state visit to China. During this visit, the leaders of both countries witnessed the signing of bilateral cooperation documents.
In September 2020, a groundbreaking ceremony for the Abidjan cocoa processing plant was held in the PK24 industrial park. At the ceremony, Ouattara stated that the cocoa processing project would contribute to Cote d’Ivoire’s industrialization.
At the PK24 industrial park, a striking picture of a giant cocoa pod adorns the facade of the administrative building built simultaneously with the cocoa processing plant.
In 2019, China Light Industry Nanning Design Engineering Co., Ltd. signed two turnkey contracts with the Coffee-Cocoa Council of Cote d’Ivoire. According to the contracts, the Chinese side would build two new cocoa processing plants, each with an annual capacity of 50,000 tons, in Abidjan and the southwestern coastal city of San-Pedro, along with cocoa bean warehouses capable of storing 140,000 and 160,000 tons respectively. This project is a key collaboration under China-Cote d’Ivoire Belt and Road cooperation.
Tang Chong, project manager of the Abidjan cocoa processing plant, said that the project covers 21 hectares, including a 67,000-square-meter cocoa bean warehouse and an 18,000-square-meter processing workshop. The project uses high-efficiency materials that exceed local environmental standards, ensuring clean disposal of solid waste, wastewater, and exhaust gases.
In the processing workshop, workers were busy installing final equipment. Corneille, an employee from Togo, said in fluent Chinese: “After studying Chinese for over two years at the Confucius Institute of the University of Lome in Togo, I joined the Abidjan cocoa processing plant project. I’ve learned so much here – equipment installation, procurement, translation – I can handle it all now.”
“My mother loves China and Chinese culture. She’s always encouraged me to learn Chinese and visit China,” Corneille told People’s Daily. “I’m very satisfied with my current job. It not only provides me with a stable income but also brings me closer to my dream of going to China.”
It is reported that about 82 percent of Cote d’Ivoire’s cocoa is processed by four global chocolate manufacturers. “Once completed, this project will become Cote d’Ivoire’s largest domestically-owned cocoa processing plant, which is of great significance to the country,” said Tang.
Kone stated that the soon-to-be-completed Abidjan cocoa processing plant is a modern facility at the cutting edge of global standards. “Through this project, our cooperation with Chinese enterprises has reached new heights. We look forward to even closer collaboration with Chinese companies on the San-Pedro project.”
It is learned that 40 percent of the products from the cocoa processing plant will be destined for the Chinese market in the future. Kone noted that China has a vast middle-income population, representing an enormous potential market for cocoa products.
“We’re incredibly excited about introducing our products to the Chinese market. We believe that a continuously developing China will undoubtedly bring more opportunities,” Kone said.

By Wang Wenzheng, People’s Daily

China’s services trade saw rapid growth in the first half of 2024, according to the recently released official data.

The country’s services trade totaled nearly 3.6 trillion yuan ($504.61 billion) between January and June, up 14 percent year on year. Trade in knowledge-intensive services showed sound growth momentum, and trade in travel-related services skyrocketed.

China’s services trade is moving toward innovative and intelligent development while maintaining steady progress in opening up.

China’s travel-related services have seen stronger vitality. For instance, in the first six months of this year, Beijing hosted 965 large-scale events, including performances, sports events, and exhibitions. The number of visa-free inbound tourists entering China via Beijing ports has increased tenfold compared to the same period last year.

“It has been seven years since I first came to China, and I am back here for the second time. China is friendly and open to foreign tourists,” said Pierre, a Canadian tourist who just explored Gulou Street in Beijing.

During his stay in Beijing, Pierre found the WeChat official account of Beijing Service very helpful. Foreigners in Beijing can access a wide range of online services on the platform, such as visa application, residence permit application, and accommodation registration, Pierre explained.

In the first half of this year, China’s trade in travel-related services surged 47.7 percent to surpass 961.7 billion yuan, becoming a key pillar of the country’s services trade. 

Since the end of 2023, China has further opened up its tourism sector to other countries and regions. It has successively implemented visa-free policies for countries such as France, Germany, and Italy. Countries such as Antigua and Barbuda, Singapore and Thailand have signed mutual visa-free agreements with China respectively.

Additionally, China has expanded the 72/144-hour visa-free transit policy to over 50 countries. The visa-free “circle of friends” continued to expand, providing greater convenience for foreign nationals visiting China.

China’s trade in services is marching toward a higher level. The country has further opened up its services sector, implemented a negative list for cross-border trade in services at the national level, promoted the opening up of related businesses in the fields of telecommunications, internet, education, culture, and medical care in an orderly manner, and worked to accelerate the development of offshore trade.

For instance, the China (Guangdong) Pilot Free Trade Zone (FTZ) has adopted a pilot FTZ version of negative lists for cross-border trade in services. To facilitate services trade liberalization in Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao, the pilot FTZ has further expanded the opening up of its services sector to Hong Kong and Macao, including financial, legal, accounting, engineering, tourism, and testing and certification services. 

It has also promoted the establishment of the first bank, security and fund institutions wholly owned or controlled by Hong Kong and Macao capital in China. A range of innovative measures such as cross-border payment, cross-border wealth management, cross-border insurance, and cross-border mortgage have also been implemented within Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao.

China’s trade in knowledge-intensive services has experienced rapid growth. In the first half of this year, the country’s trade in knowledge-intensive services rose 3.7 percent to more than 1.4 trillion yuan. In particular, the exports of such services stood at 802.12 billion yuan, up 2.1 percent. Besides, there was a notable increase in services such as intellectual property usage fees, and personal cultural and entertainment services.

Service outsourcing also made up an important part of China’s services trade. According to data from China’s Ministry of Commerce, in the first half of this year, Chinese firms inked services outsourcing contracts worth a total of $178.1 billion, and the executed contract value exceeded $120.9 billion, a year-on-year growth of 10.8 percent and 10.5 percent respectively.

Besides, information technology R&D services, design services, and maintenance services also experienced rapid growth, with the executed contract value increasing by 19.2 percent, 22.9 percent, and 19.4 percent respectively compared with the same period last year.

As a knowledge-intensive high-end services sector, service outsourcing covers multiple fields and requires a large number of versatile talents proficient in technology, foreign languages, marketing, and management. 

To cultivate such talents, 15 vocational colleges in Yichang, central China’s Hubei province, have set up 151 majors related to service outsourcing and admitted 38,000 students. The city has also launched a smart service platform for industry-education integration, attracting more than 50 service outsourcing companies. As of June this year, nearly 150,000 professionals were employed in Yichang’s service outsourcing industry, with 56.6 percent holding a university degree or above.

China is the world’s largest trading nation in goods. According to industry experts, the integration of trade in goods and services in China will result in a stronger combined impact. The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), which has been in effect for over a year, will also create more opportunities for China’s services trade.

“The services sector has become a major driver for world economic growth,” said a spokesperson with China’s Ministry of Commerce. 

The rapid advancements in digital technology and the deepening of digital transformation across different fields will further unleash the potential of cross-border trade in services, becoming an important engine for global trade growth, the spokesperson noted.

China is one of the leading countries in the world in terms of services trade volume and has enormous market potential. It aims to further improve the structure of services trade, promote the exports of knowledge-intensive services and traditional Chinese medicine, and increase the imports of R&D, design, energy conservation, carbon reduction, environment, and healthcare services.