Nigeria Times

By Gong Ming, Xie Yahong, Yan Yunming, Liu Hui, People’s Daily

Over 2,000 years ago, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) began to spread and gain popularity along the ancient Silk Road, becoming an important aspect of commercial and trade exchanges between China and other countries.

Today, TCM has reached 196 countries and regions, gaining greater influence worldwide and making valuable contributions to people-to-people bonds and the protection of health and wellbeing of humanity.

“I’m deeply impressed by the remarkable efficacy of TCM and the expertise of Chinese doctors,” said Anton Melak, a resident in Paola, Malta, at the Mediterranean Regional Center for Traditional Chinese Medicine (MRCTCM) .

Melak was unable to lift his arm last year due to a right shoulder injury, and he sought immediate treatment at the center. After nearly six months of acupuncture and massage therapy, his condition significantly improved.

“I received my first TCM treatment in 1996 when I was suffering from severe migraines, which proved to be truly effective,” Melak said.

In Malta, the MRCTCM has become a well-known institution for TCM treatment and training. In 2008, it opened a TCM department at Mater Dei Hospital, a state-owned acute general teaching hospital in Malta, marking the first time for TCM to be granted an independent department in a state hospital in the European Union (EU).

Since 1993, the Chinese government has sent 19 medical teams to Malta, treating approximately 250,000 patients.

China’s medical assistance to foreign countries started over 60 years ago, and TCM has played an important role in these endeavors.

Acupuncture is among the longest-running departments in the history of Chinese medical assistance to Algeria. At the Cambodia-China Friendship Preah Kossamak Hospital, the TCM clinic set up by the Chinese medical team often sees long queues of patients. In Kuwait, the TCM treatment is popular, and there are groups of enthusiasts for Tai Chi and Baduanjin, both traditional Chinese exercises. In Guyana, the Chinese medical team has provided acupuncture treatment to tens of thousands of patients while also promoting TCM courses such as acupuncture and massage in local schools.

In recent years, China has been deepening the educational cooperation in TCM with multiple countries.

Since its official launch at the University of Johannesburg in 2020, acupuncture has become one of the most popular and competitive programs. The program admits around 50 students each year, and the number of applicants has grown from 1,285 in 2020 to 7,102 in 2022.

Michelle Delpaul was among the first students to graduate with a master’s degree in acupuncture from the University of Johannesburg. She now serves as a lecturer and remains dedicated to expanding her knowledge through further studies.

With acupuncture, Michelle has helped many patients to deal with frozen shoulder, stroke, and acute asthma. She said that throughout the years of clinical practice, she has truly witnessed the remarkable effects of acupuncture. She hopes to continue learning and share the benefits of TCM acupuncture with more people.

Shafiq, who graduated from the TCM department at Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman in Malaysia, began his career at a TCM clinic in Kuala Lumpur last year. He told People’s Daily that through the TCM treatment, his mother’s migraines have been alleviated and his aftereffects of meningitis have greatly diminished over time. These experiences have reinforced his resolve to excel in TCM.

It is reported that the TCM department at Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman has been running for over a decade and has more than 160 students. The average employment rate for graduates stands at 97 percent annually. The university has carried out cooperation with multiple Chinese universities and hospitals specializing in TCM.

According to statistics, China’s exports of TCM products exceeded $2.91 billion in the first half of 2023, an increase of 3.63 percent year on year. In recent years, China has established 31 TCM service export bases, which have evolved into comprehensive international service platforms benefiting people of different countries.

Inspired by TCM literature and supported by Chinese scientific research, artemisinin-based drugs have made significant contributions to malaria prevention and treatment in many African countries.

Over the years, China has strengthened international cooperation in TCM with Belt and Road partner countries, making solid progress in building a Silk Road of Health.

China has established 30 overseas TCM centers incountries such as Russia, Thailand, and Hungary, and facilitated the registration and market entry of over 100 Chinese patent medicines in Belt and Road partner countries. Besides, China has signed traditional medicine cooperation agreements with 14 partner countries and received support for TCM development within the legal and regulatory frameworks of eight partner countries.

Raymond Busuttil, former Chairman of the Board of the MRCTCM, who had held positions in Malta’s Ministry for Health and the World Health Organization (WHO), said that TCM encapsulates centuries of human wisdom and has proved to be uniquely effective in dealing with certain health conditions.

