Nigeria Times

By Kong Dechen

China’s gross ocean product grew 5.8 percent year on year to 7.2 trillion yuan ($1 trillion) in the first three quarters of 2023, indicating that the country’s marine economy has maintained its positive overall recovery momentum.

The country’s traditional marine industries have shown strong growth momentum. In the first three quarters of this year, China remained a global leader in terms of seagoing vessel market share, with new orders for seacraft growing faster and shipbuilding companies seeing continuous rebound in their economic benefits, according to Cui Xiaojian, deputy director of the National Marine Data and Information Service.

“New orders for seagoing vessels, seacraft output, and the number of sea ship orders in the hands of shipbuilders nationwide increased by 40.2 percent, 23.3 percent and 34.3 percent year on year, respectively,” Cui said.

“In particular, there has been a significant increase in the number of high-tech and high value-added ships delivered during the period. And a batch of container vessels with a TEU (20-foot equivalent unit) capacity of 24,000, LNG dual-fuel powered bulk carriers, and gas carriers were also delivered during the first three quarters,” Cui added.

The country’s marine tourism industry has strode into a new stage of full recovery, witnessing a 121 percent year-on-year growth in marine passenger volume in the first three quarters of this year, which has exceeded the level of the same period in 2019.

China’s marine resource supply capacity has steadily improved. In the first three quarters of 2023, 1,219 projects of sea area and island use were approved nationwide, up 4.6 percent year on year. These projects involve combined investment totaling over 600 billion yuan.

The country has made continuous efforts to increase its offshore oil and gas reserves and production. In the first three quarters of 2023, its offshore crude oil and natural gas production grew by 4.6 percent and 9.7 percent, respectively, compared to the same period last year, while multiple projects were completed and commenced production in the country.

The construction of the country’s “blue granary” has been steadily advanced in the first three quarters of this year, when the growth rates of domestic marine aquatic products output and mariculture output both exceeded 5 percent year on year.

The country’s ever-growing emerging marine industries and continuously improving capability of  marine scientific and technological innovation have become the highlights of its marine economic growth in the first three quarters of this year.

China’s marine engineering equipment manufacturing industry has continued to improve. The industry’s value of delivered orders for marine engineering equipment increased by 50 percent year on year in the first three quarters of 2023, accounting for 64.3 percent of the international market share of marine engineering equipment.

Meanwhile, seawater desalination projects in Hebei province, Tianjin municipality, Shandong province, Jiangsu province, Zhejiang province and other regions across the country have been steadily advanced, with the scale of projects under construction and newly started exceeding 300,000 tonnes per day.

The country has constantly made breakthroughs in the development of marine renewable energy.

It has accelerated the construction of offshore wind power projects. In the first three quarters of 2023, the combined capacity of relevant projects under construction and newly started was about 19.4 million kilowatts, an increase of about 2 million kilowatts over the same period last year.

At the same time, the capacity of offshore wind power projects newly connected to China’s power grids and the country’s power output from offshore wind power projects during the period posted year-on-year increases of 14.8 percent and 19.2 percent, respectively.

Following the stable commercial operation of tidal energy projects, ocean thermal energy and wave energy have also entered project operation or power generation testing successively.

China has continuously made new progress in its basic research in marine science. It has launched the intelligent test task support ship Xiang Zhou Yun; put into service the undersea seismic data exploration and acquisition equipment Haimai, or “Sea Pulse”; and developed the first domestic 6,000-meter deep in-situ corrosion damage monitoring experimental cabin.

Production technologies in China’s marine industry have also experienced continuous improvement. The country’s first set of domestic 18-megawatt offshore wind turbine main shaft bearings has successfully rolled off production line; its 2,500-tonne self-propelled jack-up offshore wind power installation platform Haifeng 1001 was officially delivered; and the construction of the main hull structure of the Haiyang Shiyou 122, Asia’s first cylindrical floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) facility, has been completed in China.

