Nigeria Times

By Zhong Sheng, People’s Daily

Freedom from arbitrary detention is a fundamental individual right stipulated in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) of the United Nations, and an important provision in international human rights treaties.

However, the United States has carried out arbitrary detention in total disregard of its domestic legal provisions and international treaty obligations, causing serious physical and mental harm to the people involved.

The shocking facts and truth that the country has carried out arbitrary detention have laid bare its hypocrisy and double standards with regard to human rights.

The U.S. detention of immigrants at its domestic facilities is a serious violation of the “no use of torture” rule.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security implements a policy of family separation at the U.S. border, which has caused severe suffering and torture to parents and children forcibly separated.

Women in custody at the Irvine County Detention Center in Georgia often suffered medical abuse and neglect.

The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement regularly places migrants in local jails and prisons, where they suffer various kinds of physical abuse.

There is no specific regulations in the U.S. on how long immigrants should be detained, so the length of detention is decided by the place of detention and economic factors, and some even become indefinite.

In February 2022 alone, more than 9,400 unaccompanied child immigrants were detained by U.S. border law enforcement and some 4,000 of them were held in border custody for more than 72 hours.

According to an article in Politico Magazine, from February 2017 to June 2021, more than 650,000 people detained by the Border Patrol were under 18. More than 220,000 of those children, about one-third, were held for longer than 72 hours.

The UN human rights authority has expressed strong condemnation of the arbitrary detention of immigrants in the U.S.

U.S. practices of arbitrary detention and torture scandals around the world are even more horrible.

The country had been using “prison boats” to hold terrorist suspects since the Clinton administration. As many as 17 warships may have been used as “floating prisons” by the U.S. from 2001 to 2008.

A “Cost of War” report published by the Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs at Brown University reveals that after the 9/11 attacks, at least 54 countries and regions have participated in the U.S. black sites network, which has detained hundreds of thousands of people.

Under the excuse of the so-called “War on Terror,” the U.S. has set up black sites in many other countries, covertly detained alleged terrorist suspects, and extracted confessions with torture and other ill-treatment–all of which are typical examples of its wanton destruction of the rule of law and violation of human rights.

Torture scandals have been constantly exposed in the notorious Guantanamo Bay detention camp, the Bagram prison in Afghanistan, and the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq. Beatings, waterboarding, prolonged sleep deprivation and other enhanced interrogation techniques are outrageous.

“We are still very far from a full acknowledgment of what took place–let alone accountability for it,” The Guardian pointed out in an article, adding that no one was held accountable for systematic practices of torture and rendition in the U.S. black sites, and an honest reckoning is long overdue.

Facing the frequent exposure of serious human rights violations at U.S. “black sites” overseas, the U.S. government has continued to cover up and deny its crimes.

In December 2002, then U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld approved the use of a range of interrogation techniques at Guantanamo, including sensory deprivation, isolation and the use of vicious dogs. Washington blocked the information and impeded the revealing of findings by the International Committee of the Red Cross, and refused the recommendation made by the UN to shut down the prison.

According to the “Cost of War” report, four months after the death of Gul Rahman, who was held at Bagram prison and died of coldness and torture, the officer in charge of the interrogation was awarded a CIA commendation and $2,500 in cash awards. 

In 2004, hundreds of prisoner abuse photos at Abu Ghraib prison were disclosed, but the U.S. military personnel, senior government officials and private military contractors involved have been spared trial. Only some low-level U.S. soldiers went through military trials and got convicted.

The U.S. government even has imposed economic sanctions and entry restrictions on the International Criminal Court chief prosecutor and other officials.

The U.S. has a long history of arbitrary detention and disregard of human rights both at home and abroad, reflecting a deep-seated political culture of racism and violence.

The rise of white supremacy in the country has exacerbated racial conflicts and led to frequent refugee crises in border areas. Race-based arbitrary detention tramples on the basic human rights of ethnic minorities and foreign immigrants. It further tears apart American society, creating social wounds that are difficult to heal.

The fact that the U.S. has arbitrarily detained illegal immigrants at home and set up a large number of “black sites” abroad to create cases of arbitrary detention reflects its deep-seated hegemonic and unilateralist thinking and violent political culture.

