Nigeria Times

By Han Xin, Du Yifei, People’s Daily

As one steps into the fully automated container terminal at Rizhao Port in east China’s Shandong province, a remarkable sight unfolds – remote-controlled quay cranes precisely grabbing and releasing containers, automated rail-mounted cranes and unmanned container trucks working in coordination… Human operators are scarcely visible at the terminal, yet operations run smoothly and efficiently.

As the first side-loading and parallel-layout fully automated container terminal in the world, the terminal employs China’s BeiDou Navigation Satellite System and 5G technology, and has launched six domestically developed and industry-first innovative technologies, including a scheduling system for autonomous container trucks.

The pioneering facility has made remarkable progress since it was put into use on Oct. 9, 2021 – its single-crane operational efficiency improved by 50 percent and overall costs lowered by 70 percent. Besides, the single-crane handling capacity has reached 58 container units per hour.

In the past, operators had to climb up and down equipment that is 20 meters high and work for long hours beside them, said a staff member of the terminal. “Now, we can operate rail-mounted cranes with remote control systems. With improved working environment and decreased workload, there has been a significant rise in productivity,” the staff member added.

Rizhao Port, a prominent coastal container hub for domestic trade, plays a vital role as a global transshipment base for energy and bulk raw materials. Thanks to its efforts to promote intelligent and eco-friendly development, Rizhao Port has continuously propelled its growth to new heights.

In 2023, the container throughput of Rizhao Port witnessed an increase of 7.9 percent from a year ago, and that of its fully automated container terminal experienced a remarkable 15 percent year-on-year growth in the first four months of this year.

The progress made by Rizhao Port is a miniature of China’s endeavors to expedite the development of intelligent ports.

As an important part of optimizing transportation infrastructure, the construction of intelligent ports plays a crucial role in the digital transformation of traditional infrastructure.

Recently, China’s Ministry of Transport issued a guideline on accelerating the construction of intelligent ports and waterways. According to the document, by 2027, China will have comprehensively lifted digitalization levels of port and waterway infrastructure, while significantly strengthened intelligent production, operations, management, as well as external services related to ports and waterways nationwide. Besides, the country will have built a batch of world-class intelligent ports and waterways by that time.

China has built 18 automated container terminals so far and is currently constructing or renovating 27 more. Both numbers rank among the top in the world.

Moreover, China has comprehensively mastered the key technologies in the design, construction, equipment manufacturing, system integration, and operational management of automated terminals.

The next-generation intelligent transportation equipment, such as 5G-enabled automated guided vehicles and autonomous container trucks, have been deployed and put into operation.

At Shanghai Port, remote control has been fully implemented for cargo handling, and intelligent transportation equipment such as automated guided vehicles have been widely applied.

At Huanghua Port in north China’s Hebei province, reclaimers and rotary car dumpers are remotely controlled, and gantry bucket unloaders are gradually going through automation.

At Dalian Port, multiple indoor and outdoor environmental monitoring points have been set up to collect data on water quality, energy consumption, air quality, meteorology, and other environmental factors related to terminals, effectively promoting the green development of the port.

“The construction of intelligent ports is not only a field for pioneering smart transportation, but also an important part of the development of new transportation infrastructure,” said an official with the Water Transport Bureau of the Ministry of Transport.

The official said the construction of intelligent ports calls for systematic efforts, and China will build a batch of demonstration intelligent ports, strengthen pilot application of intelligent transportation, and accelerate digital transformation of the shipping sector.

By Wang Dan, People’s Daily

Chongyi county in Ganzhou, east China’s Jiangxi province, boasts vast bamboo forests that span over 700,000 mu (about 46,667 hectares). It is renowned as one of the top 10 bamboo towns in China.

However, the development of the local bamboo industry had once been stagnant despite the rich bamboo resources, due to inadequate transportation facilities, limited market access and local bamboo factories’ non-compliance with environmental standards. Many bamboo forests were left unattended.

Thanks to measures implemented by the county to build standardized factories, extend the bamboo industrial chain, and establish digital trade platforms, the local bamboo industry has gone through a magnificent transformation, embracing high-quality development.

Bamboo farmer Le Yi runs a bamboo processing factory in Qianchang village, Qianchang township of Chongyi county. The 3,000-square meter facility is equipped with standard environmental protection devices.

“In the past few years, there were many bamboo processing factories in Qianchang township, as bamboos were readily available from the nearby mountains for sale. However, bamboo product manufacturing would pollute the surrounding environment, and many businesses failed to make proper eco-friendly improvements, resulting in their closure,” Le said.

