By Deng Yu

“Dad, it’s the song you always hum!” As my child shouted excitedly, a familiar melody rang in my ears. On the TV screen, Greek singer Theodora Baka was singing the Greek folk song “The Children of Piraeus.”

“So much I’ve tried, I’ve never found a port to captivate my heart as Piraeus does,” sang Baka.

At that moment, I had a flashback to the memories of the Port of Piraeus.

The song “The Children of Piraeus” was written by Greek composer Manos Hatzidakis. It conveys the optimistic and open-minded attitude of the Greek people. In 1960, it gained worldwide acclaim when Greek actress Melina Mercouri performed it in the film “Never on Sunday,” and won the Academy Award for Best Original Song in the same year.

The first time I heard “The Children of Piraeus” was at a reception held by the Chinese Embassy in Greece in 2014. Its catchy and melodious chorus made me hum along. As a newcomer, I quickly memorized the melody.

Facing the Aegean Sea, Greece is the cradle of Western civilization. The ancient Greek culture, like a dazzling star, shines brightly in the long river of human history. Represented by epics, dramas, and philosophy, the classical culture of ancient Greece, nurtured and enriched by the Aegean Sea, has yielded fruitful intellectual achievements and become the source of Western civilization.

However, Greece in the early 21st century was plagued by various problems such as the debt crisis, a high unemployment rate, and a stagnant economy.

In 2010, China’s COSCO Shipping acquired and successfully operated the No.2 and No.3 container terminals of the Piraeus, bringing significant economic and social benefits. It was regarded by the locals as a business model.

In 2016, COSCO Shipping acquired a 67 percent stake in the port authority and officially took over in August.

I was also transferred to work at the Port of Piraeus, and got to see with my own eyes the picturesque scenes depicted in the song “The Children of Piraeus” with the sound of birds chirping and young people joyfully singing and dancing.

However, it was much more challenging to truly integrate into the Port of Piraeus than just learning a song. As a management executive, my first challenge was institutional reform and personnel adjustments.

In October 2016, I was responsible for selecting department leaders for the new structure. Among the interviewees was a woman surnamed Vassiliou, who was then the general manager of the labor department at the Port of Piraeus. She had extensive experience in human resources, and her confidence was evident on her face, making the atmosphere a bit tense at the beginning.

Suddenly, Vassiliou’s phone rang with the ringtone “The Children of Piraeus.” This little incident made her somewhat embarrassed. I smiled and said in English, ” ‘The Children of Piraeus’ is a great song, very touching.” She was surprised that I knew this song.

The song suddenly broke the ice between us, and the conversation flowed easily. Vassiliou said that this song was her favorite, just like the Port of Piraeus, where she had worked for most of her life. She also expressed some disappointment about the changes happening there.

In response to her honesty, I said, “You and my parents are close in age, and I am deeply honored and humbled to meet you. The Chinese company’s acquisition of the Port of Piraeus aims to collaborate with Greek colleagues for mutual benefit, improving the port’s facilities and services, and enhancing its competitiveness in the global market. The Port of Piraeus needs constant renewal, but it will always be the Port of Piraeus in your heart.”

The sincere beginning paves the way for a wonderful ending. After thorough communication, Vassiliou accepted the arrangement and became a department advisor as she wished. She left us with her affirmation and blessings, saying, “You are a management team worth expectation. I hope our cooperation will make the Port of Piraeus better and better.”

One year later, on her retirement day, she specifically came to bid me farewell, saying that she always remembered the little incident during the interview, our honest communication, and the constant renewal of the Port of Piraeus.

Under the management of COSCO Shipping, the container throughput of the Piraeus has increased from 880,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) in 2010 to over 4 million TEUs in 2017, making it the fastest-growing port in container throughput worldwide. This remarkable growth led to a significant improvement in economic benefits and the Port of Piraeus has been highly praised by both the Chinese and Greek governments.

In the pleasant sunshine in June 2017, the Port of Piraeus and Shanghai Port signed a sister port agreement, further strengthening the connectivity between the Piraeus port and Chinese ports. Tassos Vamvakidis, a Greek employee, applauded the moment.

Vamvakidis has been working in shipping since 1973 and has witnessed the rise, fall, and revival of the Port of Piraeus. In an article titled “The Children of Piraeus,” he recounted his observations, feelings, and thoughts during the seven to eight years since he joined the container terminal of the Port of Piraeus managed by COSCO Shipping in 2009.

Vamvakidis once saw the predicament of the port in 2010. He could feel the fundamental change in local people’s attitude when Greeks often give a thumb-up to COSCO Shipping employees with oriental faces.

In his opinion, this change came from the Chinese company’s commitment to transformation while maintaining localization: only six or seven executives were sent from China, while the rest of the managers and employees were all Greeks. This decision quickly provided thousands of new direct job opportunities for the locals and indirectly employed tens of thousands of people.

Through sincere cooperation between employees from both countries, the Port of Piraeus has gradually become a modern, reliable, and highly productive port, gaining an increasingly higher reputation in the industry and effectively supporting the development of the local business community.

Vamvakidis, upon invitation, attended the inaugural Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation and took the stage on China Central Television’s show “The Reader.” After reciting his story to the Chinese audience, Vamvakidis sincerely said to the camera, “I am proud to be a member of the COSCO Shipping family. As a ‘Child of Piraeus’ and a shining pearl in the Mediterranean Sea, the Port of Piraeus will continue to create new benefits and hopes for the Greek people, and renew the chapter of friendship, cooperation and development between Greece and China.”