“In the first three quarters, foreign trade cargo throughput at coastal ports increased by over 10 percent year on year. However, the total value of marine imports and exports decreased by 1.3 percent from the same period last year, due to factors such as falling prices of bulk commodities and exchange rate fluctuations,” said He Guangshun, director of the marine strategic planning and economics department of China’s Ministry of Natural Resources.

China’s maritime trade routes have become increasingly dense, effectively facilitating the development of the Belt and Road Initiative.

Liaoning Port Group in northeast China’s Liaoning province launched a new route shipping steel from South America to Yingkou Port in Yingkou city, Liaoning province; Dalian Port in Dalian city, Liaoning province, put into operation a shipping route linking Dalian and the Philippines; and the opening ceremony of the shipping route between China’s Fangchenggang Port and Cambodia’s Dara Sakor international port was held at Fangchenggang port, a part of Beibu Gulf Port in south China’s Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region.

The infrastructure of coastal ports in China has continued to be upgraded. The Phase II project of a 300,000-tonne crude oil wharf of Yantai Port in Yantai, east China’s Shandong province, was officially put into operation; Beibu Gulf Port has significantly improved port cargo handling timeliness, accuracy and cargo transfer efficiency through its intelligent cargo handling system; Qingdao Port in Qingdao, Shandong province, has officially put into use its first automated ship loader, greatly improving loading and unloading efficiency…

With China’s macro policies continuously boosting the confidence of business entities, the country’s marine industry will enjoy a stronger endogenous driving force, and China’s marine economy is expected to maintain its momentum for steady growth throughout the year, He noted.

By Kang Pu

In recent years, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have picked up pace in empowering various industries in China.

Thanks to technological advances and commercialization of research findings, UAVs’ application has been expanded into more and more fields, such as agricultural and forestry plant protection, emergency rescue, cultural relics protection, and power line inspection.

In Beijing’s Yanqing district, two sets of DJI Dock 2, a new drone dock developed by Chinese drone maker DJI, stand guard day and night at the southern and northern parts of the Badaling section of the Great Wall.

With the support of the drone docks, drones autonomously perform 10 patrol flights on five routes over the scenic area on a daily basis. The routes cover basically all the areas open to visitors.

Video footages from the drones are sent to the management center of the scenic area in real time, so that uncivilized tourist behavior can be discovered and discouraged in time. At night, infrared cameras on the drones make it hard for rule-breakers, including overnight campers, to evade surveillance.

In addition, the DJI Dock 2 can autonomously generate high-precision 3D models of key areas of the scenic area every two weeks. Through comparison of the 3D models, relevant personnel can notice changes in the natural conditions of the scenic area, such as landslides and wall shifts, in a timely manner, and carry out targeted examination and repair.

In Wensu county, Aksu prefecture, northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, plant protection drones have made farmers’ work in the fields much easier.

“Defoliant can remove the leaves from cotton trees while retaining the branches and cotton, thus preventing leaves from mixing with cotton and affecting cotton quality during harvest,” said Zhu Rui, a drone pilot of a Wensu county-based company specializing in agricultural plant protection-related services.

“This M-22 drone was jointly developed by my company and our partners. It can spray chemicals over 400 mu (about 26.67 hectares) to 500 mu of cotton fields per day,” Zhu said, while operating a drone to spray defoliant over a cotton field.

“Agricultural and forestry plants including walnut trees, Chinese date trees, apple trees, wheat crops, and shelter forests are all taken care of using plant protection drones. They have significantly eased farmers’ workload and increased their income,” Zhu noted.

According to Zhu, drones can increase farmland yields by over 10 percent and reduce the average cost per mu of farmland by more than 30 percent.

In April this year, when a forest fire erupted in Longjingwan village, Baoluan township, Fengdu county, southwest China’s Chongqing municipality, dense vegetation and complex terrain made it dangerous for emergency response teams to approach the forests without an accurate judgment of the situation.

