Amid the bustling streets and towering skyscrapers across China, a profound transformation is unfolding within the steel beams and iron cores of China's industrial landscape, aiming to contribute to China's goals of achieving carbon peak and carbon neutrality.

Meanwhile, as one of the world's largest producers and consumer of steel, China faces a colossal challenge: Reducing the carbon emission of an industry that is both a cornerstone of its economic might and a significant contributor to global emissions. So how should this be approached, and what progress has been made so far?

During an interview at the Shanghai Climate Week with the Global Times, Jen Carson, global head of industry at the Climate Group, shared her insights on China's green transformation, especially within the steel industry, and the potential for cooperation between China and Europe in the field of low carbon transition.

She highlighted the proactive steps taken by Chinese companies, particularly in the steel industry, toward a green transformation, reflecting a broader commitment to global ecological responsibility.

The Shanghai Climate Week, from April 22 to April 26, is designed to foster social engagement from diverse perspectives in support of China's dual carbon goals. It aims to tell the story of China's actions to address climate change to the world, convey the Asian voice of green transformation, increase international exchanges and cooperation in the field of climate change, and participate in international decision-making and leadership.

Efforts and actions

The ambitious strides taken by industry giants have underscored a significant commitment within China's steel sector, but also reflect a broader narrative of collaboration and sustainability. These efforts are pioneering a shift in the global approach to industrial practices, aiming to integrate deeper environmental responsibility into the core of industrial strategies.

During the interview, Carson recognized the efforts of major Chinese steelmakers which have embarked on remarkable initiatives to reduce their carbon footprints. These companies are not only vocal about their climate ambitions, but have also demonstrated their commitment through strategic partnerships with global automotive leaders.

For example, steel makers such as Baosteel, based in Shanghai, and HBIS, headquartered in Hebei Province, are already showing not only climate ambitions, but also climate commitments by having an MOU with the automotive international stakeholders. Baosteel has a MOU with Beijing Benz Automotive (BBAC) and HBIS has a MOU with BMW Group, Carson explained. "We are very interested to see these developments coming from the Chinese firms."

Further illustrating the impact of corporate concern on environmental sustainability, Carson highlighted the SteelZero initiative, which aims for 100 percent net-zero steel to be used by companies demanding steel by year of 2050. She pointed out the involvement of leading Chinese firms such as CIMC TCREA, one of the world's largest steel container manufacturer, and Hang Lung Properties from the real estate sector. Both companies have made Steel-Zero commitments, showcasing leadership and dedication to sustainable practices in both the shipping marine sector and real estate construction.

Three years ago, China made a solemn commitment to the world that it aims to peak carbon dioxide emissions before 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality before 2060. Since then, the country has embarked on a fast track toward these goals, with highlights in areas including industrial upgrades, cleaner air, renewable energy capacity, and a world-leading position in solar panels, electric cars, and lithium battery production.

Initial results of industrial transformation have been achieved. Official data showed that China's crude steel output has declined by 40 million tons since the start of the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025), according to the Xinhua News Agency.

China's energy consumption per 10,000 yuan (about $1,408) of gross domestic product decreased by 0.1 percent in 2022 from 2021, while CO2 emissions per 10,000 yuan of GDP fell 0.8 percent year-on-year, according to an official statistical communique.
Bridges and gaps

Europe is currently seeking to strengthen its cooperation with China, particularly in the realm of climate policy. Earlier in April, climate envoys from the European Union along with representatives from Germany, France, the Netherlands, and Denmark arrived in Beijing. Their mission is to enhance collaboration with China, aiming to forge stronger ties and joint efforts in addressing global climate challenges, according to reports.

In terms of China-Europe cooperation in the field of low carbon transition, Carson said that she sees many ample opportunities and there are obviously important trading partner relationships and close economic opportunities.

"We are looking forward to seeing more examples of partnerships between specific companies. We are also looking forward to more discussions on international standards," she stated.

Meanwhile, the Climate Group has been instrumental in organizing seminars and discussions aimed at bridging the gap between Chinese and European companies. "This is an area we would like to expand on and develop," she noted.

