Chinese cross-border e-commerce platforms gain popularity overseas

By Xu Peiyu

Nowadays, an increasing number of overseas consumers prefer to buy Chinese products on Chinese cross-border e-commerce platforms.

According to a recent report by a third-party market analysis firm, Chinese e-commerce platforms claimed half of the top 10 most downloaded shopping apps worldwide in 2023. SHEIN, a China-based international fashion e-commerce platform, ranked first on the list, followed by Temu launched by Chinese e-commerce giant Pinduoduo. Alibaba, AliExpress, and Pinduoduo were on the seventh, ninth, and tenth places, respectively.

AliExpress, a cross-border retail platform under Chinese e-commerce titan Alibaba, is the app that has gained the most new users in South Korea over the past year, said a report by a South Korean media outlet.

Temu has been well received by American consumers. An executive of the app said that it now offers nearly 4 million SKUs (Stock Keeping Units) in the United States, and has long remained the most downloaded app on both the Apple Store and Google Play in the United States.

Currently, Temu exports over 400,000 packages daily, with more than half of them being shipped to the United States.

Over 100,000 companies engage in cross-border e-commerce in China. Behind the rapid growth of cross-border e-commerce platforms is the rise of the country’s manufacturing capabilities. More and more Chinese factories are able to produce highly competitive products in terms of both quality and price.

The Pearl River Delta and the Yangtze River Delta, two major manufacturing hubs in China, have become important sources of goods for cross-border e-commerce. According to a report, the Yangtze River Delta has 32 comprehensive pilot zones for cross-border e-commerce, accounting for about 20 percent of the total in China. It also accounts for nearly half of the country’s cross-border e-commerce revenue.

“These Chinese cross-border e-commerce platforms are favored by global consumers mainly because, against the backdrop of global inflation, there is a greater demand for affordable goods. Compared to those on some other overseas e-commerce platforms, the products on Chinese platforms have significant price advantages,” said Li Mingtao, head of the research institute at the China International Electronic Commerce Center.

Li said these platforms have price advantages by connecting consumers directly with manufacturers, which eliminates intermediaries, and adopting shipping methods that have advantages and flexibility in terms of taxes, warehousing costs, and delivery. Besides, these platforms are still expanding their market share by offering subsidies and incentives to users, which greatly benefits consumers, Li added.

The rise of Chinese cross-border e-commerce platforms overseas has generated more opportunities for Chinese small- and medium-sized enterprises to expand the overseas market.

Multiple Chinese cross-border e-commerce platforms have rolled out one-stop services, helping merchants with consumer attraction, logistics fulfillment, and after-sales services. The only thing merchants need to do is to put their products on the shelf.

“The benefit of this approach is that it greatly lowers the access to cross-border e-commerce. In the past, you may need to have excellent English skills, know how to run a store and make logistics calculations, and handle after-sales issues. Now you only need to know your products and be able to supply them,” said a staff member of AliExpress.

After adopting the one-stop services, an online shop that sells children’s clothing on AliExpress saw a tenfold increase in its daily order volume on the first day of the “Double 11” shopping festival, and the shop’s monthly performance is still improving, according to the staff member.

SHEIN has adopted an on-demand flexible supply chain system, enabling efficient digital manufacturing while reducing inventory pressure.

Compliance is important for cross-border trade. Li said that protecting intellectual property rights is a key focus for major platforms, and strict measures have been formulated to prevent counterfeiting.

Products infringing upon intellectual property rights, suspected of dumping or receiving relevant complaints will be immediately delisted, said an executive of Temu.

With supply chain upgrades, innovations in platform models, and enhanced product competitiveness, it is believed that more and more Chinese products will be placed in the shopping carts of overseas consumers.

China accelerates efforts to develop brain-computer interface technology

By Gu Yekai, Yang Yanfan, People’s Daily

Beijing-based Xuanwu Hospital affiliated to Capital Medical University and a team at Tsinghua University successfully implanted a wireless brain-computer interface (BCI) processor into the skull of a paralyzed man during a clinical trial this January, significantly recovering his motor skills.

Thanks to the implantation, the man is now able to drink a bottle of water on his own via an air-filled glove.

Controlling movements through brain electrical activity, allowing brain cells to “interact” with computers via tiny electrical currents…These scenarios, once found only in sci-fi novels, are gradually becoming reality with the development and application of BCI technology.

BCI is a cutting-edge technology in the field of human-computer interaction and human-machine hybrid intelligence. It is believed to have the potential to promote economic and social development and improve people’s health and well-being in the future.

The medical and health sector is the primary application area for BCI. According to Luo Minmin, co-director of the Chinese Institute for Brain Research, Beijing, BCI has promising future applications, including decoding language and movement for patients with high paraplegia, treating epilepsy, depression, and even converting images into electrical signals to stimulate the visual cortex and restore some vision for people with visual impairment.

BCI integrates advanced theories and cutting-edge technologies from multiple disciplines. In recent years, the engineering and industrialization of BCI has accelerated significantly, largely due to the development of biomedical engineering, neural engineering and rehabilitation engineering, cognitive neuroscience and psychology, and artificial intelligence.