As a result, the number of processing factories in the township sharply decreased, and selling raw bamboos became an unprofitable business, Le added.

In order to promote the development of the bamboo industry, Chongyi county built standard factories in its townships. Le contracted to run his factory at the end of 2022, which has become a hot destination for local raw bamboos and provides many job opportunities to local residents. The factory can process 1,800 tons of bamboos per month and employs over 40 nearby villagers.

To further extend the value chain of the bamboo industry, Chongyi county explored a model that gathers strengths of leading enterprises, small-scale factories and bamboo farmers. It set up small-scale factories in 16 townships, and Le’s factory is one of them.

“We have developed a wide range of products to make full use of bamboo plants.” Le told People’s Daily. According to him, the primary bamboo materials are supplied to leading enterprises to produce bamboo plywood and furniture, while the secondary materials are used to produce chopsticks and skewers. Even the leftovers can be transformed into activated carbon.

The sale of different segments of bamboo materials has enabled Le to expand sales channels, diversify bamboo usages, and increase profits.

The development model of Chongyi’s bamboo industry has proved to be a win-win result for all parties involved, by providing sufficient raw materials for leading enterprises, expanding the range of products for small-scale factories and widening sales channels for bamboo farmers.

With the help of new-generation information technology, Chongyi county is also assisting relevant enterprises to achieve intelligent and digital transformation and upgrading.

In the Guantian Industrial Park, less than 20 kilometers away from Le’s factory, a workshop of a company was bustling, despite having very few workers.

The entire production line in the workshop is automated, lifting the daily processing capacity to 12,000 pieces per day from 4,000 pieces. Besides, a big database has been employed to automatically identify bamboo strips with defects, making the sorting process more efficient.

“Intelligent transformation has enhanced our production efficiency, ensured product quality, and lowered production costs, making us more competitive in the market,” said Kong Qingguo, head of the company.

The bamboo industry in Chongyi county used to suffer from supply-demand imbalances, low industrial agglomeration, and weak brand influence. To address these challenges, the county launched a digital trading platform, available on both the website and WeChat mini-program.

“In the past, it was rare for me to have a few days off at home in a month because I was always on the road meeting clients. Now, online trading has made things much easier and allowed me to spend more time at home,” said Le.

While talking with People’s Daily reporters, he received an order notification on the phone. Then he opened the digital trade mini-program and called the buyer to negotiate transaction details.

“The platform provides more sales channels, enabling us to showcase our products online and stay updated on industry trends. More importantly, we can complete transactions online,” Le told People’s Daily.

In March this year, a company engaging in container floor production saw insufficient inventory of raw bamboos due to a surge in the orders it received.

“After we posted our demand on the mini-program, we received quotations from 10 suppliers and managed to strike deals with six of them, which resolved our urgent need,” said Wang Peng, an employee of the company.

Eighty percent of bamboo enterprises in Chongyi county have joined the digital trading platform. “By integrating bamboo resources in the county, the platform contributes to rational and efficient allocation of resources, and benefits all stakeholders along the industrial chain, including leading enterprises, factories, cooperatives, and bamboo farmers,” said Huang Xuepeng, head of Chongyi county’s forestry bureau.

By He Yin, People’s Daily

Chinese President Xi Jinping sent a message to the 14th China-U.S. Tourism Leadership Summit on May 22.

It is hoped that all walks of life in the two countries will take this summit as an opportunity to have in-depth exchanges, build consensus, and take active actions to promote personnel exchanges through tourism cooperation, continue China-U.S. friendship with cultural and people-to-people exchanges, and help the San Francisco vision turn into reality, Xi said.

Xi’s message fully demonstrated the importance he attaches to China-U.S. relations, conveyed his expectation to deepen China-U.S. tourism cooperation, and expounded on the significance of tourism cooperation in promoting stable, healthy and sustainable development of China-U.S. relations, charting the course for the two countries to strengthen tourism cooperation and people-to-people exchanges.

For any great cause to succeed, it must take root in the people, gain strength from the people, and be accomplished by the people. Growing China-U.S. friendship is such a great cause.

Xi has repeatedly emphasized the significance of strengthening non-governmental friendship and people-to-people exchanges in developing bilateral relations between China and the United States. He has interacted with people from all walks of life in the U.S. for multiple times, aiming to foster a new chapter in non-governmental friendship between the two peoples.

Last November, Xi and his U.S. counterpart Joe Biden met with each other in San Francisco and laid out a future-oriented “San Francisco vision.” Xi proposed five pillars for China-U.S. relations, namely, jointly developing a right perception, jointly managing disagreements effectively, jointly advancing mutually beneficial cooperation, jointly shouldering responsibilities as major countries, and jointly promoting people-to-people exchanges, which should serve as the underpinning for the mansion of China-U.S relations.