The arbitrary detentions of the U.S. at home and abroad tell the world that the country is in every sense an “empire of arbitrary detention” with the worst human rights violations.

The U.S. should face up to and reflect upon its own deplorable record with regard to democracy and human rights, stop politicizing democracy and human rights issues, stop interfering in other countries’ internal affairs in the name of democracy, and stop undermining the human rights of people of other countries.

By He Yin, People’s Daily

China has been enjoying a good reputation for valuing sincerity, friendship and equality while developing relations with other developing countries.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said that Serbia is a true friend of China, and the Serbian side respects China and admires China’s great leadership. No matter what pressure or difficulty there may be, the steel-like friendship between the two countries will never change, nor will the friendly sentiment the Serbian side holds toward the Chinese people, he noted.

“Benin, though small in size, stands on the side of truth, equality and justice, and will continue to be a steadfast and reliable friend of China,” said Beninese President Patrice Talon during a meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang.

Crown Prince of Kuwait Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah also said that China is always a friend of Kuwait.

These remarks well indicate developing countries’ firm will to develop relations with China.

In the past 10 years since Chinese President Xi Jinping put forward the principles of sincerity, real results, affinity and good faith, China and other developing countries have always treated each other with sincerity and constantly expanded new areas of cooperation and growth, bringing their cooperation onto new levels.

China has always provided selfless assistance in helping other developing countries develop and modernize. It always respects the will of the people in other developing countries and assists them in developing their economies and improving people’s livelihoods to the best of its ability based on their actual needs. It never interferes in the domestic affairs of other countries.

China is the world’s largest developing country, and developing countries are its natural allies in international affairs.

China sincerely supports greater representation and a louder voice of developing countries in international affairs, helps reinforce the South which is a weak link in the global governance system, and works to make the global governance system better reflect the aspirations and interests of the majority of countries in a more balanced way, especially developing countries.

China always stands with other developing countries, speaking up for them at international fora.

It has endeavored to establish cooperation platforms at various events to deepen mutual understanding, enhance pragmatic cooperation and expand exchanges and mutual learning among developing countries, including the APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting in Beijing, the G20 Hangzhou Summit, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Qingdao Summit, the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, the Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation and the Communist Party of China in Dialogue with World Political Parties High-level Meeting.

The “BRICS Plus” cooperation model proposed by China has set the pattern for carrying out South-South cooperation and seeking strength through unity for emerging markets and developing countries.

China sincerely shares its development experiences with other developing countries, which has injected impetus into their efforts to achieve prosperity.

China has promoted Chinese hybrid rice and Juncao technology, established agricultural technology demonstration centers and Luban workshops, carried out poverty reduction cooperation and set up a global development promotion center. It has always been committed to helping other developing countries achieve common progress.

China has effectively promoted Chinese modernization, made constant progress in enriching and developing a new form of human advancement, and busted the myth that “modernization means Westernization,” setting an important example for other developing countries in independently exploring a path to modernization based on their national realities.

The Chinese efforts have been widely lauded by the international community. It is believed that Chinese modernization has significant meaning for other developing countries as it indicates that modernization is not a single-choice question and there’s no one-size-fits-all standard.

Some said while promoting Chinese modernization, China has also helped improve the economic development of many countries, especially developing countries, and China’s success is inspiring other developing countries to pursue prosperity.

China and other developing countries are both in the process of rapid development. Their mutual understanding needs to keep pace with the time.

China always acts in good faith in addressing problems that might occur in bilateral relations, and will frankly discuss and deal with new developments and issues with other developing countries on the basis of mutual respect and through mutually beneficial cooperation.

Some Western countries are clinging to a Cold War mentality and attacking China for developing relations with other developing countries, trying to impede China from cooperating with them and undermine China’s friendship with them by fabricating lies that China follows the so-called “neo-colonialism” and creates the so-called “debt traps.”

However, developing countries have a clear understanding and fair stance, and have expressed strong dissatisfaction and criticism against the attacks by these Western countries.

