U.S.’ latest Section 301 investigation a repeated mistake

By Zhong Sheng, People’s Daily

For no good reasons, the United States recently launched a Section 301 investigation into China’s maritime, logistics and shipbuilding sectors, and groundlessly accused China of the so-called “unfair practices,” threatening to impose new restrictions including raising the tariff rates for both steel imports and aluminum imports from China.

Such unilateral and protectionist practice not only hurts the economic and trade relations between China and the United States, but also undermines global economic stability and development.

The petition for the Section 301 investigation initiated by the United States into China’s maritime, logistics, and shipbuilding sectors is filled with unfounded accusations. It misinterprets normal trade and investment activities as damaging to U.S. national security and corporate interests, and wrongly attributes America’s own industry issues to China. This not only lacks factual basis but also goes against economic common sense.

The petition describes the so-called “unfair trade practices” of China as the “biggest obstacle” to the recovery of the American shipbuilding industry. However, as the United States itself has stated, only 1 percent of the world’s commercial vessels are produced in the United States today, and its ranking has dropped from the first place in 1975 to 19th place today.

Multiple researches have shown that the U.S. shipbuilding industry has lost its competitive edge years ago due to overprotection.

According to the Financial Times, the shrinkage in the U.S. shipbuilding industry is a result of several factors, including a hollowing out of shipyards and construction capacity, a decrease in the number of marine engineers and architects, and an overall decline in competitiveness.

The United States accuses China of adopting so-called “non-market” practices while providing discriminatory subsidies worth hundreds of billions of dollars to its own industries. This accusation is baseless. In fact, the development of Chinese industries is a result of enterprises’ efforts to advance technological innovation and actively join market competition.

Take the shipbuilding industry as an example. Chinese shipbuilding companies have strengthened technological innovation, accelerated high-end, intelligent, and green development, actively participated in market competition, and honed their skills in the global market. The development of China’s shipbuilding industry is a natural outcome of international industrial development and China’s comparative advantages.

It’s not the first time for the United States to shift its domestic problems overseas in an attempt to find a cure. The last U.S. administration initiated a Section 301 investigation against China and raised tariffs, which was ruled by the WTO as a violation of its rules.

The terms of the Section 301 are typical examples of unilateralism, and the United States, driven by domestic political needs, has launched a new Section 301 investigation, openly calling for arbitrary adjustments to tariffs on Chinese products, which is a repeated mistake.

Under the excuse of so-called “national security,” the United States politicizes economic and trade issues, formulates discriminatory industrial policies, and sets numerous trade barriers, which will only harm others without benefiting itself.

The shipping industry bears over 80 percent of the global trade transportation and is crucial for global trade and economic growth. The United States’ trade bullying practices not only fail to address its own deep-rooted problems, but also disrupt global industrial and supply chains, hindering the healthy development of the world economy.

In recent years, the United States has implemented a number of measures to suppress China’s economic, trade, and technological advancements. The list of sanctions against Chinese companies keeps growing, which is not about “de-risking” but rather about creating risks.

History has repeatedly proven that for China and the United States, one country’s success is an opportunity for the other. Faced with new and evolving situation in China-U.S. business ties, the two sides should stay committed to mutual respect, mutual benefit and equal-footed consultation, follow economic and market rules, expand and deepen mutually beneficial business cooperation, respect each other’s development rights, and work for win-win outcomes for the two countries and the world at large.

China is willing to develop its relationship with the United States based on the principles of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence, and win-win cooperation. At the same time, China will continue to firmly safeguard its national sovereignty, security, and development interests.

The U.S. side should face its own problems, stop abusing unilateral trade measures, immediately cancel the additional tariffs imposed on China, and return to the rules-based multilateral trading system as soon as possible.

(Zhong Sheng is a pen name often used by People’s Daily to express its views on foreign policy and international affairs.)

China releases world’s first high-definition lunar geologic atlas

By Wu Yuehui, People’s Daily

The first complete high-definition lunar geologic atlas in the world was released in Beijing on April 21. The atlas was drawn by a Chinese scientific research team mainly based on scientific exploration data from the Chang’e Project. With a scale of 1:2.5 million, it is the world’s most precise geological atlas of the whole moon.

This geologic atlas set, available in both Chinese and English, includes the Geologic Atlas of the Lunar Globe and the Map Quadrangles of the Geologic Atlas of the Moon. In particular, the Geologic Atlas of the Lunar Globe consists of the Geologic Map of the Moon, the Lithologic Map of the Moon and the Tectonic Map of the Moon. The Map Quadrangles of the Geologic Atlas of the Moon includes 30 standardized sub-schematic geological maps of the moon.

