Nigeria Times

By Yan Huan, Han Shuo, Liu Zhonghua, People’s Daily

The Hungarian-Chinese bilingual school was established in Budapest, capital of Hungary, in September 2004. It is the first full-time public school in Central and Eastern Europe that uses Chinese and the local language for instruction. Over the past nearly 20 years, the school has played a unique role in promoting cultural exchanges between China and Hungary over the past two decades.

In early 2023, Chinese President Xi Jinping replied to a letter from the students of the school, encouraging the Hungarian youths to learn more about China and become envoys of the China-Hungary friendship.

When the school was just founded, it had around 100 students, and now the figure has surged to more than 500. More and more Hungarian students are embracing the Chinese language and culture, and many of them have been admitted to Chinese universities.

“Our goal is to nurture a batch of ‘builders of Hungary-China friendship,'” said Zsuzsanna Erdelyi, principal of Hungarian-Chinese bilingual school.

She told People’s Daily that apart from local students, the school also enrolls those from China, so that students from the two countries can learn and play together, which not only helps improve their academic performance, but also fosters profound friendship between them.

When a class was over, eleventh-grade students Sanyi and Li Fulin started playing Chinese chess in a corridor. Sanyi once lived in China with his father. He was sent to the bilingual school by his parents after they saw the prospering development of China and the huge potential of Hungary-China cooperation.

“It was so difficult for me to learn Chinese as a beginner,” Sanyi said. However, as he gained more and more Chinese friends, he has gradually developed a passion in speaking Chinese.

“Last year I had a study tour to China, during which I visited Nanjing University. I like it very much and hope I can be admitted to the university one day,” Sanyi told People’s Daily.

To create a better learning atmosphere for the students, the Hungarian-Chinese bilingual school holds rich and splendid cultural activities that invite parents and all sectors of Hungarian society.

For instance, it has opened a Chinese language class for parents and hosts “Chinese open days” during traditional Chinese holidays, to encourage students and their parents to join fun cultural activities such as Chinese tea brewing, paper cutting and lantern making.

Erdelyi said the Chinese culture is charming and joining these activities offers so much fun.

Papp Nora and Papp Dora are a pair of twins who have been learning at the Hungarian-Chinese bilingual school since they were very young. The two eighth-grade students consider the school their second home.

“The teachers always help me with patience and answer my questions,” Papp Dora said, adding that Chinese is a very beautiful language. According to her, she likes Chinese calligraphy while her sister loves traditional Chinese costumes. The two practice Chinese together every day.

Educated by the school, the twins have developed carefulness, diligence and resilience, which are all important qualities in any stage of life, said Trippon Mariann, mother of the twins, and chief economist of a Hungarian bank. She’s very optimistic about the potential of the Chinese economy, and believes that learning Chinese would gain her children more advantages for their future development.

Li Elizabet Fanni studies at Fudan University, Shanghai. She is one of the earliest students of the Hungarian-Chinese bilingual school to study in China. Recently, she served the China Import and Export Fair, also known as the Canton Fair, as a volunteer, offering services for Chinese and Hungarian enterprises.

“I hope more young Hungarians can visit China and see with their own eyes the development of the country,” she said, adding that she and other students will work to contribute to and carry on the Hungary-China friendship.

After nearly 20 years of development, the Hungarian-Chinese bilingual school has become an important witness to the bilateral relations between Hungary and China, Erdelyi said, adding that Xi’s first-ever state visit to Hungary will bring huge encouragement and inspiration to students of the school.

By Li Xinping, Wang Ke, Han Xin, People’s Daily

Over 1.35 billion passenger trips were handled by China’s transportation sectors during the just-concluded May Day holiday, up 2.1 percent from a year ago, according to statistics released by China’s Ministry of Transport.

Railway trips reached 91.76 million and air trips 9.97 million. Besides, highway traffic amounted to nearly 1.25 billion passenger trips.

These figures demonstrated the vigorous momentum of the Chinese economy.

Steady streams of passengers just filled the terminals of Beijing Capital International Airport during the holiday, which handled 1,139 flights daily on average, up 7 percent year on year. During the holiday, the airport served 177,200 passengers per day, an increase of nearly 17 percent from a year ago.

At Shanghai Hongqiao Railway Station, high-speed trains shuttled back and forth. On May 1 alone, the first day of the May Day holiday, the station handled 363,600 departing passengers, nearly 150,000 more than usual.

In Luoyang, central China’s Henan province, numerous tourists were seen posing for photos in traditional Chinese costumes at popular attractions.

In Xidi ancient village of Huangshan city, east China’s Anhui province, immersive and interactive experiences such as holographic dance shows and interactive agricultural activities attracted huge numbers of visitors.

At the Xicun Courtyard in Chengdu, southwest China’s Sichuan province, music parties, fashion markets, and beer festivals were among the diverse array of events that made it a popular gathering spot for young, fashionable crowds.

During the May Day holiday, Chinese people showed a strong desire to travel and their enthusiasm for consumption increased.

Diverse cultural and tourism activities were held in different regions and by various departments, leading to the emergence of new business formats, models, and supplies. They provided tourists with a diverse range of experiences and further boosted the market.

According to statistics from the China’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism, a total of 295 million domestic trips were taken during this year’s May Day holiday, representing a 7.6 percent year-on-year increase and a substantial 28.2 percent increase from 2019.

