Chinese foreign trade companies gain confidence in Q3

By Li Jie

China’s policy packages aiming at stabilizing economy and foreign trade took effect in the third quarter, as showed in a recent report by the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT).

The problems of freight rates, energy, capital and exchange rates, which were reported by enterprises in the first half of this year, were significantly alleviated in the third quarter, the report said.

On the whole, the confidence and expectations of Chinese foreign trade enterprises have increased significantly, and they continue to show relatively strong resilience, said Sun Xiao, spokesperson of CCPIT and secretary-general of the China Chamber of International Commerce.

According to the report, confidence of 45.1 percent of foreign trade enterprises gradually recovered in the third quarter; and 30.31 percent are expected to achieve year-on-year growth in annual trade, which is 4.09 percentage points higher than in the second quarter.

Large- and medium-sized enterprises are more optimistic about the foreign trade situation for 2022, while the expectations of small- and micro-sized enterprises, although less strong, have improved from the second quarter.

The export value and profit of foreign trade enterprises have both improved. About 22.69 percent of enterprises saw monthly growth in their trade volume , and 19.52 percent reported a rise in profit.

There was a prominent increase in the export profit of high-value-added industries. The railway, ship, aerospace and other transport equipment manufacturing industries, the paper industry, the specialized equipment manufacturing industry and the automobile industry saw strong momentum for foreign trade growth, with 40 percent, 39.29 percent, 35 percent and 28.28 percent of them reporting month-to-month growth in export profit.

ASEAN has become the largest source market of foreign trade orders in China, especially with enterprises’ deeper understanding of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership.

In the third quarter, ASEAN, the EU and the U.S. were the top three main source markets of foreign trade enterprises’ new orders, accounting for 30.6 percent, 30.55 percent and 25.29 percent, respectively.

Foreign trade enterprises were optimistic about new business forms in the trade sector. It is believed by 46.7 percent of the enterprises that comprehensive foreign trade services play a bigger role in promoting exports, while 22.52 percent held that cross-border e-commerce possesses a more important position in this regard.

The spokesperson detailed the difficulties facing foreign trade enterprises, such as shrinking external demand, insufficient orders in hand, high comprehensive costs, repeated epidemics, and increasing economic and trade frictions.

According to the CCPIT survey, 60.02 percent of enterprises said that the decline in orders was the biggest difficulty; 51.83 percent felt the diversion of orders; 56.22 percent thought that the cost of raw materials increased; and 47.68 percent said COVID-19 impacted production.

The report said enterprises expect the country to further expand the scale of tax-and-fee reductions, so as to help them lower costs, improve confidence and solve problems.

They hoped to accelerate the resumption of offline exhibitions in China, actively participate in overseas exhibitions, and see better facilitated flow of cross-border personnel.

Enterprises also called for training courses or consultation services on the use of preferential policies of free trade agreements to help them effectively cope with international economic and trade friction.

The CCPIT, as an agency assisting Chinese organizations and companies in holding overseas economic and trade exhibitions, has rolled out targeted measures to encourage the resumption of such exhibitions. It is learned that the agency will soon kick off pilot programs on approving delegations to host exhibitions in key countries and to attend key overseas exhibitions.

Overseas warehouses bring Chinese commodities to wider foreign markets

By Xu Peiyu

Chinese commodities are becoming more and more popular with global buyers thanks to the prospering development of the overseas warehouse model.

Overseas warehouses are warehousing facilities established overseas that provide basic services for Chinese manufacturers, such as storage, transferring, sorting, packaging, in-situ processing and delivery. They also offer value-added services, helping Chinese manufacturers with order processing, customs affairs, refunding, financing and overseas distribution.

Cross-border e-commerce, a new channel for foreign trade, has achieved rapid progress in China over recent years. As an important part of the business model and a new type of foreign trade infrastructure, overseas warehouses are playing a constructive role in helping foreign trade enterprises lower costs, increase efficiency and smoothen the supply chain.

On Sept. 21, a consumer from the Kingdom of Bahrain received a capsule coffee machine and a milk frother. The two devices, manufactured by Chinese company HiBREW and sent from an overseas warehouse in Saudi Arabia, were delivered to the destination only two days after the online order was placed.

The Chinese company started using overseas warehouses in July, 2020. Now its products are stored in warehouses in 12 countries and regions, such as Saudi Arabia, Dubai, Russia, Spain and France. It has seen an 80 percent rise in order quantity thanks to the convenient logistics.

HiBREW is not the only example. So far, cross-border e-commerce platform AliExpress, in cooperation with Cainiao, a Chinese logistics company launched by e-commerce giant Alibaba, has established over 20 overseas warehouses in 11 countries and regions, which cover a total area of 860,000 square meters.