Tourism is an important bridge for exchanges and mutual understanding between the people of China and the U.S.

China and the U.S. are both proud of their splendid culture and beautiful landscape and people from both countries are keenly interested in learning more about each other and cementing their friendship.

For some time, teams from both China and the U.S. have been working to implement the consensus reached by the two heads of state in San Francisco. China-U.S. relations have been generally stabilized, and bilateral dialogue, cooperation and positive aspects in various fields have increased.

A number of relevant projects have been launched, including an initiative of inviting 50,000 young Americans to China on exchange and study programs in the next five years. The increased exchanges between the Chinese and American societies have deepened mutual understanding between the two peoples and brought them closer to each other.

China and the U.S. are two major countries with different histories, cultures, social systems and development paths. Strengthening dialogue and communication between the two sides, promoting friendly exchanges between the two peoples from all walks of life, and building more bridges of mutual understanding will help eliminate unnecessary misunderstandings and biases.

Expanding tourism cooperation between China and the U.S. will contribute to the exchanges and cooperation between the two peoples, and build consensus for the stable, healthy, and sustainable development of China-U.S. relations.

As Xi said in the message, the foundation of China-U.S. relations is laid by the people, the door of China-U.S. relations is opened by the people, the stories of China-U.S. relations are written by the people, and the future of China-U.S. relations will be jointly created by the people of the two countries.

No matter how the global landscape evolves, the historical trend of peaceful coexistence between China and the U.S. will not change. The ultimate wish of the two peoples for exchanges and cooperation will not change. The expectations of the whole world for a steadily growing China-U.S. relationship will not change.

China and the U.S. should work to meet the expectations of the two peoples and the world, and take concrete measures to promote people-to-people and cultural exchanges, including tourism cooperation. Both countries should build more bridges and pave more roads for people-to-people exchanges.

China warmly welcomes tourists from all over the world, including American tourists, and will strive to make it easier for foreigners to travel, work and live in China.

China is willing to work together with the U.S. to introduce more measures that facilitate personnel and cultural exchanges.

China also hopes that the U.S. will work in the same direction, increase direct flights between the two countries, promptly adjust advisory concerning travel to China, and facilitate visa applications for Chinese citizens visiting the U.S., in order to create better conditions for mutual visits between the two countries’ tourists.

It is hoped that that the two peoples will make more visits, contacts and exchanges and write new stories of friendship in the new era.

This year marks the 45th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and the United States. The two countries should learn lessons from history, cherish peace, value stability, and uphold credibility, consolidate the foundation and tap into the potential of people-to-people friendship, and turn the “San Francisco vision” into reality, so as to truly stabilize, improve and move forward China-U.S. relationship and inject more stability into the world.

By People’s Daily

In a speech on May 20, the leader of the Taiwan region trumpeted separatist fallacies such as “sovereign independence,” “non-subordination between the two sides of the Taiwan Straits,” and “self-determination of Taiwan residents.”

He also begged for support from external forces, trying to promote the “internationalization of the Taiwan question” and continuing to seek “Taiwan independence” by relying on foreign countries and by force.

This complete confession of “Taiwan independence” was full of hostility, provocation, lies and deception, reflecting an even more radical and risky stance on “Taiwan independence.” Such a reckless move will inevitably lead to severe punishment and accelerate the collapse of separatist forces seeking “Taiwan independence.”

People on both sides of the Taiwan Straits share the same bloodline, culture and history. They belong to the same Chinese nation and are of the same family enjoying kinship and offering mutual assistance.

The over-5,000-year history of the Chinese nation saw successive generations of ancestors move and settle down in Taiwan and people from across the Strait fight side by side to recover the island from foreign invaders. Be it in legal or factual terms, Taiwan is an inalienable part of China.

Pursuing “independence” and private political gains, the leader of the Taiwan region touted the so-called “two states” theory and tried to legitimize “Taiwan independence.” He even denied his Chinese heritage. The actions are disgraceful betrayals of the nation and the ancestors.

History has proved that those who forget their heritage, betray their motherland, and seek to split the country will come to no good end; they will be nailed to the pillar of shame in history, disdained by the people and condemned by history.

China’s complete reunification is an evitable trend. It is where the greater national interest lies, and it is what the people desire. The Chinese nation has a common belief that the territory is indivisible, the country cannot be destabilized, the nation cannot be separated, and the civilization cannot be broken. A strong and unified nation has always been the pillar upon which the future of all the Chinese people, including compatriots in Taiwan, depends.

