भारतीय रोज़ नई ख़बरें – Page 3 – भारतीय रोज़ न्यूज़ भारत की सबसे अधिकारपूर्ण, समय पर और विश्वसनीय समाचार सलाहकार वेबसाइट है

Upcoming industry investment event highlights new momentum for Central China’s rise

A panoramic view of the Binjiang New City in Changsha, Central China’s Hunan Province File photo: VCG

Chinese officials announced on Tuesday that the six provinces in Central China will each host a targeted industry supply chain investment promotion event during the 13th Expo Central China, which will be held in Changsha, the capital of Central China’s Hunan Province, from May 31 to June 2. Experts anticipate the event will inject new momentum for the region’s rise.

The move marks the first innovative endeavor since the critical investment event’s inception in 2006, adding to China’s robust drive to build the region into favorable destinations for industrial transfers from coastal areas amid economic restructuring.

Vice Minister of Commerce Ling Ji introduced the key highlights of the upcoming event during a press conference on Tuesday, which include industrial chain investment promotion sessions led by central provinces, focusing on advanced manufacturing sectors such as modern petrochemicals, new materials, electronic information and new-energy vehicles, aiming to attract foreign investment.

The six localities are Hunan, Hubei and Henan in Central China, Anhui and Jiangxi in East China, and Shanxi in North China.

Experts believe that the innovative sessions will highlight collaborative endeavors across regions aimed at fostering integrated economic development and attracting external investors to strengthen ties with the global economy amid the country’s pursuit of high-quality development and high-level opening-up.

The six central provinces so far have hosted a total of 55 state-level economic and technological development zones, serving as vital platforms for industrial transfer. In 2023, these zones achieved a regional GDP of nearly 3 trillion yuan ($414.65 billion), with total trade exceeding 1 trillion yuan and actual foreign investment reaching $2.4 billion, according to official data that Ling cited.

Ling also unveiled the ministry’s forthcoming measures to accelerate the rise of Central China. Focus areas include strengthening foreign investment and trade, enhancing domestic trade circulation, and expediting the establishment of trade cooperation pilot zones and free trade zones, in a bid to elevate regional integration that is in line with the plan of high-quality development.

The plan aligns with China’s ongoing push for the rise of the central region. China’s leadership at a top-level symposium in March called for solid efforts to further energize the central region at a higher starting point, due to its pivotal role as important bases for grain production, energy and raw materials, modern equipment manufacturing and high-tech industries, and as a comprehensive transportation hub.

The central region holds strategic importance and is an ideal destination for industrial relocation from coastal areas due to its geographical, labor and infrastructure advantages. The phased industrial transfer plan will aid the country’s high-quality development and help avoid industrial relocation to other countries, Tian Yun, a veteran economist based in Beijing, told the Global Times on Tuesday.

“Central provinces such as Hunan and Hubei have unveiled plans to transition toward middle-to-high-end industries, positioning themselves as leaders in industrial upgrades,” Tian added, noting that with the ramping-up of policy support from the central government, the region’s economy will gain new development momentum.

During an investigation and research tour in Anhui on Friday, Chinese Premier Li Qiang called for greater efforts to foster emerging industries and future industries, make breakthroughs in core technologies in key areas, and create new engines for sustained economic growth, which experts said showed the central government’s firm stance in promoting the rise of the region.

The region’s industrial relocation and growth are pivotal for China’s industrial chain security. The central provinces, with their solid manufacturing base and research capabilities, can serve as key nodes in China’s industrial chain development, further promoting the country’s industrial chain security and long-term sustainable development, Bian Yongzu, a senior industry research fellow and visiting scholar at Yale University, told the Global Times on Tuesday.

Bian stressed that amid the global green economy trend, China has made remarkable accomplishments in a series of high-tech sectors by cultivating leading enterprises and industrial zones, which “offer favorable conditions and set models for the central region’s development in related fields.”

The region is vigorously advancing its high-quality development driven by the new quality productive forces – a key focus of this year’s expo.

