Nigeria Times

By He Yin, People’s Daily

“Resilient,””optimistic,””encouraging”—these are among the most frequently used descriptors in global media analysesof China’s first-quartereconomic performance.

Amid severe disruptions to global trade and widespread pessimism permeating market expectations, the Chinese economy has delivered a robust start to 2025. It has maintained steady momentum amid signs of recovery, signaling a commitment to high-quality developmentwhile injecting much-needed confidence into a world economy fraught with uncertainty.

Despite rising unilateralism and protectionismworldwide, China’s economy continues to forge ahead, remaining a key engine of global growth. Official data released by the National Bureau of Statistics shows that China’s gross domestic product (GDP) reached 31.8758 trillion yuan ($4.36 trillion) in the first quarter of 2025, an increase of 5.4 percent year on year at constant prices, and a quarter-on-quarter increase of 1.2 percent. This signals the strong resilience and momentum of the Chinese economy.

Notably, the 5.4 percent growth outperformedboth 2024’s annual growth of 5% and first quarter of 2024’s growth of 5.3%, cementing China’sposition asone of the best-performing major economies.

Bernd Einmeier, Chairman of the German-Chinese Association for Economy, Education and Culture, noted that China’s relatively stable growth amid a complex external environment represents an important global public good, effectively counteringuncertainties in global markets.

By actively expanding and diversifying its markets and deepening cooperation on industrial and supply chains, China has not only strengthened its own economic resilience, but also enabled its trading partners to pursue common development.

In the first quarter, China’s total imports and exports of goods reached 10.3 trillion yuan, making a year-on-year increase of 1.3% andestablishing a new benchmark for the same period. China’s exports to over 170 countries and regions recorded growth, with exports to Asian and African marketsexceeding the global average pace. Trade volumeswith Belt and Road partner countries grew 2.2 percent year on year, constituting 51.1 percent of China’s total trade volume. Exports of sporting goods to the EU and cosmetics to Southeast Asia both posted double-digit growth.

Domestic trade firmsare swiftly adaptingto evolving international demand, launching more high-quality, innovative, and trendy products, fosteringa more balanced and diversified trade structure with stronger resilience.

The economy is accelerating its transition toward greener, innovation-driven, and smart manufacturing systems, with new growth drivers gaining momentum. French newspaper Le Monde described the 137th China Import and Export Fair (Canton Fair) a “barometer” of China’s trade with the world, noting that buyers from all over the globe continued sourcing goods from China, which reinforced the country’s reputation as the “world’s factory.”

From small appliances like coffee machines and robotic vacuum cleaners to large-scale marine engineering equipment, Chinese manufacturing is accelerating its transition to advanced, intelligent, and eco-friendly production. Having dominated global manufacturing output for 15 consecutive years, China has maintained its unparalleledposition as the world’s largest manufacturing powerhouse through a fully integrated industrial system and unmatched supporting capabilities.

Analysts emphasized that China’s robust industrial capacity, seamless global supply chainintegration, and rising technological competitiveness have underpinned itsresilience amid global headwinds.

As macroeconomic policies continue to gain traction and innovation-driven growth continue to accelerate, a new development model driven by both domestic demand and innovation is taking shape.

In the first quarter, China’s total retail sales of consumer goods rose by 4.6 percent year on year, marking a 1.1 percentage pointsacceleration compared to 2024. The value-added of high-tech manufacturing enterprises above the designated size grew by 9.7 percent, while that of the information transmission, software, and information technology services sector expanded by 10.3 percent.

This upward trajectory has been reinforced by targeted policy support and accelerating industrial innovation.For example, the launch of a direct shipping route between Zhuhai in south China’s Guangdong province and Brazil has opened a new maritime corridor linking the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area with Santana Port in Brazil. Multiple e-commerce platforms have pledged investments to help foreign trade enterprises explore the domestic market, while leading supermarket chains have opened “green channels” to streamline access topremium export products.

These measures are gradually unlocking the potential of China’s super-sized market while advancing high-level opening up, fostering positive interaction and shared growth between China and the world.

China’s economy has a stable foundation, numerous strengths, remarkable resilience and vast potential. The dominating trend of a sound Chinese economy for the long term and the elements supporting it have not changed.

By focusing on doing its own works well, China will continue pursuing high-quality development and expanding high-level opening up. In doing so, it will share development opportunities with the world and inject greater stability and certainty to the global economy.

By Ouyang Jie, Ke Zhongjia, Liu Junguo, People’s Daily

On an ordinary afternoon at the Yiwu International Trade Market, the world’s largest wholesale hub for small commodities, business is anything but ordinary. The corridors bustle with buyers from across the globe, and vendors – some 75,000 of them – field inquiries from customers both online and off.