Fortunately, several drones soon arrived over the scene, helping rescue teams get a clear understanding of the fire lines, ignition points and the geographical conditions of the locality. 

“Commander, there are two fire lines to the southeast and southwest, plus three separate ignition points. The terrain is gentler to the northwest. I suggest entering the scene from that direction,” a rescuer reported.

With the help of drones, the fire was quickly extinguished.

Last year, Fengdu county equipped all its townships, subdistricts and relevant authorities with 36 domestically produced drones, achieving full coverage of drone-empowered intelligent oversight, according to Tang Shouyuan, county mayor of Fengdu.

“As air vehicles, drones are not limited to ground transportation constraints and can perform complex operations,” Tan Xiang, executive secretary general of the Research Center for UAV Applications and Regulation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, pointed out.

In recent years, China’s drone industry has achieved notable progress, with products enjoying higher reliability, lower costs, and diversified application scenarios, Tan said, noting that China has become one of the world’s largest industrial drone markets.

“Widespread application of industrial drones in agricultural plant protection, electricity supply, geography, security, marine science, meteorology, environmental protection, construction, healthcare, among other fields, has profoundly transformed people’s modes of production and lifestyles,” Tan said.

Technological innovations have played a crucial role in underpinning the extensive application of drones across industries.

Pointing out that some people in many sectors still have to work in complex and dangerous environments and perform repetitive tasks, Zhang Xiaonan, strategic director of DJI, said technological progress is supposed to help frontline workers complete missions more easily.

“Where there are pain points, there are sources of inspiration for innovations,” Zhang noted.

The DJI Dock 2, for instance, allows drones to autonomously complete flight missions without the need for a pilot to operate them.

The technical team of DJI envisioned the Dock as the “home” of drones. Equipped with various software and hardware, the “home” enables drones to make flight plans, perform flight missions, collect data, recharge, and complete other operations autonomously.

It took DJI 10 years to gain insights into users’ pain points, hone its Dock products, and finally win market recognition, according to Zhang.

The DJI Dock 2, as the second version of DJI Dock, is smaller but smarter. Compared to the initial version, the DJI Dock 2 has experienced a size reduction of 75 percent and a weight reduction of 68 percent, alongside significant increases in effective operational radius, flight time and professional surveying and mapping capabilities.

The continuous emergence of sci-tech achievements has contributed to the formation of a solid foundation for China’s drone industrial chain, according to Tan.

Drone technologies in China have undergone constant improvements, during which a good number of outstanding companies have achieved a strong presence in the drone industry, and a globally competitive complete industrial chain encompassing research and development, production, sale, and services has taken shape, Tan said.

By He Yin, People’s Daily

Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and Chinese President, will pay a state visit to Vietnam from Dec. 12 to 13.

Xi’s visit is at the invitation of General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee Nguyen Phu Trong and State President of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam Vo Van Thuong.

Six years after his last Vietnam trip, Xi’s upcoming visit is bound to open up new prospects for the relations between the two parties and the two countries and make new contributions to human peace and progress.

In their respective struggles for national liberation, China and Vietnam supported each other and forged a special bond of “camaraderie and brotherhood”. The two countries’ traditional friendship has taken root as their peoples have lived in harmony over a long period. It was enhanced through their joint struggle for national independence and liberation, and continues to deepen as they pursue reform and renewal.

In recent years, the strategic guidance of Xi and Trong has added new dimensions to the traditional friendship between China and Vietnam and pushed for continuous new development of the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership between the two countries.

After the 20th CPC National Congress last year, Xi invited Trong for a visit to China and the two leaders jointly charted the course for the China-Vietnam comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership. Since the beginning of this year, both countries have seen frequent high-level interactions, close exchanges between various departments and regions, and deeper cooperation in various fields, which have brought tangible benefits to the two peoples.

China and Vietnam are both advancing their own socialist modernization cause, both regard the bilateral relationship as a priority in their respective foreign policy, and both see each other’s development as opportunities for their own development.

