Nigeria Times

By Zou Xiang, People’s Daily

The world’s first offshore wind turbine with power generation capacity of 16 megawatts recently became operational in southeast China’s Fujian province. With just one revolution, it generates an incredible 34.2 kWh of electricity.

Today, non-fossil fuel power sources account for over half of China’s total installed capacity, exceeding the nation’s fossil fuel power generation capacity for the first time.

This mirrors the firm steps taken by China in green and low-carbon development.

Green development is a way to achieve maximum economic and social benefits with minimum resource and environmental costs. It is high-quality and sustainable.

In the first half of this year, China’s economic growth was of high quality, an important manifestation of which was the strengthened synergy between green transformation and economic growth.

The proportion of days with good air quality remained at a high level nationwide in the first six months. The percentage of surface water sections with good water quality rose 2.1 percentage points compared to the same period last year.

In terms of energy utilization, energy consumption per unit of GDP fell 0.4 percent year-on-year in the first half. The energy efficiency of steel, primary aluminum, cement clinker and other products per unit were at world advanced levels. The energy consumption per 5G base station dropped more than 20 percent from the period when 5G was just put into commercial use.

Promoting the green and low-carbon economic and social development is key to achieving high-quality development. The greenness of development reveals the quality of growth, marking the significant progress made in China’s green transformation.

Green transformation is not only a powerful means of energy conservation, emission reduction, cost reduction and efficiency enhancement, but also endows industries with broader development space.

Green, circular, and low-carbon development represents the direction of today’s technological and industrial revolutions, and is the most promising area for development. Fully tapping its potential in this regard, China has fostered many new areas of economic growth.

In the first half of the year, led by the green transformation in the energy sector, China’s photovoltaic cell and wind turbine production volumes grew by 54.5 percent and 48.1 percent year-on-year, respectively.

The supply of related green materials increased, with the production of ultra-transparent glass and polysilicon jumping 89.1 percent and 86.4 percent, respectively.

New energy vehicles were massively exported, and the production of related products like lithium-ion batteries and charging piles grew by 46.4 percent and 53.1 percent from a year ago, respectively.

The accelerated green development has provided strong support for the sustained recovery of the national economy.

Across China, examples demonstrate how green, low-carbon development is injecting vital momentum into the country’s economic resurgence.

In Suzhou, east China’s Anhui province, floating solar power stations in mining subsidence zones are transforming wastewater into new energy bases.

In Ningxia Hui autonomous region, an energy and chemical industry base has unleashed much greater economic potential of coal through continuous technological innovation

From the accelerating formation of green lifestyles and production methods, to the tremendous growth of green commodities and industries, green and low-carbon development is continuously injecting momentum into China’s economic recovery.

By Jiang Nan, Dou Hao, People’s Daily

The 19th Asian Games will kick off in less than a month in Hangzhou, east China’s Zhejiang province. Over 12,000 athletes from 45 Asian countries and regions will gather in the Chinese city for this grand sports event.

All preparation works for the Games have entered the final stage, from venue operations to service support. In a vibrant atmosphere, Zhejiang is ready to present more spectacular experiences.

To meet the massive network demands during the opening and closing ceremonies, the main venue of the Games has undergone communication upgrades, with a capacity to handle internet usage by 100,000 people.

To enable better venue operations, an intelligent management system is in place to precisely monitor various data from foot traffic to meteorological conditions.

Many intelligent robots are also in service, assisting with venue patrols and daily management.

More technological means will be applied to improve venue operations, striving to achieve the best performance during the competitions.

A traffic operations drill was recently conducted on the streets of Hangzhou. A motorcade was seen running smoothly along digital lanes designated for the 19th Asian Games, while regular traffic followed signals and police guidance orderly.

A medical emergency drill was conducted at the emergency department of the Qingchun Campus of the First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine.

An actor, who was playing a spectator accidentally fell in the stands and fractured the leg, was sent to the emergency department. The whole process took less than 30 minutes between the arrival of the “patient” and the surgery, including examination and expert consultation.