Taiwan is China’s Taiwan. Safeguarding China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity is the common obligation of all Chinese people, the Taiwan compatriots included. No “Taiwan independence” secessionist forces should make Taiwan secede from China under any name or by any means.

From the very beginning of his tenure, the leader of the Taiwan region cannot help but to expose his true colors as an advocate for “Taiwan independence,” brazenly inciting “anti-China” sentiments. What he said and did completely go against the mainstream public opinion in the Taiwan region in favor of peace not war, development not decline, communication rather than separation, and cooperation instead of confrontation.

This has exacerbated tensions across the Taiwan Strait, pushing Taiwan towards an even more dangerous position. It severely challenges the common faith of the Chinese nation and the common will of the Chinese people.

The complete reunification of China is an unstoppable trend. Those who seek “Taiwan independence” will only find themselves on a road leading to a dead end.

No one desires more than the Chinese people do to achieve national reunification through peaceful means. China is ready to create vast space for peaceful reunification; but it will leave no room for separatist activities in any form.

No one should underestimate the great resolve, the strong will, and the extraordinary ability of the Chinese people to defend their national sovereignty and territorial integrity. China will never tolerate, connive with, or show any mercy to separatist acts in any form. The more the separatist provocations escalate, the more resolute and forceful the country’s countermeasures will become.

As a Chinese saying goes, a just cause enjoys abundant support while an unjust one finds little support. Recently, political dignitaries and people from various sectors have reaffirmed their commitment to the one-China principle and expressed firm support for China’s just cause of opposing “Taiwan independence” separatism and striving for national reunification. This fully demonstrates that with each provocation by the “Taiwan independence” separatist forces, the international community’s consensus on upholding the one-China principle becomes even stronger.

The one-China principle cannot be violated. Separatist attempts for “Taiwan independence” are doomed to fail. The general trend of China’s reunification is irreversible. The Democratic Progressive Party authorities and leaders’ attempt to separate Taiwan from the motherland is nothing but a pipe dream, like ants trying to shake a giant tree. In the end, they will only face utter failure and wreck their own reputation.

By Zhong Sheng, People’s Daily

Climate change is a challenge faced by the whole world. To respond to it and achieve green and low-carbon transition, it calls for support from more quality production capacity.

The new energy production capacity around the world today falls significantly short of meeting the demand of the market, especially huge latent demand in developing countries.

The narrative of so-called “overcapacity” in China’s new energy industry as well as the protectionist measures stemming from it hinder the development of green industries of the world and the concerted efforts made by the international community to respond to climate change.

The development of China’s new energy industry has made significant contributions to the global green and low-carbon transition, in response to the needs of countries to alleviate energy crises and address climate change.

In 2022, China’s exports of wind power and photovoltaic products resulted in a reduction of approximately 573 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions for other countries.

According to a report by the International Renewable Energy Agency, over the past decade, the average cost of electricity per kWh from wind power and photovoltaic projects around the world has cumulatively decreased by more than 60 percent and 80 percent respectively, and a significant portion of this achievement is attributed to China’s innovation, manufacturing, and engineering projects.

China’s green capacity has brought positive spillover effects to other countries. In Kazakhstan, the 60MW Shelek Wind Farm invested and built by a Chinese company helps reduce over 160,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions on an annual basis. In the United Arab Emirates, the Al Dhafra Solar Project contracted by a Chinese company supplies electricity to 200,000 households and reduces carbon emissions by 2.4 million tons each year.

The claim that China is now simply too large for the rest of the world to absorb this enormous capacity just cannot hold water.

In order to achieve the temperature goals set out in the Paris Agreement and help countries fulfill their commitments to peak carbon emissions and achieve carbon neutrality, it is needed to increase investment in the clean energy sector and enhance the supply of new energy products globally.

For instance, the new energy vehicle (NEV) industry is seeing a huge demand globally. According to the International Energy Agency, the global demand for NEVs is expected to reach 45 million units by 2030.

Hungary’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Szijjarto pointed out that overcapacity doesn’t exist, and there is indeed a lack of capacity.

China’s green capacity poses no threat to the development of other countries’ industries. Instead, it promotes their industrial growth through extensive cooperation and healthy competition.

According to Peter Fischer, chief economist of the Swiss daily Neue Zurcher Zeitung, it is with China’s assistance that the West has gained access to more cost-effective solar panels and wind turbines. Furthermore, China’s innovative NEVs can drive the transformation of European car manufacturers, which ultimately benefits consumers.