Namibian President Hage Geingob recently said that China respects his country and has never engaged in any colonialism or imperialism.

With the growth of developing countries, global prosperity and stability will be put on a more solid footing. China will keep working with other developing countries and adopt concrete measures to deepen their friendly cooperation so as to bring more benefits for them and make the world a more prosperous and stable place.

By He Yin, People’s Daily

This year marks the 60th anniversary of China dispatching its first medical aid team abroad. Over the past six decades, a total of 30,000 medical personnel have treated 290 million local patients in 76 countries and regions.

Chinese medical aid teams, benefiting local communities with their medical proficiency and ethics, have become an authentic representation of China’s sincerity in developing relations with other developing countries.

Chinese President Xi Jinping pointed out in a speech he delivered 10 years ago at the Julius Nyerere International Convention Center in Tanzania that sincerity is a defining feature of China-Africa relations.

The peoples of China and other developing countries are destined to be good friends as they have shared past experiences and similar aims and goals.

Treating developing countries with sincerity, courtesy and friendship has always been a feature and tradition of China’s diplomacy in the new era. China is committed to enhancing mutual understanding between the Chinese people and the people of other countries, and always works to build a solid social foundation for bilateral friendship, so as to nurture a better environment for mutually beneficial cooperation.

Strengthening exchanges and dialogue leads to a closer people-to-people bond.

China has built the Belt and Road into a road connecting different civilizations, and hosted the Conference on Dialogue of Asian Civilizations and the Communist Party of China in Dialogue with World Political Parties High-level Meeting.

It has also actively promoted cultural cooperation within the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, BRICS and other multilateral mechanisms, and has expanded cooperation with African countries, Latin American countries and Arab states on culture, education, science and technology and health, as well as growing exchanges between their media, think tank, youth and women.

China is actively building mutual learning platforms for civilization dialogues, inter-party exchanges and civil diplomacy, so that countries can draw wisdom from each other’s civilizations, enhance cultural understanding and people-to-people bonds, and build a broader consensus for building a community with a shared future for mankind.

It is generally believed by the international community that China has made important contributions to enhancing mutual understanding, solidarity and mutual trust among different civilizations by establishing cultural dialogue platforms.

Deepening pragmatic cooperation brings people closer. China always works to provide tangible benefits to developing countries with sincerity.

In Mozambique, farmers growing Chinese hybrid rice have enjoyed good harvests, and the rice produced has been “Good Taste” by the locals.

In Vanuatu, the China-assisted Malapoa College is like a lighthouse that illuminates the path to knowledge for young generations.

In Mexico, Chinese enterprises, showing respect for local culture, have actively funded public welfare projects including orphanages and nursing homes. The Chinese employees are like families to local people.

In Laos, the China-Laos Railway is like a “golden channel” that has completely changed the life of local people. It is nicknamed the “road to happiness” by Lao media.

These stories make a symphony of China and other developing countries working together through thick and thin and building a closer people-to-people bond.

As a famous Chinese line goes, “Friendship, which derives from close contact between the peoples, holds the key to sound state-to-state relations.” China actively promotes youth exchanges with other developing countries and builds broad platforms of talent training and mutual learning for young generations.

It has provided scholarships funded by the Chinese government for foreign students and strengthened international cooperation in vocational education. It has also held young leaders forums and youth exchange camps, sent young volunteers to other developing countries and invited youngsters from other countries to visit China.

China is helping more and more young people from other developing countries realize their dreams. Those youngsters, who become interested in the Chinese language and culture, are coming to China for study and work and becoming envoys of friendship between China and their own countries.

As a Latin American proverb goes, a real friend is someone who is able to touch your heart from the other side of the world. Indonesians often say that it’s easy to make money but difficult to make friends. There is a also saying in Persian that people’s hearts are connected. These all indicate that people-to-people bonds can build a strong power and only sincerity can make friendship last.

China will always be a true friend and sincere partner of other developing countries, working with them to build a community with a shared future for mankind and jointly creating a brighter future for humanity.

By Li Jie

Canned food is absolutely nothing new. This traditional food processing industry is one of the earliest industries in China to be geared to international standards and market.