Dubbed “world’ssupermarket,”this sprawling market in east China’s Zhejiang province sees more than 220,000 visitors a day. While global trade faces rising uncertainty, Yiwu remains a hive of activity and resilience.”There are always more solutions than problems,” a vendor remarked to People’s Daily reporters on a recent visit – a sentiment echoing through the halls of the market. It reflects the quiet confidence of a marketplace that, even as supply chains realign and geopolitics shift, continues to find new ways to keep business moving.

At 3 p.m., on the fifth floor of District 2 of the market, Wang Nan, general manager of a hardware store, had not yet paused for lunch. “These are already the fourth group of clients I’ve met today,” he said, motioning toward a pile of pending online orders. Since the beginning of the year, sales have increased by around 20 percent, he added.

His store offers more than 1,000 varieties of hand and power tools, exporting to over 100 countries through a network of long-term partnerships with manufacturers in industrial hubs such as Danyang in east China’s Jiangsu province, and distributors worldwide.

With abroad selection, polished packaging, and reliable quality, the products have gained popularity among consumers across the world.”Our trade with the U.S. makes up about 10 percent of our business,” Wang said. “Even when U.S. shipments face delays, it doesn’t rattle us. When you have good products, the customers keep coming.”

Yiwu’s strength lies in volume, variety, and velocity. The market offers more than 2.1 million stock keeping units (SKUs), forming the backbone of everyday global consumption. These unassuming, everyday goods – what merchants call “hardcore” products – have reinforced local merchants’ confidence to weather global shocks and keep commerce moving forward.

“In recent years, we’ve worked to expand into African markets, and we are now seeing growth of over 20 percent in those countries,” said Liu Jianhao, sales director of Zhejiang Rifeshow Cosmetics Co., Ltd.

The company has sharply scaled back its dependence on the U.S. market, slashing the share of exports bound for the U.S. from 60 percent in 2018 to just 5 percent today – a shift that has helped insulate it from the fallout of unpredictable U.S. tariffs.

Last October, the company rolled out a new line of perfumes targeting African and Middle Eastern markets. The initial plan called for 30 products, but by the time the line launched in February this year, demand had already surged beyond expectations.In response, the company quickly added 36 more fragrances, each tailored to regional preferences.

“In just over two months, we sold more than 5 million bottles,” Liu said. “From concept to shelf, we move fast and deliver quality. That’s the strength of China’s supply chain, and it’s what allows Yiwu merchants to thrive in an increasingly diversified global market.”

The Yiwu International Trade Market operates like a global expo, open year-round to foreign buyers around the world. According to Yiwu Customs, in the first quarter of this year, the city’s total trade with Belt and Road partner countries reached 111.85 billion yuan ($15.32 billion), up 11.7 percent year on year, accounting for 66.8 percent of the city’s total foreign trade.

During the same period, the market saw significant growth in trade with other regions: trade with ASEAN and the European Unionrecorded increases of 16.1 percent and 16.5 percent, respectively; while that with Africa, Latin America, and the Middle East grew by 3.9 percent, 14.1 percent and 13.7 percent, respectively.

For traders in Yiwu, markets in Asia, Africa, Latin America, and other Belt and Road partner countries, represent not just opportunity, but stability. Tapping into this broad network of emerging demand has become a strategic buffer – with a growing “circle of friends”now central to weathering uncertainty and building long-term resilience.

According to statistics from China’s General Administration of Customs(GAC), China’s global trade cooperation continued expanding in the first quarter. The country’s foreign trade with Belt and Road partner countries rose 2.2 percent to 5.26 trillion yuan, 0.9 percentage points higher than the overall growth rate, accounting for 51.1 percent of China’s total foreign trade. In particular, trade between China and ASEAN grew by 7.1 percent from one year earlier, and that with the five Central Asian countries by 6.9 percent.

“Expanding into diversified markets and deepening cooperation across industrial and supply chains will further reinforce the resilience of China’s foreign trade,” said an official with China’s GAC.

In addition, as China steps up the integrated development of domestic and foreign trade, its vast domestic market has become a powerful anchor for foreign trade enterprises.

On April 13, China’s Ministry of Commerce launched “Premium Exports Homebound,”a campaign aiming at helping foreign trade companies pivot inward, promoting their export-ready products at home. Targeting provinces with strong foreign trade and consumer bases, the event features a range of themed matchmaking activities to open new sales channels and cushion the blow of global volatility. Industry associations, e-commerce platforms, and major retailers have thrown their weight behind the effort with a flurry of supportive measures.

“We will focus on managing its affairs well and use its ‘certainty’ to hedge against the ‘uncertainty’ of the external environment,” said an official with China’s Ministry of Commerce.

