Nigeria Times

By Gu Yekai, People’s Daily

The industrial application of China’s large-scale artificial intelligence (AI) models has seen rapid development in recent years.

For instance, Chinese tech-firm Shengshu Technology and Tsinghua University recently unveiled their self-developed text-to-video AI model Vidu, which can generate a 16-second 1080P videoclip with one click.

At the 2024 Beijing International Automotive Exhibition, Chinese carmakers launched multiple new models integrated with AI systems, enhancing driving experience with multisensory interactions and autonomous driving capabilities.

Humanoid robots integrated with large-scale AI models for task scheduling and application development have quickly learned how to fold clothes and sort items.

According to incomplete statistics, China has developed over 200 large-scale AI models, spanning across different sectors with expanding application scenarios.

As indicated by the latest data released by the Cyberspace Administration of China, China had validated 117 generative AI services as of March this year.

China’s large-scale AI models have entered a period of rapid development, making significant advancements in technology branches such as natural language processing, machine vision, and multimodal capabilities.

With the joint efforts of enterprises, universities and research institutions, China has developed systematic R&D capabilities that encompass theoretical methods and software and hardware technologies. A number of influential large-scale AI model applications have emerged in China, establishing a technology cluster that remains at the cutting edge of innovation worldwide.

The industrial application of large-scale AI models in China follows two major paths. The first is to develop cross-sector general-purpose AI capability platforms, known as general large-scale models. These models are being adopted in a wide range of areas, from office settings and daily scenarios to healthcare, industry, and education.

The second focuses on industry-specific large-scale AI models in vertical sectors such as biopharmaceuticals, remote sensing, and meteorology. These models can leverage their expertise to provide high-quality and specialized solutions for specific business scenarios.

Liu Shijin, former deputy director of the Development Research Center of China’s State Council, believes that the application of new technologies in China’s huge market brings more development opportunities for digital economy. According to Liu, an increasing number of market players are driving innovation by competing in the market, which in turn provide more application scenarios for technology and engineering.

Large-scale AI models are primarily classified into cloud-side models and edge-side models, based on how they are deployed. Unlike cloud-side models that primarily cater to industrial applications, edge-side models mainly serve individual users. Since this year, Chinese manufacturers have been rolling out consumer electronics and smart terminal products equipped with large-scale AI models.

Early this year, Chinese mobile phone manufacturer Honor launched a new generation of all-scenario operating system, featuring a large-scale intelligent question-answering model that sees 15 million monthly uses and peaks at 850,000 daily.

With the ability to automatically summarize key points from phone conversations and engage in natural dialogue to create content for video production, this model is set to elevate smartphone capabilities to a new height and drive growth in the smartphone market.

As a new generation of intelligent terminals, large-scale AI models are massively employed on intelligent connected vehicles. In addition to enabling more natural interactions with passengers in smart cabins and recognizing people and objects inside and outside vehicles more accurately, the models can also enhance the efficiency and safety of autonomous driving systems.

Industrial application has become one of the important advantages and a key driver of China’s AI industry, featuring cutting-edge mobile applications, abundant data resources, diverse application scenarios, and a complete industrial chain.

An Xiaopeng, vice president of Alibaba Cloud, believes that the application of large-scale AI models in different industries can boost product competitiveness and generate new added value. Additionally, it can enhance the efficiency of enterprise innovation by improving processes and decision-making in broader and more complex scenarios.

Wu Tongning, deputy director of the AI research center at the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology, said that the emergence of numerous innovative applications has raised higher demands for support systems of AI software and hardware. The increased demand generated by new technologies will propel China’s innovators in computing power, algorithms, and data.

China, Africa see expanded tourism cooperation

By Peng Xunwen, Wu Yue

China just witnessed a booming outbound tourism market during the past May Day holiday. Apart from traditional popular destinations in Southeast Asia and Europe, an increasing number of Chinese tourists chose to travel to Africa, to see the pyramids in Egypt and the vast plains of Kenya.

