Nigeria Times

By Wang Wenzheng

The Chinese retail sector, especially the supermarket business, has been severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic since early 2020.

However, convenience stores bucked the trend.

The sales of Chinese convenience stores have maintained a rapid growth of more than 10 percent for three consecutive years, according to a recent report jointly released by the China Chain Store and Franchise Association and KPMG.

Total convenience stores sales in Chinawere 349.2 billion yuan ($48.5 billion) in 2021, up 17.7 percent year on year, the report said.

Compared with bigger-sized supermarkets and department stores, convenience stores feature longer operation hours and a high degree of automation. They are very popular in densely-populated megacities where large numbers of business districts and office buildings are constructed.

What’s more, with better services, lower prices and more diversified commodities, convenience stores are winning more shares today in lower-tier markets.

They have played a critical role in the supply of consumer goods since the outbreak of COVID-19, thanks to their wide distribution and mature supply chain. The report said consumers prefer brick-and-mortar retailers that are close to them and less crowded due to the pandemic, and that’s why convenience stores have come into favor.

Besides, convenience stores also enjoy many advantages in the new retail model of one-click ordering. They are able to deliver food, beverages, fruits and vegetables, groceries, as well as medicines to the doorsteps of consumers within an hour through third-party deliverers or their own logistics systems.

According to statistics, in the first seven months of this year, convenience stores saw a year-on-year growth of 39 percent in orders on Meituan, a Chinese shopping platform for locally found consumer products and retail services. One-click ordering has become a new choice for consumers.

With fast delivery, diverse commodities and high distribution density, more and more convenience stores are employing one-click ordering to seek integrated online-offline development.

The report showed that 88 percent of convenience stores in China launched online services last year, up from 29 percent in 2016. Over 70 percent of them launched online services in cooperation with a third party, according to the report.

In May last year, the Ministry of Commerce said the country would build 15-minute community life circles and introduce more convenience stores into neighborhoods. It also encouraged major enterprises to give a boost to the sector in terms of branding, standard-setting, management and services. It also stated that major enterprises shouldcooperate with local governments and communities to further integrate themselves into urban public services.

Beijing is seeing an accelerated and integrated development of consumer services. According to an official with the Beijing Municipal Commerce Bureau, the Chinese capital had over 90,000 providers of consumer services at the end of last year, including convenience stores and barbershops. They covered almost all communities in Beijing.

In Nanjing, east China’s Jiangsu province, large numbers of charging poles, convenience stores and wet markets have been built, which not only smooths the “micro cycle” of the urban economy, but also facilitates the life of the citizens.

Insiders believe that convenience stores, seeking high-quality development, will go beyond the scenarios of traditional retailing and become a “generalist” in consumer services.

By Wu Yuehui, People’s Daily

The Mars rover Zhurong of China’s first Mars exploration mission, Tianwen-1, touched down at its pre-selected landing area in Utopia Planitia, a vast Martian plain, and started its work on May 15, 2021.

Utopia Planitia, the largest recognized impact basin on Mars, might have been an ocean in the past, which suggests that the red planet could once have had a habitable environment.

A joint study was carried out by the Institute of Geology and Geophysics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), the National Space Science Center of the CAS and Peking University based on data sent back by Zhurong.

According to the study, which was published on Nature on Sept. 26, there are two fining-upwards sequences under the Martian regolith at Zhurong’s landing area, which might reveal substantial geological events happening as early as 3.5 to 3.2 billion years ago.

Researchers found no direct evidence for the existence of liquid water within the radar detection depth range, but the presence of saline ice cannot be ruled out.

Detailed information about Mars’ underground structure and physical property is an important foundation for the study of Martian geology and environmental changes. It is an important part of Mars exploration.

Chen Ling, a researcher at the CAS Institute of Geology and Geophysics, noted that Zhurong is equipped with a ground-penetrating radar that is able to construct detailed and high-resolution subsurface image profiles, which helps mankind obtain a deeper understanding of Utopia Planitia’s evolution, the distribution of underground water and ice, and other key scientific issues about the red planet.

The ground-penetrating radar on Zhurong is the first one of its kind to carry out a mission in Utopia Planitia.