As China continues to unleash its vast market potential,supported by policies aimed at stabilizing the economy and foreign trade, its foreign trade is well-prepared to face various risks and challenges, the official said.

By Dai Linfeng, People’s Daily

For most diners, seafood is simply a delicacy. But on Changdao Island in east China’s Shandong province, it represents something more: a climate asset.

For instance, for local fisherman Wang Delian, the briny bounty of the sea comes with a new calculation: carbon offsets.”Each square ofsilky kelp fixesaround 0.2 kilograms of carbon annually,” he explained. “One mu of plump oysters – about 667 square meters – absorbs around 1.4 tons of carbon dioxideeach year. And a single ton of scallops? That’s worth 0.25 tons of carbon dioxide, or the equivalent of planting 16 trees.”

Not long ago, Wang’scompany earned him a one-million-yuan ($136,544) blue ocean loan – not backed by property or equipment, but bythe 20,900 tons of carbon dioxide his oyster farm has absorbed. Here, fresh air has become collateral, and the ocean – a ledger of ecological credit.

Wang is just one of many riding this blue-green wave. Daqianshan Island, under Changdao’s jurisdiction, has taken the concept of sustainability a step further, becoming China’sfirst island to record over 2,000 tons of negative carbon emissions – meaning the island now captures more carbon than it emits.

A decade ago, such achievements were unimaginable. In winter, the island’s500 coal-fired boilers consumed over 50,000 tons of coal annually to heat aquaculture ponds. Poorly managed nearshore fish farming worsened water quality, leading to severe algal blooms and ecological stress.

In recent years, Changdao Island has reclaimed 18,000 mu of nearshore aquaculture zones and dismantled 860,000 square meters of shoreline hatcheries. As a result, greenhouse gas emissions plummeted nearly 50 percentbetween 2016 and 2023. As carbon-intensive practices receded, ecosystems began to recover. The skies brightened, the waters cleared, and the air grew cleaner.

This campaign to “retreat aquaculture and restore the sea” has replaced the short-term focus on harvest yields with a longer-term vision – one that values carbon sinks. It marks a fundamental recalibration of the region’s development model, where ecological restoration and economic planning now move in tandem.

However, scaling back traditional aquaculture raised hard questions about livelihoods. Yet for those like Wang, it also created new opportunities. Today, Wangoversees 150,000 oyster cages, more than triple his 2023 count, as the industry shifts toward deep-sea ranching – a more sustainable, carbon-absorbing alternative.

As fishery resources are reimagined as carbon sink assets, Changdao’sfishermen – once guardians of ecology – are becoming primary beneficiaries of sustainable development. By aligning emission reductions with economic growth, the island is not only preserving its beautiful shores, but also unlocking powerful momentum for ocean-driven prosperity.

That transition is being powered, in part, by green innovation. Take the artificial reefsdotting Changdao’s seabed for example: built from durable basalt, these reefs are equipped with underwater cameras and wireless sensorsto track ocean currents and marine life in real time. More than 1.3 million cubic meters of these reefs have been deployed, spurring nutrient upwelling and creating fertile habitat for carbon-sequestering shellfish and algae. So far, these “underwater carbon vaults” have offset over 100,000 tons of carbon dioxide equivalents – each seaweed strand and oyster shell playing its part in a vast, living carbon factory.

Changdao’sstory is no longer unique.Across China’s vast maritime territory, island communities are embracing a similar blueprint: reviving ecosystems, enhancing coastal living environments,leveraging unique marine resources, and integrating cultural tourism into the fabric of local economies.

With a focus on greener islands, cleaner beaches, clearer waters, and more vibrant biodiversity, many regions in China are exploring new ways to understand, manage, and benefit from the ocean. By cherishing its blue skies and seas as it would cherish life itself, the country is steering its marine economy toward higher quality and greater efficiency- ensuring that the ocean remains a source of sustainable well-being for generations to come.

By Song Haoxin, You Yi, People’s Daily

The Sanxingdui Ruins, a monumental archaeological treasure, continue to unravel the mysteries of the ancient Shu civilization. Recently, the Sichuan Provincial Cultural Relics and Archaeology Research Institute kicked off the second phase of the conservation and inheritance project of Ancient Shu Civilization. With the rise of new technologies, the excavation, restoration, and exhibition of ancient artifacts are undergoing a revolutionary transformation, offering the public new ways to connect with relics that have remained silent for millennia.

At the latest archaeological excavation site in the sacrificial area of the Sanxingdui Ruins, high-tech tools are being deployed.In the 1980s, archaeologists worked under open skies with rudimentary equipment, excavating the No. 1 and No. 2 sacrificial pits. Now, over 30 years later, the world’s first fully enclosed excavation shelter covers Pits No. 3 through No. 8, where advanced archaeological modules have revolutionized the process.