Both countries are committed to a people-centered development philosophy, and are pursuing a path to prosperity and strength in line with their own national conditions. The two countries fully leverage their strengths in geographical proximity and industrial complementarity, advance the synergy between the Belt and Road Initiative and the “Two Corridors and One Economic Circle” plan, promote cooperation in strategic areas like connectivity and deepen collaboration in emerging sectors such as e-commerce.

During Xi’s upcoming visit, the two sides will discuss upgrading the China-Vietnam relations, focus on six major areas including politics, security, practical cooperation, public support, multilateral affairs and maritime issues, and work to deepen and substantiate the comprehensive strategic cooperation between the two countries. This will help both countries to jointly follow their modernization paths with respective features, enrich the paths to modernization for developing countries and bring more benefits to the two peoples.

China and Vietnam have the same social system and shared ideals and beliefs, and the bilateral relationship should be at the forefront compared to other countries.

Given the volatile international environment and tasks of reform, development and stability in the two countries, China and Vietnam should persevere in realizing their goals, ideals and missions for the people’s happiness and human progress, and continue to view and develop bilateral relations from a strategic and long-term perspective. Both countries should follow the policy of long-term stability, forward-thinking, good neighborliness and comprehensive cooperation, and the spirit of being good neighbors, friends, comrades and partners, so as to ensure the steady and sustained growth of bilateral relations in the new era.

The two sides should uphold the important position of the people in friendly exchanges, and inherit and carry forward the China-Vietnam traditional friendship. Both sides should, with a future-oriented perspective, make consistent efforts to promote mutual acquaintance, understanding and affinity among young people of the two countries.

As a Chinese saying goes, neighbors wish each other well, just as loved ones do to each other. The basic policy of China’s neighborhood diplomacy is to pursue friendship and partnership with its neighbors, and to build an amicable, secure and prosperous neighborhood, highlighting the principle of amity, sincerity, mutual benefit and inclusiveness.

China continues to regard the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) as a priority in its neighborhood diplomacy and a key region for high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, attaches importance to the position and role of Vietnam in ASEAN, and expects to work with Vietnam to accelerate the building of a peaceful, safe and secure, prosperous, beautiful and amicable home, and advance regional economic integration in East Asia.

China and Vietnam strengthen communication and cooperation in multilateral affairs, support each other on issues involving respective core interests and major concerns, jointly uphold multilateralism and international fairness and justice, and follow the basic norms governing international relations. This is of great significance for maintaining regional and world peace and stability and promoting common development.

The traditional friendship between China and Vietnam is a precious common treasure shared by the two peoples. Inheriting the past and ushering in the future, the two countries should stay true to the original aspiration of carrying forward traditional friendship, bear in mind the shared ideals and mission, continue to add new dimensions to their comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership, and inject new impetus into the development of relations between the two parties and countries as well as their socialist causes.

By Qiu Haifeng

The Chinese currency Renminbi (RMB), or the yuan, has been increasingly used as international currency in recent years, gaining popularity as a payment, investment, and reserve currency in the global market.

As China’s economy recovers and its financial market further opens up, the yuan’s investment and hedging functions have strengthened.

Panda bonds, or yuan-denominated debts sold by foreign issuers in China, have been well-received.

According to the 2023 Yuan Internationalization Report released by the People’s Bank of China (PBOC), China’s central bank, 58 panda bonds were issued from January to August 2023, totaling 106 billion yuan ($14.79 billion). This represents a year-on-year increase of 58.2 percent, surpassing the total number and amount of issuances from the previous year.

The macro-prudential management bureau of the PBOC announced on November 9 that various channels for mutual stock market access, such as the Shanghai-Hong Kong Stock Connect, the Shenzhen-Hong Kong Stock Connect, mutual recognition of funds, Bond Connect, the Shanghai-London Stock Connect, and the Cross-boundary Wealth Management Connect, have been opened and optimized.