"Going forward, a key part of our work that we would like to work with others is to bring together and do similar seminars between European and Chinese stakeholders. There is a lot of opportunities across the entire value chain, looking at the demand side as we do, but also steel producers in steel makers and then into the energy infrastructure space," she said.

The organization held a seminar recently with the automotive sector, hosting companies including Volvo Cars, SKF, and also ThyssenKrupp AG, a German steel manufacturer to discuss how they are seeing the transition, playing out from the steel automotive value chain.

During her first visit to Shanghai, Carson expressed her admiration for the city's dynamic approach to sustainable development and urban transformation. "It is clearly the vital city and port, taking a leading stance on sustaining development and urban transformation," she remarked.

She is also keen on learning more about China's dual-carbon development strategies and corporate progress in environmental, social, and governance (ESG) criteria. She anticipates sharing these insights with Europe and other stakeholders to promote the collaboration and exchanges.

Challenges and prospects

China is the world's largest producer and consumer of steel, with steel production accounting for over half of the global share. The carbon emissions from the steel industry account for about 15 percent of the country's total carbon emissions, making it the industry with the largest carbon emissions among the 31 categories of manufacturing industries, according to public data.

As China has promised to peak carbon dioxide emissions by 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2060, the steel industry is making hard efforts in decarbonization, with many challenges to solve.

Carson said that while technologies to decarbonize steel are now available, steelmaking still accounts for around 8 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions.

"With demand for steel increasing as countries develop, the risk is that emissions will only rise further. It's crucial we work together to tackle this challenge," she said.

Carson stressed to the Global Times that the challenge in reducing carbon or achieving carbon neutrality in the steel industry is not just for China, but is a global dilemma.

"It's not just one country-by-country or even one company-by-company. When looking at these unique challenges, China has shown the great willingness to engage the world's largest investor in clean energy," she said.

As the EU's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) officially took effect on October 1, 2023, China's steel industry has also faced more external market challenges. The CBAM is to put a fair price on the carbon emitted during the production of carbon intensive goods that are entering the EU, and to encourage cleaner industrial production in non-EU countries. The first batch of industries included in the CBAM are electricity, steel, cement, fertilizers, aluminum, and hydrogen, according to media reports.

According to Carson, currently their members in the initiative "SteelZero," including Chinese companies like CIMC TCREA, a supply chain company affiliated to the China International Marine Containers (CIMC) in the shipping sector, commit to procuring, specifying or stocking 100 percent net zero steel by 2050. Hang Lung Properties in the real estate sector and Volvo Cars in the automotive industry have previously made this commitment.

Industry observers said that the Chinese steel industry is actively responding to the country's commitments to climate change by adopting advanced energy efficiency improvement technologies, steel smelting technologies, and green transformation measures such as waste gas recycling.

At the same time, the industry is optimizing its energy structure to promote sustainable development.

The Chinese government has also introduced policies to support the industry's transformation, including tax incentives and green credit, providing important economic incentives for the industry.

Chinese Premier Li Qiang has signed a decree of the State Council, introducing new regulations governing carbon emissions trading. Effective from May 1, 2024, the regulations aim to provide a legal framework for the operation of China's carbon emissions trading market and ensure the effectiveness of related policies, the Xinhua News Agency reported.

The regulations focus on the allocation of responsibilities, designating the State Council's ecological and environmental departments to oversee and manage carbon emissions trading. The regulations specify details including the products eligible for trading, trading methods, and the distribution of carbon emissions quotas, according to Xinhua.

Carson said that they have already been "impressed" by the Chinese government, in setting out a dual-carbon target and creating a road map.

According to her, an important way to address the challenges is to embrace key stakeholders from different countries across the value chain to undertake candid discussion so as to collectively generate feasible solutions.

"We would love to see that important discussion being developed further. For example, on the relevant standards and verification methods, we can have deeper understanding of the needs that look at the low carbon steel production," she said.

"We would work with the specific companies to understand how they best work with partners in the supply chain or financiers, banks, investors, and different actors to take forward projects that have low carbon technologies and products," she said.

