The 14th Beijing Science Festival, in conjunction with the 2024 Beijing National Science Popularization Day, will illuminate the city from September 15 to 25. Hosted by the Beijing Association for Science and Technology (BAST), this year's event will take place across six key venues, offering an engaging and interactive science experience for everyone.
The main venue, the Beijing Science Center, will feature four major areas with themes including “Scientist Spirit,” “Technology and Culture,” “Science Education,” and “Science Experience.” A standout exhibit will be dedicated to the spirit of scientists. Spanning 1,200 square meters and opening on September 15, this exhibition aims to inspire patriotism and national pride through the stories of past and present scientists.
Another key highlight will be the exhibition on technologies along Beijing's Central Axis, recently inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in July. This exhibit will explore the history of science and technology in Beijing, catering to audiences of all ages. Additionally, interactive experiences will focus on traditional architecture and cultural crafts, immersing attendees in China's rich heritage.
The Science Education area will target youth with over 200 engaging programs, including workshops, lectures, and hands-on activities. The Science Popularization Experience area will use outdoor spaces to spotlight topics such as deep-earth exploration, marine resources, cybersecurity, commercial aerospace, and artificial intelligence.
Five auxiliary locations will host specialized events: the National Natural History Museum of China, the China Railway Museum, Temple of Heaven Park, Gulou Community, and Shougang Park. These sites will offer unique activities such as bird-watching on the Central Axis, painting traditional architectural designs, and exploring the evolution of timekeeping technologies from ancient sundials to modern atomic clocks.
According to BAST, the festival will feature over 600 science exhibitions, lectures, and other activities. More than 1,000 science-related venues will host science activities, exhibitions, and lectures. Additionally, all 16 districts of Beijing will organize regional main events for National Science Popularization Day.
China Rural Revitalization magazine has published a series of articles on the rapid development and transformation of rural China. The articles reflect the arduous efforts of rural revitalization across the country, which is an important and genuine solution to China's rural economic development. In the future, articles selected from this series will be published.
Haojiaqiao is a small village located on the Loess Plateau in Suide county, Yulin, Northwest China's Shaanxi Province. The village has gained recognition for the development of its rural collective economic cooperative, and it has made great efforts to develop key industries such as agriculture and tourism, through initiatives like fruit and vegetable greenhouse projects and orchards.
In recent years, the village has seen improvements in infrastructure and income growth, supported by government policies aimed at sustainable development. These efforts include leveraging the village's historical and cultural resources to boost its economy while modernizing agricultural practices for better productivity.
Chinese President Xi Jinping traveled to the village of Haojiaqiao on September 14, 2021, and visited the home of a villager whose family was lifted out of poverty.
Xi stressed that making villagers live a better life is the unswerving mission and aspiration of the Party. He urged the whole Party and the nation to carry forward the spirit forged in the fight against poverty to secure new and greater victories in fully building a modern socialist China.
When leaving the village, Xi expressed his hope for the villagers to continue upholding the fine traditions and make further efforts in building their village into a model of rural vitalization.
Targeted measures
At the entrance of the Haojiaqiao village, there stands a large stone monument bearing seven eye-catching red characters that read: "Haojiaqiao: Rural Model," embodying the revolutionary memories and history of the village.
Activating land resources has been a priority in Haojiaqiao's transformation, with careful planning required to address the issue of idle planting areas.
With the support by Party committees and local governments at all levels, Haojiaqiao village has undergone a profound reform including promoting the reform of rural collective property rights system for better allocating farmland resources and funds, in addition to establishing an economic shareholding cooperative.
Haojiaqiao has 2,800 mu (186.67 hectares) of farmland. As part of the overall plan, 2,000 mu of mountainous land is designated for the development of an ecological orchard, 300 mu of flatland for facility-based agriculture, and the remaining 500 mu is reserved for grain cultivation.
Once a role model, it remains shining today. On February 25, 2021, Haojiaqiao village was awarded a role model in China's poverty alleviation fight, during a grand gathering in Beijing to mark the nation's poverty alleviation accomplishments and honor model poverty fighters, indicating Haojiaqiao village's unwavering determination in the fight against poverty. Transformation
The village's collective economic cooperative enlisted experts from agricultural research institutions for guidance and ultimately decided to develop fruit and vegetable greenhouses equipped with intelligent irrigation and fertilization systems, tailored to the local natural conditions.
Hao Changxiong, 56, who started to work outside Haojiaqiao village at the age of 20, signed a 15-year contract for 500 mu of apricot orchards. When the harvest season arrives, Hao is busy with meeting orders from clients nationwide.