In 2023, the central region’s combined GDP reached nearly 27 trillion yuan, more than one-fifth of the national total, highlighting its crucial role in the economy, according to official data.

Hunan’s high-tech industry investment rose by 7.9 percent, with high-tech manufacturing’s value added up by 14.7 percent and information services up 13.1 percent.

The initiative to promote the rise of the central region was initially introduced two decades ago. Over the past decades, the momentum of the central region’s advance has been robust. Official data indicates that during China’s 13th Five-Year Plan period (2016-20), the economy of the region grew at an average annual rate of 8.6 percent.

First female referee in Chinese Super League aims at men’s World Cup

Chinese referee Xie Lijun officiates in the Chinese Super League match between Shanghai Port and Shandong Taishan in Shanghai on April 14, 2024. Photo: IC

In the 2024 season, women referees have written themselves into the history of Chinese soccer.

At a game during the sixth round of the Chinese Super League (CSL) between Shanghai Port and Shandong Taishan, international assistant referee Xie Lijun served as the second assistant referee, becoming the first woman in the Chinese mainland to officiate in the country’s top-flight men’s soccer league.

On May 4, during a game in China’s third-division league, Tian Jin became the first female referee to officiate a professional men’s match as the head referee.

Currently working as a yoga, soccer, and volleyball teacher at the Sichuan University Jinjiang College in Southwest China’s Sichuan Province, Xie told the Global Times that her debut at the CSL opened a new chapter of her career and she looks forward to officiating the men’s World Cup in future.

“Before the match started, I was a little nervous. But as soon as the whistle blew, my entire focus shifted to the game, and the nervousness dissolved. I believe I have reached a new milestone, with a clearer sense of direction for my future,” said the 34-year-old.

Defending champions Shanghai came from behind to edge past Shandong 4-3 in a high-voltage game where Xie’s calm performance added a delicate touch to the intense competition.

When questioned to assess her performance on a scale from 1 to 10, Xie rated it at 7.5. There’s a notable contrast in the physicality and intensity between men’s and women’s soccer games, she noted.

“I took the time to review the previous matches of both Shanghai and Shandong, focusing on analyzing their technical and tactical strategies. Having ample awareness and understanding of the fast-paced technical and tactical strategies in men’s soccer is crucial in preparing for the game. I have also improved my physique, especially enhancing my ability to initiate rapid movements,” Xie said.

Nuanced understanding

Hailing from a village in Bazhong, Sichuan Province, Xie said she never imagined herself pursuing a career related to soccer when she was a child.

Xie specialized in athletics when she was at school and it was not until college that she embarked on the path of soccer refereeing thanks to her exceptional physique and the guidance of her soccer coach.

Starting from scratch to learn soccer knowledge isn’t easy for Xie. She admitted that it’s not the rules of the game that are difficult, but rather the understanding of the sport itself.

Becoming an outstanding referee requires abundant physical fitness, proficiency in English, a deep understanding of soccer, robust psychological resilience, and keen insight, she said.

Tian echoed Xie’s sentiments, saying that she needs to improve stamina to keep up with the pace of men’s game.

“The men players moved 1.5 to 2 times faster than I had imagined. The pace of their actions, the frequency of fouls, as well as their passing and shooting all require intense concentration. I need to have abundant physical stamina and speed to keep up with their game,” Tian told the Xinhua News Agency.

“I covered a distance of 1.3 kilometers during the game, according to the post-match statistics. It is rare in women’s matches. However, I think it’s still not enough for men’s games, and I need to work harder,” Tian noted.

However, compared to male referees, Xie said women tend to have a more nuanced understanding of the game, with a heightened “intuition” on the field, particularly for assisting referees.

As an elite assistant referee under the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), Xie has officiated in previous FIFA events. After ascending to the ranks of accredited international referees, she took charge of the AFC Women’s Asian Cup in 2022 and was the only Chinese referee at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup held in France.

Motivation, confidence

These milestone moments in the Chinese league are sure to get more women interested in soccer and sports officiating while setting a powerful example for fellow female referees, encouraging them to aspire to greater heights in their soccer careers.

