Nigeria Times

By He Yin, People’s Daily

“China will work with all countries to promote friendship and cooperation, enhance mutual learning among different cultures, and build a community with a shared future for mankind. We must jointly create a better future for the world,” said Chinese President Xi Jinping in his 2025 New Year message.

His remarks demonstrate to the world China’s sincere hope to strengthen friendship and cooperation with other countries, its broad vision to rise above estrangement and conflict, and its great passion for caring for the future of humanity.

Friendly cooperation has always been the defining feature of China’s external exchanges. Drawing inspiration from its profound traditional culture, China has always valued making friends widely and deeply, followed the communication approaches of acting in good faith and being friendly to others, and strived for the ideals of pursuing the common good for all and promoting harmony among all nations.

These cultural values reflect the Chinese people’s respect for diversity and inclusiveness, and their commitment to working together with other countries for the common good.

Chinese diplomacy also emphasizes friendship and cooperation. In October 2024, Xi met with foreign guests attending the China International Friendship Conference and conference marking the 70th founding anniversary of the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries in Beijing. He recalled that a foreign friend of his once told him that friendship is a big deal, and a world of friendship is a world of peace.

Xi’s remarks show that the streams of friendship and the vitality of cooperation can converge into a powerful force that promotesworld peace and development, contributing to the building of a community with a shared future for mankind.

In promoting friendship and cooperation with other countries, China always values mutual respect and treats others as equals.

China always believes that all countries, big or small, strong or weak, rich or poor, are equal members of the international community. Itsupports all countries in independently choosing development paths suited to their respective national conditions, and is ready to share development opportunities brought by Chinese modernization.

Today, China has established diplomatic relations with 183 countries and has become a major trading partner of over 150 countries and regions, creating a closer global network of partnerships.

In promoting friendship and cooperation with other countries, China always values win-win cooperation and mutual benefit.

China believes that win-win cooperation is the sure way to success in launching major initiatives that benefit all. This is also a vital experience learned from China’s foreign exchange practices.

On Dec. 31, 2024, the China-Singapore Free Trade Agreement Further Upgrade Protocolentered into force. On Jan. 1, 2025, the China-Maldives Free Trade Agreement took effect. As China continues to expand high-level opening up, it has provided new opportunities for global development with new achievements of Chinese modernization.

In promoting friendship and cooperation with other countries, China always values openness, inclusiveness, and mutual learning among different civilizations.

As an old Chinese saying goes, “All living things should flourish without harming each other; all ways of life should thrive without hindering each other.”

China has announced the initiative of inviting 50,000 young Americans to China for exchange and study programsin a five-year span, contributing to the development of China-U.S. relations and world peace. It has also invited 1,000 members of African political parties to China to deepen exchanges of experience in party and state governance.

China has established the Chinese School of Classical Studies at Athens, creating a new platform for civilizational exchange and mutual learning between China, Greece, and other nations around the world. Moreover, China has developed over 3,000 international friendship city relationships with more than 140 countries across five continents, building a global network of friendships and partnerships.

With tangible actions, China has built bridges for people-to-people exchanges and encouragedpeople of all countries to promote mutual learning among different civilizations and foster people-to-people connectivity,injecting stronger momentum into human progress and world peace.

Sincerity is the foundation for friendship and long-term dedication is the basis of international cooperation. As changes unseen in a century accelerate across the world and the international situation becomes increasingly turbulent, the world needs to strengthen friendship and cooperation more than ever before.

China remains committed to promoting friendship and cooperation, and stands ready to work with all countries to converge the powerful force that promotesworld peace and development and builds a community with a shared future for mankind.

By He Yin, People’s Daily

As the new year began, a train loaded with fresh fruits and vegetables set off from China’s Yunnan province to the capital of Laos, Vientiane; in many Chinese supermarkets, Lao bananas imported by cold-chain trains via the China-Laos Railway are sold, enriching consumers’ choices.

The China-Laos Railway is becoming a “golden corridor” promoting the common development of China and its neighboring countries, ushering in bright prospects for building a community with a shared future for mankind.

Chinese President Xi Jinping said in his 2025 New Year message that China will work with all countries to build a community with a shared future for mankind.