Given the popularity of local agricultural products, Hao decided to work with tourism companies to promote Haojiaqiao's agriculture-integrated tourism, and expand his business scale.
In terms of red tourism, Haojiaqiao signed cooperation agreement with a state-owned tourism company in 2022 offering patriotic-themed training for government departments, enterprises, schools, and associations.
Haojiaqiao's unique development model, which integrates red tourism, talent training, and agricultural industry, has set the village on a path of comprehensive growth across the primary, secondary, and tertiary sectors. In 2023, the village's collective economic income reached 2.11 million yuan ($0.3 million), with a per capita disposable income of 21,560 yuan.
'Making further efforts'
In 2022, local government officials conducted overall on-site visits across 644 households and 1,637 residents of Haojiaqiao village, which helped them assess the income structure, family situations, development aspirations, and challenges faced by villagers, in order to put in place corresponding measures.
Haojiaqiao village has been steadily developing a comprehensive public service system, which now includes a primary school, kindergarten, senior center, clinic, service center, and supermarket.
The senior center is fully equipped with restaurants, entertainment and study rooms, a lounge, and staffed by professional chefs and caregivers. Its focus is providing meals and daily support for local senior citizens, ensuring their comfort and well-being.
The village clinic offers basic healthcare services, eliminating the need for residents to travel elsewhere for minor ailments. The primary school in the village is equipped with a computer room, laboratory, and painting and calligraphy studio, offering qualified education environment for local children.
In recent years, cooperation between East China's Zhejiang Province and African nations has steadily deepened, spanning various fields such as trade, culture, and healthcare. This reflects the high-quality advancement of the China-Africa community with a shared future.
Zhejiang has built robust people-to-people exchanges and established 31 sister-city relations with African counterparts, covering the provincial, municipal, and district levels, the Global Times learned at a press conference in Jinhua, Zhejiang, during the 2024 Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC).
Educational and cultural ties have strengthened, with over 20 universities in Zhejiang collaborating with African institutions, and eight Confucius Institutes have been established in countries like Cameroon, Mozambique, and Tanzania.
Zhejiang's efforts in vocational training have benefited more than 2,800 individuals from 160 African companies.
Cultural initiatives have also flourished, with the co-production of the film Kung Fu Dream and Zhejiang's Jinhua Wu Opera Troupe frequently performing in Africa.
Medical cooperation remains a vital aspect of the partnership. For 55 consecutive years, Zhejiang has dispatched medical teams to African countries like Mali and Namibia. In 2022-23 alone, 110 medical professionals provided healthcare services to 183,800 local people, offering free clinics in remote areas and promoting traditional Chinese medicine through workshops and training sessions.
After the press conference, South African journalist Ayanda Ntuthuko Zithulele Mdluli commended the province's multifaceted contributions, saying, "The province of Zhejiang can ensure a relationship that results in economic growth, stability, and skills transfer. It is a significant development that should be applauded."
Liu Qinghai, a professor at the Zhejiang Normal University's Institute of African Studies, highlighted Zhejiang's pivotal role, noting that "Zhejiang is a highland of China-Africa cooperation, and Jinhua is the heart of collaboration. The province has worked tirelessly to deepen people-to-people ties and ensure the sustainability of China-Africa cooperation."
Zhejiang's focus on cultural understanding and strategic alignment with African nations is seen as critical to fostering long-term collaboration, driving mutual prosperity, and strengthening the China-Africa partnership in the Belt and Road Initiative, Liu told the Global Times during the press conference.
To curb China's high-tech advancements, the US has repeatedly pressured its allies including the Netherlands, Japan and South Korea to further tighten restrictions on China's access to semiconductor technology. However, discontent is growing within these countries regarding Washington's increasing demands.
On Wednesday, the chief executive of Dutch chip equipment giant ASML admitted that the US-led campaign to restrict the company's exports to customers in China in the name of national security has become more "economically motivated" over time. He acknowledged that proving these restrictions are about national security is getting harder and harder and expects push-back against US-led restrictions to grow.
This is not the first time ASML has voiced concerns about US demands.
Christophe Fouquet, CEO of ASML, and his predecessor Peter Wennink, also voiced opposition to US' restrictions on ASML's exports of chip-making equipment to China. Similarly, Japanese and South Korean manufacturers have been at odds with their governments which have long felt pressure from US to cut closer cooperation with China. These companies fear that continuing to follow US restrictions will severely damage normal trade relations, ultimately harming their own interests. The growing rational voices within the US' allied countries are primarily driven by concerns for their national economic interests. It also highlights the selfish nature of the US, which disregards the dissatisfaction of its allies.