"Steel decarbonization is an incredible challenge, which is why we're working with many stakeholders in the steel value chain… We can only make the best difference if we all move in the same direction. By coming together to share ideas, innovations, and commitments, we empower and challenge each other to take bold action toward a greener, more resilient world," she emphasized.

Russian President Vladimir Putin concluded a two-day state visit to China. The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs described President Putin's visit as "importantly timed and fruitful." The two heads of state signed and issued a joint statement on deepening China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for a new era on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries (hereinafter referred to as the joint statement). The joint statement is over 12,000 words long, with the word "cooperation" appearing over 130 times.

Currently, China-Russia relations are at their best in history, and this year marks a milestone in the development of relations between the two countries. Looking back, pragmatic cooperation between China and Russia has a solid foundation and strong internal impetus, ensuring economic and social common development and integration of both countries. Looking forward, pragmatic cooperation between China and Russia is an important guarantee for tapping the development potential of both sides and exploring long-term autonomous development. Clearly, the development of relations between the two countries is not a temporary expedient but has strong internal impetus and intrinsic value.

The rich connotation of China-Russia cooperation will continue to be enriched and elevated, and this is highly certain. For example, in terms of economic and trade cooperation, the trade of traditional labor-intensive, low-value-added electromechanical products used to be the mainstream of China-Russia economic and trade cooperation. However, in recent years, high-value-added products represented by automobiles and engineering machinery have developed rapidly. In 2023, Russia became the top destination for Chinese automobile exports, with over 900,000 vehicles exported to Russia. Additionally, many Chinese brands of mobile phones, home appliances, engineering machinery and other products are gaining increasing recognition and popularity in the Russian market. With their high quality, durability, and cost-effectiveness, they are increasingly favored by Russian consumers.

Based on mutual benefit, China and Russia continue to advance practical cooperation, benefiting the people of both countries. Maintaining a solid foundation in traditional areas such as economic and trade, energy, and agriculture is an important basis for maintaining good momentum in cooperation. Cooperation projects in these areas are also important starting points for deepening future development. For example, in agriculture, China and Russia have highly complementary advantages. If the coordination efforts in standards certification, technical specifications, and other areas of bilateral agricultural product trade continue to increase, it will lay the foundation for the development of the China-Russia agricultural cooperation experimental demonstration zone proposed in the joint statement.

At the same time, new areas such as artificial intelligence, high-tech, and basic research are also realistic choices for cooperation between the two sides. Especially in the context of the continuous impact of anti-globalization trends such as "decoupling" and "small yard, high fence," deepening practical cooperation in the new era between China and Russia will help counter external obstacles and restrictions on the technological development space of both countries, ensuring the high-level development of technology on both sides. More importantly, unleashing the potential for cooperation in cutting-edge areas will help both countries grasp the future development trend. Therefore, the strategic cooperation between China and Russia is a proactive effort rather than a passive response.

In particular, with the deepening of the new round of technological revolution and industrial transformation, international cutting-edge technological development presents the characteristics of multiple breakthroughs and intersections in various fields. China's technology and industry are rapidly upgrading, with the obvious feature of the "engineer dividend," and the scale and intensity of basic research and development investment are continuously increasing. In the international cutting-edge technological competition, China is gradually shifting from "following" to "keeping pace" and even "leading" in some areas. This means that through cooperation with Russia in new fields, bilateral technological mutual benefit development can be effectively promoted, helping Chinese technology research and development expand into more application scenarios, benefiting both sides' enterprises and people, promoting bilateral and even regional technological standards and norms interoperability, and jointly catching up with or even leading the future trend of cutting-edge development.

The current period is an important window for practical economic and trade cooperation between China and Russia, and the two sides' connections in politics, economy, technology, and culture will continue to be strengthened. This will not only help promote bilateral economic development and stimulate growth potential, but also promote regional peace, stability, and prosperity, sharing the dividends of each other's development, gradually realizing global economic recovery and development, and making greater contributions to promoting inclusive and beneficial economic globalization. As President Xi Jinping said, steady development of China-Russia relations is not only in the fundamental interests of the two countries and the two peoples, but also conducive to peace, stability and prosperity of the region and the world at large.