China has remained the world’s largest producer and exporter of canned food for years, selling the product to nearly 200 countries and regions.

As a matter of fact, canned food was once a symbol of high-end consumption when it just entered China. In 1950s, China’s canned food was exported for the first time. In the beginning, the country sold a small amount of canned fruits to foreign destinations, and later the variety and quantity expanded year by year. Today, about a quarter of the world’s canned food is produced in China.

The country accounts for 70 percent of the total exportation of canned asparagus in the world and is a global leader in the production of canned tomatoes. Besides, it is the only country in the world that produces canned braised pork and canned mud carp.

Last year, China exported nearly 3.13 million tons of canned food, with a value of $6.89 billion. Both numbers hit a record high in the recent six years.

“China enjoys rich resources. Its canned food production, which has a strong reputation for quality and a comparative advantage in price, is growing year by year. This has built a sound environment for the exportation of Chinese canned food,” said Liu Youqian, director general of the China Canned Food Industry Association.

Ningbo Today Food Co., Ltd. is a major tuna processing enterprise in east China’s Zhejiang province. Founded in 2000, the company has sold 85 percent of its products to overseas destinations in the past 20 years. Its annual exportation hits 700 million yuan ($101.79 million) to 800 million yuan.

“Our production is stable and there’s a huge market demand. We have developed fast in the past 10 years,” said Chen Yifang, chairman of the company.

Food processing companies have high dependence on raw materials. The development of China’s pelagic fishery has brought significant opportunities to such companies..

“Catching, shipping and unloading go before tuna processing. Boasting new equipment and freezing facilities, Chinese fishery vessels can better keep the freshness of raw materials and ensure the quality of processed products,” Chen told People’s Daily, adding that the industrial advantages, together with the advantages in logistics, infrastructure and price, have created a sound environment for the development of food processing enterprises.

Canned orange is a star product among Chinese exported canned food. Yiguan Food Co., Ltd. located in Taizhou, east China’s Zhejiang province is a time-honored player in the canned fruit industry. According to the general manager of the company Huang Hongge, the global annual exportation of canned orange stands at around 350,000 to 400,000 tons, over 250,000 tons come from China.

“Relying on the advantages in raw material and processing brought by the development of orange industry, Chinese canned orange manufacturers have stood out from their global peers,” Huang said.

Canned food processing is a typical labor-intensive industry that needs a huge amount of workforce and thus faces challenges from rising cost. Thanks to constant technological innovation, Chinese enterprises have gradually gained an edge in this regard.

“China had once introduced peeling machines from Spain. However, they didn’t work well as Chinese orange varieties are different from foreign ones. After more than a decade of cooperation with research institutes, we finally developed automatic peeling machines that suit Chinese oranges. In the recent couple of years, we have also improved automation in orange segmenting,” Huang told People’s Daily.

According to him, it took 90 days for 4,000 workers to produce 20,000 tons of canned oranges, but now 30,000 tons can be produced by only 2,000 workers within the same time period.

Automation and intelligent manufacturing are sweeping the canned food industry, said Liu, explaining that major products of the industry are now processed by automatic production lines, which not only improves efficiency for enterprises, but also expands production capacity and reduces labor cost.

What’s encouraging for canned food manufacturers is that the industry is embracing a long-awaited opportunity as ready-to-cook food gets trendy. Sterilization and sealing, two procedures of canned food processing, are of vital significance for the production of ready-to-cook food. Besides, canned food has been considered important by consumers as an emergency supply since COVID-19 broke out. More and more manufacturers have started making canned Chinese cuisines and canned healthy meals, and the packaging form of canned food has shifted to plastic and paper bags.

Ready-to-cook food enjoys broad prospects and a bright future in the international market, said Liu.

By Zhong Sheng, People’s Daily

China’s State Council Information Office on March 28 issued The Report on Human Rights Violations in the United States in 2022. With massive facts and statistics, the report exposes unrelenting human rights violations in the U.S

The report says the year 2022 witnessed a landmark setback for U.S. human rights. In the U.S., a country labeling itself a “human rights defender,” “chronic diseases” such as money politics, racial discrimination, gun and police violence, and wealth polarization are rampant. Human rights legislation and justice have seen an extreme retrogression, further undermining the basic rights and freedoms of the American people.

