Nigeria Times

By Li Jiabao, People’s Daily

Recently, a cargo train carrying 50 twenty-foot equivalent units of photovoltaic (PV) modules departed from Wuhan, central China’s Hubei province for Tashkent, capital of Uzbekistan.

As the first PV products-dedicated freight train between Wuhan and Central Asia, it will further promote China-Central Asia green cooperation.

Green has become the defining feature of the Belt and Road cooperation between China and Central Asia, as reflected by the efforts made by China in recent years to assist Central Asian countries in advancing energy transition and ecological conservation, from contracting green energy infrastructure projects to promoting water-efficient irrigation techniques, and to engaging in the ecological governance of the Aral Sea.

Central Asia boasts rich wind, solar, water and other renewable energy resources. As of the end of 2022, the total installed capacity of renewable energy projects invested and built by Chinese enterprises in Kazakhstan, including the 100-MW Zhanatas wind farm, Turgusun hydropower plant, and a wind project in Akmola Region, had exceeded 1,000 MW.

The 220 MWac Samarkand solar PV plant constructed by a Chinese company in Uzbekistan, is expected to provide electricity to 264,000 local households and reduce approximately 237,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions annually.

“With accelerated development of renewable energy projects and increased attention to environmental protection in the traditional energy sector, green development has become a highlight of China-Central Asia energy cooperation,” said Yang Jin, a researcher with the Institute of Russian, Eastern European & Central Asian Studies, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CAAS).

Besides, Chinese new energy vehicles (NEVs) are favored by people in Central Asian countries, Yang told People’s Daily, adding that some Chinese automakers have set up factories in Central Asia for localized production in cooperation with local enterprises.

The Aral Sea, located in the border region between Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, was once the fourth largest lake in the world. It faces a severe ecological crisis due to global warming and multiple human factors. According to statistics, the Aral Sea’s area has decreased by over 90 percent since 1960, with a large portion of the lakebed turning into bare land and salt flats, or covered by salt crust.

Remarkable progress has been made in the cooperative efforts of China and Central Asia to promote the ecological restoration of the Aral Sea. China has set up automatic meteorological and water quality monitoring networks in the Aral Sea drainage basin, planted halophytes to lower the salt content in local soil, promoted drip irrigation techniques and established big data analysis centers and joint labs with local universities. Chinese solutions to the ecological treatment of the Aral Sea have been recognized and welcomed by regional countries.

Yang attributed the prospering China-Central Asia cooperation on green development to their shared strategic vision of developing green economy and enhancing sustainable development capabilities, along with their high complementarity.

He said Central Asian countries, boasting abundant traditional energy reserves and great potential for developing renewable energy, are seeking to transition from an extensive and high-energy consumption development model to a green and low-carbon economy. China has a vast energy consumption market and stands ready to engage in international cooperation on green development.

With the technological edge in sectors such as solar energy, wind energy, hydropower, and electric vehicles, China can support Central Asian countries in their green transition, Yang noted. He said that the two sides share the same vision and can leverage their respective strengths in green cooperation, which resonates with the global trend of green development.

China and Central Asian countries are friendly neighbors and comprehensive strategic partners. The deepening collaboration between the two sides in recent years has paved the way for a more holistic approach to green cooperation.

Green cooperation and the development of green economy have been key discussions in Belt and Road cooperation, the China-Central Asia Summit, and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. These cooperation mechanisms provide important platforms for dialogue and consensus-building in China-Central Asia green cooperation.

“The green cooperation between China and Central Asian countries has been expanding in both areas and scope. The cooperation between the two sides in digital economy, cross-border e-commerce, and tourism is also deepening, all contributing to the development of a Green Silk Road,” Yang said.

Moving forward, there remains significant untapped potential for China-Central Asia green cooperation, which will inject new impetus into the economic development of both sides and their cooperation across different sectors.

By He Yin, People’s Daily

A signing ceremony of an intergovernmental agreement on the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway project was held in Beijing on June 6. Chinese President Xi Jinping, Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov and Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev congratulated the signing of the agreement via video link.

Xi said the signing of the intergovernmental agreement will provide a solid legal basis for the construction of the project, marking the transition of the railway from a vision into a reality, and demonstrating to the world the firm determination of the three countries to promote cooperation and seek development together.