At present, the hospital has assembled a specialist team consisting of nearly 1,000 people of over 50 disciplines for the Asian Games medical support.

“We have selected outstanding medical personnel from multiple hospitals across the province, striving to complete medical support tasks for the Hangzhou Asian Games and the Hangzhou Asian Para Games with a high standard,” said Jiang Huiquan, deputy head of the medical and health department of the Hangzhou Asian Games Organizing Committee.

Hu Chuan’gang, deputy head of the catering service center of the Asian Games Village, has been busy these days improving service quality, reviewing catering issues and optimizing food delivery routes and processes.

He and his team had spent nearly 4 months formulating the menu for athletes. According to Hu, food on the menu must be free of performance-enhancing substances and satisfy the dietary needs of athletes from different ethnicities, cultures and regions. The dishes should also reflect the features of Zhejiang and Hangzhou, Hu added.

The Asian Games village has six restaurants in total, which are expected to open 20 hours a day from the opening to the closing day of the Asian Games.

All food ingredients entering the Asian Games Village must undergo relevant testing. It is estimated that about 1,000 batches will be tested every day, and more than 20,000 batches will be tested during the Asian Games.

Recently, 163 items of broadcast equipment totaling 1,235 kilograms arrived at Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport from Geneva, Switzerland. They were the first batch of air freighted goods with Admission Temporaire－Temporary Admission (ATA) Carnets for the Hangzhou Asian Games.

ATA Carnet, known as “the passport of cargos,” is an international customs and temporary export-import document.

“We opened special service windows for the Asian Games, operating 24/7 with dedicated staff to ensure the fastest clearance for this batch of equipment,” said Liu Fengbo, customs staff at Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport.

Over the past month, Hangzhou customs has handled customs clearance procedures for 14 batches of 260 Asian Games items from Thailand, South Korea and other countries and regions.

To host a streamlined, safe and splendid Asian Games, Hangzhou is going all out to improve its services in every aspect, including transportation, medical care, catering and the import and export of goods.

At 7:00 a.m., Hangzhou citizen Yu Cuiying started patrolling along a road in Hangzhou’s Gongshu district. These days, she has kept taking down matters needing attention in her work notes.

“I can now perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation and bandaging,” she said, adding that she has also learned simple English vocabulary that enables her to make basic conversations with foreigners after training organized by her community.

The first batch of 220 municipal-level Asian Games service stations has debuted across streets in Hangzhou, providing comprehensive volunteer services for spectators, tourists, and athletes. So far, Hangzhou has carried out 237,000 volunteer service activities joined by over 1.3 million people.

By Zhong Sheng, People’s Daily

The recently concluded trilateral meeting at Camp David joined by leaders of the United States, Japan and South Korea once again revealed to the international community who is the real threat to peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region, despite the “peace” rhetoric frequently employed by the U.S. leader.

This meeting smeared and attacked China on Taiwan and maritime issues—an act of gross interference in China’s internal affairs, a deliberate attempt to sow discord between China and its neighbors and a serious violation of norms in international relations.

The real signal the meeting has sent to the international community is that the U.S. intends to build a “mini NATO” trilateral alliance in Northeast Asia and stoke a new Cold War in the Asia-Pacific region.

The United States claimed that the trilateral meeting and partnership was not against China, but the joint statement issued by the three parties made irresponsible remarks about the Taiwan question and distorted facts about the South China Sea issue, which barely concealed their intent against China.

The Taiwan question is purely China’s internal affair. Resolving it is a matter for the Chinese. China strives for peaceful reunification with the greatest sincerity and the utmost effort, but it will never allow interference in its internal affairs using “peace” as a false pretext by anyone or any force.

The greatest threat to cross-Strait peace is “Taiwan independence” forces and foreign connivance and support for their activities.

The United States, Japan and South Korea emphasized the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, but made no mention at all of opposing “Taiwan independence.” This essentially connived at or supported “Taiwan independence” separatist forces and will have severe impacts on peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.

China’s territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests in the South China Sea are solidly grounded in history and law and consistent with relevant international law and practice.