The WHO has included traditional medicine originating from TCM in the International Classification of Diseases, indicating an increasing recognition of TCM’s value.

By Wan Xiubin, Zhang Zhifeng, Zhang Tengyang, People’s Daily

On April 1, 2017, the Chinese government decided to establish Xiong’an New Area in north China’s Hebei province. Over the past seven years, Xiong’an New Area has transformed from a blueprint to reality, seeing a total investment of over 670 billion yuan ($92.62 billion) in key projects, with more than 4,000 buildings constructed. A high-level modern city is taking shape.

Green development is the defining feature of Xiong’an New Area. In the start-up area stands the headquarters building of China Huaneng Group, one of the initial centrally-administered state-owned enterprises to be relocated from Beijing. Environmental protection is a key consideration in every aspect of the building’s construction and operation.

“We built a comprehensive energy system for the building, utilizing technologies such as ground source heat pumps to achieve clean and efficient heating and cooling. Photovoltaic modules are installed on the roof and facade of the building to provide green electricity,” said Liu Shaohua, head of the comprehensive department of China Huaneng Group’s Xiong’an branch.

This spring, high-quality green spaces and parks like the Yuerong Park have opened to the public for free, becoming a popular destination for citizens.

Prioritizing green development, Xiong’an New Area had planted a huge number of trees before the urban construction commenced. So far, a total of 478,000 mu (31,867 hectares) of forests have been planted, raising the forest coverage rate to 34.9 percent from 11 percent before the new area was constructed.

The Xiong’an sports center is the largest public sports facility in Xiong’an New Area, with the main stadium being the largest single building in terms of construction area.

“Unlike typical venues, the main stadium boasts a prefabricated steel construction for its upper portion. To ensure higher quality, the height of excess weld seam on the steel structure is controlled within 2 millimeters, twice as stringent as normal standards,” said Yao Wenbo, project manager of the Xiong’an sports center with Beijing Urban Construction Group Co., Ltd.

As a matter of fact, high standards and high quality permeate every aspect of the construction of public infrastructure, transportation, industrial parks, and residential areas in Xiong’an New Area.

Xiong’an advances high-quality development with innovative approaches. It follows a principle of building underground infrastructure prior to the aboveground construction, and plans and builds digital city and physical city in parallel. As a result, it has witnessed simultaneous development of underground infrastructure, aboveground buildings and cloud-based systems.

So far, Xiong’an has implemented 383 key projects with a total construction area of 43.7 million square meters, and has built approximately 97.3 kilometers of utility tunnels.

In the past seven years, around 120,000 residents have moved to newly built districts such as Rongdong, Rongxi, and Xiongdong.

As a new city with new communities, how is Xiong’an New Area modernizing urban governance?

Xiong’an New Area has established a “city brain” management system supported by the Xiong’an Urban Computing Center, an Internet of Things platform, a video surveillance network, an information modeling platform, and a block data platform. This system has made urban services and management more intelligent, human-centric, and targeted.

Both intelligent urban management and caring urban services are offered in Xiong’an. Wang Kun, deputy director of the Rongdong urban operations and management center, said after obtaining consent from senior residents living alone, the center monitors their water usage every morning and evening. Whenever there is no water usage detected, an alert will be triggered and sent to community workers to promptly check on the senior residents. Currently, over 200 senior residents living alone in Rongdong benefit from this smart service.

In newly built districts of Xiong’an, a 15-minute “living circle” has been thoughtfully designed, providing residents with easy access to community canteens, senior care facilities, health service centers, schools, supermarkets and other amenities, all aimed at improving their overall well-being.

As a major recipient of functions transferred from Beijing that are not essential to its role as China’s capital, Xiong’an New Area is gaining more carrying capacity and appeal.

China Telecom has transferred its entire digital city business to Xiong’an, where it established the China Telecom Digital City Technology Co., Ltd..

“Xiong’an New Area seeks to achieve high-quality development through effective measures in relieving Beijing of non-essential functions related to its status as the nation’s capital. Its development as an intelligent city has opened up ample opportunities for the application of new technologies,” said Hu Junjun, head of the R&D department of China Telecom Digital City Technology Co., Ltd.

The company has developed an intelligent transportation system and built 153 kilometers of regional-level digital roads in Rongdong to explore applications including autonomous driving, according to Hu.