Not only Chinese but also international tourists are showing a growing interest in Africa. According to the newest edition of the World Tourism Barometer released by the United Nations World Tourism Organization, the number of international tourist trips paid to Africa hit 66.4 million in 2023. Among them, 39.6 million were paid to sub-Saharan Africa.

Analysts attributed the strong momentum of tourism in Africa to the diverse range of measures implemented by countries on the continent, which have injected new impetus into regional economic development.

During this year’s May Day holiday, a woman surnamed Chen from east China’s Zhejiang province had a trip to Kenya with her child.

“My child has always loved observing animals in the wild. On Kenya’s vast grasslands, we saw lions hunting, gaining a firsthand understanding of the laws of nature that felt more real than what we read in books,” Chen shared.

She told People’s Daily that inside the conservation areas, they hiked alongside experienced guides, enjoying intimate and safe encounters with the animals. This experience was truly new to them, she said.

The temples and ancient ruins scattered along the Nile River, including the pyramids, the Sphinx and the Luxor Temple, have attracted many Chinese tourists.

“During this year’s May Day holiday, the number of Chinese tourists visiting Egypt has significantly increased compared to the same period last year, with group tours remaining the preferred choice for travelers. There has also been a noticeable increase in independent travelers who prioritize freedom and personalized choices,” said Wang Peizhong, head of the Egypt China General Association, who has been engaged in the tourism industry for many years. According to him, his travel agency received new tourists every day during the holiday.

According to statistics, Africa is becoming one of the popular destinations for Chinese tourists.

Statistics released by online travel platform Mafengwo indicated that African countries such as Egypt, Morocco, Kenya, and Mauritius became new choices for many young travelers during the May Day holiday this year.

Data from Statistics South Africa also showed a rapid increase in the number of international tourists arriving in the country last year, with a total of 37,000 Chinese tourists, a year-on-year growth of 205.5 percent.

Tanzania’s tourism authorities estimated that the number of Chinese tourists visiting Tanzania had grown from nearly 34,000 in 2019 to approximately 44,000 last year.

China and African countries are jointly strengthening their tourism capacity building. Recently, a training program on tourism capacity building for English-speaking African countries kicked off in Beijing and Hangzhou, hosted by the Chinese Ministry of Commerce and organized by the Central Academy of Culture and Tourism Administration.

A total of 26 officials, experts, and scholars from countries including Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Lesotho, Namibia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, and Tanzania participated in the training program.

The training program focused on topics such as tourism policies, scenic area development and management, standardization, and the integration of culture and tourism development. Experts and scholars from institutions such as the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and the China Tourism Academy were invited to share China’s practical experience in the development of the tourism industry.

A report on China-Africa Belt and Road cooperation highlighted that China has signed bilateral tourism cooperation agreements with 31 African countries, listed 34 African countries as outbound group tour destinations for its citizens and established 166 pairs of sister cities with Africa.

Both sides actively invite each other to participate in tourism exhibitions and join tourism promotion events, building a platform for experience sharing, business negotiation, and product promotion between the Chinese and African tourism departments and enterprises.

Professor Song Wei from the School of International Relations and Diplomacy at Beijing Foreign Studies University said that as Belt and Road cooperation continues to deepen, China and Africa have carried out extensive cooperation to promote tourism visa facilitation, increase direct flights, enhance tourism safety and quality, strengthen hotel and scenic spot construction, and promote tourism routes, and these efforts have yielded fruitful results.

“The tourism industries of China and Africa have distinct characteristics and strong complementarity, exhibiting a reciprocal dynamic,” Song added.

By Peng Xunwen, Wu Yue

China just witnessed a booming outbound tourism market during the past May Day holiday. Apart from traditional popular destinations in Southeast Asia and Europe, an increasing number of Chinese tourists chose to travel to Africa, to see the pyramids in Egypt and the vast plains of Kenya.

Not only Chinese but also international tourists are showing a growing interest in Africa. According to the newest edition of the World Tourism Barometer released by the United Nations World Tourism Organization, the number of international tourist trips paid to Africa hit 66.4 million in 2023. Among them, 39.6 million were paid to sub-Saharan Africa.