For instance, Juliano Pinto, a Brazilian who has paralysis, took the first kick of the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil under the assistance of BCI. In 2016, Chinese astronauts on China’s Shenzhou-11 manned spacecraft completed in-orbit verification of BCI. Multiple international teams are implementing BCI technology to assist patients in typing and speaking with their mind.

China attaches great importance to the development of BCI technology. According to the Outline of the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021–2025), in brain-like intelligence and other areas of cutting-edge technology and industrial transformation, China will organize and implement the plan for incubating and accelerating industries of the future, and plan and create a layout for such industries.

In recent years, China’s BCI innovation ecosystem has been continuously improved, with continuous technological advancements and a growing range of product and service offerings. The industry is moving towards large-scale development.

In early 2023, the Chinese Institute for Brain Research, Beijing initiated an intelligent BCI enhancement program which aims to break through key technologies in invasive BCI and achieve initial clinical applications in three to five years. Besides, the institute has also established an entrepreneur and investment foundation and NeuCyber NeuroTech (Beijing) Company Ltd. in cooperation with other organizations.

So far, NeuCyber NeuroTech (Beijing) Company Ltd. has initiated more than 10 innovation projects in partnership with multiple Chinese universities and achieved significant progress in research and development. Li Yuan, business development director of the company, told People’s Daily that one of the BCI systems developed by the company utilizes cortical electrode technology, and its key components such as flexible high-density cortical electrodes and high-performance brainwave data acquisition device have been successfully developed and gone through validation through animal experiments.

Another BCI system of the company benchmarks against internationally advanced high-throughput flexible microwire electrode technology, and is equipped with large-bandwidth high-speed neural signal acquisition devices and motor imagery decoding algorithms. With a wired version of the system, macaques can agilely intercept a two-dimensional moving cursor with their minds.

The Tianjin University neural engineering team is one of the earliest research groups in China to focus on BCI. Ming Dong, vice president of Tianjin University, told People’s Daily that the university’s “Shen Gong” artificial neural robot series are able to synchronize cortical and muscle activities in active rehabilitation training.

For example, the core components of “Shen Gong – Shen Jia”, a neuro-regulated mechanical exoskeleton system of “Shen Gong”series, has obtained the medical device registration certificate issued by China’s National Medical Products Administration, and the system’s key technologies have been tested in over 1,000 clinical trials at multiple top-tier hospitals in China. “China has made significant breakthroughs in the innovation of software, key algorithms, and typical applications in the field of BCI,” Ming said. However, to expand the use of this technology, it still needs to make continuous exploration and innovation, and test the effectiveness of the technology through practice, Ming added

To embrace commercialization of 5G-A

By Zhao Dong

Since 5G was commercialized in 2019, the number of 5G users around the world has exceeded 1.5 billion, making it an important driving force for high-quality economic and social development.

With the continuous iteration of telecommunications technology and emergence of new terminals and business models, 5G-Advanced, also known as 5G-A or 5.5G, has emerged. Combined with new technologies such as Integrated Sensing and Communication (ISAC), passive IoT, and intrinsic intelligence, 5G-A can enhance network performance by 10 times and meet the demands of more complex and diverse application scenarios.

Currently, many countries and regions around the world are rapidly embracing 5G-A to unleash its development potential.

For the production side, 5G-A features significantly enhanced connectivity and ubiquitous connection. It creates new possibilities for industries such as intelligent transportation and smart manufacturing.

For example, a factory in east China’s Shandong province has achieved automated inspection, rapid fault isolation and power restoration, thanks to the application of 5G-A-enabled distributors and circuit breakers, as well as drones and robots. The inspection efficiency has increased by 24 times, and the average annual power outage duration has been reduced from 5.4 hours to 25 minutes.

So far, 5G-A has seeped into core production sectors. For instance, it has been employed on an automated car roof production line of a factory, ensuring faster and more stable movements of robotic arms with its powerful network performance that enables ultra-low latency and super stable wireless connections.

In a factory of Chinese home appliance manufacturer Midea in Jingzhou, central China’s Hubei province, 5G-A is employed throughout the entire production process, significantly improving the production efficiency. Every seven seconds, there is a washing machine rolling off the production line.

For the consumption side, 5G-A can bring consumers better experiences in immersive services and home broadband services, and provide support for smart homes, smart tourism, and more. The upgrade in network bandwidth offers technical support for users to watch 4K and 8K high-definition videos, and promotes the large-scale application of immersive services such as naked-eye 3D and augmented reality, thus allowing consumers to enjoy a brand-new mobile internet experience. For instance, during the 19th Asian Games last year, a mini app was launched to offer immersive 3D game-watching experience.

Global telecommunications operators and equipment manufacturers are actively laying groundwork and pursuing innovation in the 5G-A domain. During the recent 2024 Mobile World Congress, multiple global mobile communications companies and operators, including Qualcomm, Ericsson, Huawei, and ZTE, released 5G-A-related technologies, products, and service solutions. Nearly 60 companies jointly launched an initiative “Embracing Year One of 5G-A Commercialization.”