Facts have profoundly revealed that American democracy cannot safeguard the human rights of people in the U.S.

U.S. politicians declared that human rights are universal and that they won’t brush aside the human rights problems of America. However, in the 2022 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices released by the U.S. Department of State recently, the country ignores its own issues of human rights but points fingers at nearly 200 countries and regions for their human rights situation.

The report issued by China, with ironclad facts, exposes the “diseases” of the U.S. human rights－a dysfunctional civil rights protection system, hollowed-out American-style electoral democracy, growing racial discrimination and inequality, worsening subsistence crisis among U.S. underclass, historic retrogression in women’s and children’s rights, as well as wanton violation of other countries’ human rights and trampling on justice. It is a great textbook for U.S. politicians who need to study more about the problems of human rights in their own country.

The hollowed-out American democracy cannot solve the systemic human rights problems that have long existed in the U.S.

At present, American democracy is being rotted because of political donations, dark money donations, voting obstacles as well as violence and intimidation that accompany its elections. Billionaires and interest groups can easily manipulate the direction of elections, while the will of the people can barely be turned into governance decisions.

The insoluble problem of gun violence is an example. Though most American citizens request gun control, the gun control agenda has been paralyzed due to the manipulationby interest groups and the collusion between politicians and businesses.

The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in the “Bruen case” in June 2022 overturned half a century’s gun control legislation in New York and six other states. Residents of these states were allowed to make concealed carry, a landmark backward step in the field of gun control in the U.S.

The widening ideological divide and opposition between the Democratic Party and the Republican Party have expanded the tear in American society and led to the idling of American politics, which has severely undermined civil rights.

Even the U.S. Supreme Court has been involved in partisan struggles. Last year, it ended women’s right to abortion protected by the U.S. Constitution for nearly 50 years, which landed a huge blow to women’s human rights and gender equality.

The struggle between the two parties has resulted in a “vetocracy,” and the governance efficiency of the U.S. has declined, which seriously weakens the public confidence in American democracy.

According to a poll, 69 percent of Americans believe their democracy is at “risk of collapse” and 86 percent of American voters say it faces “very serious threats.” There is a general public disillusionment of American-style democracy.

American politicians, serving the interests of oligarchs, have failed to solve the structural problems of human rights in the country. Hate crimes based on racial bias in the U.S. increased dramatically over recent years.

The racist massacre at a Buffalo supermarket in May 2022 has shocked the world. The number of Americans dying from drug and substance abuse has increased dramatically in recent years, to more than 100,000 per year. The child poverty rate in the country increased from 12.1 percent in December 2021 to 16.6 percent in May 2022, with 3.3 million more children living in poverty.

Facing these brutal facts, U.S. politicians have lost their subjective will and objective ability to respond to the basic demands of ordinary people and defend the basic rights of ordinary citizens. Instead, they have become an obstructor in eliminating chronic diseases in American human rights in the U.S.

Failing to safeguard the human rights of citizens in their own country, U.S. politicians are still provoking confrontations, division and chaos in the international community under the disguise of so-called “democracy” and “human rights.”

According to data released by Brown University, since the 21st century, the U.S. government has undertaken what it labeled “counterterrorism” activities in 85 countries, directly killing at least 929,000 people and displacing 38 million people. The U.S. military operations around the world have violated the freedom and human rights of people in the U.S. and other countries.

The U.S. is the most prolific enforcer of unilateral sanctions in the world. It currently has sanctions in place against more than 20 countries, which have greatly weakened the capacity and level of human rights protection of the sanctioned countries.

Currently, the U.S. is organizing another edition of the so-called “Summit for Democracy.” Its true intention is to maintain its hegemony by playing bloc politics and using democracy as a tool for political ends.

The international community has come to realize that U.S. politicians indeed follow power politics though they always talk about “democracy” and “human rights,” and they have become a saboteur of global peace and development and a stumbling block to human rights progress.