The world has been using the lunar geologic maps obtained by the Apollo program, but these maps can no longer meet the current and future needs of deep space exploration and scientific research.

Since 2012, academician Ouyang Ziyuan and researcher Liu Jianzhong of the Institute of Geochemistry of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), have led a team of scientists and cartographers from relevant research institutions in compiling a new-generation lunar geologic atlas set, including Jilin University, Shandong University, China University of Geosciences (Beijing), the Institute of Geology of Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, and the CAS Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research.

With a comprehensive and systematic understanding of the origin and evolution of the moon, the team compiled the atlas based on scientific exploration data gained from China’s Chang’e lunar exploration program and other research results from both Chinese and international missions, Liu said.

By studying and collecting elements such as lunar rock formation, geological structure, and characteristics of the moon in different ages, China made technical specifications and standards of lunar geologic mapping with independent intellectual property rights, and compiled the 1:2.5 million digital lunar geologic atlas set.

A total of 12,341 impact craters, 81 impact basins, 17 types of lithologies and 14 types of structures all over the moon are mapped in the atlas.

A unified classification system for the sub-types of basin formations has been established. Besides, some special elements including landing sites of human probes and points of special elevation are also shown in the atlas.

The atlas set has been integrated into the digital lunar cloud platform built by Chinese scientists, and will serve lunar scientific research and science education, as well as landing site selection, lunar resource exploration and path planning for China’s future lunar exploration projects.

Unmanned “plant factory”: production line of vegetables

By You Yi, People’s Daily

Can plants grow without soil and sunshine? The answer might be found in a “plant factory” at the Chengdu National Agricultural Science and Technology Center in Chengdu, southwest China’s Sichuan province.

In the plant factory, lettuce plants grow on multi-tier steel racks, bathing the red and blue rays emitted from LED lights fitted at the top of the racks. The factory, with a pinkish glow coming out of its glass walls, exactly resembles a scene in a sci-fi movie.

“Vegetable growing has its ‘production line,’ too. A head of lettuce can mature in just 35 days after the seed is sown if it’s provided with proper nutrients, lighting and temperature. It would take at least twice as long in an open field,” said Yang Qichang, head of the plant factory, pointing to the 20-tier facility.

As the chief scientist of the Institute of Urban Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Yang and his team have been dedicated to the plant factory for nearly 20 years.

The plant factory runs this way. A computer commands robotic arms to plant lettuce seedlings onto plates, and then the plates are sent to designated tiers of the racks, where the seedlings receive lighting and nutrient solutions. When the lettuce plants mature, they are withdrawn from the racks and packed after their roots are cut off. Thanks to intelligent management and assistive robots, the plant factory is completely unattended, from seeding to harvesting, and to packing.

Traditional agriculture often faces reduced yields due to meteorological disasters, pests and plant diseases. It’s always difficult to maintain a sound environment for crops. Greenhouse cultivation is an exploration that allows for the cultivation of off-season vegetables, but it is still susceptible to adverse weather conditions such as high temperatures and snow.

Plant factories have shattered the constraints of natural conditions. As an efficient agricultural system that achieves year-round continuous crop production through precise control in a closed environment, a plant factory can adjust environmental factors such as light, temperature, humidity, and nutrients in real-time according to the specific requirements of different crops. This precise supply enables high-efficiency production.

Additionally, plant factories can induce flowering and promote rapid growth, significantly shortening crops’ growth cycle.

Plant factories feature accelerated growth of crops, said Wang Sen, a researcher with the Institute of Urban Agriculture. This type of facility, which is free from the limitations by land, space, and climate conditions, accelerates the growth of crops through a light-nutrient coupling technique. It can shorten the growth period of crops such as rice, wheat, corn, soybeans, cotton, and rapeseed by more than half, providing effective support for accelerating crop breeding.

It’s important to improve lighting efficiency and lower energy consumption when building a plant factory. Wang told People’s Daily that his team has established a database containing 1,238 “lighting solutions” for 72 crop varieties in five major categories, which helps adjust lighting plans based on crop varieties and stages of growth.

Besides, with the application of the light-temperature coupling technology, the plant factory’s overall energy consumption has been lowered by over 56 percent.

To address the issues of low land utilization and spatial efficiency in traditional flat planting, the team adopted vertical cultivation techniques. “This 20-tier vertical farm can increase land utilization by over 120 times,” Yang disclosed.

Today, the 200-square meter plant factory produces over 60 tons of vegetables each year. By adopting self-developed new crop varieties, vertical cultivation systems, automatic nutrient solution supply systems, energy-saving artificial light sources, and AI-based intelligent management systems, the vertical farm has achieved year-round stable food production.

