Nigeria Times

By Yang Yi, People’s Daily

Splendid cultural activities are held in many countries to celebrate the Year of the Rabbit, which came on Jan. 22, including traditional Chinese dragon and lion dance, music performances of both Western and Eastern masterpieces, the “face changing” technique of Sichuan Opera, and dragon boat races.

These activities, which presented a feast of the Chinese culture, have demonstrated the value of traditional Chinese culture in the world and established a bond of cultural exchanges and communication across the world.

On Jan. 16, just a few days before the Chinese New Year, or the Spring Festival, big red lanterns were seen hanging outside of the China Cultural Center in Berlin, capital of Germany, which was freshly decorated for the festival.

A ceremony of a concert and a photo exhibition themed with the Chinese New Year was held at the center, which marked the start of a series of celebration activities. Fourteen songs popular in both the East and the West were jointly performed by Chinese and German musicians.

On Jan. 22, Chinese New Year celebrations were held on the Yaowarat Road, or the Chinatown, in the Thai capital of Bangkok. The Chinatown was bustling with a Chinese New Year fair as well as music and dance performance with Chinese characteristics. Festive vibes were felt everywhere on the road.

Together, residents and tourists from across the world watched dragon and lion dance, posed for pictures in front of lanterns and bunny-themed decorations, and joined colorful activities to experience the traditional Chinese culture, such as Peking Opera face painting and traditional Chinese medicine preparations.

Dragon and lion dances attracted a lot of attention in Paris, France on Jan. 20. Six men danced happily in a “dragon” and four in a “lion” with the lively sound of gongs and drums, and a cute “rabbit” interacted with the crowd. People took photos with the dancers and applauded, making the street a sea of joy.

During the Spring Festival, dragon and lion dances, parades and Chinese food festivals will be staged in several districts in Paris.

An electric bus decorated with Chinese New Year elements recently became a big attraction on the streets of Budapest, capital of Hungary. [1] Besides, a cultural event was held at the Allee Mall in downtown Budapest to celebrate the Chinese festival. Presenting a series of activities that showcased Chinese culture and art as well as folk customs, the event was warmly welcomed by residents.

On Jan. 17, a surprising ice sculpture of a rabbit was revealed to Chinese tourists at the popular scenic spot and winter sports resort, Jungfrau in Switzerland. The sculpture was located on the glacier beside the Jungfraujoch railway station, the highest railway station in Europe.

The cableway at the Swiss resort also decorated its departure station with rabbit decorations and red lanterns to celebrate the Chinese New Year. According to an employee of the resort, the scenic spot has prepared many other surprises with Chinese elements to welcome tourists from China.

On Jan. 15, a Chinese New Year dragon boat race kicked off in Buenos Aires, capital of Argentina, which attracted crowds of spectators to cheer and take photos. The sound of the splashing water, drums and applause ignited the competition.

The dragon boat race was joined by nearly 200 athletes from 21 teams in Argentina. Before it started, Mario Moccia, president of the Argentine Olympic Committee, dotted the eyes of dragon boats to bestow good luck, a tradition of the Chinese paddled watercraft activity.

The Chinese Embassy in the U.S. hosted a reception for the 2023 Chinese New Year of the Rabbit on Jan. 17. About 800 guests attended the event to celebrate the festival and enjoy Chinese food.

Kin Wah Moy, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs of the U.S. Department of State, said in his remarks that though China and the U.S. have differences, those differences make the two countries unique and beautiful. They can mean positive outcomes, and there can be hope, Moy said.

What people are looking for this year is hope that the U.S. side will work hard to make sure that the U.S.-China relationship is in the right place, he noted.

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By Wang Zheng, People’s Daily

China’s auto production exceed 27 million units, up 3.4 percent year on year, while sales increased 2.1 percent from a year ago to 26.86 million units, according to recent data by the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM).

The Chinese auto industry maintained the momentum for recovery and demonstrated strong resilience, the association said.

China’s auto production and sales have ranked first in the world for 14 consecutive years, and those of new-energy vehicles (NEVs) topped the global market for an eighth year in a row.

“Despite the structural shortage of chips, the high price of power batteries and other impacts from negative factors, the Chinese auto market bucked the trend and achieved positive growth thanks to policies in stabilizing growth and promoting consumption, as well as the efforts made by all market players. The industry demonstrated strong resilience,” said Fu Bingfeng, executive vice-president of the CAAM.

Over 20 million passenger vehicles have been produced and sold in China annually for the past eight years, as a result of the country’s car-purchase tax cut and the rapid growth of NEVs, Fu noted.

The NEV market maintained exponential growth in 2022, witnessing the production of nearly 7.06 million units and sales of nearly 6.89 units, surging 96.9 percent and 93.4 percent year on year, respectively, Fu told People’s Daily.

The market share of NEVs in China’s auto market reached 25.6 percent in 2022, 12.1 percentage points higher from a year ago, Fu said, adding that the Chinese NEV sector has gradually entered a new phase of market-based development and growth.