The policy framework for supervising qualified investors has been consistently enhanced and it has become easier for foreign entities to issue panda bonds. Additionally, Chinese stocks and bonds have been incorporated into major international indices. These developments have collectively contributed to an enhanced investment and financing environment for the yuan.

As of the end of September 2023, a total of 1,110 foreign institutions had entered the Chinese bond market, holding 3.3 trillion yuan in Chinese bonds, an increase of nearly 200 percent compared to five years ago. Domestic RMB financial assets held by overseas entities, including stocks and bonds, had reached 9.3 trillion yuan.

As foreign institutions continue to expand their presence in the domestic bond market, offshore yuan trading has also witnessed a surge in activity.

In late October, two yuan clearing banks were inaugurated, including one in Islamabad, Pakistan, which marked the official launch of yuan clearing services in the country. Additionally, the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) Vientiane Branch in Laos held a ceremony to commence yuan clearing services. This development increased the number of yuan clearing banks established by China in Southeast Asia to five.

“The yuan is assuming a growing significance in the global economy and financial markets,” stated Jameel Ahmad, governor of the State Bank of Pakistan. The establishment of a yuan clearing bank will help reduce costs for local banking systems and support Pakistani businesses in exploring new markets, thereby contributing to the long-term development of the Pakistani economy and banking system, Ahmad added.

Since 2022, China has established yuan clearing banks in Laos, Kazakhstan, Pakistan, and Brazil. It has continuously enhanced the overseas yuan clearing network, resulting in smoother cross-border transactions for trade and investment. Presently, the PBOC has authorized 31 yuan clearing banks in 29 countries and regions, encompassing significant international financial centers globally.

“Since last year, the connectivity and cooperation between domestic and foreign financial markets have strengthened, resulting in a broader selection of offshore yuan products and enhanced facilitation and liberalization of cross-border investments,” stated a representative from the PBOC.

According to a survey by the Bank for International Settlements (BIS), the yuan’s market share in global foreign exchange transactions has surged from 4.3 percent to 7 percent in the past three years. This has resulted in a rise in its ranking from the eighth place to the fifth.

This growth has made the yuan the currency with the fastest-growing market share, as offshore entities increasingly adopt it for foreign exchange and risk management purposes.

Multiple sectors have shown optimism regarding the future prospects of the yuan’s internationalization.

Argentina has announced its plan to use the equivalent value of yuan under the China-Argentina currency swap agreement to repay its external debt and interest owed to the International Monetary Fund. This decision comes after Argentina’s previous use of the yuan to repay matured external debt at the end of June.

In July 2023, the Bolivian government announced that the state-owned bank Banco Unión has started trading operations involving the yuan. Marcelo Montenegro, Bolivian Minister of Economy and Public Finance, stated that the yuan trading operations have gotten off to a good start in the country. Montenegro highlighted the potential for increased utilization of the yuan within the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

“More countries are now participating in yuan transactions, and the internationalization of the currency is advancing rapidly,” Montenegro expressed. He further stated that the yuan is expected to play a more significant role in future international trade activities.

More companies have expressed their confidence in the yuan. The PBOC recently released the Market Survey on the International Use of the RMB in 2022.

The survey, conducted among over 3,600 domestic and foreign commercial enterprises, found that around 82.8 percent of the companies are considering using the yuan in cross-border transactions or increasing its usage. This represents the highest level in recent years. Additionally, 71.8 percent of the foreign commercial enterprises surveyed expressed a preference for using the yuan as the currency for trade financing with China, marking the highest intention in the past three years.

By Dr Austin Maho

Nothing typifies the United States double standards and duplicity in the international arena than it’s current position in the raging conflict in Gaza between Hamas and the Israeli defense forces.

In global affairs the US presents itself as the bastion of democracy and the promoter of human rights freedoms and progress on the basis of justice and equality.