So far, over 30 operators in countries including Finland, Malaysia, Brazil, and Turkey have completed technological verification of 5G-A, and the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia have started preparing for 5G-A commercialization.

China is accelerating the commercial deployment of 5G-A. China Mobile, the world’s largest telecom carrier by mobile subscribers, announced that it will deploy 5G-A commercial networks in over 300 cities this year. It has already released a list of the first 100 cities.

China Unicom, another Chinese telecommunications company, has developed a 5G-A-based ultra-high-definition shallow compression encoding and real-time production system, setting a global record for the highest uplink bit rate.

In many Chinese provinces and municipalities, China Telecom has built over 100 stations for three-component carrier aggregation (3CC). It is also exploring the application of 5G-A in multiple industries such as steel making, mining, healthcare.

Huawei, as a global leading equipment manufacturer, released the world’s first full-series solutions for 5G-A in October 2023, supporting the commercial development of 5G-A with three innovative technologies: Native Giga, Native Green, and Native Intelligence.

5G-A represents a critical phase in the evolution from 5G to 6G, serving as a bridge between the two generations. Last June, the International Telecommunication Union approved the new Recommendation on the “IMT-2030 Framework” (IMT stands for International Mobile Telecommunications, aka 6G), outlining the vision and consensus for 6G. Around 70 percent of the key technologies involved overlap with the current 5G-A standards under research. Therefore, the development of 5G-A is also a precursor to cultivating the industrial elements for 6G, laying the groundwork for its eventual deployment. This year, the world is expected to achieve large-scale commercial application of 5G-A, which will usher in a more intelligent and convenient era.

(The article is compiled by People’s Daily journalist Yan Huan based on an interview with Zhao Dong, vice president of Huawei Wireless Solution.)

Chinese new energy industry contributes to global green, low-carbon transition

By He Yin, People’s Daily

In recent years, China’s new energy industry has developed rapidly, and international cooperation in this field has accelerated.

The international community pays close attention to the development of China’s new energy industry, believing that China has made significant contributions to global green and low-carbon transformation and has become an important driver for global energy transition and climate change mitigation.

China’s new energy industry has made positive contributions to global emissions reduction. Since the introduction of the “dual carbon” goals in 2020, which means peaking carbon dioxideemissions by 2030 and achieving carbon neutrality by 2060, China has steadfastly fulfilled its commitments, accelerating the transformation of its energy structure and promoting the rapid development of renewable energy.

According to a report by the International Energy Agency, the global annual renewable capacity additions stood at 510 million kilowatts last year, and China contributed over half to this figure, making a tremendous contribution to the growth of global renewable energy generation.

Chinese wind and solar products have been exported to over 200 countries and regions worldwide, helping developing countries access clean, reliable, and affordable energy.

In 2022, China’s renewable energy generation was equivalent to reducing domestic CO2 emissions by approximately 2.26 billion tons, and the exported wind and solar products helped other countries reduce CO2 emissions by approximately 573 million tons. The two figures added up to 2.8 billion tons of emissions, or about 41 percent of the world’s total carbon emissions reduction converted from renewable energy.

China’s new energy technologies have provided significant support for global green and low-carbon transformation. After years of development, China has become a global leader in various new energy technologies and equipment manufacturing. It has established the world’s largest clean power supply system, and Chinese new energy vehicles, lithium batteries, and photovoltaic products have brought new hopes to global climate change mitigation efforts.

From the connection of the world’s first 16-megawatt offshore wind turbine to the power grid to the commercial operation of the world’s first fourth-generation nuclear power plant, and from a new power battery enabling a range of 1,000 kilometers on a single charge to intelligent cabins equipped with artificial intelligence models, China’s new energy industry is contributing wisdom and strength to global energy transformation through its innovation and reliability.

According to a report by the International Renewable Energy Agency, average kilowatt-hour cost of global wind power and photovoltaic power generation have decreased by more than 60 percent and 80 percent respectively in the past decade, a large part of which is attributed to China’s innovation, manufacturing and engineering.

Fatih Birol, executive director of the International Energy Agency, highlighted that China’s provision of services and support to other countries has significantly improved the accessibility of clean energy technologies and reduced the global cost of using green technologies.

China is promoting cooperation in the new energy industry in an orderly manner and building a new model for green and low-carbon energy transformation that benefits all.

The Al Shuaibah Solar Photovoltaic Project, constructed by a Chinese company in Saudi Arabia, is expected to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 245 million tons over 35 years, equivalent to planting 545 million trees.

A solar photovoltaic park, jointly built by a Chinese company and its European partners, will provide green electricity to 38,000 Danish households and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 106,000 tons annually.

Chinese companies’ overseas investments in clean energy cover major areas such as wind power, solar power, and hydropower, helping other countries achieve their carbon reduction goals. This has created new industries and employment opportunities, promoting common development and prosperity.