So far, four in-situ ground-penetrating radar surveys have been launched on extraterrestrial planets. In particular, China’s Chang’e-3 and Chang’e-4 probes detected the shallow subsurface structure of the near and far sides of the Moon, and the U.S. Perseverance and China’s Zhurong completed their missions on Mars last year. Perseverance surveyed the edge of the Jezero crater as deep as 15 meters, and Zhurong explored 80 meters beneath the subsurface in the southern part of Utopia Planitia.

The Lunar Exploration and Space Program Center unveiled exploration data obtained by Tianwen-1, which offered solid data support for Martian studies. Scientists constructed a detailed, high-precision subsurface structure image profile based on radar data collected by the Zhurong rover in its first 113 Martian days along the roughly 1,171-meter traverse of the rover.

Speaking of the two fining-upwards sequences, Chen told People’s Daily that the first one, extending from 10 to 30 meters, is shown to contain rocky blocks, presumably having taken shape in approximately the past 1.6 billion years, and their clast sizes increase with depth.

The second one, within the depth range of 30 to 80 meters, is composed of larger rocky blocks, representing an older, probably more substantial geological event happening as early as 3.5 to 3.2 billion years ago, Chen noted, adding that it may be shaped by major flooding that took place in the southern part of Utopia Planitia.

Apart from the detection of Mars’ underground structure and physical property, another major target of Zhurong is to see whether there is water or ice buried deep under the Martian subsurface in the southern part of Utopia Planitia.

According to radar imaging, liquid water was not detected up to 80 meters underground, and a thermal simulation suggested that the Martian soil 100 meters deep could not stably contain liquid water, nor sulfate or carbonate brines, although the presence of saline ice cannot be ruled out.

The finding this time is an original outcome generated by data obtained by Tianwen-1’s first Mars exploration mission. It revealed the detailed structure and physical property of the shallow subsurface in the landing area of the Zhurong rover, provided new evidence suggesting the presence of liquid water activity on Mars, and offered significant clues to a closer understanding of the geological evolution, and the environmental and climate changes on Mars.

By Shi Ziqiang, People’s Daily

Pride is always shown on the face of Fang Zhihong when it comes to the topic of Olympics, because the schools in Jingxiu district, Baoding, north China’s Hebei province, where Fang serves as the head of the local education and sports bureau, have nurtured 12 Olympic and world champions, 14 Asian champions, 23 top athletes at state level and over 150 first-class athletes at state level.

Tian’e Primary School is the first school in Jingxiu district that owns a standard 200-meter patinodrome. According to principal Cui Hongyu, roller skating has been listed as a school-based curriculum since 2008, and six years later, the school started cooperating with a local roller skating club. In 2016, the school was named the roller skating training center of Baoding.

“Students can receive professional training from the club, and our school also established roller speed staking and skating societies for amateurs, which provide regular training courses,” Cui introduced.

Since 2018, the school has established a “featured class” of roller skating for first graders that offers professional training courses, and it has supplied over 40 skaters for the roller skating team of Baoding over the recent couple of years.

The sports-education integration of Jingxiu district started with the “featured classes,” developed because of the establishment of sports-themed schools, and flourished thanks to school-sports club cooperation, said GuoLiying, deputy head of Jingxiu district’s education and sports bureau.

According to Guo, 24 out of the district’s 30 kindergartens, primary and secondary schools have established partnerships with 40 commercial sports clubs.

So far, Jingxiu district has established a sports training system that involves students in primary, secondary and high schools, which enables students at all ages to join sports training and makes the training more systematic and science-based.

Early this fall semester, a swimming contest was launched for the students of Class 3, Grade 2 at Lekai Primary School in Jingxiu district. Eight participants stood out from the crowd after two rounds of competitions. They will join the school swimming championship to be held this October on behalf of their class.

Ma Fuping, principal of the primary school told People’s Daily that classes of the school hold sports contests every week, and the winners will be able to join higher-level games.

“For instance, third grader Hu Jinni has made it to the provincial youth swimming championship held this August and ranked first in the U9 4×50 meters freestyle relay heat,” Ma said. Currently, the girl is preparing for the finals in Hengshui, another city of Hebei.

To promote youth sports, Jingxiu district has established a well-organized system of sports events on the basis of respecting students’ individual wills and development.

“Regular games make students eager for competition and help them make training plans for themselves,” Guo said. It is with such a mechanism that outstanding athletes are developed, Guo added.