Analysts attributed the strong momentum of tourism in Africa to the diverse range of measures implemented by countries on the continent, which have injected new impetus into regional economic development.

During this year’s May Day holiday, a woman surnamed Chen from east China’s Zhejiang province had a trip to Kenya with her child.

“My child has always loved observing animals in the wild. On Kenya’s vast grasslands, we saw lions hunting, gaining a firsthand understanding of the laws of nature that felt more real than what we read in books,” Chen shared.

She told People’s Daily that inside the conservation areas, they hiked alongside experienced guides, enjoying intimate and safe encounters with the animals. This experience was truly new to them, she said.

The temples and ancient ruins scattered along the Nile River, including the pyramids, the Sphinx and the Luxor Temple, have attracted many Chinese tourists.

“During this year’s May Day holiday, the number of Chinese tourists visiting Egypt has significantly increased compared to the same period last year, with group tours remaining the preferred choice for travelers. There has also been a noticeable increase in independent travelers who prioritize freedom and personalized choices,” said Wang Peizhong, head of the Egypt China General Association, who has been engaged in the tourism industry for many years. According to him, his travel agency received new tourists every day during the holiday.

According to statistics, Africa is becoming one of the popular destinations for Chinese tourists.

Statistics released by online travel platform Mafengwo indicated that African countries such as Egypt, Morocco, Kenya, and Mauritius became new choices for many young travelers during the May Day holiday this year.

Data from Statistics South Africa also showed a rapid increase in the number of international tourists arriving in the country last year, with a total of 37,000 Chinese tourists, a year-on-year growth of 205.5 percent.

Tanzania’s tourism authorities estimated that the number of Chinese tourists visiting Tanzania had grown from nearly 34,000 in 2019 to approximately 44,000 last year.

China and African countries are jointly strengthening their tourism capacity building. Recently, a training program on tourism capacity building for English-speaking African countries kicked off in Beijing and Hangzhou, hosted by the Chinese Ministry of Commerce and organized by the Central Academy of Culture and Tourism Administration.

A total of 26 officials, experts, and scholars from countries including Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Lesotho, Namibia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, and Tanzania participated in the training program.

The training program focused on topics such as tourism policies, scenic area development and management, standardization, and the integration of culture and tourism development. Experts and scholars from institutions such as the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and the China Tourism Academy were invited to share China’s practical experience in the development of the tourism industry.

A report on China-Africa Belt and Road cooperation highlighted that China has signed bilateral tourism cooperation agreements with 31 African countries, listed 34 African countries as outbound group tour destinations for its citizens and established 166 pairs of sister cities with Africa.

Both sides actively invite each other to participate in tourism exhibitions and join tourism promotion events, building a platform for experience sharing, business negotiation, and product promotion between the Chinese and African tourism departments and enterprises.

Professor Song Wei from the School of International Relations and Diplomacy at Beijing Foreign Studies University said that as Belt and Road cooperation continues to deepen, China and Africa have carried out extensive cooperation to promote tourism visa facilitation, increase direct flights, enhance tourism safety and quality, strengthen hotel and scenic spot construction, and promote tourism routes, and these efforts have yielded fruitful results.

“The tourism industries of China and Africa have distinct characteristics and strong complementarity, exhibiting a reciprocal dynamic,” Song added.

By Du Yifei, People’s Daily

Unilateral sanctions against China do not conform with a broad number of international legal norms and cannot be justified as countermeasures under the law of international responsibility, a United Nations (UN) expert said on May 17.

Alena Douhan, UN special rapporteur on unilateral coercive measures and human rights, said the unilateral sanctions against China can be qualified as unilateral coercive measures at a press conference in Beijing following her 12-day visit to the country.

Unilateral sanctions have been imposed against China since 2017 with mounting U.S. pressure on Chinese technological companies and the imposition of export controls, designation of companies’ officials and the launch of administrative and civil charges. These have been followed by further sanctions and restrictions related to Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and Hong Kong SAR, by expanding the list of targets to include key sectors of economic activity, including in agriculture, construction, trade, new and green technologies, energy, finance, telecommunications and others.