In its Europe market, AliExpress is now able to deliver products to consumers within two days. Besides, the company also offers consumers a Worry-Free 15-day return and exchange service. Since this year, the company has begun entering emerging markets such as Mexico and Israel.

According to data released by China’s Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM), China had over 2,000 overseas warehouses as of the end of the last year, which covered a total area of more than 16 million square meters.

“The overseas warehouse model is a new business form of China’s foreign trade and an important infrastructure supporting cross-border e-commerce and other new forms of foreign trade in the future,” said Li Mingtao, chief e-commerce expert with the China International Electronic Commerce Center under the MOFCOM, adding that the development of cross-border e-commerce is inseparable from the strong support of overseas warehouses.

A complete overseas warehouse system can further improve cross-border e-commerce enterprises’ service capability, provide purchase better experience for overseas consumers, and significantly lower logistics and warehousing costs, thus improving the core competitiveness of these enterprises, the expert noted.

As China constantly enhances its support for overseas warehouses, both the number and functions of the overseas infrastructure are expanded.

Apart from basic storage services and value-added services, most of the overseas warehouses have established online information service platforms to synchronize information with e-commerce platforms. The function is able to manage small quantities of commodities that come in frequent batches to warehouses.

Overseas warehouses also contribute to alleviating the financing pressure of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). For instance, Zongteng Group, a global cross-border e-commerce infrastructure service provider based in China, has acted as a matchmaker between the funding and financing parties based on loads of information acquired when running its overseas warehouses. It helps cross-border e-commerce enterprises lower their cost in financing.

A batch of outstanding overseas warehouses are currently making active exploration in information construction, intelligent development, diversified services and localized operation, said Hong Yong, associate researcher with the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation under the MOFCOM. The overseas warehouses offer services such as warehousing operation, digital marketing, one-stop customs clearance, supply chain finance and compliance consulting for cross-border e-commerce sellers, Hong added.

In the future, the overseas warehouse model will help more Chinese manufacturers, especially SMEs expand overseas markets, and bring more Chinese products to foreign consumers.

Li Xingqian, an official with the MOFCOM, noted that the ministry will encourage entities to join the construction of overseas warehouses and steadily advance its work on standard making.

In addition, the ministry will also support the digital development of overseas warehouses and improve the construction of intelligent overseas logistics platforms, and strengthen financial support for the construction of overseas warehouses by encouraging eligible financial organizations to launch targeted financing and credit insurance products and services.

Obajana Cement: Fufill your part of the equity shares to kogi- CSO urges Dangote

…Says it is Kogites’ heritage and entitlement

A a civil society, pro-democracy and anti-corruption organization identified as Citizens Watch Advocacy Initiative (CWAI), has waded in to the recent face-off and war of words between the Kogi State Government and Dangote group, alleged owners of Obajana Cement.

In a statement signed and made available to newsmen on Wednesday by the Executive Secretary, Omoba Kenneth Aigbegbele, the group alleged that Dangote group had started off on issuing several threats, creating crisis and inflaming the already tense situation to the detriment kogites.

The statement read; We are concerned about the recent situation between the people of Kogi State and Dangote Group. After thorough investigations into the state of affairs, we are compelled to issue this statement to put the records straight and to put in proper perspective this vexed issue for posterity.

“Accordingly, the records of the Kogi State Judicial Commission of Enquiry which states with regards to the conduct of officers in public service, ministries, departments, agencies and local institutions of Kogi State between 29th May, 2003 and 29th January, 2016, headed by the Hon. Justice Wada Abubakar Omar (ret’d.) which attestation took place on 24th day of March, 2017, the reports represent the findings and the powers vested on the Commission of Inquiry that the Executive Governor of Kogi State, Hon. Excellency, Alhaji Yahaya Bello in his quest for good governance accountability, set up seven man Judicial Commission of Inquiry pursuant to Section 2 of the Commission of Inquiry Law Cap,25 laws of Northern Nigeria (as applicable in Kogi State) vide Kogi State legal Notice No. 2 of 2016 and all parties thereto, to prove, investigate, recover misappropriated public funds, including lost or diverted government properties, failed contracts and existence of ghost workers, among others.

“The judicial Commission of Inquiry as empaneled has the powers to, and covers the Kogi State under the previous administration between 29th May 2003 and 27th January 2016, and the recommendations were as follows: That there should be adequate restructuring of the entire contracting process of the state where several MDAs will have a uniform standard of obligating the state; the legal relationship of the government with other bodies should be fortified with better legal structures and documentation process that can stand the test of time; a central approach should be adopted to negotiate and establish understanding with any group before same is handed to a supervisory MDA to ensure full midwifery and birth; and that there should be proper and comprehensive records for continuity and to eliminate unnecessary duplications.