The recent publicity about female referees could give young people who strive to pursue this career more motivation and confidence to persevere, said Tian, who works at Zhejiang Yuexiu University as a physical education teacher.

“Many sports major students have sought my advice on how to become a soccer referee since my debut at the CSL in April,” Xie said.

In this season of the CSL, Xie and another female referee Dong Fangyu have respectively officiated in four matches as assistant referees and video assistant referees. Selecting outstanding women referees to officiate men’s professional matches is one of the fresh initiatives of the Chinese Football Association (CFA) this year, that is dedicated to providing more opportunities to eligible female referees to showcase and enhance their abilities.

The initiative is also in line with the international tendency. In recent years, FIFA and the AFC have mandated that elite referees must officiate men’s matches in their own countries because women’s soccer has increasingly adopted a style similar to men’s, particularly in Europe and the Americas, with the players’ physical conditions, the intensity of attacking, and defending comparable to youth men’s matches.

Therefore, if female referees only officiate in domestic women’s leagues, it’s challenging for them to meet the requirements of matches at the World Cup level, according to the CFA.

“Modern women’s soccer has tended toward the men’s game, and female referees officiating men’s matches is very common in Europe. Therefore, I have also been working hard in this direction,” Xie said.

Talking of her goal, Xie has already set her sights on the 2027 Women’s World Cup.

“I hope more Chinese women referees will take part in the women’s World Cup and Asia’s elite men’s competitions. In future, I wish to step onto the stage of men’s World Cup,” she said.

Filipinos unaware their country has become subject of a security transaction with US

A protester holds a sign to protest against the continued presence of US troops in the Philippines in front of the US Embassy in Manila on July 4 2023. Photo: VCG

Editor’s Note:

As China-Philippines tensions heat up, what insights can be drawn from past periods of friendly ties? Bobby M. Tuazon
(Tuazon), director for Policy Studies of Philippine think tank Center for People Empowerment in Governance, former Chairman of Political Science Program at University of the Philippines, told Global Times
(GT) reporter Li Aixin that 99 percent of Filipinos forget that China exported oil and rice to the Philippines at a very low price at the beginning of their diplomatic relationship when the Philippines’ development faced huge challenges. While the US gives bullets, powder, cannons and missiles to the Philippines, it has nothing to give in terms of food.

GT: What concerns you most about South China Sea tensions between China and the Philippines heating up?

Tuazon: The tensions in the South China Sea are supposed to be between China and the Philippines. But now they also involve a third country, the US. Such interference will only exacerbate and complicate the tensions. Let China and the Philippines solve their own maritime disputes. There is supposed to be a bilateral dialogue mechanism which was established by the two countries in 2017. Yet the current government, headed by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., is not [properly] using that bilateral dialogue mechanism.

In 2017, China and the Philippines confirmed the establishment of a biannual bilateral consultation mechanism on the South China Sea. Under President Marcos Jr., however, the mechanism has lost its value owing to his strong tendency to use defense alliance with the US in dealing with China at the expense of diplomacy.

GT: As former President Duterte has suggested, the Philippines does not have a quarrel with China. If quarrel comes, it would come because of the Americans.

Tuazon: Former president Duterte is right. He emphatically said that the Americans will not die for Filipinos, if, hypothetically speaking, an armed conflict erupts between China and the Philippines. He believes the Americans prioritize their own national interests, which is now preserving US global hegemony, including in Southeast Asia. Duterte means that if such a conflict arises, the US will leave the Philippines alone, despite existing treaties agreed upon between the two countries.

GT: In a recent op-ed, you wrote that “diplomacy has either been lost or failed under President Marcos Jr. allowing the military to gain ascendance in bilateral relations with China.” Could you elaborate on this view?