Lü Xiang, a research fellow at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times that US allies have been forced to implement export restrictions due to the influence of US hegemony, but these measures have already caused significant economic harm to those nations, proving that the continued pressure from the US is unsustainable.
In fact, the US' coercion of other countries to suppress Chinese companies and limit high-tech exports to China is a form of economic coercion, entirely unrelated to "national security." Washington's allies should recognize that by acting as a "frontline" in the US' anti-China agenda, their own national interests are being hijacked by the US.
Countries like Japan, South Korea, and the Netherlands have deep economic ties with China, which is viewed as a crucial, and in some cases, an irreplaceable overseas market. However, the US has been leveraging these countries' security dependencies to coerce them into adopting its restrictive policies, which are disrupting well-established global supply chains. Ultimately, these actions could harm not only US allies, but also the US itself, according to Lü.
Moreover, despite the US repeatedly emphasizing the importance of expanding its alliances, the country has failed to deliver tangible benefits to its so-called allies. For the US, allies are merely expected to serve its own interests, and its restrictive measures have already caused losses for them.
Take South Korea as an example: in 2023, South Korea recorded a trade deficit of $18 billion with China, marking its first shortfall with the country in 31 years. According to South Korean media, the primary factor behind this shift is the decline in exports of products, such as semiconductors, due to export restrictions imposed at US' request.
The US has repeatedly pressured its allies to restrict exports to China, but has never shown any willingness or capability to offer compensation. Lü said neither the US' claim to strengthen the transatlantic partnership, nor the so-called Indo-Pacific Economic Framework with its allies includes any commitment from the US to grant its allies greater access to its market. This means that the US' allies will have to bear the economic consequences for US interests.
Ironically, although the US has been trying hard to restrict China's high-tech development even at the expense of its allies' interests and the global supply chain, it not only hasn't achieved its desired outcome, but only to find itself surrounded by discontented allies. By selfishly fostering division and confrontation to contain China, the US is now shooting itself in the foot.
Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday met with Gambian President Adama Barrow, who is in Beijing for the 2024 Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC).
China has submitted a request to Canada for consultations at the WTO on the additional tariffs Ottawa decided to impose on Chinese electric vehicles (EVs) and steel and aluminum products, China's Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) announced on Friday.
China urges Canada to abide by WTO rules and immediately correct its wrong doings following its announcement of a 100-percent tariff on China-made EVs and a 25-percent tariff on imported steel and aluminum products from China.
Such moves are typical unilateralist and trade protectionist approaches that seriously undermine the rules-based multilateral trading system and disrupt global industrial and supply chains, MOFCOM said, adding that China is firmly against it.
China's latest move came after MOFCOM on Tuesday announced decisive measures against Canada, including plans to initiate dispute settlement proceedings at the WTO and launch an anti-discriminaton probe.
"The submission underscores China's firm commitment to multilateralism, and shows that China seeks to resolve trade issues with Canada under WTO rules in a bid to avoid the escalation of trade frictions," said Zhou Mi, a senior research fellow at the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation.
The Chinese Embassy in Canada expressed strong dissatisfaction and firm opposition to Canada's latest decision to impose additional tariffs on Chinese-made EVs and other products, vowing to take "necessary measures" to safeguard Chinese firms' legitimate rights and interests.
As for the dispute at the WTO, Canada is unlikely to win since it's unreasonable for it to impose additional tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles and other products, Zhou said.
"Chinese new-energy products are a good choice for Canada to fulfill its climate change commitment and diversify its imports," Zhou said, noting that ordinary Canadian consumers have to pay higher prices without Chinese products.
Contemporary Amperex Technology Co Ltd (CATL), China's largest automotive lithium-ion battery maker, on Thursday refuted baseless accusations by some US politicians, noting its batteries pose no threat to US national security.
The accusations by the US politicians will harm normal China-US economic and trade cooperation and the well-being of ordinary American users, observers said. They called for the US to strengthen cooperation with China, which will only bring benefits to the US.
Two top US Republican lawmakers, namely Marco Rubio, the vice chair of the Intelligence Committee, and John Moolenaar, who chairs the House Select Committee on China, on Wednesday called on the US Defense Department to add Chinese battery maker CATL to a restricted list of companies, claiming that "reliance on CATL batteries endangers US national security," Reuters reported.
"CATL's battery products pose no more of a threat to national security than a brick," the company said.