“Under the Dangote Cement/Obajana Cement Company Ltd, the Commission found the need to consider the subject matter of ownership of the Dangote Cement Plc/Obajana Cement Company Limited when it became apparent that no visible earnings had accrued to the state from the company. The company was therefore, summoned to appear before the Commission was accordingly represented by their counsel Liman Salihu Esq. and three of her management staff.

“The Commission received a six-page submission with bundles of documents referred to as DCP1 –DCP 8, all of which formed Exhibit 71 in answer to critical question of the ownership of the company between Dangote Cement Plc (Dangote) and the state government. That DCP 2 & 3 are the documents that confer ownership rights on Dangote and further to, Chief GOC Offurum also stated that at the inception, 10% was given to Kogi state, that is, five percent to Kogi State government, five percent to Kogi State people and the state did not take up her shares.

“In the same light, the Commission also summoned and obtained clarification and documents from the Ministry of Works, Lands and Urban Development and the Kogi State Board of Internal Revenue and therefore, also obtained the following facts. That the past government of the state granted Certificate of Occupancy, KG6110,KG6111 and KG6112 to Dangote for the factory land and the mineral deposit sites in Obajana; the three certificates were assigned by Dangote to Obajana Cement Company Limited (Obajana); that the said certificates have been mortgaged in the name of Obajana to raise the sum of N63 billion loan for Dangote; that the government after conceding to Dangote a seven-year tax holiday, the same government approved a waiver of 80% of the charges/fees being revenue due for the registration of the said mortgage to the state respectively; that the government also on 23rd February,2015, approved the merger of the three C of Os already encumbered into a fresh C of Os with a brand new number, the implication of which is that the old C of Os ceased to exist even though known to be mortgaged.”

“Therefore, the findings of the Commission were also as follows. “That there was no evidence of acquisition sufficient to justify the take-over of the company by Dangote; that the combined effect of Exhibit 71 has no evidence of consideration and process of consideration flowing from Dangote to the state; that DCP 4,6,7 & 8 in Exhibit 71 have no bearing with the question of ownership and or transfer of ownership of Obajana from Kogi State government to Dangote; a consideration of DCP 2&3 in Exhibit 71 suggest a transaction between the state governor at the material time and Dangote which in the Commission’s opinion is inchoate; that Dangote failed, refused and neglected to supply the Commission with the certified true copies of Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) documents to evidence the history of its acquisition if any does exist; that it was not clear whether the signatories on behalf of the state carried the entire state machinery along, as the transaction appeared lopsided and denying the state of commensurate earnings in the transaction; nevertheless, that the government allocation to Dangote of the three Certificates of Occupancy KG6110, KG6111, & KG6112 respectively covering the location of the company and mineral deposits in 2003 was and is questionable till date; that the three certificates which were also subsequently merged into one new certificate with number KG 12357 on 23rd February 2015 also was considered questionable.”

“Consequently, from our investigations so far, the Kogi State government instituted another Technical Committee on the evaluation of the legality of the alleged acquisition of Obajana Cement Company Plc by Dangote Cement Company Limited in September,2022, and the below were also arrived at by the technical committee headed by Mrs. Folashade Arik Ayoade, Ph.D and other members, with powers to do a critical study of the Judicial Commission of Inquiry (white paper) and their findings were: “DCP 2 (Agreement between Kogi State Government of Nigeria and Dangote Industries Ltd, dated 30th July, 2002) and DCP3 (Supplemental Agreement dated 14th February, 2003), as contained in Exhibit 71 of the Judicial Commission of Inquiry Report, purporting transfer of Obajana Cement Company to Dangote Industries Ltd, are invalid, null and void because of absence of consideration; in view of the fact that there was absence consideration, the purported transfer was not proper; there are no evidence of consideration paid by Dangote Industries to Kogi State government from the alleged transfer of Obajana Cement Company Plc and no dividends were paid to the state coffers from the profits raised from inception of Dangote Cement Plc to date; it was also seen by all that due process was not followed in the merger of the three certificates to one because title in the three Certificates of Occupancy still vest in Obajana Cement Company Plc, Dangote Cement Company Plc , therefore, cannot apply for merger of same.

“Howbeit, the recommendations from the technical committee are that the Kogi State government should take up steps to recover Obajana Cement Company now changed to Dangote Cement Company Plc situated in Obajana, Kogi State as contained in the recent technical reports to Kogi State government.”

“CWAI therefore, state unequivocally that the move by the Kogi State government to recover and get back its legally supported equity from Dangote is in line with natural justice and best practices across the globe and as such, the Dangote management must look at these vexed issues critically, in the interest of humanity and professionally sit with Kogi State government under the proactive leadership of Alhaji Yahaya Bello to dialogue and see how this matter can be resolved amicably as thousands of youths, women groups, elders and traditional rulers are currently on the jugular of the government to take back their asset while some are unemployed now in Obajana as a result of the face-off while it is not also good for tourism and investments destination for the state.