Tuazon: Diplomacy is lost and compromised if the military approach, underscored by the assertion of defense alliance between the US and the Philippines, prevails. This was reiterated in Marcos Jr’ first meeting with US President Joe Biden in September 2022, where Biden assured the Philippine president of “ironclad commitment” to the defense of the Philippines. Since 2022, agreements, verbal or written, between the two presidents have been clearly directed against China.

Biden is fortunate to have Marcos Jr. as his tool or stooge in fighting a potential proxy war between China and the Philippines, which the Philippines will lose if that ever happens. But the US will be happy. The US does not want any war with China, it prefers a proxy war that involves the Philippines. This is dangerous. Many Filipinos are not aware that their country is being sold out by the president or it has become a subject of security transaction with the US.

GT: According to your understanding, how do most of Philippine people feel about the ongoing tensions in the South China Sea?

Tuazon: There have been opinion surveys in the past, with the number of responses ranging from about 1,000 to 1,500. Respondents were asked about their views on the ongoing tension between China and the Philippines and if they believe that China has a right to claim the South China Sea. Unfortunately, these surveys were not scientific as they were conducted among Filipinos who were not well-informed about the issue. The responses were not enlightened or based on accurate information.

GT: There is an anti-proxy-war movement in the Philippines. How strong is this campaign?

Tuazon: I cannot quantitatively discuss the quality or power of the voice from the anti-war movement here in the Philippines. The anti-war movement in the Philippines has a long historical root. This movement was complemented by the anti-bases movement in the Philippines since the 1970s when the US maintained major air force and naval bases in the Philippines under the Military Bases Agreement of 1947. Even today, the US still maintains many facilities, using Philippine Armed Forces bases, which have been converted into the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) between the two countries. Under Marcos Jr., the number of bases expanded to nine from just five in 2014, with the new sites proximate to the Taiwan Straits. The US is pushing Taiwan [Island] to make war with China, as it would involve US intervention, despite the fact that such action violates the 1972 Shanghai Communique between China and the US where the latter acknowledged that Taiwan is a part of China.

Philippine people’s sentiment toward the military bases is similar to that in the surveys where many Filipinos believe that those bases are a clear indication of American support to the Philippines’ claim against China over the South China Sea disputes.

So again, that opinion or sentiment is a mirage. It does not spell out the accuracy of the facts on the ground. This is a move to instigate a proxy war between China and the Philippines.

GT: What are the positive aspects for the Philippines to have a better relationship with China?

Tuazon: I’d like to answer that in two points.

First, the Philippine government, whether it’s led by Marcos Jr. or his successor, should utilize the bilateral consultation mechanism established in 2017.

Second, the Marcos Jr. government should recognize the fact that China is most friendly to the Philippines. Until today, and over the past eight years, China has been the Philippines’ largest trading partner, importing a lot from the Philippines, like durian and bananas. Whenever I’m in China, I can always find bananas from the Philippines. That should make the relationship constructive and productive. The two countries should utilize the positive things and allow diplomacy to play its role in resolving disputes effectively.

GT: What do you think is the key to unlock the current tensions in the South China Sea?

Tuazon: I am concerned whether a resolution, short-term or long-term, can be found, for three reasons. One is Marcos Jr. himself, who is a strong hardcore ally of the US. Two, I am concerned with the fact that the Armed Forces of the Philippines, together with the Department of National Defense, are actually instruments of the US due to the historical ties between the two armed forces. I would call the Armed Forces of the Philippines some kind of a surrogate army of the US. It has been a very strong institution in Philippine politics since the 1970s because all presidents that I know of took care of the military by giving them large budgets, making sure that their connections with the US continue. If the presidents do not maintain that, harm may fall on them.

The third reason is that the president can do nothing but support strong Philippine military and US military ties. One of the so-called enticements for this kind of relationship is accepting old ships and old destroyers “donated” by the US that it no longer uses. These are given as “gifts” to the Philippine military, the Philippine Navy and the Philippine Coast Guard. Many Philippine junior officers are given scholarships to train, conduct special training in some US military headquarters, and this is done annually. Another form of training is the yearly joint military exercises between the two forces, which is called “Balikatan” or “shoulder to shoulder.”