CATL's battery products have helped millions of American families and small businesses during power outages caused by natural disasters, extreme weather, and grid instability. Battery products that CATL sell in the US market are passive products - without any communications hardware or software that allows for remote access or control, it said.
CATL said it is not directly competing with any US companies. By working closely with American partners, CATL is assisting US companies with strengthening their competitiveness to turn out reliable and competitively priced products.
CATL is not engaged in any military-related activities, the company said, stressing that it was privately founded and became a publicly-listed company in 2018.
"Out of their Cold War mentality, a number of US politicians tend to play up the narrative of 'national security' threat to crack down on Chinese high-tech companies," He Weiwen, senior fellow from the Center for China and Globalization, told the Global Times on Thursday.
He said the groundless US accusations will harm normal China-US economic and trade cooperation, and negatively impact the well-being of ordinary Americans.
Instead of continuing to expand its "small yard, high fence" approach, the US should sit down with China to seek practical cooperation, which will bring sufficient benefits for the US side, He said.
With the US reportedly set to announce final implementation plans in coming days for imported Chinese electric vehicles (EVs) and other products, Chinese experts are calling on the US side to make a goodwill gesture, as pragmatic economic and trade cooperation between the world's two largest economies benefits the US and the world as a whole.
Experts said some Western countries' high tariffs will have a limited impact on Chinese EVs in the long term, as there is great potential for Chinese automakers to tap other overseas markets including BRICS and the Global South. They added that China has sufficient patience and resilience to overcome trade barriers put up by some Western countries.
Following US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan's just concluded visit to China, the Chinese Commerce Ministry said on Thursday that Beijing and Washington have agreed to hold a vice-ministerial meeting of the China-US commercial and trade working group in Tianjin on September 7.
However, amid growing talks to stabilize ties, Reuters reported on Thursday that the US' top trade representative is expected to announce final plans in the coming days on Chinese imports, including EVs.
US Trade Representative Katherine Tai on Thursday (US time) strongly endorsed Canada's 100 percent tariffs on Chinese-made EVs.
The Biden administration's fresh tariff threat indicates that its green policies are flawed, Lü Xiang, an expert on US studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Friday.
"There are many businesses in the US that oppose new tariffs on Chinese products because the administration's harmful move will impede the green transition in the US and the world," Lü said, calling on Washington to make some kind of goodwill gesture.
Reuters reported in June that a group of 173 trade associations in the US under the "Americans For Free Trade" umbrella requested the USTR to hold a hearing on the decision to impose steeper tariffs on Chinese EVs and other goods.
Bao Jianyun, director of the Center for International Political Economy Studies at Renmin University of China, projected that the US' potential tariffs on Chinese EVs will be one of the key topics during the upcoming meeting in Tianjin.
"It is hoped that the US can view its relations with China from a long-term perspective. As two major countries, China and the US should be responsible for the people and for the world to seek a solution that benefits both sides," Bao said.
Despite some Western countries' high tariffs on Chinese EV makers, there is great potential for Chinese automakers to tap other overseas markets including BRICS and the Global South, Bao said, stressing that politically-driven trade barriers cannot hinder the global opening-up and cooperation trend, and China has sufficient patience and resilience to overcome them.
Chinese and African experts thought highly of the achievements in bilateral agricultural cooperation and expressed hopes for further exploring this potential, ahead of the 2024 Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) scheduled to be held in Beijing from Wednesday to Friday.
At the upcoming forum, agricultural cooperation is expected to be a key focus of the agenda.
Thanks to relentless efforts by the Chinese side - such as tax reductions, green channels for trade and trade expos - agricultural development has been boosted in Africa, helping regional countries in poverty alleviation and hunger reduction, experts said.
Through mechanisms such as the FOCAC, China has provided African countries with channels to enter the Chinese market, which will drive Africa's industrial revolution, Dennis Munene Mwaniki, director of research and executive director of the China-Africa Centre at the Africa Policy Institute, told the Global Times.
Mwaniki cited examples of China's gradual implementation of tariff-free measures for more African products that promote economic diversification, industrialization and processing development in Africa.
Behind Africa's hope to expand agricultural exports to China is close China-Africa cooperation in the fields of agriculture and food security, Mwangi Wachira, former economist at the World Bank and advisor to the Government of Kenya, told the Global Times.
According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, nearly 20 percent of the population in Africa faces hunger, a much larger proportion compared with other regions in the world.
Addressing this urgent issue is the basis of all African development plans, Wachira said.
He said that in Kenya, there are Chinese-funded agricultural projects dedicated to improving the food production capacity which is of great significance to the local people.