Artifacts, once hidden in the earth in a relatively stable environment, are highly vulnerable once unearthed. Without immediate preservation, these fragile items can suffer discoloration or even carbonization of organic materials. The newly designed sealed modules maintain precise temperature and humidity controlwhile blocking dust, bacteria, and contaminants, providing the critical protection necessary for preserving these ancient relics.

Inside the transparent excavation modules, archaeologists, clad in full protective gear, work on suspended platforms within the pits, delicately cleaning the fragile items. “Each module is equipped with an integrated excavation platform and a multifunctional operating system,” explained Chen Xiandan, lead archaeologist behind the excavation of the No. 1 and No. 2 pits. “This basket-like platform helps prevent contamination of both artifacts and soil during the excavation.”

To date, over 17,000 cataloged artifacts have been unearthed in this new round of excavations, prompting archaeologists to embrace AI-powered, human-machine systems to streamline the restoration process.

One of the most impressive examples of this is the reconstruction of a bronze statue depicting a kneeling figure atop a beast, balancing a sacred vessel on its head. The statue’s fragments, scattered across various excavation sites over the past 37 years, were painstakingly reassembled using AI technology.

According to Yu Jian, vice curator of the Sanxingdui Museum, archaeologists scanned the fragments to create detailed 3D models, then used AI to extract and analyze geometric features, matched fragments based on probability, and tested structural integrity to confirm the statue’s reconstruction. With the aid of AI, the statue’s full form has now been largely restored.

For relics too fragile to restore physically, AI offers a “digital rebirth.”

In the cultural relic conservation and restoration hall of the Sanxingdui Museum,visitors can peer through glass walls to observe conservators as they examine fragments with specialized equipment. On nearby screens, scattered bronze shards digitally come together. Over 30 fragments have been virtually joined to create a complete 3D model of a 2.88-meter-tall bronze sacred tree.

Yu explained that traditional physical restoration would have been too risky. “We opted for a digital reconstruction first, as it offered a more precise and less damaging solution,” he said. For him, restoring these relics is like solving an intricate puzzle of civilization. “Each completed piece brings us closer to understanding Sanxingdui’s rich history,” he noted.

Technology has also enhanced the museum’s ability to bring the story of the ancient Shu people to life. Using mixed-reality headsets, visitors can activate vivid digital scenes that immerse them in ancient life. They can stand before sacred trees, watch ancient priests perform rituals, or witness golden, three-legged crows soaring across the sky.

“Here, visitors can experience the attire, headgear, and natural environment of the Sanxingdui people,” said Luo Hong, a researcher at the museum. “They can even try their hands at activities like bronze and jade crafting, house construction, and ritual ceremonies.”

To further satisfy public curiosity, the museum offers virtual reality experiences that allow visitors to explore Pits No. 3 through No. 8 in stunning 1:1 scale digital recreations. These virtual environments – spanning sacrificial pits, excavation modules, laboratories, an ivory storage room, the Bronze Hall, and the new museum building – create a fully immersive space for archaeological exploration.

By Zhong Sheng, People’s Daily

Mounting global criticism is coalescing around a familiar concern: the United States is once again weaponizing tariffs as a tool of economic coercion. Experts warn that sweeping U.S. tariffs will deal a heavy blow to African economies, while ASEAN nations have openly denounced America’s unilateral tariff escalations.

Equally troubling, observers argue that these arbitrary tariffs not only threaten global economic stability but also signal a deliberate attempt of the U.S. to reassert its old hegemonic influence in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Among the countries on Washington’s “tariff coercion list” are some of the world’s most vulnerable economiessuch as Lesotho, recognized by the United Nations as one of the least developed nations, and Fiji, a Pacific island country with a fragile, narrowly based economy. This reckless move is sending shockwaves across the Global South.

In a bid to preserve its economic dominance, the U.S. has wielded the tariff stick, infringing upon and undermining other countries’ development rights and interests. This approach reveals its troubling indifference to international morality and responsibilities,exposing the underlying selfishness and hypocrisy of U.S. hegemony.

Driven by the belief in”might makes right,” the U.S. continues to pursue economic unilateralism – seeking gains at the expense of less developed countries. Such action not only erodes the development rights and interests of Global South countries but also undermines the efforts to build a more inclusive global economy.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned that trade wars are extremely negative, especially for the poorest people in the world. Data analysis from the World Trade Organization indicates that, amid economic disparities and unequal power dynamics, U.S. tariff policies will exacerbate the wealth gap among nations, with less developed countries facing particularly severe repercussions. This trend poses a significant threat to the efforts intended to achieve the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

The U.S. deliberately ignores the true development conditions of developing countries, distorting the causes behind trade deficits to justify its sweeping, unilateral tariffs. Its irresponsible action strips other countries, particularly those of the Global South, of their development rights and interests.