The team is currently exploring profitable business models for the plant factory. It is learned that the high-end leafy vegetables grown in the plant factory target densely populated urban areas such as the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region and the Yangtze River Delta, as well as regions with a local vegetable self-sufficiency rate below 10 percent. Furthermore, the plant factory can also be used for intensive seedling cultivation, which not only reduces production costs but also ensures seedling quality.

China’s plant factories are going international. During an international plant factory technology training program hosted by China, students from over 20 countries received systematic training on plant factories. LED “lighting solutions” have been promoted in more than 100 countries and regions. China has also reached agreements with the United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, Chile and Qatar to build vertical plant factories.

Digitalization drive helps advance modernization of social governance in Chongqing

By Li Zenghui, Jiang Feng, Chang Biluo, People’s Daily

In the office building of the Chongqing Ecology and Environment Bureau, a water monitoring and control system flashed red, signaling excessive phosphorus concentration at a river section.

By tracing data from the sensors network, the system narrowed down the investigation area and pinpointed several upstream industrial enterprises as potential sources of contamination.

Inspection teams from local environmental protection agencies and other relevant departments were immediately dispatched to the identified sites. After their intervention, water quality returned to the normal level.

This rapid response was made possible by Chongqing’s efforts to advance digitalization.

The water monitoring and control system integrates data from over 10 municipal departments in agriculture, water resources, housing and urban-rural development sectors, as well as districts and counties in Chongqing.

The system’s sensing network has expanded from the original 1,112 sensors to over 15,000, allowing issues to be detected within 24 hours on average, down from 7 days previously.

In April 2023, Chongqing initiated a comprehensive digital transformation program known as “Digital Chongqing.” This involved establishing an integrated intelligent public data platform, a three-tier digital urban operation and governance center, six major application systems, and an intelligent governance framework.

The program aimed at infusing digital technologies and digital cognition into every aspect of city management and service delivery, restructuring operational systems, business processes and institutional mechanisms across various sectors, and modernizing social governance.

Recently, the digital urban operation and governance center in Chongqing’s Jiulongpo district received an alert: a dump truck with unsecured load was identified by video surveillance while crossing into another district’s jurisdiction in violation of regulations.

Through a location tracking system, the vehicle’s position and originating construction site were quickly pinpointed. With a single click, a task order was dispatched to relevant authorities. The detection to resolution of the entire illegal dump truck incident took less than 3 hours.

In advancing digitalization, Chongqing has worked to break down information barriers between government departments.

“Based on the data collected from government departments related to housing, urban management and transportation, we developed a dump truck monitoring system, which had been promoted city-wide to solve monitoring challenges,” said Zhang Jun, deputy director of Jiulongpo district’s big data application and development management bureau.

Chongqing also pursues targeted governance while promoting digitalization. For instance, the Xianglushan neighborhood of Chongqing High-tech Industrial Development Zone installed smart door sensors for elderly residents living alone and connected them to its governance command center. In Baochengsi community of Changzhou neighborhood, Rongchang district, an intelligent elderly care system is in place to serve senior citizens in need.

Over 1,000 townships and neighborhoods in Chongqing have established the integrated three-tier digital governance network, which seamlessly connects the township and neighborhood level, the village and community level, and finally down to individual grid unit areas.

Chongqing has made 65,000 digital grid-level holographic maps that facilitate end-to-end task allocation and case management. As a result, the resolution rate for issues reported at the grid level has reached 99.9 percent.

Digitalization has made public services more efficient. To better address public concerns, the Chongqing Municipal Public Security Bureau launched an online service platform. The platform offers over 430 online services, and 80 percent of them need no offline procedures at all. Since the platform was launched in January 2021, it has processed over 100 million service requests. Since April 2023, Chongqing rolled out 75 “one-stop” service packages citywide, covering high-frequency domains and key services closely related to production and daily lives of businesses and citizens, such as one-stop business registration and one-stop birth registration.

China makes more efforts to recycle power batteries

By Qiang Yuwen, People’s Daily

As one of the world’s largest power battery markets for eight consecutive years, China has established a power battery industrial system with the most extensive industrial and supply chains.

Large-scale production comes with the challenge of managing decommissioned power batteries. Recently, People’s Daily reporters tracked a batch of retired batteries in Wuhan and Jingmen, two cities in central China’s Hubei province, to see how these batteries are recycled and given a new lease on life.

A ride-sharing platform in Wuhan recently reached battery recycling specialists of GEM Co., Ltd. (GEM), a leading enterprise in China’s circular economy based in Shenzhen, to collect power batteries of several new energy vehicles (NEVs) whose capacity had degraded due to intensive usage.

The next day, the batteries were removed from vehicles and wrapped in insulating membranes by battery recycling specialists, and then shipped to GEM’s Wuhan facility.