I believe the Chinese authorities or the Chinese government should be aware of something. There is no permanent foreign policy in the Philippines, there is no continuity. An example of this is that during the time of the former president, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, there was a friendly relationship between the two countries, especially in trade and economic relations. Every six years, the Philippines holds presidential elections. The next one will be in 2028 when Marcos Jr’s term ends. Rumors suggest that the daughter of the former president Duterte may run for the next presidency. Blood is thicker than water. Who knows? She may restore friendly relations with China for another six years.

GT: What experience could the two countries draw from previous friendly periods?

Tuazon: Many Filipinos, I would say 99 percent, forget that at the beginning of diplomatic relations between China and the Philippines, China was exporting oil and rice to the Philippines at a very low price. This happened during an oil crisis and poor agricultural production in the Philippines.

It’s good that trade relations between the Philippines and China remain normal, serving as a factor to balance the present government’s aggressive foreign policy toward China. It’s sad and ironic to note that while the US gives bullets, powder, cannons and missiles to the Philippines, it has nothing to give in terms of food. Food security in the Philippines is always in danger.

There is a climate crisis. And there are positive things that Marcos Jr. should learn. Instead of learning how to shoot and how to fire, his government should learn from the Chinese government’s approach to fighting climate crisis by developing alternative sources of energy like solar and wind energy, as well as undertaking massive replanting of trees. In China, you can see new trees mushrooming all over the country, which is very inspiring.

GT: Under the current political atmosphere in the Philippines, are you concerned about being labeled pro-China when telling the truth?

Tuazon: As an academic and scholar, I make sure that whatever papers I write are based on objective and rigorous research and analysis. Many Filipinos and foreign scholars share my view – whatever claims the US proffers should be dissected and blatant lies bared. Their underlying motives should be exposed – in the case of the South China Sea and their support for Marcos Jr., their underlying aim is to preserve their regional and global hegemony. Historical facts show that this former colonial master in the Philippines maintains, for instance, their military bases mainly to defend American security interests over and above those of the Philippines.

Indonesia flood death toll rises to 52 with 17 missing

Heavy machinery clear mud and debris from the scene following deadly flash floods and cold lava flow, West Sumatra, Indonesia, May 13, 2024. /CFP

The number of people killed by flash floods and cold lava flow from a volcano in western Indonesia over the weekend has risen to 52 while 17 are still missing, the national disaster mitigation agency BNPB said in a statement on Tuesday.

OpenAI unveils new AI model as competition heats up

/CFP

ChatGPT maker OpenAI said on Monday it would release a new artificial intelligence (AI) model called GPT-4o, capable of realistic voice conversation and able to interact across text and images, its latest move to stay ahead in a race to dominate the emerging technology.

New audio capabilities enable users to speak to ChatGPT and obtain real-time responses with no delay, as well as interrupt ChatGPT while it is speaking, both hallmarks of realistic conversations that AI voice assistants have found challenging, the OpenAI researchers showed at a livestream event.

“It feels like AI from the movies … Talking to a computer has never felt really natural for me; now it does,” OpenAI CEO Sam Altman wrote in a blog post.

Microsoft-backed OpenAI faces growing competition and pressure to expand the user base of ChatGPT, its popular chatbot product that wowed the world with its ability to produce human-like written content and top-notch software code.

At the livestream event, OpenAI researchers showed off ChatGPT’s new voice assistant capabilities. In one demo, ChatGPT used its vision and voice capabilities to talk a researcher through solving a math equation on a sheet of paper.

In another demo, researchers showed the GPT-4o model’s capability of real-time language translation.

OpenAI’s demonstrations verged on science-fiction, with ChatGPT and its interlocutor at one point engaging in coquettish banter. The OpenAI researcher told the chatbot he was in a great mood because he was demonstrating “how useful and amazing you are.”

ChatGPT responded: “Oh stop it! You’re making me blush!”

Altman posted on X after the demo, “her,” in what appeared to be a reference to the so named 2013 film by Spike Jones about a man falling in love with his AI assistant, voiced by Scarlett Johansson.