“During my visit I received numerous reports on the unilateral sanctions’ adverse impact and the consequent socio-economic implications affecting peoples’ lives,” Douhan said.

Douhan also called on sanctioning parties to lift and suspend all unilateral sanctions applied to China, Chinese nationals and companies without authorization from the UN Security Council.

“I wish to reiterate the illegality of extraterritorial application of unilateral sanctions and I call on states, in particular sanctioning states, to effectively address over-compliance of businesses and other entities under their jurisdiction in order to mitigate or completely eliminate any adverse humanitarian impact,” said the expert.

During her trip, she visited Beijing, Shenzhen, and Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, where she talked with government officials and representatives from non-government organizations, businesses, academic institutions and other sectors. Douhan will present a report based on her visit to the UN Human Rights Council in September.

By Wang Zhe

In January this year, a rocket was launched from a ship in the Yellow Sea off the coast of Haiyang, east China’s Shandong province.

How could this rocket launch be completed on the deck of a ship?

On one hand, Haiyang sits in a unique and safe location, which makes it suitable for launching satellites into various orbits, including low-inclination and sun-synchronous orbits.

On the other hand, Haiyang has seized the precious opportunity presented by the development of the aerospace industry and vigorously promoted emerging industries.

In 2019, China completed its first space launch from a sea-based platform as a Long March-11 solid propellant carrier rocket blasted off in Haiyang. The local government has taken the successful test launch as an opportunity to develop aerospace industry, establishing the Oriental Maritime Space Port. It has built a commercial aerospace industry cluster centering on the entire offshore rocket launch industrial chain and kept enhancing relevant services.

In June 2023, a company planned to install launch support equipment in Haiyang. However, the relevant personnel from the company were unable to arrive on time to submit required application materials in person.

After learning the situation, the local administrative examination and approval bureau initiated an online approval process, allowing the company to first submit critical application materials and then supply the remaining documents after obtaining the project code. This enabled smooth process of the project.

Haiyang follows the requirements of high-quality development in every aspect and the whole process, from approving projects, introducing industries and building industrial bases, to its efforts to set up an aerospace science museum and featured towns.

It is attracting more and more enterprises in upstream and downstream sectors, laying a solid foundation for the development of emerging industries.

High-quality development is key to cultivating and strengthening emerging industries. During the first quarter of this year, Shandong province channeled quality resources into nurturing and expanding 32 strategic emerging industrial clusters at and above provincial level, whose total output hit 3.2 trillion yuan ($433.91 billion).

For local economic development, introducing emerging industries is just the beginning, and the road to nurturing and strengthening industrial clusters is still long.

A company producing lithium-ion batteries decided to settle in Zaozhuang National High-tech Industrial Development Zone in Shandong province. The head of the company said that the development zone has a clear development plan for the lithium-ion battery industry and a persevering spirit. The local government established a dedicated service team to closely follow the production progress of the company, from site selection to factory designing, and from facility construction to equipment debugging. The company also mustered its efforts and advanced steadily, contributing to local economic and social development.

With a top-level design for industrial development, well-planned guidance for business operations, and a clear roadmap, the growth prospects and momentum for emerging industries have become even greater.

Talents are vital for cultivating emerging industries. To unleash the power of talent, Zaozhuang of Shandong province has introduced policies that outline measures for attracting, rewarding, and supporting talents in the lithium-ion battery industry.

Zhang Jingpeng, the lead researcher of Shandong Goldencell Electronics Technology Co., Ltd., has greatly benefited from these policies – Zhang and her team has received a cumulative reward of 3.9 million yuan for independently developing nine lithium iron phosphate battery products.

In addition to tapping into talent resources, emphasis should also be placed on recruitment and university-enterprise cooperation. Since the beginning of this year, Zaozhuang has introduced more than 870 talents of various kinds for lithium-ion battery companies. By providing excellent platforms and ensuring competitive income, the city has built a sound workforce that leads industrial development.