An article on the website of The Diplomat said that Southeast Asian nations are actively courting Chinese electric vehicle companies in a collaboration that not only strengthens the imperative transition away from fossil fuel vehicles, but also fuels economic growth through technological exchange.

It is contradictory to emphasize the urgency of addressing climate change while labeling China’s renewable energy industry as “overcapacity.” Such accusations of “overcapacity” are merely excuses for protectionism. Facts have long indicated that such practice benefits no one and will eventually backfire.

Adopting protectionist policies and setting up trade barriers not only disrupts the global investment landscape of green industries but also hampers the efficient allocation of green resources worldwide.

This leads to inefficient capacity and redundant construction, increasing the cost of low-carbon transition in countries that adopt these policies. Furthermore, it will hinder the global development of clean energy and impose significant negative impacts on the world economy.

As Bloomberg recently argued, despite implementing steel protectionist measures over the past decade, Washington has failed to prevent the decline in employment within the U.S. metal manufacturing industry. Instead, these measures have increased costs in other sectors of the U.S. economy and reduced competitiveness of the industry. If these measures were to be applied to the new energy sector, they would further weaken America’s ability to tackle climate change.

Blocking technological progress and suppressing high-quality production capacity is not the right path for economic development. China stands by its basic national policy of opening up and is ready to work with all parties to uphold fair competition and benefit from cooperation together.

It is hoped that relevant countries will maintain an open mindset, abide by market economy principles and international economic and trade rules, and provide a fair, transparent, open, and non-discriminatory business environment for Chinese enterprises.

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

By Wang Hanchao, Pang Geping, People’s Daily

As the peak season of durian sales approaches, durians freshly harvested in the morning in Vietnam and Thailand are swiftly making their way to store shelves in major Chinese cities within just three to five days.

How are they reaching China so fast?

The answer could be found at the Youyi Port in Pingxiang, south China’s Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, where trucks fully loaded with imported fruits are always seen lining up for customs clearance.

“The hotter it gets, the less time the fruits can wait,” said Cai Zhenyu, general manager of an international logistics based in Guangxi, who has been engaged in the food import business for over 10 years.

“A delay means a drop in fruits’ price, and if the delay is too long, the entire truckload becomes worthless,” Cai explained.

According to him, the import process involved inspections, customs declarations, weighing, and vehicle transfers, which took five to six hours at best, or even two to three days sometimes, leaving the cargo owners anxious.

Thanks to the development of the Digital Silk Road and the continuously optimized intelligent customs clearance system, importers don’t have to wait for their bills of entry to be stamped today, as truck drivers can pass through checkpoints with just a face scan or fingerprint verification.

“In cases where no inspection is required, it takes only about 10 minutes for truck drivers to leave the customs supervision area from entry,” Cai noted, adding that each step of the customs clearance process can be shown in real time on a mobile application.

Building the China-ASEAN Information Harbor is an important measure to promote Belt and Road cooperation and to strengthen connectivity between China and ASEAN countries. It aims to create an international communication passageway, a hub for big data resource application and services, a demonstration area for the application of new-generation information technology, a cluster for open cooperation in digital economy, and a center for cultural and people-to-people exchanges catered to ASEAN countries.

“We are striving to play a pivotal role in enhancing the development and application of information technologies and building the Digital Silk Road,” said Wang Yongchao, head of the Commission for Industry and Information Technology of Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region.

Currently, China and Vietnam are collaborating on the expansion of the Youyi Port, with plans to introduce autonomous driving in the Chinese section of the cargo passage by the end of this year, thus providing contactless, unattended, and intelligent customs clearance services 24/7.

On the big screens in the exhibition hall on the first floor of the office building of China-ASEAN Information Harbor Co., Ltd. in Nanning, capital of Guangxi, there are various data and charts showcasing the achievements of information connectivity.

According to an executive of the company, in recent years, the company has built multiple digital platforms and even replicated China’s successful shared electric bike business in overseas trials.

The China-ASEAN Information Harbor has set up a multi-path system centered around Nanning, while Guangxi is accelerating the construction of an administration of international communication accesses. Over the past five years, Guangxi’s total foreign trade with ASEAN has grown at an average annual rate of 10.5 percent. In the first quarter of this year, the autonomous region’s imports and exports with ASEAN hit 90.12 billion yuan ($12.68 billion), an increase of 33.3 percent year-on-year.

“China and ASEAN have been each other’s largest trading partners for four consecutive years. Digital connectivity not only facilitates trade but also further enhances mutual understanding between peoples,” said an official with the Big Data Development Bureau of Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region.