OpenAI’s chief technology officer, Mira Murati, said at the event that the new model would be offered for free because it is more cost-effective than the company’s previous models. Paid users of GPT-4o will have greater capacity limits than the company’s free users, she said. The GPT-4o model will be available in ChatGPT over the next few weeks, the company said.

Shortly after launching in late 2022, ChatGPT was called the fastest application ever to reach 100 million monthly active users. However, worldwide traffic to ChatGPT’s website has been on a roller-coaster ride in the past year and is only now returning to its May 2023 peak, according to analytics firm Similarweb.

OpenAI made the announcements a day before Alphabet is scheduled to hold its annual Google developers’ conference, where it is expected to show off its own new AI-related features. Reuters reported last week that OpenAI planned to announce an AI-powered search product, citing sources. But the company decided to delay the search product announcement, according to one source familiar with the matter.

Source(s): Reuters

Nearly 900b yuan invested in building key ecological functional zones

China has invested nearly 900 billion yuan in transfer payments for the conservation of water sources, biodiversity and other aspects in the national key ecological functional areas (NKEFAs), involving 810 counties and approximately 4.84 million square kilometers, which accounts for 50.4 percent of the country’s land area, according to the Ministry of Ecology and Environment (MEE).

Hainan Tropical Rainforest National Park, Wuzhishan City, Hainan Province, south China, June 29, 2023. /CFP

NKEFAs are important ecological barriers for the country. The Chinese government has implemented transfer payment policies for NKEFAs since 2008. Dozens of management measures have been adopted with strict evaluation mechanisms.

To ameliorate the monitoring and evaluation process, the MEE has established an integrated monitoring network.

High-resolution satellite imagery is applied in ecological types like woodlands, grasslands and water bodies; drones are deployed for systematic, three-dimensional and dynamic monitoring.

So far, 85.8 percent of the counties with NKEFAs exhibit good ecological quality.

(Cover: Genhe River, Hulunbuir City, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, north China, July 10, 2023. /CFP)

Are weather and climate extremes the ‘new normal’?

More than 330 people were killed as rainstorms and flash floods hit major parts of Afghanistan. More than 300 people were killed in northern Baghlan province alone, with more than 1,000 houses destroyed.

Meanwhile, in southern Brazil, two weeks of record rainfall caused flooding and mudslides across the Rio Grande do Sul state. The death toll rose to 143 from the worst extreme weather event to ever hit the region, with 125 people missing and more than 600,000 evacuated. More than half of the state capital, Porto Alegre, was inundated. Governor Eduardo Leite said earlier this week it will take some 19 billion reais ($3.7 billion) to rebuild the state after the floods.

A road damaged by flash flooding in Tanah Datar, West Sumatra, Indonesia, May 12, 2024. /CFP

It never rains, but it pours.

Thailand, the world’s second-largest sugar exporter after Brazil, is experiencing a severe drought that has reduced its sugar cane output this crop year. The reduction could disrupt the global sugar supply.

Meanwhile, the death toll from lava floods that struck Indonesia’s West Sumatra province has risen to 34, with at least five others missing. The rain poured in the area at the slope of the Marapi volcano on the evening of May 11, triggering cold lava floods that hit the Tanah Datar and Agam regencies. The lava floods occurred at night while the residents were sleeping. Many buildings have been submerged.

Pictured are dead pepper plants at a farm in Kampot province, southwest Cambodia. Famed for its intense floral flavor, the world-renowned Kampot pepper is facing an extreme weather threat, May 8, 2024. /CFP

“This is the new normal and does not come as a surprise,” said Alvaro Silva, a climate expert with the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). “The frequency and intensity of many extremes, such as heatwaves and heavy precipitation, have increased in recent decades. This gives us the long-term context for the increasing occurrence and severity of such extreme weather and extreme events.”