The China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway is a strategic project of connectivity between China and Central Asia, and a landmark project of the three countries’ cooperation efforts under the Belt and Road Initiative..

It was originally proposed back in 1996 by Uzbekistan. In the past nearly three decades, the three countries held multiple rounds of negotiations and discussions on the project. The feasibility study of the project was completed in May 2023, which put the implementation of the project on a fast track.

The signing of the trilateral intergovernmental agreement was a remarkable phased achievement of the project.

Japarov said the railway is a flagship project of the three countries in jointly building the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Once completed, it will become a new transport route linking Asia to Europe and the Persian Gulf countries, which is of great significance to promoting connectivity and strengthening economic and trade exchanges among the countries along the route and in the region as a whole.

Mirziyoyev said the railway will become the shortest land route connecting China and Central Asian countries, and open up the big markets in South Asian and Middle East countries.

This will help further expand regional countries’ cooperation with China and deepen friendly ties among the countries, which serves the long-term interests of all the countries, Mirziyoyev added.

The signing of the trilateral intergovernmental agreement on the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway project demonstrates that China and Central Asian countries are fastening their steps of high-quality Belt and Road cooperation.

It was in Central Asia that the BRI was first announced. Central Asia is a demonstration zone of high-quality Belt and Road cooperation. China has signed Belt and Road cooperation documents with all five countries in the region.

The Horgos International Border Cooperation Center on the China-Kazakhstan border in Horgos, northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, opened the gateway to the Pacific for Central Asian countries.

The Qamchiq Tunnel on the Angren-Pap railway line, the longest tunnel in Central Asia, holed through by a Chinese company, local residents no longer had to travel up and down the mountains or go around them via neighboring countries.

The China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan Highway has officially opened, becoming an important transport artery that runs smoothly through the regions’ mountainous terrain. Now, nearly 80 percent of the China-Europe Railway Express trains run through Central Asia, they are hailed as a “steel caravan” on the Eurasian continent.

China and Central Asian countries have reaped tangible and fruitful results in Belt and Road cooperation that benefited the region and its people in various ways.

At the first China-Central Asia Summit held in May last year, all parties highly praised the important significance of the BRI in leading international cooperation. They vowed to further align the BRI and the development strategies of the five Central Asian countries, and deepen pragmatic cooperation in various fields, so as to form a new pattern of cooperation characterized by a high level of complementarity and mutual benefit.

The accelerated high-quality Belt and Road cooperation between China and Central Asian countries fully demonstrates that BRI cooperation responds to the call of the times, benefits the peoples in participating countries, and enjoys popular support.

Since the BRI was proposed 10 years ago, China has signed over 200 Belt and Road cooperation documents with more than 150 countries and over 30 international organizations, making the initiative the world’s largest international cooperation platform that covers the widest range of cooperation.

The BRI not only brings tangible benefits to countries involved but also contributes actively to promoting healthy development of economic globalization, addressing global development challenges, and improving the global governance system.

Belt and Road cooperation promotes connectivity, mutual benefit, common development, cooperation and win-win outcomes. It represents the advancing of the times, and it is the right path forward.

China hopes to work closely with all parties for the early completion of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway project at an early date, and turbocharges the China-Central Asia cooperation.

China will continue to deepen its Belt and Road partnership with various parties, including Central Asian countries, and build more cooperation belts for high-quality development and more roads to happiness that benefit people’s livelihoods, making unremitting efforts to contribute to the modernization of countries around the world.

By Wang Zheng, People’s Daily

On May 14, Leapmotor International, a joint venture established by Leapmotor, a Chinese maker of electric vehicles, and Stellantis, a multinational auto company headquartered in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, began operation. Four months later, two pure electric models of Leapmotor will be exported to nine European countries including France, Italy and Germany.

On May 20, German carmaker Audi and Chinese car manufacturer SAIC Motor announced to jointly develop a new platform for intelligent and electric vehicles.

The increasing international cooperation exactly mirrors China’s leading position in the development of new energy vehicles (NEVs) worldwide.

In recent years, the Chinese automotive industry, striving to manufacture electrified, intelligent, and connected products, has been actively promoting innovation in technologies, products, and business models.

In 2023, China’s sales of NEVs exceeded 9.49 million units, nearly 126 times compared to 2014 and accounting for over 60 percent of the global market share, ranking first globally for nine consecutive years. The proportion of NEVs in China’s annual sales of automobiles has increased to 31.6 percent.