Domestic tourists spent a total of 166.89 billion yuan ($23.12 billion) on their trips, a 12.7 percent increase year-on-year and a 13.5 percent increase from 2019.

The county-level tourism market unleashed new momentum for cultural and tourism consumption. An increasing number of lower-tier tourism destinations gained popularity. Cities like Liuzhou in Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, Zibo in Shandong province, and Tianshui in Gansu province have drawn huge attention from tourists. Rural ancient towns such as the Qianhu Miao Village in Guizhou province and Hongcun village in Anhui province were highly favored by visitors. The long-distance tourism market saw a significant increase.

International tourism also brimmed with vitality while the domestic tourism market blossomed. With the resumption of flight routes, facilitation of entry procedures, and an increase in the number of countries with mutual visa exemptions, China’s inbound and outbound tourism recovered rapidly.

Data showed that during the May Day holiday, the total number of inbound and outbound tourists reached 3.67 million, with 1.77 million inbound tourists and 1.89 million outbound tourists.

Driven by multiple factors, the consumer market also delivered impressive results. According to the big data monitoring by China’s Ministry of Commerce, sales of major retail and catering enterprises across the country during the May Day holiday increased by 6.8 percent compared to the same period last year (April 29 to May 3). Statistics from the China Film Administration indicated that the box office revenue hit 1.52 billion yuan during the holiday, with 37.77 million moviegoers.

During this year’s May Day holiday, China’s parcel delivery sector handled a total of 4.03 billion parcels. Of the total, nearly 2 billion parcels were collected, with a daily average collection volume showing a 32.7 percent year-on-year increase. Meanwhile, 2.03 billion parcels were delivered, with the daily average delivery volume rising by 28.6 percent compared to the same period last year.

The parcel delivery sector has actively explored new paths for its integration with tourism, offering services such as delivery of souvenirs, local specialties, and luggage to tourists in scenic areas.

The booming consumer market during the May Day holiday just reflected the vibrant vitality and vast potential of the Chinese economy.

By Li Xinping, Wang Ke, Han Xin, People’s Daily

Over 1.35 billion passenger trips were handled by China’s transportation sectors during the just-concluded May Day holiday, up 2.1 percent from a year ago, according to statistics released by China’s Ministry of Transport.

Railway trips reached 91.76 million and air trips 9.97 million. Besides, highway traffic amounted to nearly 1.25 billion passenger trips.

These figures demonstrated the vigorous momentum of the Chinese economy.

Steady streams of passengers just filled the terminals of Beijing Capital International Airport during the holiday, which handled 1,139 flights daily on average, up 7 percent year on year. During the holiday, the airport served 177,200 passengers per day, an increase of nearly 17 percent from a year ago.

At Shanghai Hongqiao Railway Station, high-speed trains shuttled back and forth. On May 1 alone, the first day of the May Day holiday, the station handled 363,600 departing passengers, nearly 150,000 more than usual.

In Luoyang, central China’s Henan province, numerous tourists were seen posing for photos in traditional Chinese costumes at popular attractions.

In Xidi ancient village of Huangshan city, east China’s Anhui province, immersive and interactive experiences such as holographic dance shows and interactive agricultural activities attracted huge numbers of visitors.

At the Xicun Courtyard in Chengdu, southwest China’s Sichuan province, music parties, fashion markets, and beer festivals were among the diverse array of events that made it a popular gathering spot for young, fashionable crowds.

During the May Day holiday, Chinese people showed a strong desire to travel and their enthusiasm for consumption increased.

Diverse cultural and tourism activities were held in different regions and by various departments, leading to the emergence of new business formats, models, and supplies. They provided tourists with a diverse range of experiences and further boosted the market.

According to statistics from the China’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism, a total of 295 million domestic trips were taken during this year’s May Day holiday, representing a 7.6 percent year-on-year increase and a substantial 28.2 percent increase from 2019.

Domestic tourists spent a total of 166.89 billion yuan ($23.12 billion) on their trips, a 12.7 percent increase year-on-year and a 13.5 percent increase from 2019.

The county-level tourism market unleashed new momentum for cultural and tourism consumption. An increasing number of lower-tier tourism destinations gained popularity. Cities like Liuzhou in Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, Zibo in Shandong province, and Tianshui in Gansu province have drawn huge attention from tourists. Rural ancient towns such as the Qianhu Miao Village in Guizhou province and Hongcun village in Anhui province were highly favored by visitors. The long-distance tourism market saw a significant increase.

International tourism also brimmed with vitality while the domestic tourism market blossomed. With the resumption of flight routes, facilitation of entry procedures, and an increase in the number of countries with mutual visa exemptions, China’s inbound and outbound tourism recovered rapidly.

Data showed that during the May Day holiday, the total number of inbound and outbound tourists reached 3.67 million, with 1.77 million inbound tourists and 1.89 million outbound tourists.

Driven by multiple factors, the consumer market also delivered impressive results. According to the big data monitoring by China’s Ministry of Commerce, sales of major retail and catering enterprises across the country during the May Day holiday increased by 6.8 percent compared to the same period last year (April 29 to May 3). Statistics from the China Film Administration indicated that the box office revenue hit 1.52 billion yuan during the holiday, with 37.77 million moviegoers.