In the summer of 2019, my family and I traveled to Switzerland. While staying at a local hotel, a familiar melody started playing. It was “The Children of Piraeus.”

I couldn’t help but hum along, and noticed the eager gaze of the hotel receptionist. After some talks, I learned that he was a native of Piraeus and had come to Switzerland for work due to employment difficulties back home.

“You’re from China, and do you know a Chinese company called COSCO Shipping? They’re doing great in the Port of Piraeus, and I have friends working there,” he asked me.

I replied that I was actually working for COSCO Shipping in Piraeus, making development plans for the port and promoting the cruise and other industries. I told him that in the future, surrounding tourism facilities such as hotels, duty-free shops, and malls would embrace significant development, and perhaps in a few years, he would return to his hometown and find a job of his choice.

In Greek, Piraeus means “the place over the passage,” and it once withstood frequent invasions from foreign naval forces. Today, the Port of Piraeus is opening its arms to welcome visitors and fully loaded container ships from all directions.

The song “The Children of Piraeus” and the China-Greece cooperation on the Port of Piraeus are reflections of the profound friendship between the two countries. Today, under the Belt and Road Initiative, Piraeus has once again become a shining pearl in the Mediterranean Sea.

“The Children of Piraeus” is a song that symbolizes the Port of Piraeus. Most importantly, it is a witness to the exchange, mutual learning, and win-win cooperation between China and Greece.

By Jin Xin, Gu Chun, Liu Junguo, People’s Daily

The 2023 World Internet Conference (WIC) Wuzhen Summit kicked off in Wuzhen, east China’s Zhejiang province on Nov. 8. The summit is the largest and highest-level Internet conference held in China, and also a highly anticipated global summit in the field of Internet.

The WIC has been held annually since 2014, bringing together political dignitaries and Internet elites from around the world at its permanent venue in Wuzhen to discuss collaboration and win-win cooperation in Internet development of the world.

Chinese President Xi Jinping addressed the 2023 WIC Wuzhen Summit via video. He said as the Internet becomes a new driving force of development, a new frontier of ensuring security, and a new platform for mutual learning between civilizations, the building of a community with a shared future in cyberspace is a natural choice in answering the call of the times and a common aspiration of the international community.

He stressed that the international community needs to deepen exchanges and practical cooperation to jointly advance the building of a community with a shared future in cyberspace to a new stage.

Currently, more than half of the countries and regions around the world are using China’s BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS), and the system is making people’s lives safer, more convenient , and more efficient.

The BDS has been incorporated into the standard systems of international organizations in civil aviation, maritime affairs, and mobile communications, and is accelerating its integration into the international industrial system.

During the 2022 WIC Wuzhen Summit, an event was hosted to showcase the exemplary cases of  building a community with a shared future in cyberspace. Twelve cases were showcased, included one related to the BDS.

From conceptual documents to initiatives, and to cases, consensuses have gradually transformed into concrete actions. Leveraging the WIC Wuzhen Summit, countries are jointly planning for the global development of Internet and building a community with a shared future in cyberspace.

On July 12, 2022, Xi sent a congratulatory letter to the WIC for the inauguration of the WIC international organization. He said the establishment of the organization is an important move echoing the informatization trend of the times, and it will deepen international exchanges and cooperation in cyberspace.

This marked a qualitative leap of the WIC, from an annual international conference to an international organization with a permanent institution. Since its establishment, the WIC international organization has been joined by more than 120 members from countries such as the UK, France, Germany, the United States, Australia, South Korea, Japan, and India.

In recent years, an increasing number of international exchange activities have been held in China. Together with the WIC, they have built a collaborative platform for building a community with a shared future in cyberspace.

The China International Digital Products Expo, the China International Software Expo, the World Robot Conference and the World Artificial Intelligence Conference all presented opportunities for the international community to share the fruits of innovation in cyberspace.

As a highlight of the WIC Wuzhen Summit, the Light of Internet Expo has become a leading indicator of global Internet technology development.

Since 2014, the WIC has been dedicated to promoting the integration of digital technology and real economy, and using new driving forces to propel new development.

Not only the Light of Internet Expo, but also other important events such as a release ceremony for world leading internet scientific and technological achievements and the Global Internet Competition of “Straight to Wuzhen,” have facilitated the integration of mobile Internet, cloud computing, big data, artificial intelligence, and various other industries. These efforts have provided new impetus for enhancing global economic development.

Taking the WIC as an opportunity, China, as a major player in the digital economy, actively promotes broader and deeper international cooperation in digital economy, ensuring that the achievements of Internet development benefit people worldwide.

In Southeast Asia, Chinese enterprises helped build the first 5G smart hospital in ASEAN countries, promoting the intelligent transformation of hospital services. In Latin America, China has partnered with Brazil and Ecuador to utilize digital technology for innovative cooperation, assisting in the protection of the Amazon rainforest ecosystem and marine ecological environment. In Africa, China has launched technology assistance and training programs with the International Telecommunication Union to support the construction of a digital Uganda.

From the construction of information infrastructure and social digital transformation to the application of new technologies such as 5G and the Internet of Things, China is committed to narrowing the global digital divide and sharing development opportunities with the world.

In the information age, the Internet carries human dreams and is closely related to the well-being of the people. Looking ahead, the WIC will always strive to build a global Internet platform for extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits, actively create a new pattern of international cooperation in cyberspace, and continue to write new chapters in the global development and governance of the Internet.

By Luo Shanshan, Ge Mengchao, Yang Xun, People’s Daily

On Nov. 5, the first day of the sixth China International Import Expo (CIIE), the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai) was bustling with “old friends” and “new friends” who gathered to discuss cooperation.