The Xiong’an New Area Zhongguancun Science Park has been operating for seven months now and during this time, it has launched over 30 events and connected with more than 2,000 enterprises. Additionally, 70 innovative companies have moved into the science park.

By Li Haoran, People’s Daily

what can a sound business environment create?

As the first large chemical production base in China operated solely by a foreign company, BASF’s Verbund site in Zhanjiang, south China’s Guangdong province has experienced rapid development.

Its first batch of production facilities were set up in 2020, and this January, its thermoplastic polyurethane plant was put into operation.

Such a rapid progress is attributed to the government’s efforts to improve market access and provide solid policy support, said an executive of BASF.

“We had a global project that required certifications from over 10 departments, which would normally take at least a month to complete. However, thanks to the efforts made by the local government, we obtained these documents in three days,” said an executive of a private enterprise in east China’s Zhejiang province, expressing appreciation for the government’s responsiveness and assistance in solving the enterprise’s problems.

A sound business environment is a prerequisite for unleashing the potential for economic growth and stimulating market vitality; optimizing business environment is key to boosting the confidence of entities and expanding opening-up.

China has continuously strengthened the construction of a market-oriented, law-based and internationalized business environment, to enhance its attractiveness to domestic and foreign factors of production.

In recent years, China has attached great importance to optimizing its business environment, and it has seen a significant rise in its global ranking in this regard.

For instance, the country implemented a regulation on optimizing the business environment; the Communist party of China Central Committee and the State Council issued the Opinions on Accelerating the Construction of a Unified National Market; China released an action plan to steadily promote high-level opening up and make greater efforts to attract and utilize foreign investment.

Recently, a series of measures have been implemented, sending a clear signal that China remains firmly committed to expanding high-level opening-up and continuously fostering a world-class business environment. These efforts include launching five new measures to facilitate entries of foreigners, revising the national negative list for foreign investment, and accelerating the implementation of 24 measures to stabilize foreign investment.

Optimizing business environment is not just about offering “favors,” but more importantly, building “trust.” Stable expectations come from a convenient, efficient, stable and transparent business environment featuring fair competition, as well as credible policy measures.

That’s why some companies would rather bear higher land and labor costs than accept subsidies and incentives to operate in regions with relatively backward business environments.

A 2023 survey on business environment conducted by the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce, which covered 10,000 private enterprises, indicated improving satisfaction of private enterprises with the improvement in China’s business environment. These enterprises also showed expectations for further optimization of the business climate in China.

Currently, various regions in China are taking concrete measures to provide fertile ground for the growth and development of all kinds of business entities, promptly addressing their urgent concerns and expectations, and maintaining the stability and continuity of pro-business policies.

Beijing proposed to make optimizing business environment a top priority, with an aim to build better the brand of “Beijing Service.” Striving to learn businesses’ experiences and feedback, Shanghai has revised its action plan for improving business climate for 7 times. Wuhan, central China’s Hubei province, held a citywide conference on optimizing business environment, proposing to resolutely eliminate implicit barriers to market access.

Facts have proved that a favorable business environment can provide solid support for the development of all kinds of business entities.

China is resolutely committed to comprehensively deepening reform, implementing practical measures, and making every effort to optimize the business environment, so as to continuously boost market confidence and stimulate market vitality.

By Zhong Sheng, People’s Daily

Chinese President Xi Jinping met with representatives of the U.S. business, strategic and academic communities at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on March 27.

Xi listened attentively to his U.S. guests and responded to their comments. He expounded on China’s development prospects and strategic intentions, and the country’s position and propositions on developing its relations with the United States.

He said as long as both sides see each other as partners and show mutual respect, coexist in peace and cooperate for win-win results, China-U.S. relations will get better.

This fully demonstrates that China, as a responsible major country, always bears in mind the common good of humanity and hopes to stabilize and improve China-U.S. relations, so as to inject positive energy into world peace and development.

To maintain steady, sound and sustainable development of China-U.S. relations, it is crucial for the United States to correctly understand China’s development prospects and strategic intentions and see that the two countries’ respective success is an opportunity for each other.

Xi pointed out that the Chinese economy is sound and sustainable. China has the confidence and determination that its development has a bright future. Last year, China registered one of the highest growth rates among the major economies and accounted for over 30 percent of global growth as before.

China has come to where it is today after overcoming all kinds of difficulties and challenges. China did not collapse as predicted by the “China collapse theory,” nor will it peak as forecasted by the “China peak theory,” he said.