The U.S. is blind to its serious human rights problems and unable to solve them. However, it has pointed fingers at other countries for their human rights development, which is bound to be strongly opposed by people around the world.

The United States should let go of its arrogance and bias, face up to its serious human rights issues, reflect on the institutional source of these issues and stop its hegemonic, domineering and bullying acts that violate the human rights of other countries as early as possible.

By He Yin, People’s Daily

“The Addis Ababa-Djibouti Standard Gauge Railway has shown remarkable achievements in the areas of operation, maintenance and capacity building, and become an example of the ever-flourishing Sino-African relations,” said an Ethiopian official during a celebration ceremony of the railway’s fifth anniversary of operations recently.

The project has effectively promoted the sustainable development of local communities and bettered people’s wellbeing. It mirrors the tangible achievements of the cooperation between China and other developing countries.

Since Chinese President Xi Jinping put forward the principles of sincerity, real results, affinity and good faith 10 years ago, China, with concrete actions, has enhanced its cooperation with other developing countries and set a good example in helping them achieve common development.

The tangible achievements come from China’s efforts to promote win-win cooperation.

China continues to place its own development in the coordinate system of human development, seeing that its future is closely connected with that of the rest of the world and the interests of the Chinese people are integrated with the common interests of the peoples of other countries.

China actively responds to the priority needs of developing countries for social and economic progress, aiming to improve people’s wellbeing and provide them with tangible gains.

China takes an open and inclusive approach to cooperation. It strives for long-term development of its cooperation with other developing countries, which is in line with the common interests of relevant parties and the general trend of global development.

The tangible achievements come from how China has practiced the spirit of win-win results.

Over the past 10 years, the country has constantly deepened its cooperation with Africa, drafting and implementing ten cooperation plans, eight major initiatives and nine programs.

Over the past 10 years, the country’s Belt and Road Initiative has drawn nearly $1 trillion of investment, built over 3,000 cooperation projects, created 420,000 jobs and lifted nearly 40 million people out of poverty in participating countries.

Over the past 10 years, China has provided a series of international public products that significantly promoted the common development of developing countries.

During the summits commemorating the UN’s 70th anniversary in September 2015, China announced to build “six 100 projects” for other developing countries – 100 poverty reduction projects, 100 agricultural cooperation projects, 100 aid for trade projects, 100 ecological conservation and climate change response projects, 100 hospitals and clinics, and 100 schools and vocational training centers. It also vowed to set up an assistance fund for South-South cooperation, establish an institute of South-South cooperation and development and a center for international knowledge on development.

At the High-level Dialogue on Global Development held in June 2022, China announced important measures to implement the Global Development Initiative, including upgrading the South-South Cooperation Assistance Fund to a Global Development and South-South Cooperation Fund, increasing input to the UN Peace and Development Trust Fund, and setting up a global development promotion center and a global knowledge network for development.

China always keeps in mind the difficulties faced by developing countries and accommodates their concerns.

“This fully indicates China’s ceaseless efforts to make sure that no country or individual is left behind,” said Togo’s President Faure Gnassingbe.

The tangible achievements come from China’s efforts to enhance their capacity for self-development.

Fully considering the resources, development level and needs of other developing countries, China shares unreservedly its experience and technologies with them by various means, and trains local talent and technicians for them, so as to empower them to tap their own potential for diversified, independent and sustainable development.

The Juncao technology, which refers to planting a grass named Juncao with strong adaptability to the environment and rich nutrition while using processed Juncao grass to cultivate edible and medicinal fungi and raise poultry and livestock, is a typical example.

China has launched Juncao programs in over 100 countries, making the grass a “grass of happiness and prosperity.”

Kaul Gena, Pro-Vice-Chancellor administration of Papua New Guinea (PNG) University of Technology, noted that Juncao has been planted in 16 districts of eight provinces in PNG, lifting tens of thousands of people out of poverty, adding that China’s sincere assistance is well appreciated by the people in PNG.

The tangible achievements come from China sincerity in helping other developing countries cope with challenges.