Li Bingjie, gold medalist of swimming at the Tokyo Olympic Games, was a student of Xinshichang Primary School in Jingxiu district, and it was her great performance in school swimming competitions that earned her the opportunity to join the Hebei provincial swimming team and the Chinese national swimming team, according to Guo.

Fang told People’s Daily that the district is cooperating with the municipal sports bureau and associations to hold youth sports events, and teaming up with the provincial sports bureau to host provincial games and those for the entire Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region. Besides, it also works with the General Administration of Sports, the Federation of University Sports of China and national sports associations to organize state-level sports events.

Since this year, Jingxiu district has held three national events, two provincial events, one municipal events and two district events. These sports events have established a fantastic platform for sports-loving students, and offered them more opportunities for their future careers.

By Lu Ya’nan, People’s Daily

The Hangzhou West Railway Station, in the capital of China’s Zhejiang province, was recently put into operation.

Photovoltaic panels covering 15,000 square meters have been on the station roof, which are expected to generate 2.31 million kilowatt-hours of green power and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by more than 2,300 tons every year.

Sunlight shines on the train station through a gigantic cross-shaped skylight and light-transmitting shading film, and the light intensity in the station is automatically adjusted according to the passenger flow and weather changes by a smart indoor lighting system.

Besides, the roof of the station is covered by heat-resistant films that help block the heat and reduce the energy consumption of air conditioning.

“The station is constructed under the guidance of the green and low-carbon development philosophy. It is rated as a top-level green structure in China,” said Du Liqiang from China Railway Construction Engineering Group, the company that managed the station construction,

At the general debate of the 75th session of the United Nations General Assembly, China announced that it would scale up its Intended Nationally Determined Contributions by adopting more vigorous policies and measures. The country aims to have CO2 emissions peak before 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality before 2060.

“Over the past two years, local governments and relevant departments have made concrete efforts, getting off to a solid start on its way to achieve the ‘dual carbon’ goals,” Liu Dechun, an official with the National Development and Reform Commission, told People’s Daily.

It’s proved that China has achieved remarkable progress in the green and low-carbon transition of energy.

As a major consumer of coal, China vigorously promoted the upgrading of coal consumption. It accelerated energy-saving upgrades and advanced retrofits in coal-fueled heating facilities, upgrading 240 million kilowatts of capacity in 2021. Another 220 million kilowatts of capacity is expected to be upgraded this year.

China plans to build 450 million kilowatts of solar and wind power generation capacity on the Gobi and other desert regions. By 2020, the newly added wind and solar power capacity in the country has exceeded 100 million kilowatts each year, and the figure stands at 20 million kilowatts in the realm of hydropower capacity. Last year, the country’s new energy power generation output crossed the one trillion kilowatt-hours mark for the first time.

The country is seeing a higher ratio of green buildings.

It has accelerated the transformation of urban and rural construction, operation and management models, actively promoted green structures and advanced low-carbon upgrading for existing buildings in accordance with urban renewal progress.

As of the end of 2020, the country had completed energy-saving renovation of existing buildings covering a total area of 1.5 billion square meters, and the coverage of newly-built green structures accounted for 84 percent of all the newly constructed buildings last year.

Low-carbon transport is becoming trendy in China.

Last year, China manufactured and sold over 3.5 million new energy vehicles (NEVs), ranking first in the world for seven consecutive years. The monthly market penetration rate of NEVs in August this year was 30 percent, up from 2.4 percent in early 2020.

In 2021, all the shipping bills of express parcels have turned electric, and the utilization rate of recyclable transit bags has neared 100 percent. A total of 6.3 million recyclable express delivery boxes were put into use, and 80.5 percent of e-commerce parcels avoided excessive packages.

China has vigorously promoted carbon-reduction and energy-saving upgrading in iron, nonferrous metals, petrochemical and construction material industries. Last year, crude steel production in China dropped nearly 30 million tons from a year ago.

Besides, the country has also made huge efforts to develop strategic emerging industries, eying on new technologies and businesses. The proportion of high-tech manufacturing in the added value of industries above the designated size reached 15.1 percent in 2021, and energy consumption and CO2 emission per unit of GDP decreased by 2.7 percent and 3.8 percent from a year ago in the same period.