Adapting to local conditions, seizing opportunities, and accelerating the cultivation and growth of emerging industries, regions across China are seeing robust high-quality development.

By Wang Zhou, Wu Jun, People’s Daily

Aerospace technologies serve as a mirror of a country’s sci-tech capabilities and overall national strength, while also propelling the development of related high-tech industries.

Today, China’s aerospace industry has become a new driver for economic and social development, with the technological achievements being rapidly applied for the public good.

One afternoon, Guo Yufei, a researcher with the Academy of Intelligence Technology of China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation (CASIC), was testing a camera developed by his team.

“Traditional cameras are limited by exposure synchronization technology, often resulting in unclear imaging when capturing scenes with varying levels of brightness,” Guo said.

As he pointed the camera towards the sun outside the window, a display next to him immediately showed a clear and sharp image.

Equipped with a neuromorphic sensor, the camera could capture images with “asynchronous” exposure just like human eyes to precisely render scenes with significant variations in brightness.

Guo told People’s Daily that this technology was initially employed in space observation and other aerospace fields, but it is now finding applications in everyday scenarios such as smartphone photography and smart driving.

In recent years, over 4,000 items of achievements obtained through China’s manned space program have been used in such industries as biology, medicine, agriculture, and natural resources in Beijing, bringing aerospace technologies closer to the daily lives of the people.

A vehicle-road-cloud collaborative automated driving system, developed by the Academy of Intelligence Technology of CASIC through long-term research, is now operational in the Wuhu Comprehensive Bonded Zone, east China’s Anhui province. It connects all the self-driving shuttle buses that run along the 7.2-km-long loop road, providing commuting services for more than 100 employees of the bonded zone.

“It used to take about 25 minutes to walk from the subway station to the office building, but with the unmanned shuttle buses, the commuting time is reduced to just eight minutes,” said Jiang Fan, a researcher with the Academy of Intelligence Technology of CASIC.

“Apart from high precision, the smart driving system is also safe, efficient, and operates around the clock,” Jiang added.

In Gangwan village, Huangpi district of Wuhan, central China’s Hubei province, driverless rotary tillers were working in the paddy fields of Yongwang Agricultural Cooperative, neatly turning over the soil ridges.

Tao Zhe, an operator of intelligent farm machinery, was controlling these driverless rotary tillers using a phone app enabled by the BeiDou navigation satellite system (BDS). According to Tao, these tillers were all equipped with the BDS, ensuring precise operation along the routes.

The BDS technology has made work easier for Yongwang Agricultural Cooperative, from planting to management, and to harvesting.

“We have installed sensors in different parts of the paddy fields and use 5G, BDS, Internet of things, and cloud computing to monitor real-time data on acidity, temperature, wind speed, and other factors for each plot,” said Hu Dan, head of the cooperative.

Compared to traditional production methods, the digital agricultural production model enabled by technologies such as the BDS can save more than 90 percent of manual labor in farm management, Hu explained.

In recent years, Hubei province has been accelerating the adoption of the BDS technology in the agricultural sector. As of now, more than 40,000 sets of BDS-enabled agricultural machinery terminals have been installed in the province, covering a total operating area of 112 million mu (approximately 7.47 million hectares).

Apart from agriculture, Hubei province has extensively applied the BDS technology in electricity, water conservancy, and transportation sectors.

In Fujiayan township, Wufeng Tujia autonomous county, Yichang, Hubei province, Xu Haizhang, a team leader with the Ultra High Voltage Company of State Grid Hubei Electric Power Co., Ltd., was skillfully maneuvering a drone with a remote control to fly it steadily along the power lines.

“Most of the power lines under our management are located in mountainous areas, where network signals were often unavailable. In the past, even though we had patrol drones, they often couldn’t take off,” Xu said.

“Now, with the BDS-enabled drones, we enjoy centimeter-level real-time precision positioning services and have achieved accurate perception in all weather conditions and without blind spots,” he added.