In recent years, the United States, as an extraterritorial country, has gone to great lengths to interfere in the South China Sea issue. It has encouraged and supported certain countries’ violation of other countries’ maritime rights and sowed discord between countries in the region, which makes the United States a disrupter and saboteur of the regional order.

The United States, Japan and South Korea attempt to build an exclusive and closed “clique” in the Asia-Pacific region, which goes against the trend of regional countries enhancing solidarity and cooperation and promoting regional economic integration.

A U.S. politician called the trilateral Camp David meeting a “major move on the chessboard” that will change the strategic layout in the Indo-Pacific region.

Some American scholars interpreted U.S. intentions even more bluntly, saying the trilateral joint statement at Camp David is a collective security statement close to NATO.

On issues such as trilateral communication mechanisms, security defense, supply chains, and technology, the United States sticks to its so-called “Indo-Pacific strategy” playbook, aggressively peddling security anxieties and hurriedly building an exclusive “clique,” at the expense of disrupting regional peace, stability, cooperation and development.

Although the United States disguised its intentions under lofty rhetoric like “a more peaceful and prosperous Indo-Pacific region,” the Cold War mentality and zero-sum game mindset are unmistakably woven into its fabric. Its real motive of inciting division and confrontation and serving its hegemonic self-interest is plain for all to see.

In recent years, while advancing its so-called “Indo-Pacific strategy,” the United States has continuously tried to leverage Japan and South Korea’s adjacency to China to contain China and consolidate American hegemony.

The hype made by the United States of the Camp David trilateral meeting exposed its sinister plot, and also showed that the United States itself knows clearly that its strategic design lacks foundation and is against the trend.

On the one hand, long-standing grievances persist between Japan and South Korea, especially as Japan has recently backpedaled on historical issues, moved further down the path of military expansion, and adopted an irresponsible attitude regarding the discharge of nuclear-contaminated wastewater.

These have provoked extensive doubts in the South Korean society. South Korea’s newspaper The Hankyoreh said that the South Korean government ignored history and dangerously gambled on quasi-alliance with Japan, which cannot be accepted by the public.

On the other hand, building a “mini NATO” style trilateral alliance in Northeast Asia does not serve Japan and South Korea’s interests.

The two countries’ development has long relied on the overall peace, cooperation and development in the Asia-Pacific region. If they are willing to be the pawns of the United States, introducing bloc confrontation and military alliances into the Asia-Pacific, they will transform the region into an arena of geopolitical wrestling, and ultimately hurt others without benefiting themselves.

South Korean newspaper The Kyunghyang Shinmun pointed out that the United States may embroil South Korea in unnecessary disputes, which is worrying. The Asahi Shimbun of Japan also believes that escalating tensions from U.S.-Japan-South Korea cooperation into a hegemonic bloc confrontation will further worsen the situation.

Through the Camp David meeting, regional countries and the international community can clearly see that the real source of tensions and conflict in the Asia-Pacific region is the United States, which is obsessed with hegemony, bloc politics, and confrontation.

Facing a complex international landscape, all parties should uphold the vision of building a community with a shared future for mankind, follow true multilateralism, and work together to rise up to challenges.

Any country seeking absolute security for itself at the expense of others’ security and interests will ultimately undermine regional stability and jeopardize its own security.

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

By He Yin, People’s Daily

Chinese President Xi Jinping and his South African counterpart Cyril Ramaphosa recently co-chaired the China-Africa Leaders’ Dialogue in Johannesburg. Together with other African leaders, they drew a new blueprint for China-Africa solidarity and cooperation.

The meeting adopted and issued the Joint Statement of the China-Africa Leaders’ Dialogue, which reflected the extensive consensus between China and Africa on strengthening and reforming global governance, promoting Africa’s socioeconomic development, safeguarding peace and security, and advancing the institution building of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC).

The document charted the course for the future development of China-Africa relations in the new era, injecting new impetus into the China-Africa friendship.