“CWAI posits that the marginalization of the host communities over the years is not a thing to be proud of as companies globally are deeply involved and entrenched in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) to reach out to their operating environments using internal and external factors to alleviate human suffering and assist government to reduce the burden of poverty and restive youths as our investigations within the locality suggest.

“CWAI affirms that for a critical issue such as an investment of this magnitude to be domiciled in a state, the Kogi State House of Assembly must be keenly involved to be able to legislate and make the transaction valid. But according to our findings, such transaction or document does not exist whatsoever. It is important to state that for such an elaborate investment of this magnitude to be valid, a resolution must be passed by the state legislature to perfect whatever agreement reached by both parties or any agency of government but such does not exist whether in the previous government or at present.

“While CWAI acknowledges Dangote group for its efforts to industrialize the country, create jobs for our teeming youths through their factories spread across the country but we must also emphatically state that the company had for long also carried out devastating economic injustice on the people of the kogi State as a result of many dying daily due to environmental hazards as a result of the company’s activities and a lot of their truck drivers’ road accidents on the communities without commensurate reciprocity, and called for the age-long economic intimidation and exploitation to stop forthwith.

“CWAI call on well-meaning Nigerians to rein on Dangote Group to give Kogi people what rightfully belongs to them as it is a collective struggle of all Nigerians and not for the Government and people of the Kogi State alone. Justice must be seen to be done and served on a matter relating to the well-being of the people that is spanning over several years.

“CWAI therefore, aligns with the people Kogi State and Government, cautions the management of Dangote Group, not to allow this vexed issue to get out of hand and to amicably call for peace by dialoguing with the Government and the people of the state for the overall well-being of humanity and give the Kogi State people their rightful share of equity and dividends of this cement company.

“Our findings and investigation reveal that the Dangote Group have indeed failed to peacefully resolve and settle this issue for long deliberately because the people of Kogi and Government are on the side of truth which is also attested to by major stakeholders and shareholders’ admonitions in the Obajana Cement company saga.

“CWAI affirms if the acquisition of Obajana Cement by Dangote followed due process why has the Dangote Group not resorted to amicable settlement or the Judiciary interpretation/process which is the hope of the common man.

“We state categorically that there is more to it than meets the eyes. These are what Dangote said that Kogi State has no equity interest in Obajana, a development company incorporated without the interest of its citizenry is unheard of in the history of the globe; that the plant machinery was conceived, designed, procured, built and paid for solely by Dangote interest in 2003 and that taxes were paid to Kogi Government yearly since production commenced in 2007.

“However, all the agencies since incorporation cannot account or show payments made by Dangote till date. This according to CWAI is quite unfortunate. No one person or industry is bigger than the authority of the State or Government of the nation. It will be good in the interest of everyone that Dangote Group should immediately dialogue with the Kogi State Government to avoid the insecurity caused by this imbroglio.

“It is appalling while investment of this nature rather than bring peace and development have resulted to killings, damage and destruction of properties running into billions like the Kogi State House of Assembly and other property within the state. Even though when the public was sensitized and informed to the alleged impending plan by the Dangote Group to cause security breach by the State Government it still persisted.

“It is on this premise that we therefore call for an immediate dispute resolution mechanism between Dangote Group with the State Government, and Dangote Group should give the people of the state their rightful shares for peace to reign.

“We implore Dangote group to pay all its liabilities, taxes and levies to the Kogi State Government and stop using legal rigmarole and backhand tactics to evade the equity owed Kogi State and allow for peaceful and amicable settlement of issues at stake.” It added.

GREE Air Conditioner Unveils New Product Friday, Woos New Dealers

Ahead of the official unveiling of its new product on Friday, October 14, 2022, one of the companies listed on the Fortune 500 and a market leader, GREE is wooing new dealers from across Nigeria.

This was contained in a statement signed by Jubril Arogundade the Group head of communication made available to journalists on Wednesday, October 12.

“GREE is one of the companies listed on the Fortune 500 and a market leader amongst Air conditioner manufacturers in the world, which inspires the world and shapes the future with transformative ideas and technologies.

They call on potential dealers to, “seize this golden opportunity now to sign up this month as our business partner with guaranteed return on investment of over 30% over a period of six months by attending our product unveiling event at Eko Hotel on the 14th October 2022 by 12 pm prompt.

Saline-alkali soil turned into valuable assets in Ningxia Hui autonomous region

By Qin Ruijie, People’s Daily

It’s impossible for saline-alkali soil to turn fertile, but it can generate profits when used properly.