Last year, China planted 54 million mu (36,000 square kilometers) of trees, improved 46 million mu of grassland, and nurtured 34.67 million mu of forests. Besides, it also restored 14 million mu of degraded forests, and built and restored 1.09 million mu of wetlands.

In 2021, the country’s forest coverage reached 24.02 percent, with a forest stock volume of 19.49 billion cubic meters. Its grassland vegetation coverage stood at 50.32 percent, and the wetland protection rate reached 52.65 percent.

China has realized the largest growth in forest resources among all countries in the world.

By He Yin, People’s Daily

Global development was a topic receiving high attention at the general debate of the 77th session of the UN General Assembly that concluded at the UN headquarters in New York on Sept. 26.

According to a recent report by the UN Development Program, over 90 percent of countries endured a decline on the Human Development Index in 2020 or 2021, while over 40 percent declined in both years. Human development has fallen back to 2016 levels globally.

All parties are expecting a renewal of global development.

The Global Development Initiative (GDI) proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping last September bears great expectations.

China recently held the Ministerial Meeting of the Group of Friends of the GDI in New York. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres addressed the meeting via video link, and the meeting was attended by nearly 40 foreign ministers and heads of international agencies.

All participants believed that the GDI is of great importance to boosting international development cooperation and helping implement the UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and it will serve as a catalyst for developing countries, small and medium-sized countries in particular, to accelerate development.

The GDI, aiming at building a community with a shared future for global development, gives priority to development and puts people at the center. It helps promote common development of the world and enhance people’s wellbeing.

As global development enters a critical stage, the GDI guides countries to focus on key areas, offers more forceful and targeted support for developing countries, and seeks to expedite the implementation of the 2030 Agenda.

China not only presented the GDI but also carried out the initiative with real actions. In June this year, Xi chaired the High-level Dialogue on Global Development, announced China’s 32 important measures to implement the GDI and helped bring development back to the center of the international agenda together with leaders of other countries, staying committed to forging a united, equal, balanced and inclusive global development partnership.

At the Ministerial Meeting of the Group of Friends of the GDI, China said it is willing to strengthen strategic synergy with UN development agencies and work with members of the Group of Friends to take seven additional measures to implement the 2030 Agenda. It once again demonstrated China’s major country responsibility in being action-oriented and promoting the implementation of the initiative.

China presented to the UN six sets of data products for global sustainable development, including data products on global arable land and forest, so as to provide data support for all countries to better achieve food security, ecological conservation on land, and other sustainable development goals.

The GDI enjoys a bright future because it adheres to multilateralism and builds synergy for global development. To realize sustained global development, the international society must work as one. More than 100 countries and international organizations, including the UN, have supported the GDI, and more than 60 countries have joined the Group of Friends of the GDI.

China has worked actively with relevant parties to implement the 32 pragmatic measures and has achieved multiple early fruits. Institutions from 17 countries and regions became the first to join the International NGOs Network for Poverty Reduction Cooperation. One hundred and fifty institutions from nearly 40 countries and regions are making joint preparations to establish a World Technical Vocational and Education Training League. China has engaged in the co-production of COVID-19 vaccines with 13 countries.

China follows the principles of extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits, forges greater synergy through coordination, and upholds inclusiveness and common progress. It is pooling collective wisdom and strength for the implementation of the GDI.

On the path of development, no country or individual should be left behind. This is the humble aspiration of the GDI and the goal advocated by the UN. China will continue to share development opportunities with all countries, stand with fellow developing countries, and make all-out efforts to advance the GDI. It will join hands with other countries on the journey of implementing the 2030 Agenda and build an even better community with a shared future for mankind.

By Gu Yekai, People’s Daily

The total number of China’s intellectual property rights (IPR) assistance service agencies has exceeded 1,300, said a recent report on the country’s IPR protection assistance progress in 2021.

More than 47,000 applications for IPR aid were handled across the country in 2021, and consulting services were offered about 41,000 times, according to the report issued by the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA).

China has continuously enhanced its nationwide network of IPR protection support, making IPR aid services more targeted, convenient and available.

Zhan Ying, professor with Zhongnan University of Economics and Law, said IPR aid offers strong support for the effective operation of the country in administrative and judicial protection of IPR, as well as the construction of IPR credibility mechanisms.

In recent years, relevant local authorities across China have focused on new targets, fields and models of IPR protection assistance, taking micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises as a priority to guarantee their innovation environment.