China is not only an advocate for but also a contributor to building a community with a shared future for mankind. It has contributed its strength to peaceful development and promoted global governance reform with firm conviction and solid actions, demonstrating its courage and responsibility to advance human progress and world harmony.

Facing the changes of the times and the questions raised by history, the vision of building a community with a shared future for mankind unequivocally champions global solidarity, open-mindedness and win-win cooperation.

It replaces conflicts and confrontation with peaceful development,absolute security with common security, and zero-sum game with mutual benefits and win-win results, prevents cultural clashes through cultural exchanges, and champions green development to protect the planet we call home, pushing state-to-state relations from the pursuit of peaceful coexistence to that of a future shared by all.

On the road to the wellbeing of all mankind, no country or nation should be left behind. China always seeks others’ success as well as its own with a global vision. It follows a path of peaceful, open, cooperative and win-win development, providing new opportunities for global development with new accomplishments in Chinese modernization.

Xi once said, “We Chinese not only aspire for good living for ourselves, but also hope people in other parts of the world lead a decent life.” And China is proving this with concrete actions.

The China-Europe freight trains have made over 100,000 trips. The Chinese-built Chancay port in Peru has witnessed the emergence of a new land-sea corridor between Asia and Latin America in the new era. A total of 155 countries have joined Belt and Road Cooperation, paving the “road of happiness” wider.

China has hosted the China International Import Expo for seven consecutive years, continuously opening its market to countries around the world. It announced eight actions for global development to march toward modernization with other developing countries.

“Together, we can make 2025 a new beginning. Not as a world divided. But as nations united,” said UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in his message for the New Year.

China unswervingly follows the path of peaceful development and calls for an equal and orderly multipolar world and a universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalization.

It has unveiled eight measures in support of Global South cooperation, encouraging Global South countries to be the staunch force for peace, the core driving force for open development, the construction team of global governance, and the advocates for exchange among civilizations. China has made a strong voice for the development and vitalization of the Global South, and injected positive energy into improving the global governance system.

In the face of frequent geopolitical conflicts, China is actively working to restore peace in hotspots, upholding an objective and impartial stance, and actively advocating for peace and dialogue.

Building a community with a shared future for mankind has evolved from a proposal to a consensus, from a vision to a practice, becoming a significant force driving positive and profound changes in the world today.

Over the past year, China has agreed with Serbia to build a China-Serbia community with a shared future in the new era, elevated the overall characterization of China-Africa relations to an all-weather China-Africa community with a shared future for the new era, and elevated China-Brazil ties to a community with a shared future for a more just world and a more sustainable planet.

So far, communities with a shared future of varying forms have been built between China and dozens of countries and regions.

Multilateral cooperation such as a global community of health for all, a community with a shared future in cyberspace and a global community of shared development has been advancing. The vision of building a community with a shared future for mankind has been incorporated into UN resolutions and multilateral documents for multiple times, increasingly becoming the most important public good with major global significance, and moving the world to a bright future of peace, security, prosperity and progress.

A just cause should be pursued for the common good. Building a community with a shared future for mankind is a noble goal that requires generations of efforts. Looking at the past and future at this critical moment in history, we believe our efforts to create a better world will not cease.

China will continue to work with all parties in solidarity and cooperation, to write a new chapter in building a community with a shared future for mankind, and together, to create a better future for the world.

By He Yin, People’s Daily

In his 2025 New Year message, Chinese President Xi Jinping reiterated that China will work with all countries to enhance mutual learning among different cultures. This demonstrates China’s wisdom and vision to promote harmonious coexistence among different civilizations, as well as the country’s sense of responsibility in advancing the progress of human civilizations.

The world is in a new period of turbulence and transformation, and global challenges keep emerging. Toachieve peaceful coexistence and harmony among different civilizations remains crucial for addressing common challenges facing humanity.

In the face of rising unilateralism, protectionism and populism, as well as the increasing disputes derived from the differences in cultures and civilizations, China remains committed to promotingexchanges and mutual learning among civilizations, which is a wise choice inspired by the 5,000 years of Chinese civilization.

The prosperity of civilization and human progress will not be possible without enhancing common ground, openness and inclusiveness as well as exchange and mutual learning among civilizations and agreeing to reserve differences. More dialogue means less confrontation, and more inclusiveness means less estrangement.