Walking through the exhibition areas, visitors were often overwhelmed by the vast array of exhibits on display. At this year’s CIIE, the Business Exhibition covered approximately 367,000 square meters, featuring six main exhibition areas and an innovation incubation zone.

In the Consumer Goods exhibition area, a 4.6-meter-tall Lego model was quite eye-catching. Heart shapes, smiley faces and wood ducks imbued with childlike wonder were dotted throughout the structure.

According to a staff member at the Lego booth, this large 3D model was specifically built for the CIIE, which took 18 builders 491 hours to put together.

At the previous five sessions of the CIIE, the Lego Group debuted many new products. This year, it once again launched its latest products at the event, hoping to bring more surprises to Chinese consumers.

The multinational medical device group Elekta brought its latest generation of the Gamma Knife stereotactic radiosurgery system. The group’s founder and boardchairman Laurent Leksell told People’s Daily that the CIIE is a platform for the company to showcase its latest innovative technologies and clinical applications, adding that the group looks forward to exchanging ideas and explore new opportunities with industry partners.

It is reported that at this year’s CIIE, exhibition areas for cutting-edge technologies like energy, low carbon, and AI, as well as lifestyle and consumer goods have grown 30 percent. More than 400 new products, technologies and services were exhibited.

Many agreements on practical cooperation were inked on the first day of the event.

One was signed by the multinational pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca and the Wuxi National High-tech District in east China’s Jiangsu province. According to the agreement, AstraZeneca will expand its production capacity of small molecule drugs in Wuxi.

The pharmaceutical company also inked an agreement on the phase-two project of an inhaler production supply base in Qingdao, east China’s Shandong province. It announced to launch a rare disease cooperation project in the Jinan Innovation Zone of Shandong, to develop more innovative medicines.

Wang Lei, global executive vice-president of UK company AstraZeneca and president of its China branch,, said this year marks the 30th year of AstraZeneca’s entry to the Chinese market, and China has become an important growth engine for the company in the global market.

“We are honored to be able to share the opportunities of the Chinese market through the CIIE,” he noted.

On Nov. 5, Sinochem Holdings held a special signing ceremony at the CIIE, at which it inked agreements with clients from the United States, Brazil, Chile, and other countries in multiple industries such as crude oil and refined oil, food and agricultural products, chemical products, chemical equipment, and service trade.

“Through the CIIE, a global exchange platform, Sinochem Holdings has strengthened cooperation with global energy, chemical, and agricultural companies, effectively expanding the channels for accessing upstream resources in related domestic industries, achieving diversification of import channels, and ensuring the stability of the industrial supply chain,” said Yang Shihao, vice president of Sinochem Holdings.

The CIIE has leveraged the strengths of China’s enormous market, fulfilled its platform function for international procurement, investment promotion, people-to-people exchanges and open cooperation, and made positive contributions to creating a new development pattern and promoting world economic development.

The “CIIE effect” continues to unfold, allowing China’s enormous marketto be shared by the world. This has strengthened the confidence of multinational companies in long-term investment and development in China.

At this year’s CIIE, General Mills, an American food company, announced the full-channel entry of its pet food brand, Blue Buffalo, into the Chinese market. Blue Buffalo made its debut in China at the fourth CIIE and has since benefited from various preferential policies in pilot free trade zones, successfully entering the Chinese market through cross-border e-commerce platforms.

“Over the past two years, we have seen the vast prospects of the pet market in China, which has brought new growth to our business in the country,” said Su Qiang from General Mills.

“We hope to exchange with other players in the industry via the CIIE and build more partnerships,” Su added.

“Through our participation in the CIIE over the past few years, we have fully experienced the powerful spillover effect of this platform. Shiseido’s new skincare brands and products have garnered extensive attention and recognition from consumers after being exhibited at the CIIE,” said Toshinobu Umetsu, president and CEO of Japanese company Shiseido’s branch in China.

He said the CIIE is an epitome of China’s high-level opening up, providing foreign companies operating in China with more market opportunities, investment opportunities and growth opportunities, and allowing enterprises to share the dividends of China’s opening up.

By Ding Yiting, People’s Daily

As an important traditional source of energy in China, coal accounted for about 56 percent of the total domestic energy consumption annually. The coal industry has contributed significantly to China’s economic and social development.

However, it has also been criticized as wasteful and highly polluting.

In recent years, China has been actively promoting supply-side structural reform in its coal industry, promoting cleaner and more efficient use of coal, and working to transform the industry toward high-end, intelligent, and green development.

Zhunneng Group under China Energy Investment Corporation has developed a coal-derived nano-hydrocarbon fuel, a viscous black liquid made from coal, water and a small amount of additives through nanosizing processes.

“This type of fuel has a low fire point and can sustain autonomous stable combustion, significantly reducing coal consumption for thermal power plants,” said an executive with Zhunneng Group.

According to the executive, the potential applications of the newly developed fuel span multiple fields, including explosives, fuel substitution, and coal gasification.

A coal chemical enterprise, after using the new type of fuel, has seen increasing production of syngas, resulting in an additional revenue of approximately 200 million yuan ($27.48 million) each year, the executive told People’s Daily.

Zhang Hong, spokesperson of the China National Coal Association, noted that as the energy attribute of coal reaches its peak, there will be increasing emphasis on utilizing coal more as an industrial raw material.

According to him, many enterprises choose to improve the comprehensive utilization efficiency of coal as a raw material to develop high value-added, refined, and differentiated products, promoting high-end, diversified, and low-carbon development of the coal chemical industry.