In 2023, China exported over 1.2 million new energy vehicles, representing a year-on-year growth of 77.6 percent. This has positioned China as a significant force leading the transformation in the global automotive industry.

Chinese-manufactured electric buses can be seen cruising the streets of Rwanda, contributing to local environmental initiatives. Additionally, Chinese automakers have established new energy vehicle factories in Thailand, assisting the upgrading of the country’s automotive industry.

These facts demonstrate that China’s new energy industry provides high-quality production capacity that contributes to the implementation of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the goals of the Paris Agreement. All countries can benefit from it. From a global perspective, the more of this capacity, the better.

Climate change is a global challenge, and the development of the new energy industry and the achievement of green and low-carbon transformation are common aspirations of all countries.

China has achieved rapid development in the new energy industry through technological innovation, a well-established supply chain system, and market competition. With an open attitude, it actively engages in international cooperation, bringing opportunities for green and win-win development to countries around the world. China looks forward to continuing to work with all parties to promote the high-quality development of the new energy industry, so as to enhance the well-being of all humanity, and contribute to the building of a clean and beautiful world.

A Serbian fashion designer’s day with mobile payment in China

By Li Zong, People’s Daily

Recently, China issued a document on further optimizing payment services and enhancing payment convenience, with an aim to better meet the diverse payment needs of senior citizens and foreign travelers.

How do foreigners in China feel about their current payment experiences ? Let’s find the answer with David Van de Kamp, a Serbian fashion designer.

【15:00, March 27, Checking in at hotel】

Van de Kamp came to China this time to attend the third China Chaoshan International Textile and Garment Exhibition held in Shantou, south China’s Guangdong province from March 28 to 30.

On March 27, he arrived at the hotel in Shantou he had booked. The check-in took him just a few minutes.

“I don’t speak much Chinese, but the check-in went smoothly. I handed over my passport at the front desk, and the staff handled it very efficiently,”Van de Kamp said.

According to him, it was convenient to pay with his Mastercard he obtained in Serbia via foreignbank card POS machines at the front desk.

“Having installed foreignbank card POS machines last July, the hotel now accepts payments from Mastercard and Visa settled at real-time exchange rates,” the hotel manager said.

Van de Kamp runs a studio that designs and manufacturers sweaters. He hoped to find higher-quality raw materials at the China Chaoshan International Textile and Garment Exhibition this time. The textile and garment industry has become one of the distinctive and advantageous pillar industries in Shantou. Each year, the city exports over 1.85 billion pieces of products. Within a 40-kilometer radius, there are over 10,000 enterprises engaged in the industry. “I want to hang around to see if I can have some ideas for designing,” he said.

【19:30, March 27, Taking public transport】

After having a short rest at the hotel, Van de Kamp went out to the streets. “In Serbia, the main payment methods are bank cards and cash, while using mobile apps is more convenient in China. I only need to bring my phone when going out,” he said.

The man applied for a Chinese SIM card and signed up for a WeChat account with it. “My WeChat account is linked to my Serbian bank card, so I can pay directly. The card binding was easy – just following the instructions to upload a photo of my passport, and completing verification.”

Van de Kamp went to a historical and cultural block taking a taxi he hailed on a ride-hailing app. When he got off the taxi, the fare was automatically deducted from the account in the app.

“I have enabled password-free payment, so I don’t need to manually pay the fare on my phone. The deducted amount is recorded on my Chinese bank card,” he said.

He had previously used a foreign bank card to withdraw Chinese yuan from an ATM, which incurred service charge. That’s why he decided to get a Chinese bank card.

“Although it is convenient to withdraw money with a foreign bank card now, I have rarely paid with cash and hardly needed to specifically withdraw money ever since I started using mobile payment,”Van de Kamp told People’s Daily.

【20:00, March 27, Shopping】

Van de Kamp walked into a clothing store of a shopping mall in Shantou, and started checking out the designs and materials of the garments.

“Wherever I go, I always visit local clothing stores first to experience the different dressing styles and preferences. I feel the raw materials used for these clothes are very good, mostly pure wool and other natural fibers. The designs also emphasize practicality,”Van de Kamp said.

Whenever he saw appetizing food, such as rice noodle rolls, sweet soups, and fried tofu, he would pause and scan to pay with his phone.

He even figured out a pattern: “In shops, the vendors usually scan my payment QR code; but when buying from street stalls, I usually scan their receiving QR code. Overall, there are many payment options, making life quite convenient in China.”

Recently, major banks and payment institutions in China have taken multiple measures to further clear payment obstacles for foreigners in China. On March 14, the People’s Bank of China released a payment guide in both Chinese and English, providing foreign travelers to China with instructions on how to access various payment services and the process of using them.

Nowadays, an increasing number of hotels in China accept payments from foreign bank cards, and there are also more and more service centers that cater to foreigners’ needs. It is believed that more foreigners will be able to embrace a convenient life in China, where they can pay for taxi fares, book hotel rooms, and purchase tickets on their mobile phones.