The truth is that nothing can be further from the truth. The United States policy is crafted in double standards and duplicity that only serves its national interests. Justice and equality are alien when US interest is at stake.

A good example is the ongoing conflict in Gaza. The blatant level of double standard is apparent. The murderous campaign being perpetrated against Palestinian by the Israelis has the support of the US.

The US government has opened it weapon stock to Israel without holding back. These weapons are being used by the Israeli defence forces to target hospitals, infrastructure and civilians with score of casualty recorded including women and child.

American official position in the face of these killings of innocent civilians has not been condemnation but one of tacit support for the Israeli government to carry on with its murderous campaign on the blocked Gaza Strip.

This is in sharp contrast between US government treatment of the Russian military operation in Ukraine.

Whereas it has imposed harsh sanctions because of Russia’s operation in Ukraine, the US in its double standard has turned a blind eye in Gaza.

Statements by top American officials tend to view Israeli attacks as “legitimate acts,” without a single condemnation.

The Israeli bombing of the Al-Ahli Arabi Baptist Hospital in northern Gaza is a good example of American duplicity and double standards that places little value on human lives where its interests are concern.

Although the number of civilian casualties in Israel’s bombing of the hospital was much greater than losses in Russia’s targeting of the Maternity Hospital in Mariupol on March 9, 2022, the US administration did not show the same harsh reaction toward the Israeli government compared to Russia.

The US did not even hold Israel to account for the hospital bombing.
Commenting on the targeting of the hospital in Mariupol, US President Joe Biden said the attack was an “injustice” and a “disgrace to the entire world.”
“The whole world is united to support Ukraine and make Russian President Vladimir Putin pay a heavy price,” he said.
But after the attack on the hospital in Gaza, Biden said he was “deeply saddened by the explosion” at the facility. Biden even denied that Israel was responsible for the bombing!
“Based on what I’ve seen, it appears as though it was done by the other team, not you,” Biden said at a news conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, evidently referring to Israeli claims that Islamic Jihad, a Palestinian group with similar aims as Hamas, was responsible.

Biden also described what happened in Ukraine as “genocide,” but sees the Israeli slaughter of trapped civilians in the Gaza Strip as an act of self Defence.

The US has shown a nagging hypocrisy and duplicity in the war in Ukraine compared to what is happening in the Gaza Strip. Why the double standard? Unsurprisingly, such stances go all the way to the top of the US administration and a reflection of its duplicity and double standards in global affairs.

The reflexive identification with Israel, by both the US government and Western media and politicians is mind bugling. Palestinians who are contending with age long discrimination and occupation including the denial of their basic rights are framed as the aggressors while the Israelis are framed as the victims.

This is a pattern the US has developed over the years that calls to question its ability to mediate in global affairs with fairness, equity and justice

By He Yin, People’s Daily

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Dec. 7 met with President of the European Council Charles Michel and President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen who were in China for the 24th China-EU Summit.

The two sides had in-depth exchanges of views on strategic issues critical to the direction of China-EU relations and global issues of mutual interest to draw a blueprint for, identify the focus of and inject impetus to China-EU relations. Both sides sent out a positive message of China and the EU working together for further progress in our relations.

The bilateral relationship between China and the EU has shown a good momentum of recovery and steady progress under the strategic guidance of leaders from both sides.

The two sides have hosted a series of high-level dialogues and reached important consensus on cooperation, which showcased the resilience and vitality of China-EU relations, as well as the strategic significance and global influence of China-EU cooperation.

China and the EU have released a positive signal to strengthen communication, engage in dialogue and cooperation, and constructively handle differences, achieving fruitful results. This has injected stability and positive energy into the turbulent international situation.

There is no fundamental strategic disagreement or conflict between China and Europe. China will keep its Europe policy stable in the long run, continue to see Europe as an independent force in a multi-polar world, and stay committed to a China-Europe relationship that is not targeted at, subjugated to, or controlled by any third party.