In an industrial park in Yanchi, a county in northwest China’s Ningxia Hui autonomous region that lies on the southern brink of the Mu Us Desert, there are nearly 800 greenhouses built on a vast expanse of saline-alkali soil.

In the greenhouses, no trace of fruits or vegetables can be found, and what’s seen there is spirulina. Besides, whiteleg shrimps are also bred in some of the greenhouses.

The annual precipitation in Yanchi county stands at around 200 millimeters, while the evaporation is as high as 1,500 millimeters. That’s why the county is covered by a number of salt lakes.

To make the infertile saline-alkali soil productive, local authorities have introduced aquaculture and algae processing enterprises, and established 2,500 mu (167 hectares) of breeding bases. Today, the industrial park produces 500 tons of spirulina and 20 tons of phycocyanin on an annual basis.

The story of Yanchi proves that only by thinking out of the box and proactively making changes can industrial structure be optimized, industries well developed, and high-quality development achieved.

Yanchi has transformed the elements that once constrained its development into unique advantages that help it achieve success.

For instance, Yanchi is home to 280,000 mu of saline-alkali land with a pH value of over 9. The underground water there perfectly meets the demand for brine in spirulina breeding. The long sunshine duration in the county ensures that the spirulina receives enough heat for growth, and the low rent of saline-alkali land has reduced the operation costs of the business.

Most of the enterprises in the industrial park were engaged in the production of spirulina tablets and powder. However, they faced severe market competition due to the single product line. To improve the added value of their products, some enterprises have introduced new technologies to abstract phycocyanin, the most nutritious part, from spirulina. The extended industrial chain further expanded the prospects of the local spirulina industry.

Enterprises must adhere to green development and circular economy in order to further expand their businesses. At present, the industrial park is trying to relocate spirulina from the greenhouses to glass tubes, as the tubes, which stretch a total of over 8,000 meters, ensure sufficient sunlight and thus improve the algae’s growth efficiency. Besides, the tubes also help the centralized disposal of waste brine.

The industrial park will also launch a demonstration program that involves photovoltaic power generation, spirulina breeding and aquaculture, as well as sewage disposal.

The success of the industrial park indicates that it is totally possible to turn negative factors into advantages and achieve a win-win of economic growth and environmental protection by efficiently exploiting local resources, advancing technological innovation, and following a path of sustainable development that’s energy-conserving and environmental-friendly.

It is believed that with targeted measures that suit local conditions, China’s high-quality development will embrace brighter prospects.

China sees leapfrog development of photovoltaic industry

By Ding Yiting, People’s Daily

China has become a dominant player in the global photovoltaic (PV) industry, huge progress from ten years ago when it had to import raw materials and core equipment from overseas and had few domestic clients

Today, the country makes over 2/3 of the world’s major PV products, and the value of its PV industry has exceeded 750 billion yuan ($105.4 billion). In particular, the country has maintained the world’s largest producer of polycrystalline silicon and PV parts for 11 and 15 years, respectively.

China had installed 306 GW of solar power capacity as of the end of 2021, up from 6.5 GW in 2012, ranking first in the world for seven years in a row.

Ten years ago, the Chinese PV industry was seeing an over-dependence on the foreign market, slow development of key equipment and materials, as well as antidumping and countervailing duties imposed by some countries.

In 2013, China rolled out a slew of policies to support and regulate the PV industry, covering market applications, taxation, land use and many other aspects.

The policies have created a sound environment for technological innovation. The diamond wire-cutting technology, for instance, was able to lower over 30 billion yuan of cost for Chinese PV enterprises each year after being developed domestically.

Over the past 10 years, the average cost of PV generation per kilowatt-hour has been lowered by 70 percent to 0.3 yuan.

“China’s PV industry has a significant advantage It has built the world’s most complete industrial ecology that covers the manufacturing of polycrystalline silicon, silicon wafers, cells and PV parts, as well as holders, inverter and other supportive equipment,” said Wang Bohua, honorary chairman of China Photovoltaic Industry Association (CPIA).

“The supply chain of China’s PV industry is generally independent and controllable. Once technological innovations are made, we can soon put them into use,” Wang added.

Wang introduced that China has achieved constant progress in frontier researches of PV technology. Since 2014, Chinese enterprises and research institutions have constantly improved the conversion efficiency of crystalline silicon cells.

Today, guided by the “dual carbon” goals and under the backdrop of accelerated clean energy development around the world, the major sectors of China’s PV industry have maintained a strong momentum for development. The production of polycrystalline silicon, silicon wafers, cells and PV parts surged 53.4 percent, 45.5 percent, 46.6 percent and 54.1 percent from a year ago in the first half of 2022, respectively.