According to incomplete statistics, in 2022, China’s coal-to-oil, coal-to-gas, coal-to-olefin, and coal-to-ethylene glycol production capacities reached 9.31 million tons, 6.125 billion cubic meters, 16.72 million tons, and 11.55 million tons, respectively. The comprehensive utilization efficiency of coal as a chemical raw material continued to improve.

In terraced open-pit mines in Erdos, north China’s Inner Mongolia autonomous region, unmanned mining trucks with a capacity of 330 tons were seen running to an unloading area 2.5 kilometers away, carrying mineral soil stripped by electric shovels.

These trucks were a safer alternative to manned mining trucks, said Guo Pei, manager of the intelligent construction management center of the Heidaigou open-pit coal mine of Zhunneng Group.

According to him, manned trucks, which are often large and have many blind spots, pose greater safety risks for drivers particularly during nighttime or in bad weather. Equipped with advanced technologies such as LiDAR, millimeter-wave radars, and digital twins, these unmanned trucks can autonomously plan routes and accurately park for unloading. Moreover, their speed is comparable to that of manned trucks.

By inputting information like coal rock and bench parameters, an intelligent drilling and blasting system can improve borehole precision to within 5 centimeters.

A high-bench radar monitoring system can rapidly identify potential hazard areas, reducing warning time from 24 hours to 2 hours. This allows over 100,000 extra tons of coal to be mined each year.

With the application of intelligent technology, production and management at the Heidaigou Open-pit Coal Mine operated by Zhunneng Group have become smarter and more efficient.

The coal industry is considered a high-risk sector, as it often faces hazards such as water damage, fires, gas leaks, impact pressure, and dust. Promoting the construction of intelligent coal mines reduces personnel usage in high-risk positions, enhances safety, and improves efficiency.

According to an official with the coal department of the National Energy Administration, seven key coal enterprises, including the China Energy Investment Corporation, China National Coal Group Corporation, and Shandong Energy Group, had built a production capacity of 1.393 billion tons annually through intelligent means as of the end of 2022, accounting for 74.7 percent of their total.

As of May this year, China had built 1,043 intelligent coal mining workshops and 1,277 intelligent tunneling workshops. Preliminary statistics show that the total investment scale of intelligent construction in coal mines nationwide has exceeded 150 billion yuan, driving the rapid development of industries such as mine Internet of Things, coal mining equipment manufacturing, and intelligent control systems.

Promoting resource recycling and enhancing value circulation is an important direction for the green transformation of the coal industry.

Zhunneng Group has turned nearly 100,000 mu (6,667 hectares) of reclaimed land into industrial tourism areas. Besides, in the plant of Gaozhuang Coal Company, Zaozhuang Mining Group under Shandong Energy Group, coal gangue is used for road construction and brick making, while tail coal slurry is transformed to improve the yield of medium coal.

According to data released by the China National Coal Association, the comprehensive utilization rate of mine water in the country has increased from 62 percent to 79.3 percent over the past decade, and the land reclamation rate has also risen from 42 percent to 57.8 percent.

During the same period, the installed power generation capacity from the comprehensive utilization of coal gangue and low-calorific coal has increased from 29.5 million kilowatts to 43 million kilowatts; the installed capacity of coal-fired power units with ultra-low emissions has exceeded 1.05 billion kilowatts, accounting for approximately 94 percent of the total.

By Yin Shuanghong, People’s Daily

China’s first prefabricated high-rise vertical factory, the phase-1 project of the Pingshan New Energy Vehicle Industry Park in Shenzhen, south China’s Guangdong province, was completed and delivered in April this year.

Thanks to the application of smart technologies, the construction period of the factory was saved by 15 percent, water and electricity usage by 20 percent, and waste discharge by 20 percent.

The high-rise vertical factory enables intensive land use and is conducive to resource recycling in the industrial park. It is an epitome of the green development of the manufacturing sector.

Promoting green and low-carbon economic and social development is a key part of achieving high-quality development. In recent years, China has made significant progress in fostering new growth points for green and low-carbon development.

In the manufacturing sector, the production of solar cells and charging piles increased by 63.2 percent and 34.2 percent respectively in the first three quarters of this year, while the production and sales of new energy vehicles grew by over 30 percent year-on-year.

In the energy industry, as of the end of September, the installed capacity of solar power generation increased by 45.3 percent compared to the previous year, and wind power installed capacity by 15.1 percent.

Green technologies and products continue to emerge in various sectors and industries, effectively promoting the optimization of industrial structure and demonstrating a strong momentum for industrial upgrading.

As a new driving force, the growth of the green industry can create a broader space for economic development. Green, circular, and low-carbon development is the direction of today’s technological revolution and industrial transformation, and the most promising field for development. A better grasp of the opportunities for green transformation can take the initiative and gain a favorable position in future competition.

According to data from the General Administration of Customs, the total exports of electric vehicles, lithium-ion batteries, and solar batteries reached 798.99 billion yuan ($109.83 billion) in the first three quarters this year, a year-on-year increase of 41.7 percent. China’s leapfrog development in green industries fully demonstrates the importance of pursuing sustainable economic growth.

Green development is sustainable. Only by laying a solid foundation for green development can China achieve high-quality development in the future. China has great potential in this regard and can build a number of growth points.

Currently, the country is actively promoting concerted efforts to cut carbon emissions, reduce pollution, expand green development, and pursue economic growth. It prioritizes green transformation and upgrading of industries, accelerates the cultivation and expansion of green and low-carbon sectors, actively develops green technologies and products, and makes the economy greener, so as to enhance the potential and momentum of development.