China and Africa, through their creative explorations for modernization, are giving answers to the questions of the times, and making joint efforts to advance the great endeavors of win-win cooperation, harmonious coexistence and shared prosperity of civilizations, said Xi in a keynote speech at the China-Africa Leaders’ Dialogue.

He stressed that the two sides must work together to promote a just and equitable international order, safeguard a peaceful and secure global environment, build an open and inclusive world economy, and create a sound environment for realizing their respective development visions.

Xi profoundly expounded on the significance of China and Africa joining hands to advance modernization and proposed concrete measures to strengthen pragmatic cooperation in the next phase, to support African integration, and to facilitate African modernization. This will inject new impetus into elevating China-Africa relations to new heights and the building of a China-Africa community with a shared future.

There are various paths leading to modernization. The African people have the most say on which path suits Africa best. Advancing modernization through integration is the independent choice made by African countries and people. On this path to modernization, China has all along been a firm supporter, and walking side by side with Africa.

Over the years, China has helped Africa build a large number of connectivity infrastructure projects and carried out extensive cooperation with the African Union and sub-regional organizations. Batches of cooperative projects have taken root in Africa, renewing China-Africa friendship across the vast lands of China and Africa.

Ramaphosa remarked at the China-Africa Leaders’ Dialogue that South Africa has benefited immensely from Africa-China cooperation, and this relationship is one of mutual accomplishment and win-win cooperation.

At the Dialogue, Xi announced that China will launch the Initiative on Supporting Africa’s Industrialization, the Plan for China Supporting Africa’s Agricultural Modernization, and the Plan for China-Africa Cooperation on Talent Development.

China plans to train 500 principals and high-caliber teachers of vocational colleges every year, and 10,000 technical personnel with both Chinese language and vocational skills for Africa. China will invite 20,000 government officials and technicians of African countries to participate in workshops and seminars.

Focusing on industrialization, agricultural modernization, and personnel training urgently needed for Africa’s modernization, the three initiatives and plans vividly reflect China’s concrete actions to support African development.

African leaders said that Chinese investment in and cooperation with African countries has played an important role in boosting Africa’s development, and China is Africa’s indispensable cooperation partner in its quest for modernization.

In face of the profound changes unseen in a century, a strong China-Africa relationship and productive China-Africa cooperation will provide more fresh impetus to global development and ensure greater stability of the world. This is an international responsibility and historical mission entrusted to the 2.8 billion Chinese and African peoples.

Bearing in mind the internal potential and external challenges of China-Africa cooperation, Xi emphasized that through Belt and Road cooperation and the FOCAC, and in light of the Agenda 2063 of the African Union (AU), China will work with Africa to enhance the synergy of their development strategies.

He reiterated China’s support for African Union in joining the G20, which fully mirrored China’s backing for Africa to elevate its international standing and voice and China’s concrete action of putting the spirit of China-Africa friendship into practice.

African leaders appreciated China’s proposals to promote Global Development Initiative, Global Security Initiative and Global Civilization Initiative in support of multilateralism, and believe China and Africa’s development will bring more opportunities for world peace and development.

Deeper African integration coupled with the steady modernization progress of both China and Africa will provide new impetus for global economic growth, contribute positive energy to international fairness and justice, and set new benchmarks for equal, open and cooperative partnerships worldwide.

China will work with African countries to further carry forward the spirit of China-Africa friendship and cooperation, deepen solidarity and collaboration across the board, and build a high-level China-Africa community with a shared future, so as to make new contributions to advancing human modernization and prosperity.

By Wang Haonan, People’s Daily

Benchmarking leading global sci-tech innovation hubs like New York, Paris, London, Tokyo and Singapore, Beijing stands out in the number of highly cited papers, Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) patents, top 200 research institutes, and major scientific facilities, with many indexes reaching world-leading levels.

Today, Beijing ranks first nationwide in more than 10 indicators, including the number of invention patents per 10,000 people, PCT annual growth, the share of basic research funding in R&D and the share in national tech contract turnover.

A recent report noted that Beijing has made remarkable progress in building an international sci-tech innovation center, and its global influence has initially taken shape.