At GEM’s facility, the batteries were sent to a workshop where their capacities were tested by automated equipment.

“Batteries with higher capacity will be repurposed in Wuhan, while those with severe capacity loss will be sent to our Jingmen facility for processing,” said Bie Chuanyu, deputy head of GEM Green Industry (Wuhan) Innovation Research Institute.

GEM recycles approximately a tenth of the decommissioned power batteries across China. Having previously focused on scrapping end-of-life vehicles, the company has forged strong partnerships with numerous automakers. Today, in response to the development of the NEV industry, the company has shifted its focus to recycle retired power batteries.

Apart from old power batteries, the recyclable materials also consist of waste materials that did not undergo cell assembly during battery production.

Not far from GEM’s Jingmen facility lies a factory of EVE Power, a battery manufacturer, where new lithium-ion batteries were rolling off the production line.

The factory was invested and built by EVE Energy Co., Ltd. based in Huizhou, south China’s Guangdong province, one of the leading manufacturers of lithium-ion batteries in China. It has grown into the largest power and energy storage battery production base in central China.

Driven by this industrial leader, nearly 100 companies have clustered together, forming an integrated power battery industrial chain.

It is reported that GEM has signed a strategic cooperation agreement with EVE Energy, exclusively recycling waste materials from the latter. It will process them into raw materials for battery production and return them to the battery factory. This recycling model is known as the “waste-for-raw-materials” approach.

Recycling is just the first step, and there’s much to do with repurposing retired power batteries.

In a power battery cascading utilization factory of GEM’s Wuhan facility, batteries with higher remaining capacity were sent to workstations and disassembled to modules and cells, which were then transported to production lines by automated guided vehicles. The cells would be recombined and made into household energy storage cabinets.

According to an employee of the factory, though some decommissioned power batteries are no longer capable of propelling vehicles, they can be repurposed for electric bikes, telecommunications base stations, energy storage cabinets, and solar-powered street lamps after undergoing disassembly and restructuring.

Near the GEM Wuhan facility’s parking lot, there are several energy storage cabinets for commercial and industrial use. “Each cabinet is composed of several dozen repurposed power battery packs and can generally be used for 8 to 10 years,” Bie said.

Even batteries with severely degraded capacity can be recycled by recovering valuable metals like lithium, cobalt, and nickel for future battery production. Every one percentage point increase in the lithium recovery rate can directly raise the recycling value of each ton of retired power batteries by thousands of yuan.

In addition to collaborating with third-party recycling and processing organizations, some automakers have also begun to establish their own battery recycling businesses.

In a workshop of an industrial park of Chinese automaker Dongfeng Motor Corporation in Wuhan, electric forklifts powered by recycled batteries were zipping around.

“These cascading utilization batteries are lighter, more powerful, and have longer range compared to traditional lead-acid batteries. A single charge allows for 8 hours of operation,” an employee said.

According to an executive of Dongfeng Hongtai Holdings Group Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of Dongfeng Motor Corporation, automakers have more precise information about battery conditions than third-party recyclers.

“With the retirement of large volumes of power batteries retire, the costs of developing and using cascading utilization products are expected to decrease significantly,” the executive noted.

According to China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the country has built over 10,000 service outlets for power battery recycling. Last year, 225,000 tons of decommissioned NEV power batteries were recycled.

A research institution predicted that the number of China’s retired power batteries will reach 820,000 tons by 2025. According to a plan for the green development of China’s industrial sectors during the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025), China will establish a relatively comprehensive power battery recycling and utilization system by 2025. This means a growing number of retired power batteries will be directed towards recycling and reutilization in the country.

EFCC, Yahaya Bello and a Complicit Media

By Dr Austin Maho

Stories were abound all through last week how the spin doctors of Yahaya Bello allegedly moved tons of cash around some media houses to influence good conscience. It shouldnt surprise anyone therefore the amount of space devoted by some media organization to the Yahaya Bello and EFCC story.

The substantive story of high level corruption was buried by spin doctors who took over the airwave and newspaper pages propagating deceptive and misleading messages that presented Yahaya Bello as the victim of political witch hunt by a broken EFCC!

The spinmeisters were at the top of their game, their machinery was well oiled by free flowing money from Kogi

EFCC was put on trial and taken to the cleaners for dearing to violate a court order from a high court of Kogi state. Ironically the same Kogi state court in 2023 jailed then EFCC Chairman, Rashid Bawa for contempt and is now holding EFCC chairman, Olukoyede for contempt. Is thunder going to strike twice?

Justice Josiah Majebi is the Chief Judge of Kogi state, who in a recent article by respected Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Anslem Chidi Odinkalu describes as existing “almost entirely in the pocket of the state governor” .