However, 10 years ago, the global NEV industry was still an emerging sector heavily reliant on charging infrastructure and had yet to achieve commercialization. Numerous obstacles stood in the way of its progress, such as underdeveloped technologies, potential safety concerns regarding batteries, high production costs, poor user experience, and an untapped market.

Fu Bingfeng, executive vice president and secretary-general of the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM), attributed the huge achievements of the Chinese NEV industry to the country’s forward-looking and highly practical industrial policies, and its strategic efforts to advance future-oriented charging infrastructure.

He said that the technological innovation made by the industry and relevant enterprises as well as the vast Chinese market also contributed significantly to such achievements.

In the past decade, China has introduced over 70 policies and measures to bolster its NEV industry. It has established a complete and coordinated industrial system, fostered the world’s largest market for NEV consumption, and built a favorable environment in which the NEV sector and relevant industries mutually reinforce each other through win-win cooperation.

Wei Yeguo, who lives in Xinglong township, Wanning, south China’s Hainan province, bought a pure electric vehicle produced by Chinese NEV giant BYD last September.

“We have installed a charging pole at home, which makes charging incredibly affordable. Over the past six months, I have saved at least 10,000 yuan compared to driving a fuel-powered car,” Wei told People’s Daily.

If favorable policies were what propelled NEV sales in the early stage of the industry development, then the increasingly convenient and diversified charging modes and low charging costs have become the market catalysts sustaining the rapid and continued growth of China’s NEV industry after the phase-out of subsidies in 2023.

China has built the world’s largest and most extensive-coverage charging infrastructure network. As of the end of 2023, the number of NEV charging facilities in China has grown 65 percent year on year, reaching almost 8.6 million.

Besides, China has witnessed continuous extension of industrial chains in power battery recycling and reuse, cascade utilization, and material regeneration. More than 10,000 power battery recycling service outlets have been built across the country, making local recycling possible.

Recently, a Chinese extended-range vehicle drove 2,141.4 kilometers from Wuhu, southeast China’s Anhui province, to Guangzhou, capital of south China’s Guangdong Province, without recharging or refueling during a livestream event, which attracted massive attention.

Notably, the vehicle, manufactured by Exeed, the premium brand of Chinese automaker Chery Automobile Co., Ltd., completed the challenge in 42.5 hours with a full load.

Huang Zhaogen, assistant general manager of Chery, said the challenge set a new record for the maximum range achieved by Chinese NEVs, thanks to Chery’s technological innovation.

To alleviate the range anxiety of users and make charging more convenient, Chinese NEV companies have kept developing new technologies and business models, and upgrading their core technologies. Besides, they have made progress in intelligent connected vehicle technologies.

For example, Jidu Auto, a joint venture between Chinese carmaker Geely and tech giant Baidu, launched its first artificial intelligence-powered electric vehicle called Jiyue 01 last year. The model is equipped with Baidu’s integrated AI system Ernie Bot, a large language model. At the 2024 Beijing International Automotive Exhibition, Geely exhibited the world’s first AI digital chassis.

According to statistics, 56.2 percent of passenger vehicles sold in China in the first quarter of 2024 were equipped with Level 2 or above driver assistance systems. Besides, 81.5 percent of the vehicles came with navigation systems and 87.9 percent had voice control systems.

Intelligent factories, fully-connected 5G factories, and green factories are springing up across China. Empowered by digital technologies, China’s NEVs are of better quality, making new strides in high-end, intelligent, and green development.

“In the first four months of this year, China’s NEV production and sales reached 2.985 million and 2.94 million units respectively, a year-on-year growth of 30.3 percent and 32.3 percent,” Fu told People’s Daily.

The CAAM predicted that the production and sales of NEVs in China will make new records and exceed 10 million units this year, Fu added.

By He Yin, People’s Daily

The ascender of China’s Chang’e-6 probe lifted off from the lunar surface on June 4, carrying samples collected from the moon’s far side, which marked a historic step in humanity’s peaceful use of outer space.

The international community has closely followed the Chang’e-6 mission, recognizing its significant contribution to the progress of space exploration for humanity. The mission was said to be a leapfrog achievement of China’s space exploration, a key milestone of the country’s aerospace development, and a historic moment in human lunar exploration.