During this year’s May Day holiday, China’s parcel delivery sector handled a total of 4.03 billion parcels. Of the total, nearly 2 billion parcels were collected, with a daily average collection volume showing a 32.7 percent year-on-year increase. Meanwhile, 2.03 billion parcels were delivered, with the daily average delivery volume rising by 28.6 percent compared to the same period last year.

The parcel delivery sector has actively explored new paths for its integration with tourism, offering services such as delivery of souvenirs, local specialties, and luggage to tourists in scenic areas.

The booming consumer market during the May Day holiday just reflected the vibrant vitality and vast potential of the Chinese economy.

By Yan Huan, Han Shuo, Liu Zhonghua, People’s Daily

The Hungarian-Chinese bilingual school was established in Budapest, capital of Hungary, in September 2004. It is the first full-time public school in Central and Eastern Europe that uses Chinese and the local language for instruction. Over the past nearly 20 years, the school has played a unique role in promoting cultural exchanges between China and Hungary over the past two decades.

In early 2023, Chinese President Xi Jinping replied to a letter from the students of the school, encouraging the Hungarian youths to learn more about China and become envoys of the China-Hungary friendship.

When the school was just founded, it had around 100 students, and now the figure has surged to more than 500. More and more Hungarian students are embracing the Chinese language and culture, and many of them have been admitted to Chinese universities.

“Our goal is to nurture a batch of ‘builders of Hungary-China friendship,'” said Zsuzsanna Erdelyi, principal of Hungarian-Chinese bilingual school.

She told People’s Daily that apart from local students, the school also enrolls those from China, so that students from the two countries can learn and play together, which not only helps improve their academic performance, but also fosters profound friendship between them.

When a class was over, eleventh-grade students Sanyi and Li Fulin started playing Chinese chess in a corridor. Sanyi once lived in China with his father. He was sent to the bilingual school by his parents after they saw the prospering development of China and the huge potential of Hungary-China cooperation.

“It was so difficult for me to learn Chinese as a beginner,” Sanyi said. However, as he gained more and more Chinese friends, he has gradually developed a passion in speaking Chinese.

“Last year I had a study tour to China, during which I visited Nanjing University. I like it very much and hope I can be admitted to the university one day,” Sanyi told People’s Daily.

To create a better learning atmosphere for the students, the Hungarian-Chinese bilingual school holds rich and splendid cultural activities that invite parents and all sectors of Hungarian society.

For instance, it has opened a Chinese language class for parents and hosts “Chinese open days” during traditional Chinese holidays, to encourage students and their parents to join fun cultural activities such as Chinese tea brewing, paper cutting and lantern making.

Erdelyi said the Chinese culture is charming and joining these activities offers so much fun.

Papp Nora and Papp Dora are a pair of twins who have been learning at the Hungarian-Chinese bilingual school since they were very young. The two eighth-grade students consider the school their second home.

“The teachers always help me with patience and answer my questions,” Papp Dora said, adding that Chinese is a very beautiful language. According to her, she likes Chinese calligraphy while her sister loves traditional Chinese costumes. The two practice Chinese together every day.

Educated by the school, the twins have developed carefulness, diligence and resilience, which are all important qualities in any stage of life, said Trippon Mariann, mother of the twins, and chief economist of a Hungarian bank. She’s very optimistic about the potential of the Chinese economy, and believes that learning Chinese would gain her children more advantages for their future development.

Li Elizabet Fanni studies at Fudan University, Shanghai. She is one of the earliest students of the Hungarian-Chinese bilingual school to study in China. Recently, she served the China Import and Export Fair, also known as the Canton Fair, as a volunteer, offering services for Chinese and Hungarian enterprises.

“I hope more young Hungarians can visit China and see with their own eyes the development of the country,” she said, adding that she and other students will work to contribute to and carry on the Hungary-China friendship.

After nearly 20 years of development, the Hungarian-Chinese bilingual school has become an important witness to the bilateral relations between Hungary and China, Erdelyi said, adding that Xi’s first-ever state visit to Hungary will bring huge encouragement and inspiration to students of the school.

By Wang Weijian, People’s Daily

A demonstration eco-friendly crab farm by the Taihu Lake in Wujiang district, Suzhou, east China’s Jiangsu province has completed a perfect transition – abandoning traditional practices using net enclosure, which featured high pollution and low economic return, and embracing high-quality and high-efficiency ecological aquaculture.

From a distance, the crab farm, which is located in Pujiangyuan, Qidu township of Wujiang district, appears like a picturesque rural park, but up close, it reveals itself as a hive of agricultural activity.

In the ponds, crab farmers are always seen clearing out aquatic weeds, while on the banks, technicians use mobile phones to pilot drones that disperse feed pellets over the water.

This eco-friendly crab farm was established in 2019, after net enclosure aquaculture facilities were banned in the Taihu Lake.

Zhang Jianliang, 53, has been engaged in crab farming for over 20 years. When he was younger, he once used net enclosure facilities on the Taihu Lake.

A few years ago, he contracted 100 mu (6.67 hectares) of crab ponds in the eco-friendly crab farm. “It’s completely different from the past. It’s tech-ish,” he told People’s Daily.

“This is an Internet-of-things (IoT) automatic control system for aquaculture,” said Zhang, pointing to a silver-white metal box on the shore.

He said the biggest concern in crab farming is low dissolved oxygen levels in the water, which could only be judged based on farmers’ experience in the past.