Artificial intelligence holds key to future education

By Li Zhen, People’s Daily

Artificial intelligence (AI) education is gaining momentum in China. China’s Ministry of Education (MOE) recently announced a list of 184 primary and secondary schools selected as AI education bases, with the aim of better promoting the development of AI education.

Six schools in Beijing were on the list, including Beijing Hongzhi Middle School.

“Since 2018, we have been gradually exploring the application of AI technology in our classrooms,” said Cai Lei, principal of Beijing Hongzhi Middle School. Currently, students are benefiting from the fruits of AI applications in many subjects, Cai added.

In English classes, students can use AI products to enhance their speaking skills. Whenever a word is mispronounced, it will be immediately displayed on a screen.

After Chinese language classes, teachers will utilize a large language model developed by the Research Center for Language Intelligence of China to grade students’ compositions, improving their writing skills in an efficient manner.

During physical education classes, AI equipment can automatically record data on each student’ performance, such as the number of pull-ups and standing long jump distances. The data is then carefully analyzed to offer tailored guidance to enhance their physical capabilities.

Beijing Hongzhi Middle School has also introduced general education curriculums on information technology and established a dedicated club to support students with a keen interest in this subject and help them develop their skills. During the winter break this year, the school launched an AI course specifically for middle school students.

“I believe the development of AI technology should allow intelligent machines to assist human life, and even expand human intelligence. I’m sure that this technology has a bright development prospect,” said Li Muqi, a sophomore student who joined the course.

“The acquisition of knowledge about AI technology is essential for the growth of primary and secondary school students in multiple areas,” Cai noted.

Offering AI-related courses in primary and secondary schools not only prepares students for the changing world, but also develops their cognitive processes and bolsters their scientific proficiency, laying a foundation for them to better face competition and challenges in the era of intelligence, he said.

AI is not only changing the way students learn, but also transforming teaching methods.

Wei Yungang, director of the experimental education center at Beijing Normal University’s School of Artificial Intelligence, told People’s Daily that currently, the main role of AI technology in education is to help with lesson planning and teaching organization.

“For instance, with help of computer vision and other AI technologies, teachers can gain better insights into students’ learning status, knowledge comprehension and emotional state. This provides new ways for teachers to accurately assess the situation of each student and develop personalized teaching plans to meet their needs,” Wei said.

Additionally, AI offers more possibilities for instructional design and teaching implementation.

“AI technology can make up for limitations of traditional classrooms and assist teachers in creating more novel and engaging curriculum. For instance, big data analysis can help identify the most effective teaching methods and materials; generative AI can be used for knowledge search and classroom scenario simulations; augmented reality technology can make classroom presentations more engaging and effective,” Wei explained.

Today, Chinese universities are strengthening the development of AI disciplines. As of 2023, 498 universities in the country had offered undergraduate programs in AI.

Many Chinese universities are collaborating with major tech companies to provide joint training programs for AI talents, so as to adapt to the rapid iteration of AI technology, the high demand for AI professionals, and the extensive applications of AI.

Wuhan University recently announced to establish a robotics department within its School of Computer Science together with tech firm Xiaomi. Focusing on core AI technologies, the robotics department aims to build a collaborative innovation system integrating enterprises, universities, research institutions, and end-users.

Huazhong University of Science and Technology has partnered with tech giant Baidu to establish an innovation center for AI education, which will combine teaching scenarios with industrial needs to conduct cutting-edge education and scientific research, thereby supplying the industry with innovative talents in large model applications and development.

“AI is a discipline involving computer science, mathematics, statistics, cognitive science, and other related areas. When cultivating AI talents at institutions of higher education, we should place a strong emphasis on building a solid foundation of knowledge while also strengthening school-enterprise cooperation and the collaboration among enterprises, universities, and research institutions, thus allowing students to grow through practical experience,” said Wei.

Smart farming blooms on Chengdu plain

By Li Kaixuan, People’s Daily

On a morning in Chongzhou, Chengdu, southwest China’s Sichuan province, Wang Lingli opened an app on her phone. Seeing that the temperature was 14°C with no rain expected for the next two hours, she grabbed her drone and headed out the door.

As a professional agricultural manager, Wang leads a team of 13 who utilize smart farming software to manage 7,000 mu (around 467 hectares) of farmland of four cooperatives.

“Our top priority right now is to apply pesticide to prevent pests and diseases,” said Wang, as she skillfully piloted the drone to release an even mist of pesticide over the fields.

The fickle spring weather on the Chengdu plain makes precision farming crucial. “If a sudden rain comes before the pesticides are absorbed, they get washed away, which is a waste of resources and harms the soil,” Wang explained.

The app Wang uses can provide accurate weather forecast fore the next two hours, thus she can arrange her work accordingly.

Taking a break, Wang shared the benefits of agricultural informatization with People’s Daily: “My phone manages every aspect of farming.”

Through remote sensing technology, Wang can view soil moisture levels and crop growth conditions right on her phone, giving her a “diagnostic report” to guide field management. Besides, agricultural experts provides her with online consultations and on-site support, serving as an ever-present “brain trust”. The app also connects directly to supply and sales platforms, maximizing income while reducing costs.