The country has set up a South-South cooperation fund on climate change, set up 10 pilot low-carbon industrial parks, launched 100 mitigation and adaptation programs, provided 1,000 training opportunities on climate change cooperation in developing countries, and established the China-Pacific Island Countries Climate Change Cooperation Center.

China has provided emergency assistance to Tonga, Afghanistan and Pakistan after they were hit by severe natural disasters. Facing the global spread of COVID-19, it has announced to give $2 billion of international aid over two years to countries hard hit by Covid-19, especially developing countries, in supporting their fight against the virus and their efforts to resume economic and social development.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres commented that when it comes to helping developing countries realize common development, China’s efforts have been unmatched.

Today, the global development process has hit major roadblocks, the momentum of international development cooperation is being weakened, and development gap between the North and the South keeps widening.

The international community needs to take more concrete actions to fulfill its promises to help with the development of developing countries.

China will keep strengthening solidarity and cooperation with other developing countries, take concrete measures to make the pie of cooperation bigger and make greater contributions to improving the wellbeing of mankind.

By Dou Hanyang, People’s Daily

Zeng Ronghua lives in Yinyuan village, Sandu township, Songyang county, Lishui of east China’s Zhejiang province. In his newly renovated old house, red Chinese couplets pasted up on the two sides of the gate, and freshly baked fried sugar cakes make the house full of sweet smell.

This century-old house, surrounded by an atmosphere of happiness, was in disrepair two years ago. It was constantly buffeted by wind and rain.

“It all thanks to a restoration project,” Zeng said.

The project, aiming at conserving part of historical and cultural sites, as well as some heritage buildings with private property rights, was launched by the China Culture Relics Protection Foundation in Songyang county seven years ago. Zeng’s ancestral house was included in the project.

The worn-out door has been replaced with a handmade new one, and the ceiling and floor were also renovated. Four months later, the dilapidated house has been fully revamped and revitalized.

According to Zeng, the renovation waterproofed the house and installed insulation with modern techniques, and retained the house’s rammed earth walls to maximumly keep its original appearance.

Over 100 traditional villages have been well preserved in Songyang county, including 78 on the state protection list. Sandu township is home to nearly 1,000 old houses like Zeng’s, around 150 of which were included in the restoration project. A renovation team was specially established in the township to better preserve these buildings.

Zheng Sheng, deputy director of Songyang’s tourism development and service center, told People’s Daily that the project was launched to both optimize rural residents’ living environment and put cultural relics under better protection.

The China Culture Relics Protection Foundation funded around half of the renovation spending for each household, and 70 percent for those receiving subsistence allowance, Zheng said, adding that the rest of the spending was self-raised.

According to him, owners of the old houses could deduct the self-raised part through working and waste recycling, so that they could shoulder only around 1/4 of the total spending.

Apart from the old buildings, ancient roads, wells, monuments, and trees in the villages of Sandu have also been renovated while retaining their original appearance.

“The village is developing better now. We had only dirt roads in the past, but now they are paved with stones. Besides, cultural activities are often held in the hall that’s been renovated by the project,” said Chen Limei, a resident of Yinyuan village.

At present, the renovation project is still underway. Zeng has turned his spare rooms into a B&B hotel, which is the first in Yinyuan village and earns him an extra 20,000 yuan ($2,907) each year.

Nowadays, many young villagers who used to work out-of-town have returned to Sandu township, including Liu Wenyue, a designer of traditional Chinese costumes from Lizhuang village.

She turned a storage room of her ancestral house into a workshop and divided it into shooting, exhibition and working areas. She told People’s Daily that the ancestral house is her source of inspiration, where she designed 104 sets of traditional Chinese costumes last year that helped her gain an income of 700,000 yuan.

“I found the old houses in the village very lively,” said Sun Yingying, who runs a B&B hotel in Songzhuang village, Sandu township. A few years ago, Sun came to Songyang county. After visiting 18 villages in the county, she settled in Songzhuang village and established her B&B brand Taoye.

The foot traffic of the village surged nearly tenfold during the National Day holiday last year thanks to the B&B brand. The increasing visits have increased the income of villagers.