The application market is also expanding, where both distributed and centralized PV installation see rapid development. During the same period, China deployed around 30.88 GW of new PV power generation, and the new distributed PV installation accounted for 63.6 percent, up 10 percentage points from a year ago.

The constructions of large-scale PV bases in deserts are in full swing. Currently, a 1 GW PV and wind power generation project is under construction in Urumqi, capital of northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region. The project, built by China Huadian Corporation, includes 124 wind turbines and over 140,000 solar panels.

“In the first half of this year, we commenced 14 PV and wind power projects in Xinjiang. We plan to invest 100 billion yuan to build new energy projects with a total capacity of 20 GW between 2021 and 2025,” said Han Song, chairman of a Xinjiang branch of China Huadian Corporation.

The overseas market of China’s PV industry is also growing fast. According to CPIA statistics, China exported $25.9 billion of silicon wafers, cells and PV parts in the first half of this year, surging 113 percent from a year ago and hitting a new record high.

The association said that over 300 PV projects in China had expanded their capacity between early 2021 and June this year. As of August, there were 496,200 PV-related enterprises across China, and the number of newly established PV companies in the first eight months of this year saw year-on-year growth of over 45 percent.

Experts predicted that the PV sector will enjoy brighter prospects as PV technologies can be employed in construction, transport, energy storage, hydrogen production and other industries,

Internet thinking gives a boost to rice business in northeast China

By HaoYingcan, People’s Daily

“Over ten thousand years ago, the volcano erupted, and a volcanic plateau was thus formed. Being weathered, the plateau was then covered by a thick layer of nutritious humus soil and then evolved into a unique type of field called ‘shiban,’ which literally means a rock board.”

In Shangguandi village, Bohaitownship, Ning’an, northeast China’s Heilongjiang province, Chen Yujia, sales manager of a local rice cooperative, introduced the history of shiban rice to online audiences on a livestream platform.

Thanks to the unique natural environment and traditional cultivation methods, shiban rice is both tasty and nutritious.

The cooperative that Chen works for was established in 2008 by Shangguandi village for better development of the village’s rice business. However, it failed to increase villagers’ income because little innovation was made to renew planting techniques or to expand sales channels.

In 2016, Chen returned to the village and volunteered to serve as the sales manager of the cooperative. She has successfully helped her fellow villagers increase income by optimizing rice growing, processing and sales with internet thinking.

Chen, who was 27 then, together with other two young employees of the cooperative, presented the cultivation of shiban rice to consumers via short videos and livestreaming,sharing with the latter the stories of the crop and authentic rural lifestyles. Besides, they also opened online shops to expand the sales channels of the rice. Gradually, they gained many followers online and received more and more orders.

In the meantime, the cooperative also worked to improve the quality of shiban rice, “greening” every procedure from seed selection to farming and processing.

Besides, Chen constantly upgraded the sales models to bring the consumers better experiences. For instance, the cooperative launched an innovative activity that allows customers to “adopt” rice fields in the spring and reap the yield in the autumn. It would also invite the “adopters” to join rice transplanting and harvesting in the village.

“All the 200 mu (13.3 hectares) of organic rice field had been booked before the transplanting started, and we received earnest payment of nearly 4 million yuan ($526,113),” Chen said.

What’s more, customers can preserve their rice in a barn in the village with thermostats and hygrostats, and get the rice back whenever they want. The cooperative has also established an agricultural internet of things, with which the customers can see how the rice is produced by only scanning a QR code.

It is learned that currently, around 1/3 of the cooperative’s turnover is from online channels.

Xu believes that the internet has become a powerful engine driving rural vitalization. “On one hand, we should advance the branding of agricultural products through the internet. On the other hand, we must have the courage to employ new methods to further expand the market,” Chen said.

Huzhou of Zhejiang province builds low-carbon communities

By Li Zhongwen, Dou Hanyang, People’s Daily

Li Xiaoping, 62, opened a smart telemedicine program at a community health service center under the guidance of a health instructor, 20 seconds later, she was connected to a doctor on the other side of the screen and started the online consultation.

Li, who suffers from high blood pressure, used to take a long time back and forth to hospitals whenever she felt uncomfortable. The online medical service brought her a whole new experience.

“I never thought that I could see a doctor on the screen, which took me only five minutes,” Li said.

Apart from the telemedicine program, an unattended gym and a home-based nursing center have also been put into use in Li’s community, which lies in Nanxun district, Huzhou, east China’s Zhejiang province.

Li’s experience is a miniature of the low-carbon lifestyles that are being widely promoted in Ditang community these days, and also a new exploration of Huzhou to make people’s life greener.

In March 2019, the provincial government of Zhejiang issued a pilot plan to build “communities of the future” that are harmonious, green and intelligent, in an effort to forge a green and low-carbon living environment.