As the world’s largest economy, the U.S. has reaped immense profits from the global division of labor. Yet even as it benefits from globalization, it brazenly undermines very rules that make it work – flouting international trade norms, disregarding the intricate web of global industrial and supply chains, and casting aside the principles and purposes of the multilateral trading system. This behavior has inflicted deep and lasting harm to the economies and livelihoods of countries in the Global South.

An onslaught of tariffs by the U.S. will send “shock waves” through African economies, Akinwumi Adesina, president of the African Development Bank, recently said, warning of reduced trade and higher debt-servicing costs.

The international community must not remain silent in the face of economic bullying and coercion. As the largest developing country and a responsible member of the international community, China has taken legitimate countermeasures to defend its sovereignty, security, and development interests. These actions are not only about protecting China’s own rights and interests – they are about standing up for the integrity of international trade rules, and for international fairness and justice. That stance has resonated across the Global South, where support for a more equitable global trading order continues to grow.

At the second meeting of the BRICS Contact Group on Economic and Trade Issues, participants expressed serious concerns over the trade tensions triggered by U.S. measures, and jointly called for opposition to unilateralism and trade protectionism. Reaffirming their commitment to the rules-based multilateral trading system, they emphasized the need for collective action to address the pressing challenges facing global trade today.

China stands firmly against trade protectionism and advocates a universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalization. It is committed to advancing global development through trade, narrowing the development gap between the North and the South, and supporting the industrialization of other developing nations through tangible actions. For instance, it has given all the least developed countries with which it has diplomatic relations zero-tariff treatment for 100 percent tariff lines, expanding unilateral openingto the least developed countries to achieve common development.

China will continue to advance high-level opening up, steadily expanding institutional opening up with regard to rules, regulations, management, and standards. By sharing development opportunities with the rest of the world, the country aims to create win-win outcomes and achieve common development.

In its recently released Trade and Development Foresights 2025 report, UNCTAD underlined the growth of South-South trade, which accounts for about one third of global trade, as a source of resilience and a buffer against uncertainty. The development of China has been promoting “a steady growth of South-South trade,” the report said, adding that the potential of South-South economic integration offers opportunities for many developing countries.

History must not be reversed, and humanity must never return to a world where the strong prey on the weak. In today’s era of deepened economic globalization and interconnected international production networks, countries of the Global South are not only important contributors to the global economy but also crucial defenders of international economic and trade rules as well as the multilateral trading system. Any attempt to reverse this progress is doomed to fail.

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

By Ji Juesu, People’s Daily

In early March 2024, Mr. Zhou, a 63-year-old resident of Shanghai,returned to a hospital for what would become his third fight against diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. But this time, he was not relying on the chemotherapy and targeted therapy that had defined his previous treatments. Instead, he placed his hopes in a new frontier of precision treatment: CAR-T cell therapy.

Short for chimeric antigen receptor-T cell therapy, CAR-T is a rapidly evolving form of immunotherapy that reimagines cancer treatment – not by attacking tumors directly, but by supercharging the body’s own immune defenses.

At the heart of this approach are T cells – the immune system’s frontline soldiers. These white blood cells spring into action when the body encounters infections or tumors, working to defend against threats. CAR-T therapy takes that natural defense and amplifies it, genetically reprogramming the T cells into precision-targeting cancer killers. The secret lies in the “CAR,” or chimeric antigen receptor – a custom-built molecule added to the T cells that enables them to recognize and lock onto cancer cells with uncanny accuracy.

In Zhou’s case, his blood was drawn and sent to a manufacturing facility operated by JW Therapeuticsin Suzhou, east China’s Jiangsu province. There, his T cells underwent a series of complex steps designed to turn them into cancer-fighting powerhouses.

The process began with isolating and cryopreserving the T cellsat temperatures below minus 130 degrees Celsius to preserve their original activity. When ready, the frozen cells were thawed and genetically modified using a viral vector that introduced the CAR – a molecular homing device for cancer. But a single engineered cell isn’t enough. These modified cells were expanded into bioreactors to create an army of at least 100 million. After rigorous purification, concentration, and quality control, Zhou’s customized therapy was complete and ready for delivery.

Three weeks later, he received a call: the infusionwas ready. Transported under strict temperature control, the CAR-T cellswere thawed and delivered back into Zhou’s bloodstream.