He opened the metal box, and real-time parameters were all displayed on an electronic screen, including dissolved oxygen, pH, and water temperature.

For instance, the dissolved oxygen level, after being obtained by underwater sensors, will be automatically analyzed by the system. If it falls below a preset “red line,” the system will automatically activate an oxygenation device to avoid oxygen depletion in the water.

The crab farm is all about technology. On the water surface, unmanned feeding boats cruise automatically. Under the water, IoT flow generators work to simulate a real lake environment to help crabs grow better.

According to Cao Jianzhong, an executive of the crab farm, the farm has invited experts from agricultural universities and enterprises to launch on-site training.

“With the use of technology, oxygenation and feeding have become more targeted. It saves labor, giving us more confidence,” said Zhang.

In the past, net enclosure aquaculture in the Taihu Lake was completely at the mercy of the weather, and sometimes the farmers would shoulder losses, according to Zhang.

Today, in the eco-friendly crab farm, standardized farming keeps risks under control. It’s easy for a farmer to earn 200,000 yuan ($27,678) to 300,000 yuan a year.

The crab farm covers a total planned area of 27,255 mu, with a 4,225 mu core area, generating an annual output value of around 400 million yuan.

For an aquaculture park of this scale, located along the shoreline of the environmentally sensitive Taihu Lake, how is environmental safety ensured?

On the eastern side of the farm, there are several water pools, which are covered by reeds and occasionally disturbed by waterfowl taking wing.

“Fine sand, zeolite, and limestone are paved at the bottom of these pools,” said Xi Bin, a management staff member of the farm, adding that it is an ecological treatment system consisting of ecological trenches, ecological ponds, vertical-flow wetlands, and surface-flow wetlands.

Designed by the Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, the system employs a compound artificial wetland tail water treatment technique to absorb and purify the aquaculture effluent.

“The treated water flows through an intricate network of pipes back into the individual crab ponds. None of it is discharged into the Taihu Lake,” said Xi.

At 2 pm, technician Xu Junyu of the crab farm received a request for drone support from aquaculture farmer Zhou Shengliang via an smart platform. Xu soon made his way to Zhou’s crab pond.

Deftly assembling the drone, Xu loaded a bag of feed pellets into the drone’s hopper. With everything prepared, Xu issued commands from his phone, and the drone, equipped with both BeiDou and GPS navigation systems, took to the air over the crab pond.

“I’ve pre-programmed the speed, heading, and feeding density into the digital system for timed, quantified, and targeted feeding,” said Xu. For a 30 mu crab pond, manual feeding would take at least half a day, but the drone could complete the task in just minutes.

To provide comprehensive services for aquaculture farmers, the crab farm has employed IoT, cloud computing, big data and other technologies to give aquaculture production a “smart brain.”

The “smart brain”, or the smart management platform, is located at an inspection and quarantine center on the eastern side of the crab farm. It has a huge electronic screen and integrates functions such as an overview of the entire farm, intelligent aquaculture management, quality control, and daily operations management. It is learned that crab ponds in the farm are installed with various sensors providing data to support scientific and targeted aquaculture.

The eco-friendly crab farm provides comprehensive supporting services. In a logistics and distribution center, there are various types of automated equipment. Crabs are fed into an automatic binding machine and bound in around 5 seconds; a conveyor line automatically sorts the crabs by weight.

Through an internet-enabled production and marketing model, the crab farm has guided and enabled aquaculture farmers and rural entrepreneurs to increase their incomes.

By Yang Mingfang, Li Yanan, People’s Daily

Kuqa city in Aksu prefecture, northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, was known as Kucha in ancient times. It was home to the Anxi Protectorate, or the Protectorate to Pacify the West, in the Tang Dynasty (618-907), as well as an important transportation hub along the ancient Silk Road.

As one of the historical and cultural cities that boast the longest history and richest historical and cultural relics in Xinjiang, Kuqa is hailed as an “open-air museum.”

In recent years, the city has leveraged its local features and adopted innovative approaches to promote the protection and utilization of its historical resources, managing to preserve its historical charm while effectively utilizing its resources.

With a history of over 2,000 years, Kuqa is home to numerous historical, artistic, and scientific treasures, including ancient dwellings and old buildings. The local government has been committed to the restoration of culturally significant old houses.

In 2023, Kuqa launched a campaign to “save the old houses,” in which Tsinghua Heritage Institute for Digitization (THID), a Beijing-based institute focusing on conservation, interpretation, presentation, digitization and communication of cultural heritage, conducted a comprehensive survey of all ancient dwellings in the old towns of the city.

The campaign invited renowned Chinese experts in cultural heritage conservation to train local traditional craftsmen, so as to improve their skills, pass down traditional techniques and provide support to the restoration and preservation of ancient dwellings.

He Yan, a cultural heritage conservation expert and THID director, told People’s Daily that the campaign has been joined by more than 150 local traditional craftsmen since its launch.

“This campaign follows the principle of minimal intervention, using original craftsmanship and materials for restoration. It also adopts targeted repair methods based on the value, cultural environment, and historical significance of each old house,” He explained.

Gen-Zer Yusupjan Asen returned to his hometown after graduating from university last year. Upon learning about the campaign, he immediately signed up for it as he had learned woodworking from his father since childhood.