China’s renewable energy industry is developing rapidly, and the country leads in various fields such as energy equipment, water-saving equipment, and pollution control technologies.

New ecological industry models, including urban modern agriculture, eco-tourism, and rural complexes are also rapidly growing. Today, eco-friendly products have more ways for financial gain.

It is believed that as China continues to pursue green development, the Chinese economy will become even greener in the future.

Green development is an all-round and revolutionary transformation of production methods, lifestyles, ways of thinking, and values. To promote the growth of green industries, it is necessary to adhere to a systemic perspective and coordinate the greening of production, distribution, consumption, and other aspects. It is important to actively guide and mobilize the entire society to participate in green development.

With the continuous advancement of Chinese modernization and the improvement of people’s living standards, the concept of green development has permeated all aspects of Chinese people’s lives.

The demand for green upgrading and transformation of traditional industries, as well as the demand for green consumption, have given rise to a huge green market, continuously enhancing China’s development potential and momentum.

By further opening up new areas and creating new advantages, China is striving to promote economic development that not only maintains reasonable quantitative growth but also achieves steady qualitative improvement, allowing the people to have a greater sense of achievement, fulfillment, and security in a beautiful ecological environment.

By He Yin, People’s Daily

Chinese President Xi Jinping sent a letter to the sixth China International Import Expo (CIIE) on Nov. 5. He said that China will always be an important opportunity for global development, firmly advance high-standard opening up and continue to make economic globalization more open, inclusive, balanced and beneficial to all.

The CIIE once again demonstrated to the international community China’s sincere aspiration to share its market opportunities with the rest of the world, a firm determination to advance high-level opening up, and proactive actions to build an open world economy.

The CIIE is the world’s first import-themed national-level expo. It aims to promote open cooperation and win-win results among all parties.

Since its debut in 2018, the CIIE has been successfully held for five sessions. It has leveraged the strengths of China’s enormous market, fulfilled its platform function for international procurement, investment promotion, people-to-people exchanges and open cooperation, and made positive contributions to creating a new development pattern and promoting world economic development.

Foreign exhibitors to the event, recognizing the increasing significance of the CIIE, said they looked forward to further deepening mutually beneficial cooperation with the Chinese market and would continuously expand their investment in China.

The CIIE serves as a window for fostering a new development pattern that creates new opportunities for the world through China’s further development.

The China Pavilion at this year’s CIIE has a record-breaking area of 2,500 square meters. With the theme of “Chinese Modernization, World’s New Opportunities,” an exhibition was staged to display the achievements of China’s pilot free trade zones over the past decade, showcasing the latest progress of China’s high-level opening up and high-quality development. 

These efforts demonstrate that the new development pattern China is building is not a closed domestic cycle but a more open domestic and international dual cycle. It not only meets China’s own development needs, but also benefits people from all countries.

China vowed that it would introduce the foreign investment regulations at a faster pace, improve the open and transparent foreign-related legal system, and implement the “pre-establishment national treatment plus negative list” management system for foreign investment across the board.

It promised to continue to encourage bold trials and experiments in pilot free trade zones and quicken the development of the Hainan Free Trade Port as pacesetters of opening up in China.

Besides, the country also said it would upgrade trade in goods, develop new mechanisms for trade in services, import more quality products, and establish pilot zones for Silk Road e-commerce cooperation.

China continues to release the dividends of openness and cooperation through the CIIE, vividly illustrating the expo’s theme – “New Era, Shared Future.”

The CIIE is a platform that promotes high-level opening up and shares China’s enormous market with the world. Hosting the CIIE is a significant decision for China to advance a new round of high-level opening up and a major initiative for China to proactively open its market to the world.

This year’s CIIE continued to draw eager participation from “old friends” and “new friends” alike. Around 200 companies have signed up to exhibit for the sixth consecutive year. Meanwhile, 11 countries joined the Country Exhibition for the first time, and 34 made their offline debut.

Over 3,400 exhibitors and nearly 410,000 professional visitors attended the CIIE, and the number of Fortune Global 500 companies and industry leaders participating in the event reached a new high in history.

The continuous improvement in the quality and level of the CIIE fully demonstrates that China, with its expanding openness, boasts strong appeal.

Time-honored stores, pioneering startups, globally renowned companies, and even small and medium-sized enterprises from the least developed countries are all leveraging the platform of the CIIE to enter the Chinese market and share the opportunities. “Confidence in the Chinese market” has become a shared perception among foreign enterprises attending the CIIE.

The CIIE provides shared international public goods and services that facilitate an open world economy and let the world benefit from win-win cooperation.

Currently, the world economic recovery lacks momentum and requires the solidarity and cooperation of all countries. The CIIE is a platform for trading goods and services, as well as exchanging cultures and ideas. It carries a distinctive feature of openness and continuously contributes to the development of an open world economy through both conceptual and practical support.

By facilitating cultural and idea exchanges, the CIIE fosters consensus on open cooperation. Through the trading of goods and services, the CIIE injects momentum into global economic development through open cooperation.

At this year’s CIIE, over 400 representative new products, technologies, and services made their debut. The Hongqiao International Economic Forum, themed “Joining Hands in Development, Opening Up for the Future,” featured 22 sub-forums covering hot topics such as green development, digital economy, and intelligent technology. These discussions aimed to foster broad consensus on promoting economic globalization, revitalizing the global economy, and enhancing the resilience of world economic development.

The enthusiastic participation in the CIIE fully demonstrated that open cooperation is the trend of the times, while mutual benefit remains a shared goal of all countries. China will stay committed to pursuing high-level opening up with a broader vision, a more open mind and a more proactive attitude. It will join hands with partners worldwide to create an even more prosperous future.