Should anyone be surprise that the order stopping the EFCC from carrying out the arrest Yahaya Bello emanated from a Kogi court, and that all processes leading to the issuance of the court order happened in one day. Rather than be alarmed by this travesty many media houses and commentators were happy to take the EFCC to the cleaners for disobeying “a court order” emanating from Kogi!

If you have ever had any illusion that media corruption exists, how the media have reported the case between the EFCC and Yahaya Bello should help clear your doubt. A casual content analysis of media report of the events of last week would reveal that it was slanted in favor of Yahaya Bello. There was inherent bias observable in the way some media houses reported the press briefing by the chairman of the EFCC, He was castigated for putting his case in the public domain. He was vilified and called immature and emotional for saying he would resign if he does not bring Yahaya Bello to justice.

When we talk about drawing the lines between journalism and public relations, which is lost to many journalists the Yahaya Bello case presents the perfect example, the locus classicus of media corruption.

It is a case study of why journalism is distinct from public relations and why public relations practioners should stay away from journalism.

Journalism is about DISCLOSURE, to lay open, to make bare, to shine the light of truth on the inner recesses of governance. To hold government accountable to the people. Public Relations is about CLOSURE and DEFLECTION, to make you look the other way, to gaslight, to obsficate,to tell alternative truth. If in a 100 percent , the subject does 99 percent wrong the job of the Public Relations practitioner is to focus on the single one done right. Repeat it over and over again to make you forget the 99 percent that are wrong!

But journalism works differently. If in a 100 percent it happens that 99 percent have been done right, the job of the journalist is to focus on the one percent that has gone awry and ask why. Hence journalist are the conscience of the nation, the watch dog of society. It is for this reason that journalism is the only profession mentioned in the constitution and enjoys the privilege to monitor government onbehalf of the governed.

Hence we should be worried when this distinct line between journalism and Public Relations is becoming blurred! Journalism is not Public Relations.

As a people we have become permissive of corruption, we are culprits!

How are some high profile cases of corruption even possible in the first place? How is it possible that a governor would remove over 80 billion from state coffers without anyone raising the alarm. How is it possible that a political office holder would remove such humongous amount of money from state coffers with no early warning signal in place to alert the public of the pillage of government resources for personal benefit.

A single person can make a difference.
Evil triumph when good men sit and do nothing. We have to decide on the kind of society we want to build.
” If Nigeria do not kill corruption, corruption will kill nigeria”.

The fight against corruption is not about the EFCC or any anti graft agency. It is about Nigeria, it is about Nigerians it is about all of us. It is about our future. It is about what we want to build, the legacy that we want to bequit to upcoming generations.

Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? God forbid!. The grace of God has abided long enough with Nigeria, its citizens must rise up, take the bull by the horn and chart the future of this country.

Watching the EFCC chairman, outing during his last media engagement, one could easily see the heavy burden he carries on his shoulders, the pain in his eyes. The labor to do the right thing and play by the book dealing with hardened criminals who obeys no law and adhere to no moral code. Who for them all is fair. Who have constituted themselves as untouchables and bigger than the law and the state.

Are we so blind that we cannot see that what happened at Benghazi street Wuse Zone 4, Abuja was an affront to the Nigerian state. A panacea for Anarchy a demistification of the state? The state was defanged, the supreme power of coascion which the state and only the state should possess was made mockery of!

Can’t we see that what a sitting governor Ododo did was aiding a fugitive to escape justice and raises question on why we should continue to retain immunity clause in our constitution, when immunity has become a cover for crime. Evil has seeped into the heart of our nation. If we allow this cancer to metastasized Nigeria dies.

This is the reason why the state, only the state should command the instrument of coarsion, allowing individuals to ride roughshut over state institutions would only encourage more criminals to confront the state. Strong men don’t build a nation, strong institution does. We must resist strongmen with piles of stolen cash to become parallel powers to institutions of state.

An invitation was extended by the EFCC to Yahaya Bello to come and vacate allegations of corruption against his person, he deployed subterfuge and thereafter asked that EFCC operatives should come to his country home, his village for the interrogation.
It is not just insullence but a mockery of the anti-graft agency

When criminals can nolonger be surmoned to answer for crimes against the state or allowed to chose the place and time for their interrogation, we move in the direction of state failure we walk in the precipise.

When lawyers who are suppose to uphold the law, guide society take to the street, join hired crowd for a morsel of bread to protest inanities, we should worry about our the state of our moral fabric.

When journalists who a suppose to be the conscience of the nation, the watch dog become lap dogs of their pay masters barking for the wrong reason there is a reason for all of us to worry.