The Chang’e-6 mission’s voyage to the far side of the moon marked a historic milestone, not only for China’s space exploration endeavors but also for humanity’s peaceful use of space.

Before Chang’e-6 was sent to space, all 10 lunar sample return missions conducted by humans by far have taken place on the near side of the moon.

The South Pole-Aitken Basin on the far side of the moon is considered the largest, oldest and deepest basin on the lunar surface. Collecting and analyzing samples from this region would mark the first time for humanity to obtain samples from the far side of the moon, and thereby deepen humanity’s understanding of the moon’s formation and the evolution of the solar system.

To achieve this goal, Chang’e-6 incorporated a number of innovations, successfully overcoming the technical challenges in each stage of its mission, including landing on the far side of the moon, collecting samples, and lifting off from the lunar surface.

Josef Aschbacher, director general of the European Space Agency (ESA), congratulated China on the remarkable success of Chang’e-6 mission thus far, calling it a “wonderful accomplishment.”

Al Jazeera of Qatar reported that the Chang’e-6 landing marks China’s second descent on the far side of the moon, where no other country has reached. The mission “involves many engineering innovations, high risks and great difficulty,” the report added.

China has always been actively promoting international cooperation in lunar and deep space exploration, exactly mirrored by the international payloads onboard the Chang’e-6 lander, which are from the ESA, France, Italy, and Pakistan.

During the Chang’e-6 mission, Chinese scientists have shared scientific data and conducted joint research with their foreign counterparts.

For instance, the French lunar radon detector functioned during the Earth-moon transfer, lunar orbit, and lunar surface stages; the ESA’s lunar surface negative ion analyzer operated during the lunar surface stage.

Additionally, an Italian laser retroreflector mounted on the top of the lander of Chang’e-6 served as a position control point for distance measurements on the far side of the moon.

The Chang’e-6 mission also carried ICUBE-Q, a cube satellite from Pakistan, which marked the first step of Pakistan’s space exploration and signified the dedication of Pakistani scientists.

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said that the ICUBE-Q moon satellite is Pakistan’s first step in space and the country’s scientists and engineers are proving their abilities in this field just like they did in the other fields. This is a historic moment in the journey of technological advancement as with this important success, Pakistan has entered a new era of utilizing space for its objectives, he added.

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the establishment of China’s lunar exploration project. Over the past 20 years, the country has constantly set new records in humanity’s exploration of the moon: from Chang’e-1 capturing a complete map of the moon’s surface, to Chang’e-4 achieving humanity’s first soft-landing on the far side of the moon; from Chang’e-5 returning with lunar soil samples, to Chang’e-6 successfully retrieving samples from the moon’s far side.

Chinese space experts and personnel have always followed the lunar exploration spirit of pursuing dreams, daring to explore, cooperating in tackling difficulties and win-win cooperation. They are striving to make China strong in the aerospace sector, while also making pioneering contributions to humanity’s peaceful use of space and building a community with a shared future for mankind.

James Carpenter, ESA’s head of planetary science research, said that it is really fantastic to see how China’s lunar program has grown and become world class. “We feel privileged and happy to be part of it. We are also interested in further cooperation exploring the solar system.”

China’s Chang’e-7 lunar exploration mission, scheduled for launch around 2026, will carry six scientific instruments developed by six countries and one international organization, namely Egypt, Bahrain, Italy, Russia, Switzerland, Thailand and the International Lunar Observatory Association.

Besides, the International Lunar Research Station (ILRS), a comprehensive scientific experiment facility program initiated by China and jointly developed by multiple countries and organizations, is moving forward rapidly. Recently, the ILRS has added new partners, including Nicaragua, the Asia-Pacific Space Cooperation Organization, and the Arab Union for Astronomy and Space Sciences.

The whole world is anticipating the safe return of Chang’e-6 with the “lunar treasures.” Moving forward, humanity will never cease the steps of space exploration. China will continue to deepen international aerospace exchanges and cooperation on the basis of equality, mutual benefit, peaceful use, and inclusive development. It stands ready to share development achievements with countries around the world, and work with them to explore the mysteries of the universe, expand human knowledge, improve the well-being of humanity, and serve human civilizations.

By Liu Shiyao, People’s Daily

China’s 40th Antarctic expedition successfully concluded as Xuelong, the country’s first domestically built polar icebreaker, returned to a port in Qingdao, east China’s Shandong province on April 10.