Without pausing, Wang hurried to a smart seedling center. “Rice seedling cultivation begins in early April. In May, it’s the wheat harvest. Then we prepare the fields, fertilize, and transplant the seedlings – the schedule is fully packed,” Wang said.

The center, which is operated by the cooperative that Wang works for, has six zones including a seeding production line, nutrient soil storage, and a sprouting room. Some of the seedling equipment were already being tested and calibrated.

“My phone is connected to the center’s control system, so that I can check real-time seedling data,” said Wang. Compared to traditional manual methods, the smart system significantly improves the survival rate and quality of seedling, she added.

As cultivation scales up and technologies advance, Wang is also integrating modern corporate management practices into the cooperative to boost incomes for member farmers. Last year, the fields managed by her team yielded a total of 6,000 tons of wheat and rice – nearly 25 kilograms higher per mu than non-member farmers.

Wang’s career was inspired by her father, Wang Zhiquan, one of Chengdu’s first professional agricultural managers. It was under her father’s encouragement that she returned home and joined the cooperative after graduating from university in 2015.

Initially, having grown accustomed to traditional farming methods, Wang Zhiquan was reluctant to leave his “comfort zone.” When Wang Lingli proposed buying a rice transplanter to replace manual labor, he objected. So, the two divided a field to test the approaches. Ultimately, the machine’s efficiency proved superior, boosting Wang Zhiquan’s confidence in modern agricultural technologies.

These days, Wang Zhiquan often “peeks” at his daughter’s phone, which displays the rice transplanter’s BeiDou navigation paths and planting densities in vivid detail. Recalling his stubborn resistance years ago, he admitted, “You have to trust the vision of the younger generation.”

As new seedlings sprout, technologies are “sown.” Today, 90 percent of agricultural production in Chongzhou has been informatized.

China’s demographic dividend is turning into talent dividend

By Qiu Haifeng

With five million students graduating in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) each year, China has become the world’s leadingproducer of STEM graduates.

According to global think tanks, approximately 50 percent of the world’s leading artificial intelligence (AI) researchers are trained in Chinese universities, making China the top provider of elite AI talents globally.

Behind these numbers lies China’s transition from demographic dividend to talent dividend. After years of efforts, the average duration of education for China’s working-age population has steadily increased to 11.05 years. The country now ranks first in the world in terms of the size of talent pool, human resources in science and technology and the total number of researchers.

Such growing talent dividend has provided strong support for technological advancements and industrial transformation and upgrading, bolstering the world’s second-largest economy’s confidence in future development.

Prioritizing talent as its main resource, China is committed to buildinga leading country in education. By recognizing the importance of STEM education in nurturing innovative and versatile talents and maximizing the potential of human resources, new achievements have been made in this regard.

From 2012 to 2022, the Chinese government’s budget spending on education increased from 2.2 trillion yuan ($304.13 billion) to 4.85 trillion yuan, with an average annual growth of 8.23 percent. China now has a nearly 900 million working-age population, and the average years of education for the newly added workforce has risen to 14 years.

Besides, China boasts 3,074 higher-educational institutions, with a student enrollment of 47.63 million in various types of higher education. Home to over 200 million skilled workers, including more than 60 million high-skilled professionals, China has emerged as a country with the world’s largest number of talents specialized in a diverse range of industries.

Research shows that in developing countries, the number of high-level talents, the overall quality of the talent pool, and the innovation vitality of talents collectively serve as a valuable resource for achieving leapfrog development. It is heartening to see these positive outcomes taking shape in China.

In recent years, multiple breakthroughs have been made in quantum computing in China, such as developing the first quantum computing measurement and control system, first quantum computer operating system, and first quantum chip design software, largely due to the efforts of a research team led by Guo Guoping, deputy director of the Key Laboratory of Quantum Information of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. These achievements have made China the third country in the world with the ability to deliver a complete quantum computer.

China now leads the world with over 6 million R&D personnel, and maintains the second position globally in R&D investment for multiple years.

Japanese magazine Nikkei Asia said on its website that it is easy these days to construct a bearish view on China’s economic outlook. But a frequent omission from such narratives is the country’s zeal for innovation.

China’s expanding investment in innovation is playing a crucial role in boosting productivity and fostering long-term, sustainable economic growth. According to the World Bank, human capital has contributed over 36 percent to China’s economic growth, and the number is still on a rise.

International institutions and companies are increasingly drawn to China’s human capital potential and seeking to tap into the country’s talent dividend.

Schneider Electric, a multinational based in France, has been making quick advances in China in 2023, launching a new R&D project approximately every two months. China has now become one of the company’s four R&D bases in the world.

Why does Schneider Electric frequently expand its R&D presence in China? One key reason is China’s advantage in talent. According to Yin Zheng, executive vice president of Schneider Electric’s China & East Asia Operations, the company has been continuously strengthening its local innovation team. Over the past three years, the number of R&D staff in China has grown by 30 percent, surpassing 2,000 individuals.