For instance, IPR aid service stations at municipal and county levels in Mudanjiang, northeast China’s Heilongjiang province are offering professional services for a number of enterprises in promising fields such as equipment manufacturing, modern agriculture and winter sports & tourism industries.

Continuously enhancing IPR aid for micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises gives a very strong boost to the development of innovative enterprises, said Shan Xiaoguang, director of the Research Center of China-EU Innovation Policy and Law at Tongji University, and professor of Shanghai International College of Intellectual Property.

According to the CNIPA report, China’s IPR aid institutions accepted around 34,000 applications for IPR aid from micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises last year, and 18 provinces have precisely matched the demand for aid seekers through questionnaires, field investigations and other ways.

In the first half of this year, IPR protection centers in China completed about 16,000 IPR protection cases and 64,000 preliminary hearings of patent cases, the CNIPA said.

Shan told People’s Daily that many Chinese enterprises exploring the overseas market see an urgent need to raise their IPR risk awareness and enhance their capability in handling IPR disputes.

The CNIPA report said that last year, 24 provinces established service centers, as well as institutional repositories and expert databases to improve their response mechanisms for overseas IPR disputes, and 12 signed cooperation agreements and set up law and case libraries to enhance the sharing of resources on overseas IPR aid.

Besides, 26 provinces encouraged IPR aid institutions and experts to serve exhibitions, providing a total of 283 times of aid services for exhibitions, trade fairs, major sports events and innovation and entrepreneurship activities, up 9.3 percent year on year.

At present, the public and innovation entities are seeing stronger and more diversified demands for IPR protection. In 2021, the China Intellectual Property Rights Aid Network was visited 2.2 million times, 371.8 percent higher than a year ago. A total of 831 public seminars and training sessions on IPR were held across the country, with more than 298,000 participants.

In 2021, IPR authorities across the country handled 49,800 IPR disputes, and 4,800 cases of patent counterfeiting were dealt with by market supervisors at various levels. The numbers of invention patents and trademarks authorized to foreign applicants went up 23 percent and 5 percent, respectively.

In the recent ten years, the social satisfaction for IPR protection has been comprehensively improved. It was rated 80.61 out of 100 in 2021, 16.92 points higher than that in 2012.

By Yang Yi, People’s Daily

“The Gabonese Democratic Party (GDP) has a friendship with the Communist Party of China (CPC) lasting over 40 years. Every leader of the Gabonese party has paid visits to China to learn governance experience from the CPC. They witnessed the huge changes in China’s development and deeply felt the institutional advantages of socialism with Chinese characteristics,” said Michel Philippe NZE, Second Deputy Secretary General of the GDP, in a recent interview with People’s Daily.

China is the world’s second largest economy, the largest industrial country, the largest goods trading country and the holder of the largest foreign exchange reserves. Philippe admires such developments made by the Chinese people under the leadership of the CPC and speaks highly of the governance philosophy of the Chinese political party.

“The CPC adheres to a people-centered approach and always puts people’s interests in the first place,” said Philippe, adding that is what guarantees China’s constant progress.

In the fall three years ago, Philippe visited China together with a GDP delegation. The delegation visited tech firms and cultural organizations in a number of Chinese cities, such as Beijing, Guangzhou and Shenzhen. They also joined symposiums attended by local citizens and professionals from various industries, from which they saw the development of China.

“I was deeply impressed by the Beijing Planning Exhibition Hall. It comprehensively showcases the history, status quo and future of the Chinese capital’s urban planning and construction. There, I learned that Beijing keeps its ancient appearances while adopting modern development approaches and methods,” Philippe told People’s Daily.

He also felt the prosperous green development of China on the streets of Beijing, where he saw shared bikes and other green transport methods. “The citizens are taking concrete actions to put green development into practice,” he said.

China and Gabon have achieved common development through the Belt and Road Initiative. In June last year, China handed over the renovated parliament building of Gabon to the Gabonese government. Five months later, a school constructed by Chinese companies in the African country was completed, which can accommodate over 5,000 students.

Philippe speaks highly of the vision of building a community with a shared future for mankind and the Global Development Initiative, both proposed by China.

“Chinese schemes have been recognized and responded by a number of developing countries including Gabon, and our people have also received tangible benefits from such schemes,” he noted.