By Liu Qinghua, Luo Xufu

The Sanxingdui Ruins, an archaeological site in Guanghan, southwest China’s Sichuan province, is revered as one of the greatest archaeological findings of the 20th century. Every new discovery at the site is so sensational that it triggers an “archaeological fever” of the whole Chinese society.

Sanxing village is where the Sanxingdui Ruins locates. It was renamed from Zhongxing commune in 1980 when archaeologists started excavation of the Sanxingdui site.

At the end of 2021, the village was home to 6,242 residents, with nearly 5,000 of them living within a three-square-kilometer area surrounding the core protection zone of the Sanxingdui Ruins.

How should the cultural heritage of the Sanxingdui Ruins be leveraged in an effective and rational manner to harmonize the preservation of this invaluable archaeological site with the development of the surrounding rural communities?

At the end of 2021, Sanxing village repurposed an abandoned water park, building it into an archaeological exploration base themed with the Sanxingdui culture. It also invited professional teams to develop educational tours that delve into the rich archaeological legacy of the site.

The archaeological exploration base locates in the Sanxingdui ancient city, 200 meters away from the excavation cabin and 1.5 kilometers from the Sanxingdui Museum.

To enrich the educational tours at the archaeological exploration base with resources from the Sanxingdui Ruins, an expert team comprised of young archaeologists pioneered an innovative public archaeology program, which offers participants unique opportunities to immerse themselves in the role of an archaeologist for a day.

Most members of the expert team are graduates with a master’s degree in public archaeology from Peking University. Boasting rich experience in this realm, they have organized Peking University’s archaeology summer camps for Chinese middle school students and established archaeology societies and alliances.

The archaeological exploration base features three major experiential scenarios: a simulated archaeological site, a workshop, and an ancient Shu village, corresponding to the three core elements of the Sanxingdui Ruins: archaeological remains, craft technologies, and social life.

At the simulated archaeological site, students listen to instructors explaining the significant building ruins, ash pits, and the No. 2 sacrificial pit of the Sanxingdui site. After learning operation procedures, the students then pick up archaeological tools and follow the correct methods to excavate pre-buried replicas of bronze human heads and ivory artifacts.

They can create stunning replicas of bronze wares, experiencing the entire process of crafting, including mold making, pattern casting, pouring and finishing.

Students participating in the program can also experience the daily rhythms of life of the ancient Shu people, immersing themselves in activities such as foraging for food, processing grains, and spinning and weaving textiles, just as the Shu people did centuries ago.

Despite a simplified archaeological excavation process, it can convey concepts such as science-based excavation, legal excavation, and settlement archaeology.

Besides, the archaeological exploration base also engages in public welfare initiatives. It hosts free lectures for primary and secondary school students at least once a month, familiarizing them with the Sanxingdui civilization and the rich heritage of the ancient Shu culture.

Furthermore, the base collaborates with Sanxing village to organize community forums to enhance local residents’ understanding of the significance and value of the Sanxingdui cultural legacy and the importance of preserving this archaeological treasure.

The base’s prosperous development has also provided more employment opportunities for villagers while catalyzing the growth of local cultural and creative industries and the hospitality sector.

Educational tours centered around archaeology are becoming increasingly popular in the thriving cultural tourism sector. The attempts made by the archaeological exploration base have not only boosted rural development but also provided novel approaches for the innovative integration of culture and tourism.

By Zhang Tie, People’s Daily

In the city of Ankang, located in the south part of northwest China’s Shaanxi province, a burgeoning plush toy industry has taken shape, one that’s bringing economic vitality and abundant employment opportunities.

The sight of workers stitching together colorful fabric pieces to make cuddly plush toys has become a common scene in the city’s Hengkou Demonstration Zone, where the Heng’an Toy Factory is located.

Each day, over 30,000 of these plush toys are “born” at the factory, a testament to the remarkable growth of Ankang’s plush toy industry.

It was on Jan. 23, 2018 that the first “made-in-Ankang” plush toy rolled off the production line. Yet, in just over five years, the city has attracted more than 800 related enterprises, providing nearly 20,000 jobs and generating an annual output exceeding 6.1 billion yuan ($844.1 million). This has made the city one of China’s four major plush toy production hubs.