With emerging NEV startups and intensified efforts of auto joint ventures and mainstream Chinese automakers to develop NEVs, the competition is getting increasingly intense.

This year, China will work vigorously to boost market confidence, implementing a strategy to expand domestic demand and further activate market entities and consumption vitality.

It is expected that the Chinese auto market will grow about three percent in 2023 and keep the momentum for stable development, Fu said.

On Jan. 12, 1,840 vehicles manufactured by Chinese automaker Chery left Wuhu, east China’s Anhui province for Shanghai, where they were loaded and shipped to Mexico two days later.

This was the second shipment of Chery’s automobiles to Mexico this year, and another batch of 3,281 units is scheduled to be shipped to Türkiye and other markets on Jan. 21, the Chinese New Year’s Eve, according to Chery spokesman Jin Yibo.

Jin said the company is currently shipping nearly 5,000 vehicles to Mexico each month, and its exports exceeded 450,000 units last year, up 67.7 percent from 2021.

On Jan. 10, the first 150 JH6 tractor trucks to be exported to Indonesia this year were loaded at the port of Lianyungang in east China’s Jiangsu province.

The carmaker, China’s FAW Jiefang based in Changchun, northeast China’s Jilin province, has constantly expanded its global business and witnessed the rapid growth of sales in major markets, including Indonesia. It exported 22,000 vehicles last year, up 47 percent year on year.

Chinese electric vehicle giant BYD also made remarkable achievements overseas, entering markets including the Netherlands, Japan, Germany, Sweden, Thailand, India and Norway.

So far, BYD has established some 30 industrial parks around the world, and its NEVs are sold in more than 400 cities overseas in over 70 countries and regions. The company exported nearly 56,000 NEVs in 2022, which more than tripled the figure from a year ago.

Grasping the opportunities in the NEV market and making breakthroughs overseas was the biggest highlight of China’s auto exports in 2022.

According to the latest statistics released by the CAAM, China exported over 3.11 million vehicles in 2022, up 54.4 percent year on year, significantly encouraging the industry’s overall growth. In particular, 679,000 of them were NEVs, up 120 percent year-on-year.

Since China’s annual auto exports exceeded 2 million units for the first time in 2021, the sector has embraced leapfrog development, said Fu.

He attributed the outstanding performance to the short supply overseas and the significantly improved competitiveness of Chinese carmakers, especially their advantages in battery, motor, electric control system and autopilot technology.

Statistics indicated growths in both the volume and price of exported Chinese vehicles since 2022, with an average price of $18,900. The average price of pure electric vehicles was $25,800 during the same period.

Experts said Chinese auto exports are expected to step onto a higher level as long as China grasps the opportunities brought about by NEVs and intelligent connected vehicles, and improves its capability in the independent development of industrial and supply chains.

By Han Shuo, People’s Daily

Brazilian multinational corporation Vale S.A. announced that it would officially kick off the operation of the Sol do Cerrado solar farm in Jaiba, Brazil, on Nov. 17, 2022.

The solar farm is one of the largest solar projects in Latin America. Its solar modules and spare parts were supplied by Chinese solar panel manufacturer JinkoSolar.

Before this, the Brazilian company’s second 100-percent electric, battery-powered locomotive had been put into use, and this locomotive was also manufactured by a Chinese enterprise – CRRC Zhuzhou Electric Locomotive Co., Ltd.

“Zero-emission equipment manufactured by China are assisting us to achieve net zero emissions before 2050,” said Tracy Xie, president of Vale China.

“The report to the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China stressed promoting green development and the harmonious coexistence between human and nature, which signifies that China will keep playing an active role in tackling global climate change. It inspires us very much,” Xie noted.

Vale S.A. is one of the largest mining corporations in the world and one of the largest excavators and suppliers of iron ore. According to Xie, the company’s first shipment of iron ore to China was in 1973, a year before China and Brazil established diplomatic relations.

“China has become Vale S.A.’s largest market in the world since 2006, and over half of the company’s iron ore products are sold to China each year,” Xie said.

She said the strong momentum of China’s economic development is obvious to all, and the country’s green development philosophy would create enormous business opportunities and has provided vast platforms of cooperation for many foreign enterprises, including Vale S.A.

The Brazilian company will always place the Chinese market at the center of its development strategy, Xie added.

Vale S.A. has witnessed the constant optimization of China’s business environment during its development in the country.

“We are a beneficiary of the reform of the General Administration of Customs (GAC) to simplify customs clearance. Paperless customs clearance enables us to submit materials online, and the procedures are safer, more convenient, and more efficient. The GAC also optimized its inspection and monitoring models for imported iron ore products,” Xie said.

“Today, some of our iron ore products, upon inspection by third-party companies, can arrive at warehouses from some ports in just three days, which used to take 20 days. It enables us to deliver the best-quality iron ore to Chinese steel manufacturers with higher efficiency,” she said.