In March last year, Gabon received the first batch of COVID-19 vaccines donated by China. “We immediately launched nationwide vaccinations. The Gabonese President and his wife were vaccinated at the earliest time possible,” Philippe recalled.

According to the man, the pandemic has been put under control in his country, and there has been a significant drop in both the affections and the death rate.

“We and China offered mutual assistance amid the pandemic. It would have been very hard for us if our Chinese friends had not helped us,” he said.

China and Gabon have witnessed constantly deepening cultural exchanges over recent years. It was announced last November that the French version of the Chinese drama series Minning Town, which spotlights a real-life poverty alleviation project in northwest China, would be aired in Gabon and other African countries.

“These Chinese poverty alleviation stories can strike a chord with African people. They bring the Chinese people closer to Africans and set an example for African countries to achieve prosperity,” Philippe said.

Philippe believes that China’s poverty reduction miracle – lifting hundreds of millions of people out of poverty in the past some 40 years – will go down in history.

“More importantly, it brings hope to African countries that are still bothered by poverty today,” he noted.

In March this year, Philippe attended a virtual meeting held by the International Department of the CPC Central Committee, which was themed on the exploration and practice of Chinese and African political parties to seek modernization paths suiting national conditions.

Philippe shared his opinions on the development of political party-led media outlets and journals in the new era. He said relevant parties need to enhance exchanges and cooperation to build a clean cyberspace and a sound environment for public opinion in today’s world that is highly informationized.

The 20th National Congress of the CPC will kick off next month. Philippe extended his congratulations to the Chinese people for their achievements made under the leadership of the CPC. He said he hopes China can continue working with other developing countries to create a brighter future.

By Zhu Jun, People’s Daily

Sept. 23 this year marked the fifth Chinese farmers’ harvest festival. Celebration activities were held in Chengdu, southwest China’s Sichuan province and Changping district, Beijing, to share the joy of harvest.

“I had another bumper harvest this year from my nearly 7,000 mu (467 hectares) of rice,” said Cheng Liankun from Xiaozhujia village, Ning’an, northeast China’s Heilongjiang province, who is now selling his rice through livestreaming.

According to statistics released by the National Bureau of Statistics, China’s summer grain output increased 1 percent year on year to 147.4 billion kilograms. The total output of early rice was around 28.1 billion kilograms, up 105 million kilograms from that in 2021.

At present, autumn grains are in good growth in most parts of the country, which lays a solid foundation for autumn harvest.

The firm basis of agriculture, as well as the sound development of issues related to agriculture, rural areas and farmers, offer firm support for China in stabilizing the macro economy and keeping major economic indicators within an appropriate range. As a result, China is confident in coping with domestic and international challenges.

China is a major agricultural nation that enjoys a long history of farming culture. It always regards agriculture as a basis for national stability and people’s happiness.

In recent years, the country has constantly improved its policy system supporting the development of agriculture, rural areas and farmers.

It implements the rural vitalization strategy, puts agriculture and rural areas first in development, and has fostered an atmosphere in the whole society where agriculture, rural areas and farmers are cared for.

More attention was paid to, more investment was made and more parties engaged in the development of agriculture, rural areas and farmers. China has achieved historic progress in its agricultural and rural development.

At present, the contribution rate of agricultural technology progress to economic growth in China has reached over 61 percent, and the coverage rate of improved crop varieties has exceeded 96 percent.

Besides, 72 percent of crops in China are comprehensively planted and reaped by machines, and over 900 million mu of high-standard farmland has been built across the country.

China’s agriculture, empowered by new machines and models, as well as new industries and businesses, is embracing high-quality development. Agricultural technologies have become a powerful engine and fundamental force in maintaining food security and the supply of important agricultural products.

The Chinese farmers’ harvest festival is a day for not only the farmers, but also all Chinese people.

A featured promotion activity was held in Beijing that day to introduce citizens to agricultural brands. An exhibition was held in Chengdu to demonstrate the outcomes of China’s agricultural modernization. In Heilongjiang province, farmers attended a grand outdoor party to celebrate the festival, where farmers sing, paint and read poetry to celebrate the harvest.