A 50 MeV proton cyclotron in Beijing’s Huairou Science City has completed trial runs and been officially put into service. It is a key component of a space science R&D, testing and support platform for satellite series and payload, one of the first interdisciplinary research platforms in the Huairou Science City.

Beijing is accelerating the building of its Huairou district into a national comprehensive science center. So far, 29 major scientific facilities, critical sci-tech infrastructures, and interdisciplinary research platforms have entered the construction and operation stages.

The Chinese capital has established eight world-class new-type R&D institutes in quantum, blockchain, AI and other fields. Leveraging universities and research institutes in Beijing, the city has also built seven national technology innovation centers, three national manufacturing innovation centers, and 78 national engineering research centers.

Zhang Jihong, head of the Beijing Municipal Science & Technology Commission and Administrative Commission of Zhongguancun Science Park, told People’s Daily that the three national labs, located in China’s “Silicon Valley” Zhongguancun, Changping district and Huairou district, have achieved high-quality and normalized operation.

The number of national key labs in Beijing has achieved 80, the highest nationwide, Zhang added.

“Investment in basic research will lay a better foundation for future scientific innovation,” said Wu Hequan, academician with the Chinese Academy of Engineering.

“Beijing has become a major force in the global innovation network, providing strong support for China to become an innovative nation,” he added.

Statistics show that Beijing’s R&D spending exceeded 6.5 percent of the city’s GDP in 2022, which is 2.7 times the national average. Basic research accounted for around 16 percent of the spending. 

Besides, with 218 invention patents per 10,000 people in 2022, Beijing led all Chinese cities in patent intensity.

In recent years, Beijing has made tremendous efforts to build a three-tier international sci-tech innovation system led by national laboratories to enhance the capability for original innovation and source supply.

New R&D institutes have pioneered a management mechanism with five new measures to spur sci-tech innovation. Reforms of high-end talent cultivation, recruitment, and evaluation systems have continuously improved the incentive mechanism and the ensured orderly flow of talent.

New growth engines continue to emerge in Beijing, and the city’s sci-tech innovation capabilities are steadily rising.

At present, Beijing boasts nearly 100 universities and over 1,000 research institutes. It holds the third place globally in the number of unicorn companies, and has topped the Nature Index for scientific research for six consecutive times.

This fertile ground of sci-tech innovation has cultivated world-class original breakthroughs in areas such as the quantum anomalous Hall effect, Majorana fermion, and tumor immunotherapies.

“A new tech firm is established every 5 minutes,” said Zhang Yulei, deputy head of the Beijing Municipal Science and Technology Commission & Administrative Commission of Zhongguancun Science Park.

In 2022, an average of 293 tech firms were founded every day in Beijing, with a 12-percent annual growth in the number of returned overseas students and foreign practitioners.

Partner of Sequoia China Zhou Kui said enterprises’ sustained growth owes much to Beijing’s favorable development environment.

“We firmly believe more original achievements and leading enterprises with global influence will form on Beijing’s fertile sci-tech soil. We will continue rooting in Beijing and increasing our investment,” he noted.

The continuously optimized innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem is attracting global sci-tech talents and capital.

For instance, over 300 multinational corporations have established regional headquarters or R&D centers in Beijing’s Zhongguancun so far. In 2022, the total exports of enterprises in Zhongguancun reached 320.23 billion yuan (around $44 billion), 1.9 times that of 2012.

By He Yin, People’s Daily

Historic moment in BRICS cooperation was witnessed in Johannesburg, South Africa.

At a press conference during the 15th BRICS Summit, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Argentina, Iran and Ethiopia are formally invited to join the BRICS family. The six countries’ membership will take effect on Jan. 1, 2024.

This historic expansion reflects the resolution of the BRICS countries to unite and cooperate with other developing nations, marking a new starting point for BRICS cooperation.

Expanding from 5 to 11 members, the BRICS cooperation mechanism has bolstered its global influence. With 3 more Asian members, 2 more African members, and 1 more member in Latin America, the mechanism has increased its global representation.