The country will continue to advance high-quality development and Chinese modernization, enable the Chinese people to live a better life, and contribute more to sustainable development in the world, Xi noted.

He said China is planning and implementing a series of major steps for comprehensively deepening reform, and steadily fostering a market-oriented, law-based and world-class business environment. This will create broader development space for U.S. and other foreign businesses.

Win-win cooperation is the trend of the times, and it is also an inherent property of China-U.S. relations. U.S. businesses are welcome to participate more in Belt and Road cooperation, attend large-scale business events such as the China International Import Expo, and continue to invest in China, cultivate the market and grow their business.

Faced with the recent years’ 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.

Economic globalization may encounter headwinds, but the historical trend will not change. There is no way out for “decoupling and breaking the chain,” and opening-up and cooperation are the only choice.

The mindset of zero-sum game characterized by binary opposition has long been a thing of the past, and a genuinely secure world should be one featuring deep integration and interdependence. Creating scientific and technological barriers and severing industrial and supply chains will only lead to division and confrontation.

The China-U.S. relationship cannot go back to the old days, but it can embrace a brighter future. Last November, Xi met with U.S. President Joe Biden in San Francisco. The two heads of state had an in-depth exchange of views on strategic and overarching issues critical to the direction of China-U.S. relations and reached important consensus. The most important understanding they reached was on the need to stabilize and improve China-U.S. relations. In the past few months, Chinese and U.S. officials have worked to follow through on the common understandings of the two presidents, maintained communication and made progress in the political and diplomatic, economic and financial, law enforcement and counternarcotics, climate change and people-to-people fields.

The San Francisco meeting between Xi and Biden has inspired all sectors of China and the United States, as well as the world at large. The two sides should follow the strategic guidance of the two heads of state and make the San Francisco vision a reality.

China and the United States have common interests both in traditional areas such as trade and agriculture, and in emerging areas such as climate change and artificial intelligence. They also have common interests in promoting world economic recovery and settling international and regional issues. The two countries should strengthen dialogue and cooperation.

The U.S. side should work with China in the same direction, develop a right strategic perception of China, handle sensitive issues properly, maintain the momentum of recovery and stabilization of its relationship with China, actively explore the right way for the two countries to get along, and promote the sustained, steady and sound development of China-U.S. relations.

The history of China-U.S. relations is one of friendly exchanges between the two peoples. Its existing chapters are written by the people, and the future will of course be created by the people.

It is hoped that people from all sectors of Chinese and American societies will have more mutual visits and exchanges, expand common ground and mutual trust, overcome various distractions, and deepen mutually beneficial cooperation, in an effort to bring more tangible benefits to the two peoples and inject more stability into the world.

Since this year, people-to-people and cultural exchanges between China and the United States have been rich and varied, building more bridges of close affinity between the two peoples and injecting more momentum into China-U.S. relations. For example, a table tennis delegation from the University of Virginia visited China and attended the China-U.S. Youth Ping-Pong Exchange; students from high schools in Iowa and the state of Washington visited China for exchanges; China’s contemporary operatic dance “Dongpo: Life in Poems” debuted in the United States; the exhibition “Anyang: China’s Ancient City of Kings” was staged at the National Museum of Asian Art in Washington DC.

China-U.S. relationship is one of the most important bilateral relationships in the world. Whether China and the United States have a cooperative or confrontational relationship bears on the well-being of the Chinese and American peoples and the future of humanity.

In handling its relationship with the United States, China always has a sense of responsibility for history, for the world and for the people. China is ready to work with the United States to push for steady, sound and sustainable development of bilateral relations to bring more benefits for the two peoples, provide more public goods for the international community, and build an open, inclusive, clean and beautiful world of lasting peace, universal security, and shared prosperity.

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

By Gong Ming, Xie Yahong, Yan Yunming, Liu Hui, People’s Daily

Over 2,000 years ago, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) began to spread and gain popularity along the ancient Silk Road, becoming an important aspect of commercial and trade exchanges between China and other countries.

Today, TCM has reached 196 countries and regions, gaining greater influence worldwide and making valuable contributions to people-to-people bonds and the protection of health and wellbeing of humanity.

“I’m deeply impressed by the remarkable efficacy of TCM and the expertise of Chinese doctors,” said Anton Melak, a resident in Paola, Malta, at the Mediterranean Regional Center for Traditional Chinese Medicine (MRCTCM) .