Zheng said the old house renovation project is not only a practice that advances the conservation of cultural relics, but also a livelihood program that inherits China’s fine traditional culture and promotes coordinated economic and social development.

“It is a bridge linking the protection of traditional villages and the utilization of cultural heritages,” Zheng noted.

This year, more and more villagers have returned to their ancestral houses. Zeng told People’s Daily that these houses are a symbol of nostalgia and will lead his hometown to a brighter future.

By Wang Zheng, Liu Zhiqiang, People’s Daily

The integrated development of a new generation of information technologies and advanced manufacturing technologies has become a distinctive feature of a new round of industrial reform.

So far, over 2,100 high-standard digital workshops and intelligent factories have been built across China. In particular, 209 demonstration factories, after going through intelligent transformation, have shortened R&D cycle by 20.7 percent, improved production efficiency by 34.8 percent, lowered defect rate by 27.4 percent and reduced carbon emissions by 21.2 percent.

Zeekr is a premium EV brand owned by Chinese carmaker Geely Automobile Holdings. Its intelligent factory is one example of the changes that smart manufacturing has brought to the industry.

In the general assembly workshop of Zeekr’s intelligent factory, newly assembled vehicles with different colors, wheel styles and configurations were rolling off the production line after passing final inspection.

“These vehicles have already been purchased before production,” Zhao Chunlin, vice president of Zeekr Intelligent Technology, told People’s Daily.

He explained that all Zeekr models are customized by consumers online. For instance, the model Zeekr 001 has more than 1.5 million combinations of options, and some 20 options are offered for wheels alone, Zhao said.

It is learned that an AI-enabled visual system for exterior inspection is employed to ensure that every consumer gets the options exactly as ordered. The system comes with high-definition cameras that scan nine key exterior parts of the vehicles, such as the roof, spoiler, roof trims, rearview mirrors, window trims and door handles, the recorded images are checked in real time in accordance with the order lists generated by a manufacturing execution system.

“Traditional carmakers can also manufacture different models on a same production line, but the number of option combinations, which are preset, can only reach around 100,” said Yang Hui, manufacturing director of the intelligent factory of Zeekr.

An intelligent whole-process solution is very much needed to ensure individual customization and efficient production, Yang added.

The intelligent factory of Zeekr, located in east China’s Zhejiang province and put into production in the third quarter of 2021, was selected by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology as a demonstration factory for smart manufacturing last year.

It comprehensively employs intelligent and digital technologies, combines 5G and industrial internet, applys a transparent, swift and smart manufacturing system that drives green R&D with digital twin, ensures quality with intelligent production and achieves efficient collaboration under the assistance from industrial internet platforms.

In the general assembly workshop of the factory, car parts are delivered by automated guided vehicles and are identified before being installed.

To complete massive customized orders in an efficient manner is just one of the many tasks for the intelligent factory. Zeekr has also won recognition from consumers for its data processing and smart analysis abilities that ensure technical and product quality.

In the welding workshop of the intelligent factory, hardly any worker can be seen. Unlike those traditional welding workshops, there is neither pungent smell of metal nor much welding spatter in Zeekr’s factory. The 100% automation workshop is equipped with 703 welding robots and nearly 200 AGV robots.

“Welding spatter looks beautiful, but it has nothing to do with welding quality. On the contrary, welding spatter may indicate overheating caused by control failures of current or voltage,” said Zhao.

According to him, low current is needed at the beginning to soften the materials being welded and then the current shall be gradually increased to melt the materials.

Zhao told People’s Daily that there are over 4,800 welding points on the frame of the Zeekr 009, a multi-purpose vehicle model. It takes only around a second to complete welding at each point, but Zeekr divides the process into millisecond-level sections and generates a curve of welding current and voltage.

“Welding robots can not only manage the work at millisecond-level precision based on the curve, but also collect accurate data of the current and voltage for quality tracing,” said Zhang Xuye, senior manager of the welding workshop.

By constantly upgrading the intelligent factory, Zeekr aims to achieve flexible production of all its six models under three platforms in an effective and high-quality manner through digital and intelligent technologies, Zhao noted.