These activities made people realize that national stability and food security are of vital importance and increased care for agriculture, rural areas and farmers. The festival is an opportunity for the countryside to demonstrate its featured products, beautiful scenery and great traditional cultures, and to bring in market economy thoughts, suitable technologies and modern production factors. China will achieve better progress in rural vitalization and make the countryside richer, happier and more beautiful.

By Zhang Shuo, People’s Daily

The Guangzhou campus of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), officially known as the HKUST (Guangzhou), opened its new semester this September.

The new campus, sharing resources and complementary advantages with the HKUST, has upgraded the Hong Kong university to a new level.

Located in Nansha district of Guangzhou, the campus is the first legally-independent university co-established by the Chinese mainland and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) since the Outline Development Plan for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) was unveiled in 2019.

It is expected to foster innovative talents with international visions and better serve the construction of the GBA.

The Outline Development Plan for the GBA encourages the area to promote cooperation and development in education. It supports higher education institutions from Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao in jointly operating schools, and encourages the joint development of academic programs, laboratories and research centers in fields where they have a competitive edge.

Over the past three years, educational cooperation in the GBA has made intensive and extensive progress. At present, a batch of cooperative programs between Hong Kong and Guangdong province are well underway, such as the Dongguan campus of the City University of Hong Kong, the Zhaoqing campus of the Hong Kong Metropolitan University and the Shenzhen branch of the University of Hong Kong.

The cooperation will help the three regions further share educational resources. The GBA has a strong economy and sees abundant innovation elements. As an internationalized region, it is home to a large number of higher education institutions.

Colleges and universities in Guangdong are engaged in a wide range of academic disciplines. They enjoy reliable student resources and sound local industrial development on their way to build first-class institutions.

Hong Kong is a hub of renowned and internationalized universities that enjoy strong research capabilities, while Macao boasts a batch of high-level and featured disciplines such as traditional Chinese medicine and tourism.

The three regions see the advantages of geographical proximity and cultural ties, which have laid a solid foundation for cooperation and development.

Enhancing the educational cooperation will help universities in Hong Kong and Macao tackle a series of challenges, such as a low level of industry-university-research institute collaboration, and a limited size of campuses. It will also help these universities better translate their scientific outcomes.

Besides, universities in the Chinese mainland can learn from the advanced experiences in school running, so as to nurture more world-class universities and disciplines.

Higher education is an important indicator of a country’s development and potential, as well as a powerful engine driving regional economic and social development. The high-quality construction of the GBA cannot be advanced without constant talent supply, which requires the GBA to further educational cooperation and build itself into a hub of education and talents.

In 2020, a development plan was issued on promoting educational cooperation in the GBA. The plan aims to build a synergetic development system of higher education in the GBA, and enhance collaborative innovation in scientific research for universities in the area.

According to the plan, the GBA will nurture a batch of world-class universities and strategic scientists by 2035. A number of original scientific achievements that can have a significant impact on the world’s technological development and the progress of human civilization will be created by then.

With those developments, the 11-city cluster will become a role model for the world’s cooperative and innovative development of higher education.

The Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao cooperation in education will also help enhance the sense of patriotism of Hong Kong and Macao compatriots.

The Outline Development Plan for the GBA encourages students from Hong Kong and Macao to study in mainland universities. It also promotes cooperation in recruitment and employment, educational exchanges and skill competition among vocational schools in the three regions, and enhances cooperation on basic education.

The young people are the most vital and creative group in the society, as well as an emerging force driving innovative development. In recent years, educational exchanges between the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong and Macao have been prospering, and students from the two special administrative regions are seeing expanded channels of studying in the mainland.

Thanks to a series of major projects launched, more young people from Hong Kong and Macao have started businesses in the GBA and realized their dreams.

Innovations made to upgrade the models of educational cooperation between the mainland and the two special administrative regions help foster youth exchanges and enhance the sense of patriotism of the young people participating in national construction.

Today, Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao are constantly enhancing the alignment of rules and mechanisms.

New measures have been unveiled to support employment and entrepreneurship among the young people from Hong Kong and Macao in the GBA. More and more professionals from the two special administrative regions have obtained professional certificates in the mainland. The GBA’s capability in sci-tech innovation has been brought to a new level.

It is believed that as Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao keep expanding their cooperation in education, the GBA will definitely grow into a great model of comprehensive educational cooperation between the mainland and the two special administrative regions, and build a world-leading higher education system and an international demonstration zone of education.