Melak was unable to lift his arm last year due to a right shoulder injury, and he sought immediate treatment at the center. After nearly six months of acupuncture and massage therapy, his condition significantly improved.

“I received my first TCM treatment in 1996 when I was suffering from severe migraines, which proved to be truly effective,” Melak said.

In Malta, the MRCTCM has become a well-known institution for TCM treatment and training. In 2008, it opened a TCM department at Mater Dei Hospital, a state-owned acute general teaching hospital in Malta, marking the first time for TCM to be granted an independent department in a state hospital in the European Union (EU).

Since 1993, the Chinese government has sent 19 medical teams to Malta, treating approximately 250,000 patients.

China’s medical assistance to foreign countries started over 60 years ago, and TCM has played an important role in these endeavors.

Acupuncture is among the longest-running departments in the history of Chinese medical assistance to Algeria. At the Cambodia-China Friendship Preah Kossamak Hospital, the TCM clinic set up by the Chinese medical team often sees long queues of patients. In Kuwait, the TCM treatment is popular, and there are groups of enthusiasts for Tai Chi and Baduanjin, both traditional Chinese exercises. In Guyana, the Chinese medical team has provided acupuncture treatment to tens of thousands of patients while also promoting TCM courses such as acupuncture and massage in local schools.

In recent years, China has been deepening the educational cooperation in TCM with multiple countries.

Since its official launch at the University of Johannesburg in 2020, acupuncture has become one of the most popular and competitive programs. The program admits around 50 students each year, and the number of applicants has grown from 1,285 in 2020 to 7,102 in 2022.

Michelle Delpaul was among the first students to graduate with a master’s degree in acupuncture from the University of Johannesburg. She now serves as a lecturer and remains dedicated to expanding her knowledge through further studies.

With acupuncture, Michelle has helped many patients to deal with frozen shoulder, stroke, and acute asthma. She said that throughout the years of clinical practice, she has truly witnessed the remarkable effects of acupuncture. She hopes to continue learning and share the benefits of TCM acupuncture with more people.

Shafiq, who graduated from the TCM department at Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman in Malaysia, began his career at a TCM clinic in Kuala Lumpur last year. He told People’s Daily that through the TCM treatment, his mother’s migraines have been alleviated and his aftereffects of meningitis have greatly diminished over time. These experiences have reinforced his resolve to excel in TCM.

It is reported that the TCM department at Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman has been running for over a decade and has more than 160 students. The average employment rate for graduates stands at 97 percent annually. The university has carried out cooperation with multiple Chinese universities and hospitals specializing in TCM.

According to statistics, China’s exports of TCM products exceeded $2.91 billion in the first half of 2023, an increase of 3.63 percent year on year. In recent years, China has established 31 TCM service export bases, which have evolved into comprehensive international service platforms benefiting people of different countries.

Inspired by TCM literature and supported by Chinese scientific research, artemisinin-based drugs have made significant contributions to malaria prevention and treatment in many African countries.

Over the years, China has strengthened international cooperation in TCM with Belt and Road partner countries, making solid progress in building a Silk Road of Health.

China has established 30 overseas TCM centers in countries such as Russia, Thailand, and Hungary, and facilitated the registration and market entry of over 100 Chinese patent medicines in Belt and Road partner countries. Besides, China has signed traditional medicine cooperation agreements with 14 partner countries and received support for TCM development within the legal and regulatory frameworks of eight partner countries.

Raymond Busuttil, former Chairman of the Board of the MRCTCM, who had held positions in Malta’s Ministry for Health and the World Health Organization (WHO), said that TCM encapsulates centuries of human wisdom and has proved to be uniquely effective in dealing with certain health conditions.

The WHO has included traditional medicine originating from TCM in the International Classification of Diseases, indicating an increasing recognition of TCM’s value.

By Jiang Feng, Zhang Yunhe, Song Haoxin, Zhang Danhua, People’s Daily

Serving as a vital connection between the Silk Road Economic Belt, the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road, and the Yangtze River Economic Belt, the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor (ILSTC), which runs through the western part of China, is rapidly expanding.

According to the latest statistics, 615,200 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) were transported along the route in 2023, up 7 percent year on year, with the total value exceeding 64.32 billion yuan ($8.9 billion), an increase of 16 percent over the previous year. Besides, the ILSTC has reached 490 ports in 120 countries and regions, transporting more than 1,100 types of goods.