The results were almost immediate. Zhou developed a mild fever – a common side effect of the immune response triggered by the therapy – and soon noticed his swollen lymph nodes shrinking. A month later, follow-up scans brought good news: complete remission. The engineered T cells had not only cleared cancer, but were now standing sentry within his immume system, guarding against its return.

“We’re continuing to push our research forward so more patients can access and benefit from this treatment,” said Xia Zhen, executive director of clinical development at JW Therapeutics.

Globally, more than a dozen CAR-T therapies have received regulatory approval. In patients with relapsed or refractorylarge B-cell lymphoma, responses rate hover around 80 percent. Of those, 40 percent to 60 percent have gone on to survive five years or more – offering real hope for a potential cure.

Shanghai, meanwhile, is positioning itself as a hub for next-generation biotechnologies. With supportive policies and investment in life sciences, the city is unlocking innovation in cell therapy and aims to make breakthroughs like CAR-T more accessible to the patients who need them most.

By He Yong, Qiao Dong, People’s Daily

Even in April, the vast, wind-whipped plains of Hoh Xil remain cloaked in snow and silence. Tucked within the Sanjiangyuan National Park in the remote headwaters of the Yangtze River in northwest China’s Qinghai province, this high-altitude wilderness – averaging more than 4,500 meters above sea level – is the country’s largest World Natural Heritage site. Its extreme coldness, thin air, and sweeping isolationhave preserved a raw, otherworldly ecosystem, home to endangered wildlife such as Tibetan antelopes and wild yaks.

But the region’s remoteness is no longer a barrier to protection. Conservation here is entering the digital age.

Turning west from ChinaNational Highway 109, People’s Daily reporters joined rangers from Sanjiangyuan National Park’s Hoh Xil administration on a patrol to Zhuonai Lake. As the convoy pushed deeper into the highland wilderness, herds of Tibetan wild asses, wild yaks, and Tibetan antelopes grazed and wandered freely across the plains.

The road, like much of Hoh Xil’s core protection zone, remains untouched – a deliberate choice to minimize human disruption. But signs of modern conservation infrastructure are increasingly visible. Along the route, perching frames for eagles punctuate the landscape at intervals, offering safe roosts forhighland birds of prey and encouraging biodiversity. Nearby, sleek, solar-powered monitoring stations quietly collect data on climate conditions and soil composition – valuable input for researchers studying the region’s natural environment.

Since the national park was established, ranger teams have traded their aging pickups for high-performance 4×4 vehicles. Satellite phones,once a luxury, are now standard issue, providing check-in options on patrols that once lasted half a month without contact.

By nightfall, the team reached the Zhuonai Lake protection station, perched more than 4,800 meters above sea level. To their surprise, cell service had reached even here. “The telecom network was completed just last year,” said Guo Xuehu, the station’sformer deputy head. “It runs on solar power. Now I can video-call my family during the day. I feel very content.”

Guo, 48, spent 13 years at the Zhuonai Lake protection station before transferring to the Kunan protection station as deputy head two years ago. As one of the six manned stations across Hoh Xil, Kunan is currently staffed by seven rangers who patrol the wilderness in rotating pairs – each tour lasting roughly 15 days.

Since the establishment of the Sanjiangyuan National Park, the Kunan protection station has taken on more than just patrol duties – it has become a base for scientific research. Each summer, Zhuonai Lake transforms into what rangers call a “maternity ward” for nearly 30,000 Tibetan antelopes migrating through Kunan to give birth. Last year, Guo joined a research expedition from the Northwest Institute of Plateau Biology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, spending two weeks tracking the animal’smigration.

The payoff from years of protection and monitoring is beginning to show. Over the past decade, water conservation in the Sanjiangyuan area has risen by over 6 percent on average each year. Wildlife populations have also seen a notable recovery. The Tibetan antelope numbers have climbed from fewer than 20,000 individuals to over 70,000, leading to their reclassification from “critically endangered” to “near threatened.”Once-rare sightings of snow leopards, Amur leopards, and Eurasian otters are also becoming more frequent.

The job of a ranger has evolved alongside this recovery. “Before, our work was mostly about stopping poachers and illegal mining,” Guo noted. “Now, we’re also tracking ecological indicators and helping with public environmental education.”

At the Sonam Dargye protection station, the eastern gateway to Hoh Xil, that educational role is on full display. Every year, volunteers and visitors travel from across China to learn about the region. Last year, the station opened a new 300-square-meter exhibition hall introducing visitors to Hoh Xil’s geography, ecology, and the institutional evolution of its protection. “Every staff member here also acts as a guide,” said station ranger Bayier. “We know Hoh Xil inside and out, and we want to share that knowledge.”