This year marks the 40th anniversary of China’s polar expedition. Over the past four decades, China has continuously strengthened its comprehensive capabilities in polar expedition and actively cooperated with relevant countries, making significant contributions to better understanding, protecting, and utilizing the polar regions.

As a roaring sound grew closer, a red and white Snow Eagle 601, China’s first fixed-wing aircraft for polar flight, touched down on the airport of the Zhongshan Station, a Chinese scientific research base in Antarctica.

This marked a major milestone of China’s 40th Antarctic expedition team, with the completion of an aerial scientific survey of ice sheet margins of the Queen Maud Land and the Enderby Land, a major international polar cooperation project.

The Antarctic ice sheet, a vast expanse of ice covering the continent, is experiencing mass loss due to global warming, creating uncertainty in predicting future sea level rise.

To calculate the mass loss, the key lies in gathering two critical statistics: the speed of ice movement and ice thickness at the margins of the ice sheet. The most effective way to obtain ice thickness is through aerial surveys using the airborne “ice radar.”

In 2021, the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR) established the RINGS Action Group (hereafter referred to as “the RINGS”) to collect data on ice thickness and sub-ice terrain along the margins of the Antarctic ice sheet through international cooperative aerial observations. So far, 82 scientists from 18 countries have joined the RINGS.

In 2023, the RINGS launched its first international collaborative program for aerial scientific exploration in the data-deficient regions of the Queen Maud Land and the Enderby Land. China was a major initiator of the program.

“The complex meteorological conditions at the margins of the Antarctic ice sheet posed a major challenge for the aerial survey. Besides, it involved extensive international communication and coordination across all aspects,” said Cui Xiangbin, a researcher with the Center for Polar Ice & Snow and Climate Change Research in the Polar Research Institute of China under the Chinese Ministry of Natural Resources.

According to Cui, with a surveyed length of 7,200 kilometers and a total flight time of around 28 hours, the program successfully mitigated data shortages.

Following the completion of the program, China would share the observation data collected by Snow Eagle 601 with other countries and collaborate on joint research projects, so as to provide valuable information for scientists around the world to study the rapid changes of the Antarctic ice sheet and the rise in global sea levels.

Kenichi Matsuoka, chair of the RINGS and professor with the Norwegian Polar Institute, has expressed his appreciation to China’s 40th Antarctic expedition team for their valuable contributions in a recent email.

Besides, the Chinese team has carried out multiple international cooperation projects during the 40th Antarctic expedition.

At the end of December 2023, Zhang Nan, a member of China’s 40th Antarctic expedition team and professor with the College of Construction Engineering, Jilin University, obtained ice core samples with his team by the side of the Dålk Glacier in the Larsemann Hills in southeast Antarctica, about 25 kilometers away from China’s Zhongshan Station. Besides, they have drilled a 48-centimeter-long sample of subglacial bedrock. This marked an important breakthrough in Antarctic geological studies.

This breakthrough was jointly achieved by China’s Jilin University, China University of Geosciences, Beijing, and the All-Russia Scientific Research Institute for Geology and Mineral Resources of the Ocean.

“For more than two months, Chinese and Russian scientists worked hand in hand and fostered a profound friendship,” Zhang told People’s Daily.

According to Zhang, the successful retrieval of the subglacial bedrock sample marked the world’s first targeted geological survey and sampling of subglacial bedrock within the deep Antarctic ice sheet. In this process, Chinese and foreign researchers exchanged experience, learned from each other, and engaged in in-depth discussions on technical issues, he added.

On February 7 this year, China’s Qinling Station in Antarctica, the country’s fifth research station in the continent, started operation on Inexpressible Island in the Ross Sea.

As planned, the Qinling Station will collaborate with research stations from other countries, transform its marine laboratory into an international cooperation platform, and set a model of international cooperation in Antarctic research along the coast of the Ross Sea.

The polar scientific expedition holds immense importance and is a noble endeavor benefiting humanity. Ever since initiating polar exploration 40 years ago, China has been actively involved in almost all major international observation and research programs in Antarctica and the Southern Ocean. It has also actively sent personnel to participate in Antarctic expeditions in other countries, while gradually expanding its international cooperation in the Arctic.

Chinese polar expedition members in Antarctica have always lived in harmony with their international counterparts, and have offered emergency international rescue assistance in times of need.