Xi has made solid efforts to strengthen exchanges and enhance understanding among different civilizations, ensuring that civilizations, diverse in many ways, complement each other and shine brightly together, just like the multicolored pools of China’s Jiuzhaigou and Peru’s Salt Terraces of Maras.

When replying tothe letter from his American friend, Xi pointed out, “For China-U.S. relations to advance, it hinges more on the two peoples.”In a congratulatory letter to the inaugural World Conference of Classics, he emphasized the need to seek wisdom from different civilizations. When drawing blueprints for BRICS, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, and other cooperation mechanisms, he elaborated on people-to-people and cultural exchangesand dialogue on many occasions.

While injecting momentum into exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations, Xi has also provided wisdom and solutions to questions like how countries should get along with each other and how they should make joint efforts to address global challenges.

Civilizations are like water, moistening everything silently. “As an old Chinese saying goes, ‘Passengers in the same boat should help each other.’ Today, as I see it, dwellers of the same planet should help each other,” said Xi. He also encouraged the international community to resolve differences through dialogue and rise above conflicts through cooperation, and build a beautiful world of harmonious coexistence together.

These important proposals reflect the essence of fine traditional Chinese culture and serve as a source of inspiration for humanity to tackle the challenges of the times.

In June 2024, the 78th session of the UN General Assembly unanimously adopted a resolution proposed by China to establish the International Day for Dialogue among Civilizations. This vividly exemplifies China’s solutions and contributions to eliminating prejudices and misunderstanding and enhancing mutual understanding and trust among different civilizations.

Joining hands to advance modernization

To achieve modernization is an important topic in the development of civilizations. Modernization is not “an exclusive patent” of a small handful of countries, nor is it a single answer question. It cannot be realized by a cookie cutter approach or simple “copy and paste.”

Along the path to modernization, China has been working together with other countries to step up the exchange of experience in state governance and national development.

In November 2024, Xi shared with other countries China’s successful story in poverty alleviation when attending the 19th G20 Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

To tackle poverty, China has made targeted policies tailored to each village, each household and each person; helped localities generate growth by fostering industries with distinctive features and upgrading infrastructure, all in light of their own conditions; and promoted common prosperity by pairing up well-off regions with less developed ones. Such experience has drawn great attention worldwide.

From poverty reduction to the fight against corruption, from promoting common prosperity to enhancing ecological conservation, the successful experience of Chinese modernization has become a public good driving the progress of human civilizations.

At the opening ceremony of the 2024 Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, China unveiled ten partnership actions for modernization to deepen China-Africa cooperation, of which the Partnership Action for Mutual Learning among Civilizations is in the first place. Under this action, China is ready to work with Africa to build a platform for governance experience sharing.

Many African leaders believe that China stands ready to share its experience with other countries based oncommon values and mutual respect. They said that Africa and China can accelerate the process of industrialization and modernization by learning from each other and drawing on each other’s strengths.

China has always been committed to strengthening exchanges and mutual learning with all countries. Its experience is increasingly viewed by the international community, especially countries of the Global South, as an opportunity and hope for achieving development and progress.

The world is a colorful place and civilizations are diverse. At the crossroads of human civilizations, China stands ready to enhance mutual learning among different cultures together with other countries, to see that different civilizations enrich each other and add to the beauty of the world.

China will also join hands with other countries to bring down cultural barriers on the ground, reject prejudices that stand in the way of human interactions, and eliminate cultural bias that prevents people from engaging with one another, so as to ensure that different civilizations coexist in harmony.

By Qiao Dong, People’s Daily

Qinghai Lake, the largest inland saltwater lake in China, has been expanding in size continuously for the past 20 years. The latest satellite remote sensing found that the lake’s w r surface had reached 4650.08 square kilometers, a year-on-year increase of 28.1 square kilometers.

The recovery of the lake surface area is attributed to the local ecological restoration efforts and ongoing management and protection of the water ecosystem in recent years.

“Over the past 20 years, the warming and increased humidity on the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau has led to higher average temperature and rising rainfall in the Qinghai Lake basin,” said Sun Jianqing, an official with the Qinghai Lake National Nature Reserve Administration.