“We will continue to reinforce our R&D capabilities in China, establish more research institutions, promote innovation to support China in developing new quality productive forces, and share ‘Chinese wisdom’ with the rest of the world,” said Yin.

Jiang Hao, vice president of Roland Berger Greater China, said in recent years, foreign companies have been rapidly setting up R&D centers in China. “The large number of exceptional management talents and skilled engineers in China has caught the attention of foreign companies, leading to a rise in investment toward building R&D centers in the county,” said Jiang.

China works to promote energy conservation, carbon reduction in construction industry

By Liu Zhiqiang, Ding Yiting, People’s Daily

At the construction site of a futuristic village demonstration project in Huangpu district, Guangzhou, south China’s Guangdong province, prefabricated components of house structures were hoisted into place, and soon, 200 green, low-carbon and livable residence buildings would rise from the ground.

In a prototype room, Fan Zesen, deputy general manager of China Construction Science and Technology Group Co., Ltd., the contractor of the project, shared with People’s Daily the secret to the project’s outstanding energy-saving capability.

On one hand, the design of these residence buildings fully utilizes natural lighting and energy-efficient structures. The north- and south-facing windows adopt energy-saving glazing with high light transmittance and low heat transfer coefficients. Reasonably designed overhanging eaves and shading curtains can effectively reduce solar radiation. The combination of a sloped roof and a flat roof, coupled with a thickened indoor insulation layer, can effectively reduce indoor heat loss.

On the other hand, a PEDF (photovoltaic, energy storage, direct current, flexibility) solution is adopted, where solar energy generated on the rooftops is stored and can be flexibly utilized. “With the PEDF system, a 300-square-meter five-bedroom house can generate an average of 870 kilowatt-hours of electricity per month, achieving self-sufficiency when there is sufficient sunlight,” said Fan.

According to him, the project employs intelligent construction technologies, with 80 percent of the work completed in smart factories, thereby improving construction efficiency while reducing the environmental impact of on-site construction activities.

The construction sector is one of the major energy consumers and carbon emitters. In recent years, China has been continuously improving the energy efficiency and carbon reduction levels of new buildings, promoting energy efficiency and carbon reduction in the construction sector from the source.

As for existing buildings, efforts have been made to promote energy-saving and carbon reduction through renovation and upgrades. In recent years, China has renovated and upgraded a cumulative area of over 2.4 billion square meters.

Currently, the main sources of heating for buildings in China include combined heat and power plants, and regional coal-fired or gas-fired boiler rooms, which generate a significant amount of carbon dioxide emissions. To address this, China plans to further increase the utilization of photovoltaic systems, residual heat, and geothermal energy, to optimize the energy mix for buildings.

“I have 59 solar panels on the roof, which not only provide insulation and warmth but also earn me extra income through power generation,” said Xu, a resident in Kefang village, Tongchuan, northwest China’s Shaanxi province.

In 2023, LONGi Green Energy Technology Co., Ltd., a leading enterprise in the solar photovoltaic  industry in China, started building Kefang village into a “zero-carbon” villager powered by solar energy.

The project aims to build a distributed solar power system with a capacity of 6 megawatts, which generates around 7.91 million kilowatt-hours of electricity annually. The green energy produced will offset the village’s daily carbon emissions.

Efforts to promote low-carbon energy transformation for rural construction and facilities are actively underway across various regions in China.

In Dezhou, east China’s Shandong province, there is a 505-mu (around 33.67 hectares) glass greenhouse that utilizes a medium-deep geothermal heating system, ensuring a warm and pleasant environment throughout the year. In Harbin, northeast China’s Heilongjiang province, a rural biomass centralized heating project efficiently utilizes straw to provide heating for residents.

“According to statistics, China has the potential to install a total of over 1.9 billion kilowatts of photovoltaic capacity on the rooftops of rural buildings and facilities. In the future, over 80 percent of rural areas can essentially rely solely on building-integrated photovoltaic power generation and nearby hydropower to meet their energy needs for production and daily life,” said Jiang Yi, director of the Building Energy Conservation Research Center at Tsinghua University.

Jiang believes that accelerating the transformation of energy consumption in rural areas, which helps shift them from fossil fuel consumers to significant producers of low-carbon and zero-carbon energy, can effectively address energy issues and environmental pollution in rural areas.

In Hangzhou, east China’s Zhejiang province, a five-star hotel has installed two rows of high-efficiency air source heat pumps on its rooftop terrace. These heat pumps are connected to a smart energy and carbon management platform, which allows for remote setting of operating parameters and intelligent start-stop based on energy demand.

“The system will automatically adjust the load based on changes in outdoor temperature, energy usage habits, and other factors, ensuring a relatively constant supply of water at desired temperature and heating, which meets the heating and hot water needs of rooms, swimming pools, and other facilities, while preventing energy waste,” said an executive with ENN Group, which installed the air source heat pumps for the hotel.