After expansion, the proportion of the combined population of BRICS countries to the world’s total will increase from 42 percent to 47 percent, its economic aggregate from 26 percent to 29 percent, and its total trade in goods from 18 percent to 21 percent. The expanded BRICS carries greater significance.

This historic expansion meets the expectations of the international community and serves the common interests of emerging markets and developing countries.

Right now, changes in the world, in the times and in history are unfolding in ways like never before, bringing human society to a critical juncture.

The rising unilateralism, protectionism, the Cold War mentality, zero-sum game mindset, hegemonism and power politics are threatening world peace and stability. The international community needs positive forces upholding open cooperation, safeguarding peace and stability, promoting development and prosperity, and strengthening mutual learning and exchanges.

Many emerging markets and developing countries have come to what they are today after shaking off the yoke of colonialism, and have a stronger desire to safeguard peaceful development and pursue fairness and justice.

Emerging markets and developing countries have contributed as high as 80 percent of global growth in the past 20 years, and their share in the global GDP has increased from 24 percent 40 years ago to more than 40 percent. They have greater capabilities to safeguard peaceful development and pursue fairness and justice.

BRICS expansion conforms to the trend of the collective rise of emerging markets and developing countries, and will further strengthen the forces for world peace and development.

This historic expansion fully demonstrates BRICS countries’ appeal, injecting fresh vitality into the BRICS cooperation mechanism.

Over the past 17 years, the giant ship of BRICS has sailed forward tenaciously against raging torrents and storms. Riding the wind and cleaving the waves, it has embarked on a righteous course of mutual support and win-win cooperation.

Upholding the spirit of openness, inclusiveness and win-win cooperation, BRICS countries have expanded cooperation in various spheres, making important contributions to world peace and development and gaining wide recognition and support from the international community.

Ahead of the summit this year, over 40 countries had expressed their interest in joining the BRICS mechanism, over 20 of which had formally submitted applications. It fully demonstrated the enthusiasm and desire of emerging markets and developing countries for unity and self-improvement.

With more members across a broader geography, the expanded BRICS family has greater space for cooperation, injecting strong positive energy into the BRICS cooperation at this critical historical juncture.

This historic expansion will further pool BRICS strength and increase the Global South members’ representation and voice in global governance.

The BRICS countries have come together to promote peace and development, pursue fairness and justice, advocate mutual benefit and win-win cooperation, and safeguard common interests. They will continue deepening solidarity and cooperation and play a greater role in global governance.

Saudi Arabia said it looks forward to developing this type of cooperation and creating new development and economic opportunities, as well as elevating its relationship with relevant countries to the desired level.

Egypt hopes to coordinate with BRICS members to achieve economic cooperation goals and voice the standpoint of the Global South on shared challenges.

The UAE said it agrees with BRICS leaders’ common vision for humanity’s future development and looks forward to deepening cooperation with all parties to achieve common prosperity worldwide.

Argentina said joining the BRICS mechanism will provide the country with excellent development opportunities and open a new chapter. Iran called joining BRICS a historic step and Ethiopia called it a great moment.

These voices for solidarity and cooperation will contribute to building a better world. After the expansion, BRICS will be able to make the system of global governance fairer and more equitable.

The BRICS cooperation has immense potential and the future is bright for BRICS countries. The expanded BRICS family will forge stronger BRICS strategic partnership and expand the “BRICS Plus” model, writing new chapters of solidarity and cooperation for development among emerging markets and developing countries.

Together they will work to shape a landscape for peaceful development and contribute strength to building a community with a shared future for mankind.

By Zhong Sheng, People’s Daily

Recently, the Japanese government forcibly started discharging the nuclear-contaminated water from the crippled Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant into the ocean, in total disregard of the opposition from the international community and turning a blind eye to the rights to health, development and environment of the Japanese people and people in the rest of the world. This has set a dangerous precedent in human history.

No matter how Japan tries to defend itself, it cannot evade responsibility for damaging the ecological environment and polluting the ocean.