“As witnesses to history and carriers of culture, ancient dwellings bear the historical memory of ethnic integration. It was my first formal experience in old house restoration, and I realized that it is quite challenging to repair houses, especially ancient dwellings. We needed to ensure safety while preserving the traditional patterns, designs, and styles,” said Yusupjan Asen.

In Sakesake neighborhood, Kuqiairike community of Kuqa, there is a Kucha Alley, which exudes the folk charm of ethnic minorities at every turn, such as the umbrellas made of Etles silk hung above residential houses and the vibrantly patterned doors of these houses, drawing in visitors from near and far.

Kuqa boasts five historical and cultural blocks, and since 2023, the city has ramped up efforts to upgrade them. Taking a “renovation without demolition” approach, the city revitalized these historical areas by improving basic infrastructure like water and power supply, while also cultivating hubs for cultural tourism and shopping.

Mairan Nur runs a grocery shop in the Kucha Alley. “The environment here has really improved. There are more tourists nowadays. Coffee shops and bubble tea shops have opened up, and many locals have set up stalls or businesses right outside their houses,” Mairan Nur told People’s Daily.

Kuqa sanam, an ethnic music and dance widespread among the Uygur people in Kuqa, has been listed as a national-level intangible cultural heritage item. It is a demanding dance with stringent requirements. In the 1990s, as the older generation of dancers passed away, the inheritance of this art form encountered challenges.

Local authorities redoubled their efforts to protect intangible cultural heritage, emphasizing the importance to identify, study, preserve, and inherit these traditions. This rekindled enthusiasm and passion for learning and performing the dance among the youth. In 2012, Nasir Nusur, a folk dancer from Kuqa, was recognized as a national-level inheritor of Kuqa sanam. To date, he has trained over 500 apprentices, breathing new life into this precious dance art.

This is just one example among many. In recent years, Kuqa has made tremendous efforts to preserve its intangible cultural heritage. The region now boasts 146 intangible cultural heritage items, including two at the national level, and there are over 500 inheritors of them. Local authorities have boosted the enthusiasm of these inheritors through dedicated funding, performances, and subsidies. Additionally, a master-apprentice model is attracting more and more young people to join the ranks of cultural preservation.

By Zhong Caiwen, People’s Daily

China’s production capacity is deeply rooted in the country’s vast market.

China is a developing country with a population of over 1.4 billion. The fundamental purpose of its production is to meet the ever-growing expectation of the people for a better life.

Since the reform and opening up, China has transitioned from a planned economy to a socialist market economy, which has boosted production in different sectors and enhanced its supply capabilities.

As China’s economy continues to grow steadily and with the incremental upgrading of Chinese industries, the potential of China’s domestic demand has been consistently expanding and unleashed, which will enhance production capacity in a cycle of mutual reinforcement.

China boasts a large and steadily expanding middle-income group, with per capita GDP surpassing $12,000, creating a huge consumer market.

In 2023, China’s total retail sales of consumer goods exceeded 47 trillion yuan ($6.5 trillion), with final consumption expenditure contributing 82.5 percent to economic growth. Consumption has become the main engine driving economic growth and the primary driver of China’s expansion of production capacity.

Over the past few years, China has been the world’s largest consumer of automobiles, home appliances, clothing, and jewelries, among others. This wouldn’t have been possible without massive domestic production capacity, as relying solely on imports wouldn’t have been enough.

Technological innovation and enhanced production efficiency are the driving forces of China’s production capacity.

Innovation serves as the engine of productivity. China adopts the innovation-driven development strategy and keeps expanding investment in scientific and technological innovation. It ranks second in the world in terms of total R&D investment. A total of 679 Chinese companies were listed among the world’s top 2,500 R&D investors last year.

Technological innovation has enhanced China’s production efficiency and forged more comparative advantages. In recent years, China’s traditional top three products, or the “old three” — mobile phones, computers and home appliances, and three major tech-intensive green products, or the “new three” — new energy vehicles (NEVs), lithium-ion batteries and photovoltaic products, have gained widespread popularity in the global market. This success is attributed to the continuous technological innovation and efficiency improvements in the extensive and specialized industries in China, along with the unwavering commitment to excellence by Chinese entrepreneurs.

It is particularly important to see that China is the only country in the world that possesses all the industrial categories in the United Nations industrial classification. By harnessing the well-established industrial ecosystem and leveraging market dynamics, China can quickly transform technological innovation achievements into high-quality production capacity.

A Bloomberg article said that the global energy transition is largely attributed to China’s provision of low-cost and clean products.

China is embracing the new round of sci-tech revolution and industrial transformation worldwide and has no intention of criticizing or suppressing other countries that are leading in areas such as artificial intelligence, commercial aerospace, and low-orbit satellites. Instead, China is genuinely committed to learning from others with an aim to promote scientific and technological development through mutual learning and exchanges.

Similarly, developed countries should embrace China’s technological advancements in areas like new energy with fairness and openness, keeping in mind the benefits of all humanity.

A large portion of China’s production capacity is attributed to multinationals.

Foreign-invested enterprises have played a significant role in the growth of China’s manufacturing. As China becomes more integrated into the global economy, many foreign enterprises have chosen China as their primary production base, producing goods for sale on a global scale. Among them are many American companies.