By Yang Yi, People’s Daily

The economic growth of the Asia-Pacific region is expected to reach 4.6 percent this year, up from 3.9 percent in 2022, according to the Regional Economic Outlook for Asia and Pacific recently released by the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

The report said that “economic activity in Asia and the Pacific remains on track to contribute about two-thirds of global growth in 2023.”

In a recent Asian Development Outlook report, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) forecasted that the region’s developing economies will grow 4.7 percent this year.

Against the backdrop of a sluggish recovery of the world economy this year, the Asia-Pacific region has shown resilience and vitality, with continuous progress made in regional cooperation.

The Asia-Pacific region accounts for one-third of the world’s population, over 60 percent of the world’s economy, and nearly half of global trade. Experts said that the Asia-Pacific region boasts rich production factors, a huge market size, diverse resources, and strong economic complementarity.

Currently, market demand in the region is gradually recovering, the tourism industry is rebounding rapidly, and consumption is showing resilience. Inflationary pressures in some countries in the region are decreasing.

The Pacific Asia Travel Association recently estimated that by the end of 2023, the number of international tourists visiting the Asia-Pacific region is expected to exceed 516 million, reaching approximately 76 percent of the pre-pandemic level in 2019. By 2024 and 2025, the number is projected to increase to 107 percent and 116 percent of the pre-pandemic level, respectively.

The Asia-Pacific region is a pioneer and a demonstration area for promoting digitalization and developing the digital economy. According to a recent forecast by International Data Corporation (IDC), the digital economy is expected to contribute 65 percent of the overall economic output of the Asia-Pacific region in 2023, and businesses in the region are anticipated to generate 43 percent of their revenues from the digital economy chain.

Experts believe that digitalization is reshaping the Asia-Pacific economy, and the region is facing opportunities for digital transformation.

In addition, the IMF predicted that inflation for most Asia-Pacific economies would fall within central bank targets by the end of 2024, earlier than the rest of the world.

In June this year, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) agreement came into effect for all its 15 members, entering a new phase of comprehensive implementation. According to the agreement, over 90 percent of trade in goods within the region will eventually be tariff-free.

This will make trade relations smoother and closer among member countries, further promote trade and investment liberalization and facilitation in the Asia-Pacific region, and enhance the region’s intrinsic momentum for economic growth.

With the signing of the RCEP, the dividends are gradually released. As the construction of the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area advances, the industrial and supply chain cooperation between the two sides, based on complementary advantages, has continuously been strengthened.

Bilateral trade volume between China and ASEAN reached over $970 billion last year, and they have been each other’s largest trading partners for three consecutive years.

The negotiations on Version 3.0 China-ASEAN Free Trade Area were launched earlier this year, which would further reduce tariff and non-tariff barriers and promote regional economic integration.

Krishna Srinivasan, director of the IMF’s Asia and Pacific Department, noted that implementing the RCEP has bolstered economic diversity across the region, integrating more economies and deepening cooperation among regional trading partners. In the long run, the agreement is expected to create a more attractive investment environment and boost regional economic growth.

As one of the most important economies in the Asia-Pacific region, China has enormous potential for economic growth and has made significant contributions to promoting regional economic growth.

According to the ADB’s Asian Economic Integration Report 2023, China’s contribution to economic growth in the Asia-Pacific region reached 64.2 percent. The country also contributed to 37.6 percent of the region’s growth in goods trade and 44.6 percent in services trade.

According to statistics, China’s GDP exceeded 91.3 trillion yuan ($12.54 trillion) in the first three quarters of 2023, growing 5.2 percent year-on-year. China’s imports and exports with other Belt and Road countries increased by 3.1 percent from the same period last year, accounting for 46.5 percent of its total trade volume.

“The accelerated recovery of the Chinese economy has greatly improved the overall liquidity and consumption performance in the Asia-Pacific region,” said Srinivasan. Recent economic indicators showed that both the manufacturing and service sectors of China have entered a path of recovery, a significant sign of China’s economic rebound, Srinivasan added.

Aksornsri Phanishsarn, adviser to the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Thai Senate and associate professor of the Faculty of Economics at Thammasat University, said that China’s economy boasts numerous promising areas, with rapidly emerging industries and innovative business models, all of which hold immense growth potential. This dynamic landscape serves as a powerful catalyst for economic growth in the Asia-Pacific region, she added.

World Bank Vice President Manuela Ferro said that the growth of the Asia-Pacific region, particularly China’s economy, has exceeded expectations. The broad recovery of the Asia-Pacific and global economy this year can largely be attributed to the driving force of China’s economy. She believed the region is expected to see a recovery in exports and other related trade in 2024.

By Liu Yi, People’s Daily

China’s Ministry of Ecology and Environment(MEE) recently held a press conference to introduce the progress China has made in addressing climate change. It also released the 2023 report on China’s policies and actions to address climate change.

The report comprehensively summarizes the new progress and achievements of China’s efforts to address climate change since 2022. It also elaborates on China’s basic stance and propositions regarding the 28th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP28) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, which is expected to be held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates at the end of November.

China attaches great importance to addressing climate change. According to MEE official Xia Yingxian, China has implemented a national strategy to tackle climate change, announced carbon peak and carbon neutrality goals, and put in place a “1+N”policy framework for carbon peak and carbon neutrality.

China has been promoting structural adjustment in industry, energy, and transportation, adopting a series of measures such as energy conservation and efficiency improvement, establishing and improving market mechanisms, and increasing forest carbon sinks.