For over two years, the legitimacy, legality and safety of Japan’s ocean discharge plan has been strongly questioned by the international community. Yet the Japanese side has constantly tried to create the false impression that discharging the nuclear-contaminated water is safe and harmless for the world.

On the very day Japan unilaterally commenced the discharge, Japanese media revealed that the Japanese government had planned to spend 70 billion yen (about $480 million) in dealing with negative information about the nuclear-contaminated water discharge, which further indicated Japan’s duplicity.

If the nuclear-contaminated water was truly “safe to drink” as proclaimed by Japan, there would be no need for the Japanese government to discharge it into the ocean against strong opposition. Outwardly, Japan touts the safety of ocean discharge, but secretly it conceals accidents, falsifies data, reneges on promises, and more. Such duplicity will only exacerbate Japan’s credibility deficit.

When forcibly pushing ahead with the discharge plan, Japan deliberately concealed the fact that it lacks the capability to ensure safety. According to recent Japanese media reports, highly radioactive substances failing to meet standards were detected in June this year in water pooled inside the bank surrounding the contaminated water tanks of the plant’s No.1 unit. However, it was not until recently that Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), the plant’s operator, disclosed investigation results showing that cracks in a hose used to transfer nuclear-contaminated water caused leaks.

This once again confirmed doubts about Japan’s ability to handle the nuclear-contaminated water. If Japan keeps having problems storing the water, how can it guarantee safety over the decades-long discharge of over 1.3 million tons into the ocean?

TEPCO has a history of concealment and data falsification. Reports show that TEPCO admitted in 2007 to have falsified data in 199 inspections at the Fukushima No.1 and No.2 plants since 1977, even concealing serious reactor accidents. After June 2011, TEPCO long claimed that no new nuclear-contaminated water was flowing into the ocean. But following revelations of a series of leaks in 2013, TEPCO admitted in July that year that highly concentrated radioactive water had been leaking into the sea. In February 2015, TEPCO was again exposed for hiding the facts when it was revealed that the company knew that high-concentration radioactive water had been continuously flowing from a drainage ditch into the sea since April 2014 but did not announce it or take any remedial action.

A Japanese journalist said that TEPCO routinely conceals facts and even releases false information regarding the nuclear accident and nuclear-contaminated water discharge.

Japan’s government also has a trust deficit regarding oversight and inspection of reactor safety. A 2011 UN report already revealed flaws like lax oversight and insufficient preparedness in Japan’s nuclear safety practices. With such irresponsible behaviors, how can Japan ensure the nuclear-contaminated water is handled in a science-based, safe and transparent manner?

The nuclear-contaminated water from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant contains dozens of radionuclides, many of which cannot be treated effectively with existing technologies. Some long-lived radionuclides may spread with ocean currents and form a bioconcentration effect, which will cause potential hazards to the marine environment and human health.

Since trial operations began in 2013, problems have continuously occurred with Japan’s Advanced Liquid Processing System for treating the nuclear-contaminated water. The facility’s effectiveness and long-term reliability have not been verified by any third-party, and it cannot be guaranteed that treated water meets discharge standards.

A South Korean civic group survey showed 79 percent of respondents considered the claimed safety of Japan’s so-called “treated” nuclear-contaminated water “unreliable”. Concerns from all parties have factual basis.

In 2015, the Japanese government gave a written pledge to the Fukushima Prefectural Federation of Fisheries Cooperative Associations, solemnly promising no disposal measures would be taken regarding the nuclear-contaminated water without the understanding of stakeholders. Japan did not adequately consult with stakeholders including neighboring countries and still unilaterally commenced ocean discharge despite strong opposition. This practice of saying one thing and doing another completely lacks credibility.

A Japanese proverb says trust is the foundation of all things. But regarding the nuclear-contaminated water issue, Japan’s credibility is completely bankrupt. The international community must urge Japan to correct its erroneous decision, halt the ocean discharge, communicate in good faith with neighboring countries, handle the nuclear-contaminated water responsibly, and accept strict international supervision.

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