A pioneer EFCC chairman now National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu was once quoted to have said that if a criminal is driving on one way traffic, he as a law enforcement officer is equally entitled to drive on one way to arrest him.

Criminals don’t play by the book, they would deploy all sorts of subterfuge to evade justice. Where necessary Anti corruption agencies should do all they can to bring corrupt individuals to justice even if they have to drive against traffic to achieve their aim, it would be recorded that it was for a good course.

“The worst part of a society manipulated by politics is to see the poor defending the rich who are responsible for their poverty” (Paulo Coelho). It is even worst when those who are the conscience of the nation those who aught to hold government accountable to the people will bend double to do the will of corrupt politicians.

Journalism is measured by the service it offers the soviety. It should not only give information, but must place the information in context.

How did Yahaya Bello obtained the court order he is brandishing around? Why is the media hammering on this and has made it a major media agenda?
What is the the end game of Yahaya Bello, is it ultimately to evade prosecution by the EFCC? This is the context Public Relations would avoid but journalism would present. Journalism educates the public and give them the facts they need to be active participants in the task of nation building

Journalism is skeptical and critical. It is weary of corrupt politicians who have brought this nation to its kneels. It sides with the people who have had to bear the brunt of bad and corrupt governance since independence, it conscientises and kick the people from their state of inertia.

Dr Austin Maho is a media scholar and publisher of Daybreak Nigeria

Alia Aircraft probe: Heads to roll in Benue APC 

as EFCC calls for State files from 1999 to date

Indications have emerged that there is palpable tension among political leaders in Benue State, particularly, those of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC as the state governor Rev Hyacinth Alia, has discreetly launched a probe on a missing Aircraft belonging to the state government. 

A highly placed security source yesterday, confirmed to our correspondent that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC alongside the office of the National Security Adviser, NSA under the leadership of Nuhu Ribadu, are currently probing how whopping billions of naira was paid to a businessman coy, for the purchase of the airport on paper but, nothing to show on ground. 

According to the source, the NSA, is directly involved in the ongoing probe because he allegedly had some idea in some of the transactions that took place in the state given his position as former EFCC boss who investigated such cases of fraud on state finances. 

The source further added that the principal actor about the aircraft transactions is no More but, the coy that was used is still functional as well as the details of the said transactions. 

Recall that the immediate past governor of Benue State, Chief. Samuel Ortom’s media Aide, Mr. Terver Akase had refuted and distanced his boss Samuel Ortom from allegations of missing aircraft in the state. He denied that his boss inherited an aircraft while he took over as governor of the state in 2015.

Terver Akase was reacting to a statement credited to Governor Alia’s Spokesman, Tersoo Kula, where he said that the state has an airplane which whereabouts is still being looked into.

The former governor’s media aide further in a press statement he issued to journalists stated among other things that there was no record of an airplane in the handover notes given to Chief Samuel Ortom PhD in 2016.

National policy on justice reform not negotiable, says AGF Fagbemi

By Kenneth Atavti

The Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, has declared that the justice sector under his watch would continue to push for mutuality in the formation and implementation of the national policy on justice reform in the country.

Fagbemi, made the declaration at the 2024 National Judicial Summit on Justice Sector on Wednesday in Abuja, with the theme: `Repositioning the Justice System: Constitutional, Statutory, and Operational Reforms for Access and Efficiency”.

Giving a brief history on how the national judicial summit was born, Fagbemi said the idea was conceived in 2017 with the aim of providing a veritable platform for analysing, reviewing and accessing issues affecting the Administration of Justice in Nigeria.

“In furtherance of the above, we are developing draft constitution amendment bills which are aimed at achieving the aims of improved access to justice, deepening the independence and capacity of the judiciary, and eliminating delays in the administration of justice, among others.

“Justice Sector Summits were held in 2017 and 2022 and this summit offers us an opportunity to assess the successes recorded and challenges faced since these last summits.

“Specifically, it enables us to measure the impact of the reforms initiated by the National Policy on Justice (2017 – 2023), in the key areas of administration of justice: law enforcement, judicial proceedings, correctional services, restorative and traditional justice, legal education and practice, etc.

“At this summit we will validate and adopt the revised National Policy on Justice, 2024-2028 which is the product of extensive research work and consultations undertaken by critical stakeholders in the Justice Sector.

“Although, the draft policy itself is an ambitious document which aims to serve as a catalyst for the transformation of the entire justice system in Nigeria’’.

According to him, this is an opportunity to have a comprehensive assessment, review and consideration of issues militating against effective administration of justice in Nigeria.

“There will be a well-articulated broad road map of initiatives, actions and responsibilities for addressing and repositioning the justice sector to effectively and efficiently discharge its duties in enhancing national security: upholding the rule of law, promoting the protection of human rights, democratic principles and the socio-economic development of our nation.