As a result, positive progress has been made in addressing climate change. According to Xia, China’s carbon intensity decreased by over 51 percent in 2022 compared to 2005 levels, and the proportion of non-fossil energy consumption in total energy consumption reached 17.5 percent. The country’s ability to adapt to climate change continued to strengthen, and the Chinese society’s awareness for green and low-carbon development kept improving.

The report indicates that China is actively mitigating climate change while proactively adapting to it.

Significant progress has been made in key areas of green and low-carbon development. China has actively promoted industrial restructuring and optimization, with the sales and production of new energy vehicles ranking first globally for eight consecutive years. Non-fossil energy developed rapidly. The installed capacity of wind and photovoltaic power generation exceeded 750 million kilowatts by the end of 2022, and the clean utilization of fossil energy continuously improved.

Market mechanisms have been continuously improved. China has the world’s largest carbon emissions trading market, which started in July 2021 and currently regulates over 5 billion tons of carbon dioxide emissions annually. As of Oct. 25 this year, the cumulative trading volume of carbon emission quotas had reached 365 million tons, with a total transaction value of nearly 19.44 billion yuan ($2.67 billion).

The report points out that China actively participates in global climate change governance, deepens bilateral and multilateral cooperation mechanisms in the climate field, and has made positive progress in South-South cooperation on climate change. It has joined efforts with other countries to build a green Silk Road.

Xia said that as a responsible major developing country, China has been continuously promoting South-South cooperation on climate change through the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). It has continuously improved the construction of the BRI International Green Development Coalition, providing support and assistance to other developing countries to the best of its ability.

As of September this year, China had signed 48 memorandums of understanding on South-South cooperation on climate change with 40 developing countries, built four low-carbon demonstration zones in cooperation with other countries, implemented 75 projects to mitigate and adapt to climate change, organized 52 capacity-building training courses, and helped train more than 2,300 officials and technicians from over 120 developing countries.

In 2021, China and African countries jointly issued the Declaration on China-Africa Cooperation on Combating Climate Change and launched a three-year action plan.

In September this year, Minister of Ecology and Environment Huang Runqiu announced the implementation of a solar power project at the inaugural Africa Climate Summit, which aims to utilize China’s advantages in the photovoltaic industry to solve lighting problems for 50,000 electricity-deprived households in Africa.

In 2022, the China-Pacific Island Countries Climate Action Cooperation Center was established to support Pacific island countries in coping with climate change. China has also conducted research on mangroves and building low-carbon schools and communities together with ASEAN countries.

China actively responded to the UN Secretary-General’s call for early warning systems for all. The Ministry of Ecology and Environment signed a trilateral cooperation agreement in May this year with the World Meteorological Organization and the China Meteorological Administration, with an aim to support the enhancement of disaster warning capabilities in other developing countries.

“China has always been a proactive advocate and pragmatic practitioner of South-South cooperation in addressing climate change. The tangible and effective results of this cooperation have received widespread praise from the international community, especially developing countries,” Xia stressed.

By Liu Lingling, People’s Daily

The Flying Tigers spirit is a symbol of U.S.-China cooperation, said Mel McMullen, a Flying Tigers veteran, adding that he hopes more young people from the two countries could get to know this period of history and pass on the spirit from generation to generation.

McMullen, 98, made the remarks during an interview with People’s Daily after visiting the Museum of the War of Chinese People’s Resistance Against Japanese Aggression. He was in China to attend an event commemorating the 80th anniversary of the U.S. 14th Air Force’s participation in China’s war of resistance against Japanese aggression in Beijing.

The suits, helmets and photos of the Flying Tigers exhibited at the museum brought the Flying Tigers veteran back to the old days when he fought side by side with the Chinese people.

During China’s war of resistance against Japanese aggression, a large number of young American pilots, led by U.S. general Claire Lee Chennault, formed the American Volunteer Group (AVG), also known as the Flying Tigers. They fearlessly fought alongside the Chinese people against the Japanese fascists. McMullen was one of them.

In 1944, McMullen was assigned to the 308th bombardment group of the 425th Bombardment Squadron of the 14th Air Force, serving as a B-24 “Liberator” bomber’s gunner and assistant flight mechanic. His bombardment group was initially stationed at the Chenggong Airport near Kunming, southwest China’s Yunnan province, and later moved to Chengdu in Sichuan province after a few months.

McMullen told People’s Daily that he was only 18 back then, and he felt that people of all countries shared the same aspiration that they and their families could enjoy peace.

He told the story of how Chinese people saved the lives of endangered American pilots. During that time, many American pilots were protected during the day and escorted to safe zones at night by the Chinese people.

He said the Flying Tigers respect and admire the Chinese people, and he would never forget that during the war, local residents went all out to rescue American pilots, despite the brutal retaliation from the Japanese army, and this saved the lives of many American pilots.

Lately, Jeffrey Greene, chairman of the Sino-American Aviation Heritage Foundation, Flying Tigers veterans Harry Moyer and McMullen jointly wrote a letter to Chinese President Xi Jinping, in which they introduced the efforts of the foundation and Flying Tigers veterans in helping promote China-U.S. friendly exchanges, and expressed their willingness to inherit and carry forward the precious spirit of China-U.S. cooperation.

On Sept. 12, Xi replied to the letter. Recalling the moment he received Xi’s reply, McMullen couldn’t hide his excitement, saying such care is truly precious.

The Flying Tigers spirit represents trust and friendship, McMullen said. During the war, the Flying Tigers trusted the Chinese people and believed that what they were doing would have a positive impact and be something to be proud of.