In December 2023, the WMO issued new guidelines for evaluating new records. The guidelines describe the record evaluation and verification process, its initiation, and its organization. They also identify the related committees tasked with leading the assessment and decision-making process and declaring a new record or decommissioning an old one.

“Weather and climate extremes do have a tendency to become ‘new normal,'” said Chao Qingchen, director of the National Climate Center of China. Global warming has caused more frequent extreme weather disasters, which occur with multiple emerging features both in scale and in complexity. Climate change is a common issue for the globe, hence higher requirements for prevention and relief in confronting disasters with new features, she said.

(With input from Xinhua)

(Cover: A view of the aftermath of torrential rain and devastating floods in Baghlan province, Afghanistan, May 12, 2024. /CFP)

Exploring Chinese Civilization: Ukrainian vlogger’s journey through the past and present of Chengdu

03:34

Chengdu’s roots can be traced back 4,500 years. Today, it’s a modern megacity that attracts flocks of tourists. Ukrainian vlogger Alex has lived and worked in China for nine years. In this episode, he visits Chengdu’s Donghua Gate Ruins Park and an old city wall. “It’s beautiful that the history finds its new life in the modern city,” he said.

China-Serbia friendship, shared aspirations

Illustration: Liu Xiangya/GT

Upon arriving in Belgrade amid the warm breezes of early May, I was greeted by the cordiality of Serbians and given a glimpse into the “ironclad” friendship of China and Serbia.

The shuttle van driver, after learning that myself and two other reporters were from China, proudly introduced the beautiful landscape and landmark buildings we drove pass.

Located at the confluence of the Danube and Sava rivers, Serbia has a European city view with baroque, classicism buildings and grand Orthodox churches, while the socialist period left some commune mansions. Some ruins from war time have not been demolished, yet brand new, glass-wall skyscrapers have been built.

The driver also offered to show us some important places marking the friendship between the two countries such as the Pupin bridge on the Danube, which was built with China’s support and nicknamed the “China bridge,” and the memorial for the Chinese Embassy to Yugoslavia that was bombed by NATO in 1999. When showing us the city, he pointed at billboards of Chinese brands and institutions like Huawei, Xiaomi, the Bank of China, and so forth.

Though I had a general concept of the sound relationship between the two countries, such hospitality was beyond my expectations.

On the way from Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport to the city center, Chinese and Serbian national flags fluttered in the sunny weather, yet I thought they were part of some diplomatic proprieties. However, after I found that the entire capital was ornamented by Five-Star Red Flags and welcome banners of different sizes at every corner, I was convinced of Serbia’s warmhearted embrace for friends from afar.

This strong sentiment of brotherhood was repeatedly reinforced in the days to follow.

The newly opened China Cultural Center was the first stop of all my interview locations. Knowing it was Orthodox Easter, I was concerned that students might hesitate to come to the center in the middle of a six-day holiday, May Day and Easter combined.

I was totally wrong.

They were more than willing to help. Police officer Danijela Radanovic came off a 12-hour night shift and gave us two hours of her precious rest time, even though she had another 12-hour shift that night. The cultural center stands beside the memorial for the old embassy. Noting that the bilateral friendship was forged with blood at that time, Radanovic said the bombing 25 years ago was a major part of her childhood memories.

Another student, Vladimir Roglic, who had quite some knowledge of Chinese history, said Chinese people suffered in the 19th to early 20th centuries, and Serbians had also suffered a lot as a result of frequent external conquest due to their nation’s strategic position.

“But our peoples are tough and can always stand up again from ruin. We have many similarities and we understand each other,” Roglic said.

Yet one does not have to dig into history to understand the friendship between the two countries, as contemporary examples are vivid and abundant.

When doing street interviews with passersby about how they felt about being called ”
sai tie” in Chinese, which can be translated to “Serbian ironclad friend,” China’s medical aid to Serbia in the early days of COVID pandemic was frequently mentioned.

Some shared their experiences with Chinese business partners or friends, or visiting China themselves. Big smiles and bursts of laughter fully spoke of the joy and delight China has brought them.