Behind the station, a fenced-off grassland serves as a temporary home for rescued animals. When Bayier mimicked the whistling calls of Tibetan antelopes, a few heads peeked out from a distant slope. The young antelopes bounded toward him, recognizing his voice. He pulled out a milk bottle and gently patted their heads as he fed them. “These are the ones we rescued last year,” he explained. “After a year of care and rewilding training, they’ll be released back into the wild. We also take in birds, like falcons.”

Technology has become an increasingly important tool in this work. A 20-meter monitoring tower now stands beside the station, part of a broader surveillance system that transmits live footage back to park headquarters. “It’s made our enforcement much more efficient,”Bayier said.

That surveillance system is part of a sophisticated sky-ground intelligent monitoring network that combines satellite data, drones, and ground sensors. Sun Lijun, deputy director of the Sanjiangyuan National Park Administration, said that the system provides accurate, real-time information essential for managing ecosystems, protecting wildlife, and supporting ranger patrols in the park.

By Fang Min, People’s Daily

As the U.S. ratchets up tariffs on Chinese imports, exporters in central China’s Henan provinceare feeling the strain, but they are not standing still.

In Xinxiang, a manufacturing hub in the province’s north, firms accustomed to shipping goods across the globe are now navigating a more turbulent trade environment. Yet, rather than retreat, many are pushing outward, chasing new markets and doubling down on innovation.

“Business with the U.S. has definitely gotten tougher,” many company heads said.

For instance, Xinke Protective, a typical export-driven enterprise specializing in protective workwear, exports over 90 percent of its products to Europe and North America. In the first quarter of this year, the company saw revenues fall 30 percent compared to the same period in 2024.

Frestec, a Henan-based maker of refrigerators and freezers, has shipped its products to more than 70 countries and regions in recent years. But 2025 has brought a sharp rise in external uncertainty, according to Yang Qinhe,the company’sdeputy general manager, adding new layers of complexity to the company’s overseas market.

Despite growing uncertainty abroad, none of these entrepreneurs showed signs of panic.

“We remain optimistic about orderspicking up in the second half of this year,” said Xie Li, chairman assistantof Xinke Protective. “It’s not the first time we’ve weathered something like this.”

When the U.S. slapped tariffs on Chinese goods in 2018, Xinke’s orders dipped, only to recover months later as American clients, after weighing their options, returned. “Our quality and pricing still made sense, even with the added costs,”Xie explained.

To retain those clients, the company’s chairman recently traveled to the U.S. for in-person talks, while other teams are fanning out across the Middle East, South America, and Russia in search of new buyers.

A similar story is unfolding at Weihua Group, a crane manufacturer in Xinxiang. The company has hired more than 300 new salespeople overseas since last October – triple the number it initially targeted.”We can’t control the global situation, but we can be proactive,” said Vice President Ding Haiyang. “Many of our executives are now abroad, negotiating deals.”

The changing trade landscape has only deepened companies’ resolve to broaden their global reach.

Textile firm Xinxiang Chemical Fiber has sent teams to trade fairs in Indonesia and Bulgaria, tailoring its offerings to meet local tastes. “Buyers there have high expectations for fabrics texture, so we developed a customized flat yarn,” said Zhang Jiaqi, deputy general manager of the company.”It’s been very well received.”

Auto parts maker Yubei Steering System (Xinxiang) Co., Ltd is scouting factory sites overseas. “Going global is no longer optional – it’s necessary,” said deputy general manager Zhong Lijie.

Such moves suggest that Henan’s exporters, far from being blindsided, have been bracing for volatility,and preparing alternatives.

“The U.S. isn’t our only market,”one entrepreneur said. “Europe, Southeast Asia, and South America are full of potential. We just didn’tprioritize them before.”

Still, not every solution lies overseas.

China’s government work reportthis year emphasized the need to address inadequate domestic demand, particularly insufficient consumption, and make domestic demand the main engine and anchor of economic growth.

At Henan Winner Vibrating Equipment Co., Ltd., domestic demand has emerged as a surprising growth engine. The company’s in-house welding robots – once built solely for internal use – caught the attention of local customers after staff began posting videos online. Since hitting the market in 2021, robot sales have jumped nearly 30-fold.

Food manufacturer Henan Aokun is also targeting the Chinese consumer, betting on healthier eating habits. “We’re developing products that are low in sugar and fat but high in fiber,” said general manager Tang Lei. “That’s where the demand is going.”

Yet even as companies innovate and adapt, concerns remain. Several business leaders called for curbing rat-race competition, marked by low quality and low prices. “We need to stop fighting over pennies,” said Xie Li. “Only by working together – and focusing on R&D – can we keep our industries sustainable.”

By Zhong Sheng, People’s Daily

“I just saw the future. It was not in America.”