For instance, the remarkable success of Apple as the second most profitable and highest-valued company in the world can be largely credited to the dedicated Chinese workers and efficient Chinese enterprises along its supply chain. Apple has announced to expand its R&D labs in China to better support its production line.

Tesla produced over 1.84 million new energy vehicles last year, with half of them being manufactured in its Shanghai Gigafactory. Tesla’s exports from China account for nearly 30 percent of Chinese exports of the NEVs.

Multinationals often follow a typical approach: making decisions at headquarters, manufacturing products in China, distributing them in global markets including China, and repatriating the profits generated to their home countries. Such business model can lead to win-win outcomes for all stakeholders.

By launching more important projects in China in the coming future, particularly in industries such as chemistry and the NEVs, multinationals are set to see more improvements in their competitiveness and production capacity.

The growth of China’s production capacity is credited to the combined efforts of an efficient market and a proactive government.

Throughout the history of industrial development in developed countries, successful industrial upgrading relied on both market dynamics and government strategies to guide and support industries.

For instance, the rapid economic growth of countries like Japan, Germany, and South Korea after World War II was largely a result of government assistance for key industries. Industrial policies have been a longstanding practice in the United States, with the CHIPS and Science Act alone providing over $52 billion in subsidies.

Since the reform and opening up, China has drawn lessons from developed countries and used strong domestic demand to drive economic growth. By directing the allocation of resources through industrial planning, China has been actively developing a modern industrial system.

Since the accession to the World Trade Organization, China has consistently complied with the subsidy-related rules and developed its production capacity within a market economy environment.

China’s industrial policies never violate market principles. China does not seek to exclude competition with other countries or unreasonably favor its own industries. Instead, China aims to continuously improve marketization levels and adopt tailored industrial policies that suit local conditions. This approach allows for orderly competition among industries, ultimately achieving an equilibrium between supply and demand.

By Li Xinping, People’s Daily

A tunnel boring machine (TBM), also referred to as full-section tunnel boring machine, is a machine used to excavate tunnels. It combines multiple technologies such as machinery, electronics, information technology, and artificial intelligence, being acclaimed as the “king of construction machinery.”

More than two decades ago, China did not have its own TBM. Today, Chinese-produced TBMs account for nearly 70 percent of the global market.

How did the Chinese TBMs make this giant leap? People’s Daily reporters delved into the TBM manufacturing companies to uncover the secrets.

In early 2000, when China Railway Group Limited (Hereafter referred to as China Railway) decided to develop its own TBM, some thought it was an unrealistic idea.

Wang Dujuan, chief engineer of China Railway Hi-Tech Industry Corporation Limited (CRHIC), a subsidiary of China Railway, said that a TBM has over 20,000 components, and its control system alone has more than 2,000 control points. “Many colleagues at that time had never even seen a TBM before,” she recalled.

Thanks to substantial efforts and investments, China’s first domestically developed earth pressure balance TBM with independent intellectual property rights made its debut in 2008, known as the “China Railway No. 1 TBM.”

On February 6, 2009, the China Railway No. 1 TBM started working for a metro project in north China’s Tianjin municipality. Four months later, a tunnel of the Tianjin Metro Line 3 was holed through, with ground settlement carefully controlled within 3 millimeters and passing all expert inspections.

Since then, the Chinese TBM industry has gained momentum, with a number of competitive manufacturers emerging and growing, such as China Railway Engineering Equipment Group Co., Ltd. (CREG), China Railway Construction Heavy Industry Corporation Limited (CRCHI), and CCCC Tianhe Mechanical Equipment Manufacturing affiliated with China Communications Construction Company Limited (CCCC).

Today, China boasts the world’s largest TBM fleet, with approximately 5,000 units. Over 90 percent of China’s metro tunnels were constructed using TBM technology.

A TBM stands several stories high and is as heavy as hundreds of elephants. It consists of tens of thousands of components. To enhance the resilience of the industrial and supply chains, every link of the industry must collaborate effectively.

“China’s TBM industry follows a development path where the manufacturing of complete TBMs drives the manufacturing of components,” said Zhang Zhiguo, general manager of CREG.

Ten years ago, bearings and gearboxes needed to be imported due to weaknesses in the supply chain, and today, these weaknesses are gradually being resolved, Zhang told People’s Daily.

Crafting main bearings proved to be one of the most challenging tasks due to the extreme and harsh operating conditions they face as the “heart” of a TBM, including ultra-heavy loads, large eccentric loads, and frequently varying loads. Besides, they need to meet critical standards such as high reliability and long service life. The material selection, design, manufacturing, and testing of them also presented immense difficulties. That’s why they are considered the pinnacle of the industrial chain of large-scale, high-end, precision bearings.

To finalize the design for main bearings, the Chinese research and development team experimented with hundreds of materials and processes, conducted thousands of theoretical verifications and design optimizations, and analyzed tens of thousands of inspection and test data sets.

In collaboration with leading specialty steel companies in China, CRCHI conducted in-depth research on material elemental matching and methods for controlling impurities and carbides, ultimately overcoming the bottleneck in the materials used for main bearings.

On October 12, 2023, a TBM main bearing with a diameter of 8.61 meters rolled off the production line at a CRCHI facility in Changsha, central China’s Hunan province. It was the world’s largest main bearing for TBM, boasting the heaviest weight and highest bearing capacity.