The success of an industry in a particular location depends on how well it aligns with the local conditions.

Situated in the Qinling-Bashan mountainous region, Ankang has seen nearly one million people relocate from the mountains to urban communities as part of various resettlement and poverty alleviation programs.

The plush toy industry, which can absorb a large labor force, provides an ideal opportunity for these relocated residents to find stable employment and increase their incomes.

Additionally, Ankang is an important water conservation area for the South-to-North Water Diversion Project, and the plush toy industry perfectly meets environmental protection standards.

By capitalizing on these local conditions and matching supply with demand, the plush toy industry naturally became an eco-friendly industry that creates benefits for the people in Ankang.

In the factory of Shaanxi Hengtong Fiber Ecotechnology Co., Ltd.(Hengtong Fiber), discarded plastic bottles are transformed into soft, cotton-like PP (polypropylene) filling material for plush toys.

In the past, Ankang lacked the capability to produce this crucial stuffing material locally. However, in March 2021, the establishment of Hengtong Fiber extended the plush toy industrial chain in Ankang, reducing transportation costs for raw materials by 5 percent and enhancing the overall efficiency of the industrial cluster.

Today, the cluster encompasses upper stream sectors like filling cotton, fabrics, buttons, and decorations. It also branches into trendy collectibles, cultural tourism, and intellectual property (IP) development.

The growth of the plush toy industry has extended the supply chain, streamlined logistics, and built a comprehensive value chain. Integrating this “chain-based” philosophy throughout the development process, while pooling industry resources and cultivating an industrial cluster has undoubtedly been a valuable experience of Ankang.

For an industry to progress and expand, continuous innovation is essential. In Ankang, enterprises have developed new materials and varieties of plush toys by utilizing locally abundant resources such as silkworms and moso bamboo. Collaborating with renowned museums and scenic spots, the city has launched special IP development projects that combine plush toys with cultural and creative products. Additionally, industrial tourism routes have been introduced, featuring plush toy plazas, themed hotels, and themed blocks, providing visitors with an immersive and memorable experience.

By staying attuned to industry trends, increasing research and development investments, and continuously improving innovation capabilities, Ankang has managed to stand out in the fierce market competition.

The rapid transformation of Ankang into China’s fourth-largest plush toy production base within just a few years can be attributed to the synergistic efforts of both “visible and invisible hands,” namely the functions performed by the government and the decisive role played by the market in allocating resources.

In October 2017, after conducting research, a poverty alleviation working group in Ankang, part of a Jiangsu-Shaanxi Poverty Alleviation Cooperation Project, submitted a report recommending that Ankang seize the opportunity presented by the relocation of the plush toy industry and transform itself into a hub for creative toys. This report laid the foundation for the future development of Ankang’s plush toy industry.

The city has established a 100-million-yuan fund for supporting the cultural and creative plush toy industry, organized creative design competitions, built an innovation base for the cultural and creative plush toy industry, and constructed a “dry port” and utilized the China-Europe freight train service to reduce logistics costs.

The prosperity of Ankang’s plush toy industry is exactly a result of a combination of external demand for industry relocation, internal demand for employment and wealth creation, and objective conditions for industrial development, as well as with the decision made by local authorities to vigorously develop the industry.

By capitalizing on its resources, seizing market opportunities, breaking away from traditional industrial development paths and embracing an innovation-driven development model, Ankang has successfully blazed a new trail in the plush toy industry, revitalizing the local economy and enriching its residents.

By Yu Limin, Zhang Huizhong, People’s Daily

Hungary is the first European country to sign an inter-governmental cooperation document on Belt and Road cooperation with China. In recent years, under the strategic guidance of the leaders of both countries, the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has been aligned with Hungary’s “Opening to the East” policy, resulting in fruitful cooperation across various sectors.

Significant achievements have been made in green development areas such as new energy vehicles, lithium-ion batteries, and photovoltaic products, injecting new impetus into the mutually beneficial cooperation between China and Hungary.