He said the Flying Tigers believed that if their planes encountered mechanical failures or were hit by the enemy and they had to parachute, the Chinese people would surely find and rescue them. The Flying Tigers and the Chinese people fought side by side in wartime, and in peacetime, they should also be eternal partners, he noted.

Xi said in his reply that in growing China-U.S. relations, the hope lies in the people, the foundation lies among the people, and the future lies with the youth. McMullen said he totally agrees with Xi, hoping that the younger generations from the two countries could pass on the Flying Tigers spirit so that the friendly ties can be passed down from generation to generation.

In 2015, McMullen visited China and participated in commemoration activities to mark the 70th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War.

According to him, he and his wife have visited China multiple times, and they sincerely admire the tremendous development China has achieved. This time, he came to China accompanied by his wife, son, daughter-in-law, and other relatives. He hopes to promote a better understanding of the Flying Tigers’ story among more young people, and to continue promoting the spirit of the Flying Tigers and fostering the friendship between the American and Chinese people.

By He Yin, People’s Daily

The 10th Beijing Xiangshan Forum, themed “Common Security, Lasting Peace,” concluded in Beijing on Oct. 31. This year’s session of the Beijing Xiangshan Forum reached new historic highs in both scale and level. It witnessed extensive and in-depth exchanges and even contention between participants, demonstrating the principles of equality, openness, inclusiveness, and mutual learning and achieving the purpose of pooling wisdom, expanding consensus, and enhancing mutual trust.

The continuously growing influence of the Beijing Xiangshan Forum reflectsthe significance the international community accords to peace and security issues, and embodies various parties’ trust in and support for China’s efforts topromote the implementation of the Global Security Initiative (GSI) and play a leading role in advancing global security cooperation.

In today’s world, security issues are increasingly interconnected, transnational and diverse. Regional security hotspots keep flaring up, local conflicts and turbulence occur frequently, with traditional and non-traditional security threats intertwined.

In the face of global security challenges, it’s imperative that countries strengthen communication and cooperation so as to solve security dilemmas.

Responding to global security hotspots, the topics of dialogues, seminars and other activities at the 10th Beijing Xiangshan Forum, including major-country relations, security in the Asia-Pacific region, artificial intelligence,nuclear risk management and control, a new security architecture in the Middle East and mechanisms for peace in Europe,showedglobal vision and inclusiveness, providing a broad platform for exchanges between various parties.

The candid exchanges of views between participants as they jointly explored the path to global peace and security are of great positive significance under the current international circumstances.

“I strongly believe that this year’s Beijing Xiangshan Forum is an ideal platform to address the impending issues and to initiate proactive approaches to find solutions to problems, in order to have a stable and secure region,”said Vice-Admiral Piyal De Silva, former commander of the Sri Lanka Navy.

Respecting each other’s reasonable security concerns and ensuring all countries enjoy equal rights to express their security needs is an important prerequisite for building and maintaininga world of common security and lasting peace.

Many arrangements of the 10th Beijing Xiangshan Forum were welcomed by developing countries. For instance, one of the topics at the plenary sessions was “the role of developing countries in global security“; panel sessions and seminars coveredtopicsincluding”the Global South and global security governance”, “the significance of BRICS membership expansion”, “the expectations of developing countries for globalization”;and representatives of small and medium-sized countries accounted for a considerable proportion of speaking slots at relevant meetings.

One important contribution China has made is making many voices that were not heard by the international community in the past increasingly louder now,said Joseph Kahama, secretary general of theTanzania-China Friendship Promotion Association.

More and more countries includedin the Global South trust China, because China can help relevant countries make their voices heard on the global stage, he noted.

The Beijing Xiangshan Forum representsa significant event hosted by China to implement the GSI.

Calling on countries to adapt to the profoundly changing international landscape in the spirit of solidarity and address traditional and non-traditional security threats and challenges with a win-win mindset, the GSIaims to create a new path to security that features dialogue over confrontation, partnership over alliance and win-win over zero-sum.

It has injected confidence into countries’ efforts to maintain and achieve common and universal security, and is bound to continue helping build a more peaceful and safer world.

In February this year, China released “The Global Security Initiative Concept Paper”, proposing 20 priorities of cooperation under the framework of the GSI and suggestions on platforms and mechanisms of cooperation.

Defense ministers from many countries attending the10th Beijing Xiangshan Forum fully affirmed China’s contributions to maintaining world peace and promoting regional development.

Belarusian Defense Minister Viktor Khrenin said he hopes the international community will work together to implement the GSI and achieve peaceful coexistence among all countries.

China unswervinglypursues an independent foreign policy of peace. It has always decided its position and policy on issues based on their own merits, and it has strived to uphold the basic norms governing international relations and safeguard international fairness and justice.

It strives to safeguard world peace and development as it pursues its own development, and it makes contributions to world peace and development through its own development.

China has actively participated in and promoted multilateral security cooperation, engaged in mediation diplomacy, made unremitting efforts for the political settlement of hotspot issues, cooperated with other parties in non-traditional security domains such as anti-terrorism, cyberspace, food security, and climate change, and promoted improvement in international platforms and mechanisms for dialogues and exchanges on addressing security challenges.

By carrying out extensive consultation and making concerted efforts withvarious parties, China has pushed for solid implementation of the GSI, demonstrating itsstrong sense of duty as a responsible major country.

In today’s interconnected world, all countries are closely connected and humanity shares a common future. The historical trend of peace, development, and win-win cooperation is unstoppable.

China will continue upholding the vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security, and work with all members of the international community committed to peace and development to actively promote the implementation of the GSI, jointly enrich its connotations and practices, and make new contributions to promoting common security of humankind and lasting peace of the world.