“It marked that China has become a global leader in the development and manufacturing of ultra-large diameter main bearings. Chinese-produced TBM main bearings now cover the full range from small to ultra-large diameters,” said Liu Feixiang, chief scientist of CRCHI.

Additionally, Chinese enterprises are consistently moving towards intelligent and automated TBM operations, exploring autonomous excavation and remote control capabilities.

For instance, China’s independently developed TBM “Linghang” is equipped with a system to monitor the status of key components in real-time, including the wear and temperature of cutting tools and slurry circulation pipes. It also provides damage predictions, effectively improving the construction efficiency.

The “Linghang” TBM also provides functions of intelligent excavation, intelligent assembly, advanced geological forecasting, and tail-end seal safety warnings. Therefore, it can automatically adjust parameters and excavate in ordinary geological conditions and can be controlled remotely from the ground surface under special circumstances.

Chinese TBM manufacturers are continuously expanding into overseas markets.

In 2012, China exported its first domestically produced TBM after China Railway won the bid for a metro construction project in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. During the construction, the “China Railway No. 50” TBM erected an average of eight rings per day, achieving over ten rings per day for sever consecutive days, setting a new record for metro TBM tunneling in Malaysia.

In 2015, China’s “Zhang Heng” and “Zhan Tianyou” TBMs won contracts for metro projects in Singapore. In 2016, a rectangular pipe jack TBM was awarded another contract, pioneering the entry of China’s specialized TBMs into overseas markets.

In 2019, the “China Railway No. 699” TBM won a bid for a railway project in northern Italy, marking the first application of China’s advanced tunneling equipment in a country of European Union. In the same year, two domestically produced TBMs were contracted for a Paris metro construction project in France.

“All these demonstrate the recognition for the comprehensive strength of China’s TBM brands by the international high-end market,” said Zhang.

By Shang Kaiyuan, People’s Daily

According to China’s General Administration of Customs, France is China’s largest agricultural product import market and the second-largest agricultural product trading partner in the European Union.

By mid-2023, over 200 types of French agricultural and food products were allowed to be exported to China. Besides, nearly 7,000 French agricultural and food product production companies have registered in China.

When French President Emmanuel Macron visited China in April 2023, Chinese President Xi Jinping conveyed to President Macron China’s readiness to advance high-standard opening-up and share new opportunities in China’s new development with countries around the world, and to work with France to build a “French farm to Chinese dining table” whole-chain rapid coordination mechanism.

Over the past year, the “French farm to Chinese dining table” mechanism has become a new highlight of agricultural cooperation between China and France. More and more French agricultural products are entering the Chinese market, providing Chinese consumers with high-quality and diversified choices, creating more opportunities to French companies, and bringing greater benefits to French farmers.

France is well-suited for the development of animal husbandry thanks to its climate. Statistics released by France’s National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies showed that the country’s live cattle herd exceeds 17 million heads.

LACTINOV dairy group in France began direct export business in 2012, with the Chinese market as one of its main targets.

“More than a decade ago, I went to an international food exhibition in Shanghai to seek business opportunities,” Alexandre Zeitlin, LACTINOV’s export director, told People’s Daily. “From the very beginning, we identified China as one of our most valuable target markets.”

It is reported that as Chinese consumers’ demand for high-quality dairy products grew rapidly, sales in the Chinese market accounted for 1/3 of the group’s exports at its peak.

During Xi’s meeting with then French President Francois Hollande in Beijing in April 2013, the two heads of state exchanged views on enhancing China-France exchanges and cooperation in a comprehensive manner, deciding to forge new areas of cooperation in modern agriculture, farm produce processing, and food processing.

In the next year, a Chinese delegation visited multiple French meat product companies, including Sacor, based in Aveyron, France, the first French company to export French-style dry-cured sausages to China. Soon, Sacor obtained approval to export its products to China, and its products officially entered the Chinese market in 2016.

“For a small family business like us, it’s a milestone in our development to become one of the first companies to export to the Chinese market,” said Nicolas Tournois, general manager of Sacor.

Over the years, he has devoted himself to understanding the Chinese market, actively participating in professional exhibitions, and continuously developing new clients.

“Our exports to China are currently in a stable upward trajectory,” he said.

Today, the Bastides sausages of Sacor sold on Chinese e-commerce platforms are highly popular among Chinese consumers. Annual exports of the Bastides sausages to China have grown from 10 tons in 2019 to the current 60 tons, and they have frequently appeared at the China International Import Expo in recent years.

Tournois hopes that with the “French farm to Chinese dining table” whole-chain rapid coordination mechanism, more distinctive French agricultural products can enter the Chinese market.

Bordeaux is an important wine-producing region in France and even globally. In a winery in Bordeaux owned by Les Grands Chais de France (GCF Group), a renowned French wine producer,  red wine bottles come with QR codes that show various information, including the centuries-old history of the winery, the characteristics of the production area, the colors, aroma, and flavor of the wine, as well as recommended drinking temperature and food pairing suggestions.

“Chinese consumers have a much keener interest in wine culture than 10 years ago, so we intentionally designed the bottles this way,” said Adrien de Vincenti, sales director of JIXIFU Caves & Domaines of GCF Group.

Adrien has been working and living in Shenzhen, south China’s Guangdong province for over a decade and has a good understanding of the demands in China’s red wine market.