The automotive industry is one of the pillars of Hungary’s economy. More than 10 out of the top 20 global automobile manufacturers have established vehicle manufacturing plants or automotive component production bases in Hungary.

To embrace green transformation in the transportation sector, the Hungarian government launched an electric vehicle development plan in 2016. Chinese electric vehicle companies have been closely cooperating with Hungarian counterparts, and their brand recognition has been continuously increasing.

In April 2017, an electric bus factory of Chinese new energy vehicle manufacturer BYD in north Hungary’s Komarom officially started production. It is BYD’s first electric vehicle factory established in Europe.

In September 2022, Chinese electric vehicle maker NIO’s first overseas factory was put into use in Biatorbagy, Hungary. The factory serves as NIO’s manufacturing, service, and research center for charging products in Europe, providing local consumers with battery swapping stations.

In January this year, BYD set up a new energy vehicle production base in Hungary’s Szeged, which is the sixth Chinese automotive manufacturing plant in Hungary and is expected to offer thousands of job opportunities.

“Hungary has a mature industrial chain for automotive manufacturing. While leveraging Hungary’s advantages in the industry, we are bringing advanced manufacturing techniques and highly automated production lines to the Hungarian market from China, so as to support the electrification of the Hungarian automotive industry and promote technological exchange and innovation between China and Hungary,” said an executive from BYD.

Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Szijjarto said that the automotive manufacturing sector is a pillar industry in Hungary, and attracting Chinese investment is crucial for strengthening Hungary’s position in global new energy vehicle development.

Power batteries are key components of new energy vehicles, accounting for approximately 40 percent of the total vehicle cost. With advantages such as fast charging, long range, and high safety, Chinese lithium-ion batteries have become an important aspect of China-Hungary cooperation in the field of new energy.

In March 2022, Chinese lithium-ion battery company EVE Energy Co., Ltd. (EVE) announced a plan to build a factory in Debrecen, Hungary to produce cylindrical cells.

Five months later, Chinese battery manufacturer and technology company CATL also announced to build a battery plant in the city, which will become one of the largest battery factories in Europe once completed.

Additionally, other Chinese power battery companies and related material enterprises, such as SEMCORP, Huayou Cobalt, and Sunwoda, have also started building factories in Hungary.

The investment of Chinese battery companies like CATL in Hungary has stimulated the development of the Hungarian battery industry, and factories built by Chinese carmakers including BYD in Hungary have also promoted the development of the local automotive industry, said Andrea Nagyne Boda, head of the International Cooperation and Development Finance Department at the Ministry for National Economy of Hungary.

Hungary-China cooperation projects not only benefit the Hungarian people but also contribute to the entire Europe’s enjoyment of the benefits of new energy, Andrea added.

Hungary’s electricity import stands at around 30 percent. In order to diversify the country’s energy supply, the Hungarian government has been actively exploring solar energy resources and developing the photovoltaic industry.

In June 2019, China National Machinery Import & Export Corporation (CMC) under China General Technology (Group) Holding Co., Ltd., invested in a 100 MW solar park in Kaposvar, Hungary, which is one of the largest renewable energy facilities in Hungary.

Since its operation in 2021, the solar farm has generated over 140 million kilowatt-hours of electricity each year, which is equivalent to saving 45,000 tons of standard coal and reducing 120,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions on an annual basis.

CMC implemented a series of environmentally friendly measures when the solar farm was constructed. For instance, it replaced impact piles with spiral pile photovoltaic brackets to minimize land damage. It hired landscape experts for ecological planning and conducted large-scale greening around the factory area.

Kaposvar’s mayor Karoly Szita said that the Kaposvar solar farm is not only an exemplary collaboration in clean energy between Hungary and China but also a testament to the friendship between the two countries.

“Green transformation is a global trend, and the development of new energy is crucial for restructuring global energy supply. China has provided us with excellent opportunities in this field, and the deepening of green cooperation between our two countries has achieved mutual benefits and win-win outcomes,” said Marton Bokay, deputy state secretary of the Hungarian Ministry of Economic Development.