“More importantly, we have been beefing up ecological restoration and comprehensive sand and water management of the Qinghai Lake basin. The water quality in the main area of Qinghai Lake has consistently remained good over an extended period,” Sun added.

According to Shi Derong, an engineer at the grassland station in Haiyan county of Haibei Tibetan autonomous prefecture, northwest China’s Qinghai province, Qinghai Lake’swater level had experienced a reduction due to grassland degradation, land desertification, and river flow interruption.

To combat desertification, Qinghai adopted a sand control approach that focusedprimarily on preventing sand expansion while boosting afforestation. The province has restructured its tree species and successfully tested a range of practical technologies appropriate for high-cold sandy areas. Over 500,000 mu (33,333 hectares) of desertified land to the northeast of Qinghai Lake has been treated, with the overall coverage rate of grassland vegetation reaching 60 percent.

The continuous flow of streams into Qinghai Lake also provides a constant source of energy for the lake’s expansion.

The Buha River, originating from the Qilian Mountains, is the largest tributary of Qinghai Lake and accounts for over 50 percent of the lake’s water inflow.

Currently, China has approved a plan to establish a national park at Qinghai Lake. As part of the park’s development,the headwater regions of inflowing rivers, ecologically fragile areas such as glaciers and permafrost, habitats of rare species, as well as the lake area, will all be incorporated into core protection zones.

Over the past few years, the size of the Buha River basin has been on a steady increase, with the water quality consistently rated as excellent. How did local authorities manage to enhance the water quality while increasing the water volume?

A management system composed of the Qinghai Lake National Nature Reserve Administration, its branch offices and protection stations has been established in Qinghai Lake. Additionally, six protection stations have been put in place. carrying out special operations and daily patrols and monitoring to protect the water ecology.

Increasing biodiversity

Recently, an outdoor video monitoring platform run by the Protection and Utilization Administration of Qinghai Lake Scenic Area captured a real-time footage – hundreds of overwintering swans walking back and forth in groupsnear a bird islet.

It is learned that during the establishment of the national park, three comprehensive observation stations have been set up at the Chinese national level and under the administration of Chinese Academy of Sciences. Besides, a research platform has been established with the concreted efforts of several parties. Over 300 ecological monitoring stations for water, soil, air, and wildlife have alsobeen set up to supervise 24 major bird habitats, 13 Przewalski’s gazelle activity areas, and 28 key ecological protection areas.

Today, Qinghai Lake has seen its ecological environment improved and biodiversity rapidly restored. The naked carp population has recorded a nearly 46-fold growth.A total of 281 bird species have been identified in the region, with an impressive 606,000waterfowl making it their permanent home. Additionally, the number of the Przewalski’s gazelle in the Qinghai Lake basin has risen from fewer than 300 in the early stages of conservation to over 3,400.

“Our ecological conservation efforts are manifested in ‘three improvements and three reductions’ – we have increased the areas of wetland, the coverage of high-density vegetation, and the overall ecological function, while reducing the areas of sandy, bare, and saline-alkali land within the protected zone. At the same time, within our protected zone, the functional land under protection remains unchanged,” said Sun.

Booming ecological tourism

In Ha’ergai township of Gangcha county on the northern shore of Qinghai Lake, mushroom-shaped hotel buildings are favored by many tourists. There is also a rescue station for Przewalski’s gazelleand a science museum close by.

In recent years, the Qinghai Lake scenic area has upgradedits tourism infrastructure, including transportation, service facilities, and parking lots, while also providing a wider range of ecological tourism productsto enrich visitors’travel experiences.

Local residents are benefiting from the improved ecological environment. Sources say that the Protection and Utilization Administration of Qinghai Lake Scenic Area has adopted a collaborative approach to develop ecological tourism within the 12 approved scenic spots, featuring the participation of companies, cooperatives, and the public. This innovative model has contributed to local job creation, benefiting more than 20,000 residents in the eight neighboring townships.

“Over 60,000 people are living within the proposed boundaries of the national park at Qinghai Lake. We are planning to provide people in local communities with sharesin cooperatives, which will encourage their participation and allow them to benefit from the park’s development. In this way, we canpursue a well-coordinated approach in ecological protection and high-quality development,” said Ma Tiancheng, deputy head of the Protection and Utilization Administration of Qinghai Lake Scenic Area.