At the Guoyuan Port in Liangjiang New Area, southwest China’s Chongqing municipality, a train loaded with goods such as general machinery and chemical products slowly departed with a sharp blast of whistle. Two days later, it arrived in the ASEAN region via the Qinzhou Port, south China’s Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region.

The Guoyuan Port is the largest container hub in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River. At this point, the ILSTC converges with the China-Europe freight line that starts from Chongqing and Sichuan, and the Yangtze River, often dubbed the “golden waterway.”

The bustling activities in Guoyuan Port mirror the ILSTC’s rapid development as a vital logistics pathway. As of December 2023, 42 national logistics hubs have been established in provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions along the corridor. In 2023, 11 new national logistics hubs were set up in such cities as Chongqing, Chengdu, Guiyang, and Zunyi as part of the efforts to reinforce their role as important logistics nodes.

“In 2023, 584,000 TEUs were transported along the corridor via sea-rail intermodal trains, with a total value surpassing 49.17 billion yuan ($6.8 billion), representing a year-on-year growth of 7 percent and 3 percent respectively,” said Liu Wei, director of the ILSTC’s Coordination Center for Logistics and Operation.

According to Liu, there are daily cargo services operating in both directions, connecting Chongqing, Sichuan, Yunnan, and the Beibu Gulf Port. Cargo trains in Guangxi are also heading towards the Beibu Gulf Port on a daily basis.

In September 2023, the first International Road Transport (often referred to as TIR) route connecting China, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan was officially put into operation in Sichuan province. On the day of its opening, two container trucks carrying 42 tons of tea departed from Yibin city of Sichuan province and exited through the Irkeshtam Port in northwest China’s Xinjiang Uyghur autonomous region. They made their way through Kyrgyzstan and arrived in Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan, eight days later.

“The route’s opening well addressed our urgent need,” said Ying Yuhang, deputy general manager of a tea trade company in Yibin, adding that at that time, the company’s clients in Uzbekistan were facing inventory shortages. The route ensured timely supply of goods and facilitated cooperation between the company and its Uzbekistan partners, Ying noted.

TIR is a global customs transit system based on the UN Convention, often implemented in international cross-border freight transportation. When moving across international borders, vehicles holding TIR certificates are granted streamlined customs procedures and faster clearance.

In the past, it would take around 30 days to deliver goods from Yibin to Tashkent. However, the TIR system now allows for time savings of two thirds compared to railway transportation, despite the higher cost. This mode of transportation is well-suited for carrying high-value and time-sensitive goods, such as electronics and cold chain products.

Through ongoing institutional innovation, the ILSTC’s comprehensive service capability keeps improving.

Customs clearance continues to be facilitated. The overall customs clearance time for import and export at ports of Guangxi stands at 15.16 hours and 0.28 hours respectively, a reduction of 73.2 percent and 98.01 percent compared to 2017.

The customs offices in Chongqing municipality, Kunming of Yunnan province, and Manzhouli of the Inner Mongolia autonomous region have enhanced cooperation and coordination. For cargo shipped from Moscow to China via the Manzhouli Port and those shipped from China to Map Ta Phut, Thailand through the Mohan Port, the shortest transit time is only 15 days, 20 days faster than the traditional means of sea transportation.

The application of digital documents is also increasing. The pilot “one-document coverage mechanism” has been introduced to sea-rail intermodal trains and China-Vietnam and China-Laos freight trains, expanding its coverage to Southeast Asian countries such as Singapore, Vietnam, and Laos. Currently, a total of 9,613 documents have been issued, with a total value of $555 million.

Besides, the “one-container coverage mechanism” has been implemented extensively. The volume of railway TEUs transferred to ships has exceeded 82,000, while the volume of maritime TEUs transferred to trains has surpassed 46,000. This approach leads to a cost reduction of around $1,000 per container.

The building of information exchange platforms is accelerating. For instance, over 800,000 pieces of data on container and vessel movements have been shared with the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore, extending information about international supply chain from China to the world.

By Zhang Cong, People’s Daily

In recent years, China has been working to improve its foreign-related legal services, especially those in areas such as work of lawyers, arbitration, notarization, and commercial conciliation.