China has released three policy papers on the EU, all of which take mutual respect as the primary principle in developing China-EU relations.

The two sides have developed a pattern of all-round, multi-level and wide-ranging cooperation since they established a comprehensive strategic partnership 20 years ago.

Taking stock of history, as long as China and the EU navigate the trend of the world, uphold the apt description of their relationship as a comprehensive strategic partnership, view each other from a strategic perspective, fully leverage the guiding role of the China-EU Summit and the five high-level dialogues, strengthen strategic communication, and increase understanding and properly handle differences through constructive dialogue, they will be able to ensure a stable, sound and long-term China-EU relationship.

China and the EU are partners, not rivals and their common interests far exceed differences. Xi stressed that the two sides need to develop a right perception of each other, promote mutual understanding and trust, honor commitments, do the right thing and be wholehearted in developing China-EU relations. They should not view each other as rivals just because their systems are different, reduce cooperation because competition exists, or engage in confrontation because there are disagreements.

There is a high degree of complementarity between the Chinese and EU economies. The two sides should leverage their complementary strengths in terms of market, capital and technology to upgrade traditional industries and foster emerging ones, explore new modes of cooperation, foster new areas of growth, and jointly improve industrial and supply chains. The two sides should do more to increase the breadth and depth of cooperation and tighten the bond of shared interests.

Recently, China has decided to apply unilateral visa-free policy on a trial basis to travelers holding ordinary passports from countries including France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Spain. This has been generally welcomed by relevant countries in Europe.

In the future, China and the EU should also bolster people-to-people exchanges and facilitate personnel interflows.

Xi underscored that Chinese modernization and European integration are strategic choices that China and Europe have made respectively with the future in mind. The two sides should respect and support each other, and leverage the complementarity of their development strategies for common progress. China will continue to promote high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, including by creating synergy between the Belt and Road Initiative with the EU’s Global Gateway to help developing countries grow faster.

At present, the China-Europe Railway Express service reaches 217 cities across 25 European nations, driving economic development and improving people’s livelihoods in countries and regions along the routes. This has promoted win-win cooperation between Asia and Europe.

According to the latest statistics, the total volume of goods transported by the service in the first 11 months of this year already exceeded the total volume recorded in the whole of 2022.

As China pursues high-quality development and high-standard opening up, it sees the EU as a key partner for economic and trade cooperation, a preferred partner for scientific and technological cooperation, and a trustworthy partner for industrial and supply chain cooperation. China is ready to work with the EU for mutual benefit and common development.

Michel and von der Leyen noted that the EU highly values its ties with China, and does not want to decouple from China. It seeks a long-term, stable, predictable and sustainable relationship with China, and hopes that the EU-China Summit will help reenergize EU-China relations.

China-EU relations bear on the prosperity of Asia and Europe, as well as the stability of the international landscape. It should be well safeguarded and developed by both sides.

Xi pointed out that China and the EU are two major forces advancing multipolarity, two major markets in support of globalization, and two major civilizations championing diversity. Amid the increasingly turbulent international situation, the China-EU relationship has strategic significance and implications for global peace, stability and prosperity.

The EU side also believes that the EU and China have shared responsibilities and interests in keeping the world peaceful and stable.

The two sides should work together to safeguard multilateralism and strengthen global governance, so as to contribute to the well-being of mankind and addressing global challenges.

China and the EU should remain partners for mutually beneficial cooperation in a volatile and intertwined world. China is willing to work together with the EU, uphold mutual respect and win-win cooperation, follow true multilateralism, and continuously deepen the China-EU comprehensive strategic partnership, to provide greater stability for the world and stronger impetus for development.

By Wang Binlai, Jiang Feng, Qu Xinming, People’s Daily

The New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor is an international trade and logistics passage jointly built by Chinese provincial regions and ASEAN countries.

The passage takes provincial regions in western China as key transportation hubs and stretches southward to destinations across the globe, making use of various transportation modes including railway, maritime shipping and highway.