Xie told People’s Daily that the slowdown of global growth is making uncertainties, but the fundamentals sustaining China’s long-term stable growth remain unchanged.

“China enjoys a solid industrial foundation and complete and stable industrial and supply chains. Besides, it also boasts the world’s most promising domestic market, which will release huge development potential as it accelerates the building of a new development paradigm. The optimization of China’s COVID-19 response will make international trade exchanges more unimpeded, which helps safeguard the stability of global industrial and supply chains and will create more opportunities for international cooperation on innovation and technology,” Xie said.

The production of China’s new energy vehicles and solar cells surged by 100.5 percent and 44.1 percent respectively during the January-November period last year.

“This indicates that as the world speeds up the transition of energy utilization, China’s efforts to promote the use of green energy products and strengthen market cultivation have paid off. Since 2021, Vale S.A. has signed cooperation documents on low-carbon iron production with 10 Chinese steel manufacturers. As an important supplier of raw materials for Chinese enterprises, we are looking forward to embracing a green future of carbon neutrality together with them,” Xie said.

She said China’s efforts to advance high-level opening up are of important significance for global recovery.

According to a world openness report issued last November, China has continuously improved its openness indexes and become an important force driving economic globalization.

“China’s development is creating new opportunities, and we are confident in the future of the Chinese market,” Xie told People’s Daily.

An entertainment outfit, the Miss Glam World Shining Star yesterday held the Queens for Peace and Security Conference to commemorate the 2023 Armed Forces Remembrance Day at the Treasure Suites and Conferences, Central Business District, Abuja.

In her address to the mammoth crowd that graced the occasion, the Convener of the Queens for Peace Project, Queen Sarah Bulus called on the Nigerian youths to become more actively involved with the security of lives and property in and around their domains as security is a collective business.

According to her, “as youths, we must become active stakeholders in the security of lives around us through effective intelligence gathering and sharing with relevant the Nigerian Armed Forces to enable them protect us and function more efficiently”.

In attendance at the conference were Beauty Queens across the country with the aim of getting a large coterie of Beauty Queens, female activists and young women to strongly advocate for peace and national security considering its devastating effect.

High point of the event was the inauguration of the Nigerian Queens for Peace and Security Ambassadors with the task to embark on peace and security advocacy visits to IDP camps and rural communities where potential terrorists and dissidents will be dissuaded from following the wrong path as a preemptive security approach.

The Coalition of Arewa Youths for Zero Corruption, a think-tank for anti-corruption and transparency with the vision of eradicating corruption in the Nigerian civil and public service has called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and other security agencies to immediately swing into action and sanction organisations whose ranking on the Integrity Report was very low to serve as a deterrent to others.

Recall that the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission’s (ICPC) had recently released 2022 Integrity Report that rated 52 Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) as High Corruption Risk (HCR).

The group in a statement signed and made available to journalists in Abuja, the National Coordinator, Mallam Aliyu Bello Mohammed also commended MDAs that performed exceedingly well in the 2022 Integrity Report despite challenges and distractions from within and outside their organisations.

The statement described the high performance of certain ministries, parastatals and agencies they have been monitoring and engaging with as highly exceptional, adding that they have shown to the whole world that a corrupt free Nigeria is possible.

According to Mallam Aliyu Bello Mohammed “we had expected that agencies such as National Research Institute for Chemical Technology (NARICT), Ministry of Education and the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) we be indicted due to the many running battles they had with host communities and stakeholders from within and outside but to our greatest surprise, they complied fully with the ICPC integrity test with outstanding results.

“As transparency ambassadors, we call on other agencies, parastatals and ministries who either failed the integrity test or did not respond to the enquiry possibly for fear of indictment to emulate them and follow their template for fighting corruption. They should be chosen and appointed as transparency consultants so that they can share their secrets and strategies with other organisations”.

The group however, expressed displeasure with some top government agencies, ministries and agencies that have been listed as High Corruption Risk (HCR) as highlighted by the ICPC in the 2022 Integrity Report released via its Twitter page on the 12th of January 2023.

“It is appalling that despite the anti-corruption stance of the present adminstration, some 52 MDAs were classified as having ‘High Corruption Risk (HCR)’ by the ICPC. Their failure to respond to an Ethics and Integrity (EICS) enquiry filed by the commission in the year 2022 can best be described as complicity and a desperate attempt to hide their unethical practices. We therefore call on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and other security agencies to immediately swing into action and sanction organisations whose ranking on the Integrity Report was very low to serve as a deterrent to others”, the statement added.

While commending the President Muhammadu Buhari led government and ICPC for doing a very professional and timely audit into the performance of MDAs, the group insisted that agencies that have failed to comply with the Ethics and Integrity Enquiry and those that performed very poorly in key performance indicators like the Nigerian Police Force (NPF) must be compelled, using all legal instruments available to enforce their compliance. According to the statement “no stone must be left unturned in the fight to finish and eradicate corruption in Nigeria”