Efforts have been made to enhance the development of foreign-related legal service institutions, promote the establishment of international commercial arbitration centers, and leverage the role of the Belt and Road International Lawyers Association and other institutions, to safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese enterprises and citizens in their overseas activities, while effectively serve and support the country’s high-level opening-up.

As of January this year, Chinese law firms have established 180 branch offices and several representative offices in 35 countries and regions. The number of foreign-related lawyers nationwide exceeded 12,000. The parties involved in foreign-related cases handled by arbitration institutions across the country came from over 100 countries and regions. The quality and efficiency of foreign-related legal services in China have been continuously improved.

In October 2020, the Orange Line Metro Train (OLMT), built by Chinese companies, officially commenced operations in Lahore, an eastern city of Pakistan. This marked Pakistan’s entry into the “era of metro.”

After the opening of the OLMT, a joint operation body consisting of Chinese and Pakistani companies was formed to provide an eight-year operation and maintenance service.

In order to better support Chinese companies in their overseas business, a law firm in south China’s Guangdong province, which is a member unit of the Belt and Road International Lawyers Association, signed a cooperation agreement with relevant Chinese enterprises to provide legal services for compliant operations.

After the agreement was signed, the law firm promptly identified the main legal and compliance issues that Chinese enterprises and members of the joint operation body might face, conducted a comprehensive assessment of the legal and compliance risks during project operations, and proposed solutions.

Besides, it helped ensure that the OLMT operates in strict accordance with relevant laws and regulations, as well as regulatory requirements of both China and Pakistan, and the demands of the Pakistani owner, too.

This has guaranteed the smooth operation of the project, and created both social and economic benefits for the project, showcasing the speed and quality of Chinese projects.

As an international and professional lawyer organization initiated by China, the Belt and Road International Lawyers Association has been actively promoting institutionalization since its establishment in December 2019.

Currently, the association has more than 2,600 members from 54 countries and regions, including over 430 group members. It has nine professional committees, 34 national or regional working groups, and five representative offices.

The association has played an active role in deepening exchanges and cooperation among legal professionals from Belt and Road partner countries, as well as strengthening legal services.

Kang Yu, secretary-general of the Belt and Road International Lawyers Association, said in recent years, members of the association have provided professional, accurate, and high-level legal services to key Belt and Road projects such as the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, the China-Thailand railway, and the power transmission service for Laos.

Arbitration is an important mechanism for resolving economic disputes, which is recognized internationally. The majority of international commercial contracts choose arbitration as the preferred method for resolving disputes. Arbitration plays an irreplaceable role in promoting high-quality economic development and facilitating international economic and trade cooperation.

In a foreign-related case handled by the Shenzhen Court of International Arbitration, a party involved was a company from Dongguan, Guangdong province, while the other was one from Canada. Each party selected an arbitrator from their respective jurisdictions, and a Hong Kong expert was appointed as the presiding arbitrator. With the participation of arbitrators from three different legal systems, the case was successfully resolved, earning praise from both parties.

“Since 2012, the Shenzhen Court of International Arbitration has been at the forefront among global arbitration institutions in exploring a statutory body governance mechanism. It has established a corporate governance structure centered on an international and specialized council, thereby enhancing the credibility of international arbitration in China,” said Liu Xiaochun, president of the Court of International Arbitration.

Currently, the court has 1,539 arbitrators from 114 countries and regions, and the parties involved in the arbitration and conciliation cases cover 140 countries and regions. This has contributed to fostering a world-class business environment that is market-oriented, law-based, and internationalized.

It is reported that, China is building pilot international commercial arbitration centers in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangdong province, and Hainan province.

The goal is to develop Beijing into an international commercial arbitration center that serves as a hub for international scientific and technological innovation and international exchanges. Shanghai aims to become a global Asia-Pacific arbitration center.

Guangzhou and Shenzhen in Guangdong province will be developed into international commercial law and dispute resolution service centers that collaborate with Hong Kong and Macao, serving the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and the world at large.

Hainan province will be transformed into an international commercial arbitration center that serves the Hainan Free Trade Port and solves commercial disputes around the Pacific and the Indian Ocean.

“We need to cultivate a group of world-class arbitration institutions and establish internationally renowned arbitration teams. We strive to make China a new global destination for international commercial arbitration,” said Yang Xiangbin, head of the Bureau of Public Legal Services Administration of the China’s Ministry of Justice.