In recent years, China has been vigorously promoting the construction of the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor. According to statistics, the trade volume between the 13 provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities jointly building the passage and the ten ASEAN countries exceeded $130 billion last year, an increase of 73.3 percent compared to that in the beginning of the corridor’s operation in 2017. This figure has exceeded $100 billion for three consecutive years.

Rail-sea intermodal trains departing from Chengdu International Railway Port in Chengdu, capital of southwest China’s Sichuan province, for south China’s Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region have been operating steadily with a continuous increase in shipment volume.

According to Huang Jun, director of the dispatching workshop of the Chengdu North Railway Station under China Railway Chengdu Group, the Sichuan-Guangxi rail-sea intermodal trains, which start from Chengdu and export cargos to ASEAN countries via the port of Qinzhou in Guangxi, reduce shipping time by over a half compared with traditional river-sea transportation.

And more changes are happening to forge better connectivity.

A new rail line between Chengdu and Kunming, capital of southwest China’s Yunnan province, was opened at the end of 2022. The railway, together with the international freight line of Lancang-Mekong Express, shortens the trip between Chengdu and Laos’ capital Vientiane to two days and 17 hours.

In July this year, the Lancang-Mekong-Sichuan Express was launched. The train service originates from Rayong province, Thailand, and travels via the China-Laos Railway from Vientiane to Chengdu International Railway Port. It then heads to Budapest, Hungary in Europe, through China-Europe freight trains.

The service connects the China-Laos Railway and the China-Europe freight service, reducing the logistics transit time to a minimum of 15 days.

As of October this year, the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor had established 139 logistics stations in 69 cities of 18 provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities in China, reaching 480 ports in 120 countries and regions worldwide.

In the first three quarters of this year, the rail-sea intermodal trains of the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor transported 633,000 twenty-foot equivalent units, growing 14 percent year on year.

“In addition to the rail-sea intermodal transport, other modes of transportation such as the rail-road, river-rail-sea, road-sea and the air transportation are also being developed rapidly,” said Liu Wei, director of the logistics and operation center of the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor.

Provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities involved in the construction of the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor are working together to promote the deep integration of transportation modes, establishing an efficient intermodal transport system for Asian and European countries and regions, Liu noted.

As hardware facilities are becoming more advanced, the level of logistics operations and service support is also improving. Guizhou and Yunnan provinces are implementing Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) rules in the construction of the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor according to their respective local conditions. Chongqing municipality has comprehensively implemented a fast customs clearance mode for railways and innovating new forms of foreign trade.

What’s even more gratifying is that this passage is now empowered by digital development. By building digital and information platforms, provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities jointly constructing the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor have launched a series of convenient online services.

For example, the international trade “Single Window” of Ningxia Hui autonomous region has launched 781 services in 19 major categories, and 38 types of import and export regulatory certificates can be applied through the “Single Window.” Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region is promoting the integration of 5G, new infrastructure, and transportation infrastructure, enhancing the sharing capabilities of information platforms, and promoting the intensive and efficient development of transportation resources.

In 2022, 78 routes were opened along the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor, bringing rice from Laos and durians from Thailand to China and Europe, and taking specialties of west China like Guizhou’s chili sauce to overseas destinations.

Leveraging advantageous industries such as automotive and electronic information, Chongqing saw its trade volume with Belt and Road countries and regions reach 333.14 billion yuan ($46.81 billion) last year. The municipality has attracted investment from 319 Fortune Global 500 companies.

Chinese enterprises have collaborated with Laos to develop modern agricultural industrial parks, and are exploring an integrated banana supply chain featuring transport, trade and production with Cambodia.

These vivid examples demonstrate how the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor facilitates industrial development.

The New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor has become a vital link in promoting a smooth dual circulation, Liu told People’s Daily.

It drives global division of industries and cooperation, and connects west China with the Southeast Asian and European markets, which will contribute to high-quality development, Liu added.