In today’s Chinese market, wines from various regions of France can be found, covering many categories. “E-commerce platforms and social networks in China have made wine more mainstream, and wine appreciation courses have also accelerated the entry of wine culture into the lives of ordinary Chinese,” he said.

During Macron’s visit to China in April 2023, China and France issued a joint statement, in which the French side expressed its support for China’s forthcoming application to join the International Organization of Vine and Wine, as well as its support for China hosting the International Conference on Grape and Wine Industries.

Adrien told People’s Daily that in recent years, wine producing regions in several Chinese provinces and municipalities such as Shandong, Ningxia, and Xinjiang have become increasingly mature, and the development of China’s domestic wine industry will promote the prosperity of the entire wine market.

By Zhong Caiwen, People’s Daily

Since the Industrial Revolution in the 18th century, the continuous development of productivity and economic globalization has led to the accelerated flow of production factors worldwide.

As a result, the distribution of manufacturing capacity in different countries and regions has been constantly changing, forming a dynamic global pattern of production capacity.

This is an objective phenomenon determined by economic laws under market economy, which requires a science-based and rational understanding.

The global production landscape is a result of economic globalization. Under open market economy, an international division of labor has been formed due to the comparative advantages of countries. Through international trade, they share the benefits brought about by this division of labor and specialization. This is the inherent logic behind economic globalization and free trade.

For example, according to a report by the Semiconductor Industry Association of the United States, semiconductor companies headquartered in the United States reported total sales of $275 billion in 2022, accounting for 48 percent of the global market. In the $180.5 billion semiconductor market in China, American companies held a share of 53.4 percent.

Another example is Japanese carmaker Toyota. The company sold nearly 10.31 million vehicles worldwide in the 2023 fiscal year, and nearly 8.78 million were sold outside Japan.

This situation, where production capacity exceeds domestic market demand in a country, is not “overcapacity” as claimed. Instead, it is a natural phenomenon of international division of labor and specialization based on comparative advantages during the process of economic globalization. It is one of the manifestations of market mechanisms.

The global production landscape is a result of the law of value. In market competition, capacity with higher production efficiency can obtain higher profits by offering lower prices, thereby eliminating capacity with lower efficiency. In this process, the coexistence of efficient and inefficient capacity is not indicative of overcapacity, but rather a necessary stage for the law of value to take effect.

For instance, with technological advancements and the growing popularity of green development concepts, new energy vehicles are gradually replacing traditional fuel-powered cars.

According to the International Energy Agency’s “Global Electric Vehicle (EV) Outlook 2024” report, global EV sales reached nearly 14 million units in 2023, accounting for 18 percent of the total. It is projected that by 2030, 1/3 of cars running on Chinese roads will be electric, while the proportion in the United States and the European Union is expected to approach 1/5.

Given the global trend of new energy vehicle development, the supply-demand gap in the global new energy vehicle industry is widening, indicating that efficient capacity is not in surplus but rather insufficient.

Therefore, it is the market that should determine, in the global context, which industries have overcapacity and identify surplus capacity. Excluding competition under the pretext of “overcapacity” goes against the fundamental principles and rules of a market economy and fails to meet the requirements of the law of value. It will inevitably lead to monopolies, inefficiency, and stagnation, which are detrimental to the long-term development of any country.

The global production landscape is a result of economic laws and technological innovation. Regions with active innovation and rapid technological progress tend to have a greater variety of production capacities and faster capacity upgrades. Competition, mergers, and acquisitions among capacities with different technological levels and routes are inevitable in this process.

The rise of China’s new energy vehicle industry can be attributed to the overall innovation in energy drive systems such as batteries and motors, which is driven by green and low-carbon development.

This innovation has led to the concentration of high-quality global new energy capacities in China. Last year, over half of the Tesla vehicles delivered worldwide were produced by the company’s Shanghai Gigafactory. International companies such as Bosch, Magna, and BASF have also expanded their research and development investments in the Chinese market.

The overall innovation and rise of China’s new energy vehicle industry not only meet the demands of the Chinese market, but also bridge the global supply-demand gap in the industry and contribute to green development.

Hildegard Muller, president of the German Association of the Automotive Industry, believes that the development of the Chinese EV industry and the vitality of the Chinese market are beneficial to the global automotive industry.

As the world’s largest manufacturing country and the largest exporter of goods, China is witnessing the rise of numerous emerging industries and enterprises, as well as a constant push for innovation and competition driven by technological advancements. This showcases the country’s economic vitality and creativity, rather than excessive investment and overcapacity.

The global realignment of production capacity driven by market forces will continue to progress despite setbacks. In recent years, some countries have pursued “decoupling” and implemented measures such as “small yard, high fence,” “friend-shoring,” and “capacity backup” for political purposes. These actions have resulted in excessive duplication of production and global overcapacity. Such anti-globalization actions that exclude competition and violate the principles of market economy, have raised global production costs, reduced economic efficiency, and harmed the welfare of global consumers and the interests of related industries.

Faced with the continued growth and development of China’s manufacturing industry, the correct and positive approach should be to engage in open and fair competition with Chinese companies, while also seeking opportunities for cooperation and mutual progress, rather than hiding behind the high walls of trade protectionism and nationalism, and firing off cold accusations of “overcapacity.”

Openness brings progress, while seclusion leads to backwardness. This is an important lesson that China has learned from its history over the past two centuries, and it will continue to be tested in the new century.