The growth in China-Africa agricultural trade reflects the high level of complementarity between the two sides in this field, Song Wei, a professor at the School of International Relations and Diplomacy at Beijing Foreign Studies University, told the Global Times on Sunday.
Song said that China is expected to continue facilitating imports of high-quality African agricultural products by expanding the types of imported products and optimizing customs processes.
Additionally, China is likely to send more agricultural experts to Africa to help cultivate higher-quality products and increase investment in African agricultural processing, supporting local agricultural modernization, Song said.
The 2024 Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) Summit will be held in Beijing from September 4 to 6. The theme of this year's summit is "Joining Hands to Advance Modernization and Build a High-Level China-Africa Community with a Shared Future." In light of this, we are launching a series of China-Africa stories, including interviews with political leaders, stories of exchanges between young people from both regions, and intensive cooperation in various fields. Through these stories, we will see how China and Africa are deepening their ties and building a brighter future together. With a petite frame, a soft voice, and a face more youthful than her chronological age, it's hard to imagine Rotsy as a formidable kung fu master when you first meet her.
Rotsy, whose full name is Miarimbola Andrianalinatovo Rotsy Ny Fitia, is a 24-year-old from Madagascar. Her journey began with Chinese martial arts films on a black-and-white TV, continued with kung fu training at the Confucius Institute, and led to becoming a martial arts instructor.
With a deep understanding of Chinese culture, Rotsy aspires to engage in diplomacy and become a bridge between China and Africa.
"I first encountered China when I was a child on a black-and-white TV," Rotsy recalled.
In 2010, Jackie Chan's movie The Karate Kid sparked a martial arts craze in Madagascar. Rotsy and the village children mimicked the moves from the movie. At the time, the seeds of martial arts had already taken root in her heart.
As she grew older, Rotsy's longing for martial arts did not diminish, but grew stronger as her elder sister who studied Chinese at the Confucius Institute always shared stories about the institute upon her returned home, which fueled Rotsy's fascination with Chinese martial arts.
After entering university, she joined the Confucius Institute and began her journey of learning the Chinese language. Without any hesitation, she quickly joined the martial arts team and began her training.
"The variety of weapons like swords, spears, and staffs dazzled me; the intricate moves of the senior students overwhelmed me; and the movements of the martial arts teacher left me in awe. Hands like shooting stars, eyes like lightning, body like a dragon, legs like arrows," Rotsy described her teacher's movements with admiration in her eyes.
However, the path to mastering martial arts was not smooth. Due to her short stature, she faced difficulties in performing jumps and aerial moves. "I would often stumble or jump half as high as others, not to mention others performing 90-degree aerial turns with ease," Rotsy said, recalling the hardships of her training.
But these challenges did not make her give up; instead, they motivated her to train even harder. She practiced tirelessly until she mastered each move.
Among all the martial arts disciplines, Rotsy's favorite is swordplay. "When wielding a sword, it gleams with silver light, moves like a dragon, flows like water, dazzles like a firework, slithers like a snake, and soars like an eagle," she described her swordsmanship.
"For every kung fu enthusiast, the biggest dream is to visit the Shaolin Temple," Rotsy told the Global Times.
This July, she finally fulfilled her dream by representing Africa at the 2024 Shaolin Games at the Shaolin Temple in Central China's Henan Province.
"I felt nervous and excited when I landed, because, on one hand, I was here for the competition, but on the other hand, it was also a dream come true," she said excitedly.
Standing on the grounds of the Shaolin Temple, the emotions of nervousness and excitement intertwined, creating one of the most cherished memories of her martial arts journey.
After studying Chinese for two years, she also participated in the 19th "Chinese Bridge" Chinese Proficiency Competition for Foreign College Students in 2020. With her excellent Chinese language skills and outstanding martial arts performance, she won the Grand Prize in the Madagascar Division and eventually clinched the African Continental Championship.
During the competition, she played the traditional Chinese instrument guzheng while singing "A Laugh in the Sea," a song that depicts the grandeur of the martial arts world.
Today, she works as an interpreter, Chinese teacher, and martial arts instructor, passing on her knowledge of martial arts and her love for Chinese culture to more students in her country.
Every time she sees her students sweating during training, Rotsy is reminded of her own days at the Confucius Institute. "It feels like a passion is growing from the bottom of my heart, slowly growing stronger," she said. "Perhaps this is called belief, perhaps it is called courage, or perhaps it is called a sense of mission."
"My dream is to quickly reach China, continue my studies, return to Madagascar, and teach this beautiful culture and language to more people in Madagascar, allowing them to discover the wonderful world of China and the Chinese language," she said.