Roglic, a Tai Chi practitioner for more than 10 years, said he has dreamed of living on the Wudang Mountain and following real masters to improve his techniques. His classmate Jana had visited China, where she felt really supported and safe.

When a young woman on the street said ”
ganbei” (cheers) when she was asked to say something in Chinese, I realized another similarity between our two countries could be an interest in liquor.

A young man who did not give his name said China’s help in upgrading Serbia’s roads, highways, high-speed rail links to Hungary and other infrastructure.

I took a ride on the Belgrade-Novi Sad section of the railroad, which has handled 7 million trips over its two years of operation. With a design speed of 200 kilometers per hour, the train is stable, comfortable and cuts the original travel time from one and a half hours down to 36 minutes.

A one-way ticket costs about six euros ($6.50) while a round trip is eight euros, an “inexpensive fare” one can conveniently pay by app, with a transport card or at the station’s ticket office.

A high school student on the train told me he studies in Belgrade and was taking the train to visit his parents in Novi Sad. Commuters also take the trains for work, while the low platforms built by the Chinese contractors allow cyclists to easily bring their bikes on the train.

During the Easter holiday, many locals and tourists take the train to Novi Sad, the second largest city in Serbia and which is renowned for art, music and the idyllic stretch of the Danube.

The high-speed train has brought in more tourists, made two-city life possible for locals and, when the whole 352 kilometers to Budapest are completed in 2026, is sure to further enhance Serbia’s connectivity and boost its economy.

Aleksandra Milosavljevic, a Serbian engineer, told me that working on the project, she has not only learned engineering and management skills, but also made real friends with her Chinese colleagues.

It is through the interactions of ordinary people and tangible fruits of cooperation that the China-Serbia friendship has been forged and prospers.

HK tourism board welcomes more mainland visitors, calling it ‘gift’ to boost local economy

The view of Hong Kong Photo: VCG

The Chinese central government announced on Saturday a new policy that allows travelers from eight more cities in the Chinese mainland to visit the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) as individuals.

The move was strongly welcomed by both officials in the HKSAR and visitors from the mainland cities.

Pang Yiu-Kai, chairman of the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB), welcomed the move, saying that the latest expansion is a “gift” for the sector, and Beijing’s decision to update the program twice in three months reflected its “full support and confidence” in Hong Kong’s development, according to the South China Morning Post.

The HKTB will roll out some “large-scale events” and step up promotions in the mainland cities and invite tourism representatives to come to Hong Kong, Pang said.

With the addition of the eight cities, the number of applicable mainland cities under the “Individual Travel” plan will increase from 51 to 59. The added cities are Taiyuan, Hohhot, Harbin, Lanzhou, Yinchuan, Lhasa and Xining.

Experts said that with more and more mainland cities opening up for individual travel, Hong Kong will attract more tourists from the broader mainland market. Closer exchanges between Hong Kong and the mainland will inject new vitality into the local tourism industry.

HKSAR Chief Executive John Lee expressed his gratitude with regard to the central government’s care for Hong Kong and its support for Hong Kong’s advance from stability to prosperity, according to the website of the HKSAR government.

Lee noted that various measures have been rolled out this year to support and benefit Hong Kong. The latest move will boost tourism and the economic development of Hong Kong, and facilitate people-to-people bonds between the mainland and Hong Kong.

Hong Kong’s Mass Transit Railway welcomed the addition of the new cities and said it was dedicated to providing high-quality, convenient cross-boundary services.

This new arrangement will attract more mainland tourists to Hong Kong, and Hong Kong’s overall economic development will benefit from the tourism boom, Yang Yong, deputy director of the College of Economics and Management at East China Normal University, told the Global Times on Sunday.

The surge in Hong Kong’s inbound tourism was a key factor driving the city’s economic growth, Yang noted.

About 766,000 visitors from the mainland visited the city during the just-concluded May Day holidays, which ran from May 1 to 5.

The city recorded an increase of 22 percent in passenger trips compared with the same period last year, a spokesperson for the HKSAR said on May 6.