Zheng Zhifeng, operation manager of the “communities of the future” program in Ditang community, told People’s Daily that as one of the first batch of communities where the program was piloted, Ditang has adopted low-carbon and environment-friendly approaches at the very beginning of construction.

According to him, kitchen waste can be fermented at garbage classification stations in the community, each of which is able to dispose of more than 100 kilograms of kitchen waste on a daily basis. No exhaust gas or water is generated during the process, and the disposed waste can be used as fertilizer for landscaping in the community, he added.

“We want to build a carbon-neutral community, so we used as many low-carbon materials as possible for the construction work,” Zheng introduced.

According to him, a neighborhood center of Ditang community is about to be completed, and it is able to save 54.4 percent of energy consumption in general, of which the energy-saving rate of buildings reaches 39.1%.

The community has built a renewable energy supply system that includes photovoltaic power generation and water source heat pumps, as well as a smart transport system that includes intelligent parking and logistics, Zheng said.

Ditang is not the only effort made in Huzhou that advocates green and low-carbon lifestyles.

For instance, Wuxing district has set up a smart carbon-control platform that records the real-time energy consumption of local industrial enterprises. Anji county has made the once-useless moso bamboos valuable by advancing carbon sink reform.

In Changxing county, a computer is able to control a mine thanks to the development of digital green manufacturing. And in Nantaihu New Area, over 90 percent of enterprises above designated size have built green factories.

Today, green and low-carbon lifestyles are seen everywhere in Huzhou. Since 2022, the city has expanded the area of its green construction by 16 million square meters and all of the newly constructed buildings are built in accordance with green standards.

Forty-two “communities of the future” programs have been launched in the city, and more than 470,000 families are implementing waste sorting based on regular schedules, with 94.6 percent of public participation and 98.8 percent of support.

Besides, the 2022 China Green Low-Carbon Innovation Conference was recently held in Huzhou, offering green Chinese schemes for the sustainable development of the world.

China improves pedestrian, bicycle systems for better, greener urban transport

By Qi Zhiming, People’s Daily

Walking on a tree-lined sidewalk embellished with flower beds is definitely a pleasant experience that soothes your mood.

Today, green and low-carbon modes of transport have become a choice for more and more Chinese people as they see the convenience of urban pedestrian and bicycle systems.

To build sound pedestrian and bicycle systems, footpaths and bike lanes should be taken as an important part of urban transport. Science-based improvement of the systems can raise the class of a city, meet people’s diversified demand for transportation, improve transport efficiency and lower vehicle exhaust emissions. It is beneficial for both social and economic development.

Green and low-carbon modes of transport have been largely promoted in China over recent years. For instance, between 2016 and 2020, Beijing has renovated 3,200 kilometers of non-motorized vehicle lanes and built its first bike-only path that stretches 6.5 kilometers. Last year, green transport made up 78 percent of the traffic in downtown Guangzhou, south China’s Guangdong province.

Pedestrian and bicycle systems represent a low-carbon way of transport, and they also make public space better and more human-centered.

According to statistics released by the Chinese Cycling Association, cycling is joined by nearly 10 million people in China. To better meet people’s demand for transportation, the country still needs to make more efforts to advance the construction of urban pedestrian and bicycle systems.

If trunk roads and public transport systems are an artery, then pedestrian and bicycle systems are capillaries. The two parts must work in close collaboration to make urban transport efficient.

More room shall be left for pedestrians and cyclists when urban plans are made, and public resources of different types shall be coordinated for better utilization of transport modes. Besides, footpaths and bike lanes must be designated in a science-based manner and connected to hospitals, schools, metro stations and other key areas.

Relevant facilities should be built to improve the safety of cyclists, such as reflective markers and high-friction surfacing. Traffic at crossroads should be maintained well, and more bike parking space should be offered. The right of way of cyclists and pedestrians must be ensured, and more shade trees should be planted to make pedestrian and bicycle systems more attractive and environmental-friendly.

Faster development of pedestrian and bicycle systems makes transportation greener and people’s lives better. China should further prioritize pedestrian and bicycle systems, public transport and green transport, build “slow transport” networks that are friendly to both travelers and tourists, build a sound environment for pedestrians and cyclists, and make footpaths and bike lanes safe, convenient, comfortable and accessible to people of all ages, so as to contribute to the “dual carbon” goals and make urban life better.

China unswervingly follows path of peaceful development

By He Yin, People’s Daily

TheKnottedGun statue in front of the UN headquarters provokes the world’s reflection on war and peace. Over the past century or so, the world has gone through both bloody “hot wars” and the silent Cold War. To make the world a peaceful place free of war and in pursuit of development is an aspiration of generations of people.