When New York Times columnist Thomas L. Friedman penned those words, he gave voice to a growing sense of anxiety among American intellectuals: the inward-looking doctrine of “America First”is unlikely to”Make America Great Again.”On the contrary, the beggar-thy-neighbor tactics and zero-sum economic coercion risk triggering a political and economic unraveling of Washington’s own making.

The United States, once the chief architect and primary beneficiary of the post-war international economic order and multilateral trading system, shall bear special responsibility as a steward of global trade rules.

For decades, the U.S. reaped the dividends of economic globalization and free trade. Low-cost international financing kept borrowing costs down. American companies thrived through global supply chains and global resource allocation, and American households bought everything from around the world at affordable prices.

Yet through a spree of erratic tariff blackmail, Washington is now unending the very gameboard it once laid out. These actions have not only trampled on other nations’ legitimate rights and interests and destabilized global economic governance, but more acutely threatened America’s own credibility and long-term interests.

The U.S. has long enjoyed the privilege of borrowing at low interest ratesfrom international markets, a benefit made possible by the dollar’s role as the world’ssafe-haven currency – underpinned by the creditworthiness of the U.S. government.

However, the latest round of tariff escalations hasrattled investor confidence, sending tremors through stock, bond, and currency markets. Such credit overdrafts risk corroding the global confidence in dollar-denominated assets. With $9.2 trillion of America’s $36 trillion national debt coming due this year, escalating trade tensions could makerefinancing more expensive – risking a crisis of confidence in the dollar.

In the name of reviving manufacturing, the U.S. has turned tariffs into blunt instruments and weapons of economic coercion, which will only undermine the stability and efficiency of global industrial and value chains.

The international division of labor is key to maintaining the competitiveness of American enterprises. It is this intricate web of cross-border collaboration that has helped U.S. companies tap into policy incentives and cost advantages abroad, reinvesting their substantial profits into domestic research and innovation. This virtuous cycle has helped propel the U.S. to the forefront of global technological leadership.

Yet by imposing tariffs on much of the world, the U.S. is undercutting its own advantage. Tariffs cascade through industrial and supply chains, exacerbating risks of supply chain disruptions and industrial hollowing-out, driving up production costs, and ultimately undermining the U.S. industrial foundation and diminishing the competitiveness of American enterprises.

As Gabriel Felbermayr, director of the Austrian Institute of Economic Research, stated,by retreating from global trade, the U.S. has voluntarily relinquished the advantages brought by international division of labor, ultimately leading to self-isolation in the global economy.

The impact of the tariff war on ordinary Americans is both immediate and inescapable. For decades, free trade has helped fill U.S. store shelves with high-quality and affordable goods – keeping prices low and enriching the lives of American households. But with new tariffs piling up, the cost of daily consumer goods – food, clothing, electronics, and household items -is steadily climbing.

The Budget Lab at Yale University predicted that in the event that other countries take countermeasures, the increase in personal consumption expenditure pricesin the U.S. will expand to 2.1 percent, with average losses of $1,300, $2,100, and $5,400 for low, middle, and high-income households, respectively.

The Peterson Institute for International Economics assesses that over 90 percent of the tariff costs will be borne by U.S. importers, by downstream businesses, and ultimately, through higher prices, by the end consumers.

As importers continue to pass tariff costsdown the line, American consumers are feeling the pinch through higher prices at the checkout. The result is a new wave of inflation that is increasingly difficult to contain. Persistent price pressurenot onlylimits the ability of the Federal Reserve to respond with interest rate cuts but drives up the cost of U.S. government borrowing even further.

Warnings that tariffs are dragging the U.S. economy into a deep chill are no longer confined to economic pessimists. Media headlines describing a “winter” for the American economy or a decade-long setback for the tech sector may sound dramatic but are increasingly backed by hard numbers.

Leading U.S. banks JPMorgan Chase and Goldman Sachs have recently ratcheted up their odds for a U.S. recession. According to the International Monetary Fund, a universal 10 percent rise in U.S. tariffs, accompanied by retaliation from relevant countries, could reduce U.S. GDP by 1 percent. The “tariff club,” history may show, is a boomerangthat is already striking back.

One will not be seen in a more favourable light after blowing out others’ lamp; nor will they go farther by blocking others’ paths. Obsessed with a might-makes-right mentality and clinging to the law of the jungle, the U.S. has embraced economic bullying as a policy, prioritizing unilateral gain over shared progress.

This is a regression of history and accelerates the erosion of America’s international credibility. The U.S. must listen to the growing chorus of international criticism and the clear-eyed assessments coming from within its own borders, walk away from tariff brinkmanship, and return to the path of cooperation. This is the only path left to truly revitalize the American economy.

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