After the hotel’s energy-efficiency retrofit, the overall efficiency of its heating and hot water systems has improved by approximately 30 percent, reducing related operation and maintenance costs by around 10 percent, the executive said.

Buildings consume much energy and emits much carbon dioxide in their operational phase. China has introduced a series of measures to strengthen energy management and carbon reduction in building operations. These measures include accelerating the elimination of inefficient and outdated energy-consuming equipment, establishing a regulatory system for energy efficiency for public buildings, and implementing temperature control mechanisms for public buildings.

Upcoming Canton Fair to feature record number of trade promotion events

By Ouyang Jie, People’s Daily

The 135th session of the China Import and Export Fair, also known as the Canton Fair, will be hosted in Guangzhou, south China’s Guangdong province, from April 15 to May 5. The online platform of the fair will continue to be operational throughout the year.

The information was released at a press conference held by the State Council Information Office recently.

Wang Shouwen, China international trade representative and vice minister of commerce, told the press conference that the exhibition area of this session will be 1.55 million square meters, with about 28,600 firms participating in the export section, including more than 4,300 new exhibitors. In addition, 680 companies will attend the import section.

According to Wang, some 93,000 purchasers from 215 countries and regions have completed pre-registration, and more than 220 large multinationals and business institutions have confirmed that they will organize delegations to attend the event. “All these figures have exceeded the scale of previous sessions for the same period,” said Wang.

Over 5,500 national-level high-tech enterprises, individual champion enterprises in the manufacturing sector, and specialized and sophisticated SMEs that produce novel and unique products will participate in this session, up 20 percent from the previous one.

More than 1 million new products are expected to be exhibited, including over 450,000 green products and over 250,000 products with independent intellectual property. Among the exhibitors, over 4,000 have won international awards for their innovative designs, and more than 10,000 have invested over 10 percent of their total revenue in R&D.

The upcoming Canton Fair will further enrich the exhibition topics of digital technology and intelligent manufacturing. Over 50 percent of the participating companies actively apply digital technologies such as artificial intelligence and big data analysis to upgrade their production and operations.

Since its inception, the Canton Fair has attracted over 9.3 million overseas merchants, with 195 partners vigorously promoting trade between China and other countries.

To facilitate overseas buyers, this year’s Canton Fair provides a “green channel” for visa applications. The visa processing and issuance time for 90 percent of the embassies and consulates abroad has been shortened to just four working days. Besides, by streamlining the processing of exhibition certificates, waiting time during peak periods will be reduced from 1.5 hours to 30 minutes.

Moreover, foreign currency exchange machines and mobile POS machines will be installed to meet the needs of both exhibitors and buyers, including currency exchange, digital payments, card payments, mobile payments, and cash payments.

Recently, China has introduced a new version of the visa application forms, with 34 percent of the items simplified and optimized, significantly reducing the time required for filling out the form.

The requirements for visa invitation letters have also been simplified. Foreign businesspeople can now apply for a visa at any Chinese embassy or consulate abroad with only the electronic invitation letter from the Canton Fair.

Yan Fang, an official with the People’s Bank of China, told People’s Daily that foreign travelers can make QR code payments in China with Alipay, WeChat Pay and other platforms after binding overseas bank cards. Travelers from Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, South Korea, and Mongolia can directly use their e-wallets.

In January and February, over 900,000 inbound travelers used mobile payments in China, completing more than 20 million transactions worth over 3 billion yuan ($414.72 million). All major banks in China now support cash withdrawals using overseas bank cards at their ATMs. Over 60,000 bank branches and nearly 2,300 foreign exchange facilities across the country offer foreign currency exchange services. In some major cities, key areas, and large commercial districts, overseas cards can also be used for payments.

“To ensure smooth travel, Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport has increased its flight options for popular domestic and international destinations, with an average weekly flight volume rising to 10,597 and a 71.6 percent increase in international flights. The airport now operates flights to 217 destinations,” said Tan Ping, vice mayor of the Guangzhou Municipal People’s Government.

She added that consultation counters will be set up at the airport to provide around-the-clock services for overseas travelers to enable electronic payment.

“The number of pre-registrations from overseas buyers, applications for Canton Fair invitation letters, and hotel bookings in Guangzhou have all shown significant increases compared to the previous session,” said Chu Shijia, director general of the China Foreign Trade Center.

At the same time, there has been a notable rise in the participation of Top 250 Global Retailers and major businesses from different countries and regions. A total of 129 leading enterprises have confirmed their group attendance, an 87 percent increase compared to the previous session.

Ninety-eight overseas organizations, including the United Nations Industrial Development Organization, the China General Chamber of Commerce – U.S.A., and the 48 Group Club, will join the session in groups, representing a 25.6 percent increase from the previous session.

“Over 600 market-oriented trade promotion events will be hosted during this session, setting a new record in terms of quantity and variety,” said Chu.

He added that more than 200 global sourcing and procurement matchmaking events and 315 new product launches and debut exhibitions will also be held. For the first time, there will be dedicated display areas for cross-border e-commerce and overseas warehousing, Chu said.