A country or a nation must follow the trend of history and the times on its way to vitalization.

“What is the trend of today’s world? The answer is unequivocal. It is the trend of peace, development, cooperation and win-win progress,” said Chinese President Xi Jinping.

China, following a path of peaceful development, has explored a new way of vitalization that’s different from what has been taken by other major countries. It pursues development in the context of world development and forges ahead by actively engaging all countries for mutual benefit, so as to safeguard its own national interests and promote global development simultaneously.

China’s path of peaceful development derives from the legacy of Chinese civilization, the country’s clear understanding of its own goals and conditions, and its deep understanding of global trends favoring peace, development, cooperation and mutual benefit.

The pursuit of peace, amity, and harmony is an integral part of the Chinese character which runs deep in the blood of the Chinese people, who believe that “the strong should not oppress the weak and the rich should not bully the poor,” and that “though a country is now strong, bellicosity will lead to its ruin.” They refuse to do to others what they would not want for themselves, and would like to replace weapons of war with gifts of jade and silk.

Since the beginning of modern times, the Chinese people had been bullied, insulted and pillaged by imperialist powers for over 100 years. However, what they have gained from it is not the gangster logic that the strong prey on the weak, but a firmer determination to safeguard peace.

For 70-plus years since the founding of the People’s Republic, China has never provoked a conflict, occupied one inch of foreign soil, started a proxy war, or joined any military bloc. China has the best peace record among the world’s major countries.

China’s following the path of peaceful development contributes to the common development of the world.

China actively promotes South-South cooperation and North-South dialogue to help other developing countries strengthen their capability of independent development. It offers sincere and selfless assistance to other developing countries, providing the latter with a huge amount of material, technical, personnel and intellectual assistance. China called for the establishment of multilateral financial organizations such as the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank and the New Development Bank to increase the representation and voice of developing countries in international affairs.

Constantly sharing its development opportunities with the rest of the world, China has made important contributions to the peace, stability, development and prosperity of the world.

It puts forward the Global Development Initiative and advocates the building of a global community of development with a share future, demonstrating the global vision of China as a responsible major country to synergize its own development with the common development of the world.

A foreign political dignitary pointed out that China always adheres to multilateralism, which has made important contributions to promoting world peace and development.

China’s following the path of peaceful development contributes to international and regional security. China pursues a national defense policy that is defensive in nature and has codified its commitment to peaceful development into its Constitution. It firmly safeguards the international system with the UN at its core and the international order underpinned by international law, and always represents positive energy in peaceful development.

China explicitly undertakes not to be the first to use nuclear weapons at any time and under any circumstances, and unconditionally commits itself not to use or threaten to use nuclear weapons against non-nuclear-weapon states or nuclear-weapon-free-zones. Besides, it is actively advancing the international progress of arms control and non-proliferation.

China is the second largest funding contributor to the UN peacekeeping operations, and the top contributor of peacekeeping personnel among the permanent members of the UN Security Council. It plays a constructive role in international and regional hotspot issues.

As the world has entered a new period of turbulence and transformation, China proposed the Global Security Initiative, calling on the world to build on the vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security, build a balanced, effective and sustainable security architecture, and demonstrate the great potential of a new type of security that features dialogue, partnership and win-win instead of confrontation, alliance and a zero-sum approach. The country thus offers a new approach to eradicating the root causes of international conflicts and achieving durable stability and security in the world.

The international society generally believes that China is a peaceful force that the world needs today.

China firmly safeguards its core interests on the path of peaceful development. Any practice that undermines China’s sovereignty, security, development interests and national dignity will be met with forceful fight back.

Only by being brave and adept in carrying out struggle can China maintain peaceful development when confronted with hegemonism and power politics. Only by firmly safeguarding the path and system chosen by the Chinese people, upholding China’s sovereignty, security and development interests, defeating external forces that interfere in China’s domestic affairs and hurt China’s legitimate interests, fighting back the so-called unilateral sanctions and long-arm jurisdiction, and safeguarding China’s dignity and the legitimate rights and interests enjoyed by the Chinese people, can China finally succeed on its path of peaceful development.

With a firm determination, concrete actions and forceful measures, China has built a solid line of defense for its national sovereignty, security, development interests and national dignity, which not only shapes a sound external environment for national development and rejuvenation, and creates favorable conditions for the peaceful development of the world.

Peace and development are an eternal aspiration of mankind and a common pursuit of all countries. Every country in the world should take up the baton of history and forge ahead on the marathon track toward peace and development.

No matter how the global situation might have changed, China has always remained committed to world peace, global development and international order. The country will keep working with the rest of the world to pursue, protect and enjoy peace, and make relentless efforts to build a community with a shared future for mankind.