He highlighted some of the key interventions proposed to be pursued in the Revised National Policy on Justice, 2024.

The policy, he said, seeks to promote and protect human rights and access to justice which are essential features of a functional justice system.

He also said it proposes practical and sustainable interventions in the implementation of statutory provisions encouraging protection of human rights and access to justice.

“It also seeks to improve mechanisms for fair and speedy dispensation of justice; detention and correctional services; restorative justice; alternative dispute resolution (ADR) – developing Nigeria into an arbitration hub on the continent; commerce and economic activities; compliance with treaty obligations; synergy and cooperation across the justice sector; and independence of the judiciary; among others,” he said.

Bloc politics undermines peace, stability in South China Sea

By Zhong Sheng, People’s Daily

The United States, Japan and the Philippines recently issued a so-called Joint Vision Statement in Washington, distorting facts and confusing right and wrong on the South China Sea issue, the East China Sea issue and the Taiwan question, and arbitrarily smearing and attacking China.

This is completely against the public statement previously made by the U.S. side that the Japan-Philippines-United States Trilateral Leaders Summit and their trilateral cooperation are truly not aimed at China.

What the three countries intend to do is to establish an exclusive bloc for bloc politics and stoking confrontation, which hurts other countries’ strategic security and interests, and brings serious risks to regional peace and stability.

The merits of the South China Sea issue, the East China Sea issue and the Taiwan question are very clear. Some relevant countries’ attempt to challenge justice by establishing small blocs is doomed to fail.

The Taiwan question is purely China’s internal affair. Resolving the Taiwan question is a matter for the Chinese ourselves that no one can interfere. The biggest threat to cross-Strait peace now is the separatist activities of “Taiwan independence” forces and external connivance and support for them.

Some countries always talks about “peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait,” but remain silent on opposing “Taiwan independence.” This only emboldens the “Taiwan independence” separatist forces and undermines peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.

China has indisputable sovereignty over Diaoyu Dao and its affiliated islands, as well asNanhai Zhudao. Its activities in the East China Sea and South China Sea are lawful, justified and beyond reproach. China has unwavering determination and will in safeguarding its legitimate rights. China does not accept relevant countries’ groundless accusation and deliberate smears against it on the East China Sea and South China Sea.

The root cause of the rising tensions in the South China Sea lies in the fact that some Philippine politicians have disregarded the interests of their country and people, seeking support from external countries to embolden themselves, and constantly provoking conflicts over issues such as Ren’ai Jiao.

Despite the Philippines’ efforts to portray itself as a “victim,” this cannot conceal its true provocative and troublemaking nature.

The Philippine side has continuously spread disinformation and hyped up the situation. Going back on its words, it refuses to tow away its illegally grounded warship in Ren’ai Jiao. It arbitrarily breached the understanding it had reached with China on properly handling the situation on Ren’ai Jiao, and made repeated attempts to send construction materials for large-scale repair and reinforcement of the warship, in an attempt to permanently occupy Ren’ai Jiao.

The Philippines has been violating China’s sovereignty and the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC), especially Article 5 which says refraining from action of inhabiting on the presently uninhabited islands and reefs.

China will not accept the wanton provocation by the Philippines and will resolutely stop it in accordance with law and regulations to uphold China’s sovereignty and the sanctity of the DOC.

The recent escalation of tensions in the South China Sea is also a result of the meddling of external forces. The United States, driven by geostrategic considerations, has been fanning the flames, instigating disputes, inciting confrontation, and even forming cliques to conduct so-called joint patrols and military exercises in the South China Sea, wishing nothing but chaos in the region. Japan is not a party to the South China Sea issue, but it has deliberately intervened in it for its own expansion, which fully exposes the danger of its strategic direction.

In order to whitewash their actions that undermine peace and stability in the South China Sea, these external countries frequently cite the so-called South China Sea arbitration. The Arbitral Tribunal violated the principle of state consent, exercised its jurisdiction ultra vires and rendered an award in disregard of law. It gravely violates United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and general international law. The award is illegal, null and void. It is for the purpose of upholding the integrity and authority of the UNCLOS that China does not accept or recognize it, and will never accept any claim or action based on the award.

Recently, more and more people with insight from ASEAN countries and the Philippines have been voicing rational views, opposing external countries’ instigation of disputes and escalation of tensions in the South China Sea. They believe that “if your foreign policy is crooked or favors one country and is sometimes hostile because you are with America, then everything is wrong.”

Peace and stability in the South China Sea have been maintained thanks to the collective efforts of China and ASEAN countries.

China’s position on the South China Sea issue is very clear and consistent. It will stay committed to properly handling disputes through dialogue and consultation with countries concerned, and would like to work with ASEAN countries to fully and effectively implement the Declaration on the DOC, advance the consultation on a code of conduct in the South China Sea and jointly safeguard peace and stability in the region.

China hopes the Philippines will act on the understandings and consensus between the two sides, and observe the DOC. The Philippines needs to stop infringing on China’s rights and making provocations, stop pulling forces outside the region into matters of the South China Sea, return to the right track of properly managing the situation through negotiation and consultation, and act responsibly for the peace and stability in the South China Sea.

(Zhong Sheng is a pen name often used by People’s Daily to express its views on foreign policy and international affairs.)

Robust start of China’s economy boosts global economic prospects

By He Yin, People’s Daily

China’s gross domestic product (GDP) in the first quarter of this year grew by 5.3 percent year-on-year, an increase of 1.6 percentage points from the previous quarter, according to statistics released by the country’s National Bureau of Statistics on April 16.

The Chinese economy has kicked off a steady start in 2023 with continuous recovery and stable growth, which further enhances the international community’s positive expectations for China’s development prospects.

It is reported by international media outlets that China’s economy has got off to a good start and confidence is keep recovering.

Currently, the positive factors supporting the continued recovery and improvement of China’s economy are accumulating, laying a relatively good foundation for achieving the goals and tasks for the whole year.

In the first quarter, the four major macroeconomic indicators of growth, employment, inflation, and international balance of payments generally remained stable.

The growth of fixed asset investment increased by 1.5 percentage points compared with that in 2023, and the total retail sales of consumer goods and services went up by 4.7 percent and 10 percent, respectively. Imports and exports hit a new high in the past six quarters, and per capita disposable income of residents increased by 6.2 percent.

Recently, international financial institutions such as the Asian Development Bank (ADB), Goldman Sachs, and Morgan Stanley have raised their forecasts for China’s economic growth rate this year. Asian Development Outlook April 2024 released by ADB predicted that from 2024 to 2025, China will account for 46 percent of the economic growth of Asian developing countries and remain the largest contributor to the global economic growth.

The Q1 economic performance of China showed new progress made by new quality productive forces in industries, business activities, and products.

In the first quarter, the value-added by high-tech manufacturing enterprises above designated size grew by 7.5 percent year-on-year, an increase of 2.6 percentage points compared with that in the fourth quarter of last year. Investment in high-tech industries grew by 11.4 percent year-on-year, up 1.1 percentage points from 2023. Investment in high-tech services was up by 12.7 percent.

Despite rapid growth in previous years, the output of new energy vehicles in the first quarter of this year grew by 29.2 percent. In the same period, the output of charging piles, 3D printing equipment, and electronic components surged by 41.7 percent, 40.6 percent, and 39.5 percent year-on-year, respectively.

China’s accelerated development of new quality productive forces not only creates new momentum and advantages for its own development, but also injects new impetus for international cooperation.

China’s exports of electric vehicles, lithium batteries, photovoltaic products, and others have enriched global supply, eased global inflationary pressures, and made a tremendous contribution to global efforts to address climate change and the green and low-carbon transition.

The continued rebound of the Chinese economy is an important positive factor for the world economy. Steven Alan Barnett, senior resident representative in China of the International Monetary Fund, estimates that 1 percentage point more growth in China fuels 0.3 percentage points of growth elsewhere. He said the Chinese economy still remains an important engine driving the global economy.

In the first quarter, China’s total trade with Belt and Road partner countries grew by 5.5 percent, continuing to be an important driver of global trade growth.

The positive outlook for China’s economy is also attracting more multinational companies to come and explore opportunities and seek cooperation. Leaders of over 100 multinational corporations visited China. The 4th China International Consumer Products Expo attracted over 4,000 brands from 71 countries and regions. Over 60,000 overseas buyers were present at the 135th session of the China Import and Export Fair on the event’s inaugural day. In the first two months of this year, the number of newly established foreign-invested enterprises in China increased by 34.9 percent year-on-year, reaching the highest level in the recent five years.

Oliver Zipse, chairman of the Board of Management of BMW AG, believes that China is BMW’s largest global market, and it is where the future lies.

For some time, there have been voices deliberately exaggerating the challenges facing China’s economy and hyping up the so-called”China Peak Theory,” which are complete misreading of China’s economic situation and development prospects.

China’s economy has a solid foundation and various strengths. It has great resilience, vitality and potential. These characteristics remain unchanged. The fundamentals sustaining China’s long-term economic recovery and growth also remain unchanged.

A China that continues to promote high-quality development and advance Chinese modernization will not only bring a better life to the Chinese people, but also make greater contributions to the recovery and development of the world economy.