The Chinese business community strongly opposes the US decision to further increase tariffs on Chinese products and urges the US to immediately cancel the additional tariffs, the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) said on its official WeChat account on Wednesday.

On top of existing tariffs under Section 301, the US on Tuesday announced new tariffs on a variety of imports from China, including electric vehicles (EVs), lithium batteries, photovoltaic cells, critical minerals, semiconductors, steel and aluminum. In September 2020, a WTO panel ruled that the Section 301 tariffs violated WTO rules.

The CCPIT said that the tariff hike on imports from China is a typical example of unilateralism and trade protectionism. Meanwhile, the US' substantial subsidies to its EV and semiconductor industries have clearly violated market economy principles and international trade rules, severely disrupting global industrial chain and supply chain stability and security.

On behalf of the Chinese business community, the CCPIT urged the US to abide by the WTO rules, immediately cancel the additional tariffs and promote trust and cooperation between the business communities of the two countries.

Meanwhile, the China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Machinery and Electronic Products (CCCME) stated on Wednesday that China's export share of EVs and photovoltaic cells to the US is minimal. EVs comprise less than 1 percent, and photovoltaic cells only 0.2 percent of total exports in 2023. Therefore, the current US tariff increase is not expected to significantly impact these industries.

The tariffs are likely to raise market prices, burden consumers, and hinder global cooperation and innovation in the industry. Additionally, they will increase operational costs for US ports and logistics, as Chinese port lifting equipment will also be subject to tariffs.

CCCME emphasized that such actions by the US violate internationally recognized trade rules. Since the US initiated the 301 investigation in August 2017, CCCME has submitted comments to the Office of the US Trade Representative multiple times and organized delegations to participate in three public hearings in the US, urging the cessation of the 301 investigation and opposing US taxation measures on Chinese products.

China has vowed to take all necessary measures to protect its legitimate rights and interests against the additional US tariffs.

It is yet another mistake for the US to continue politicizing trade issues and further increasing tariffs on Chinese products, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin told a regular press conference on Wednesday.

This will only significantly drive up the cost of imported goods, inflict more losses on American companies and consumers, and force US consumers to pay even more, Wang said.

Moody's has estimated that 92 percent of the cost of the tariff hike will fall on American consumers, and average US household expenditure will increase by $1,300 annually as a result. The US' protectionist measures will further damage the security and stability of the global industrial and supply chains, Wang noted.

The US tariff hike goes against the consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries and the promises of US President Joe Biden, and will seriously affect the atmosphere of bilateral cooperation, said China's Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM).

MOFCOM also refuted the accusations of "overcapacity" in China by some Western politicians and media reports, stating that this is merely a disguise for unilateralism and trade protectionist policies.

It reiterated that there is no "overcapacity" in emerging industries such as EVs, adding that Chinese EV companies have developed rapidly through innovation and market competition, not subsidies.

Some countries claim to promote green development while practicing protectionism, and this will only hinder the global green transformation and damage confidence in climate cooperation, MOFCOM said.

China and Russia could see further improvement in the bilateral trade structure in 2024, with the trade volume projected to reach new heights, a senior business head told the Global Times on Monday.

The remarks came as the two trading partners aim to further facilitate bilateral trade amid robust growth in trading volume, which reached a target of $200 billion in advance last year.

"Besides traditional trade in big-ticket items such as fossil fuels and natural minerals, Russian exports in the agricultural and food processing sectors are promising, and Russia has good strengths in those aspects," said Chen Zhigang, director general of the Russian-Chinese Business Park in St. Petersburg. "It is hoped that China could grant more access for those export items."

In 2023, bilateral trade reached $240.1 billion, surging 26.3 percent year-on-year and achieving the target of $200 billion ahead of schedule, demonstrating the strong resilience and broad prospects for mutually beneficial cooperation between China and Russia.

The year-on-year growth rate slowed down to 4.7 percent in the first four months of this year, but Chen said there is still "tremendous potential" for China-Russia trade and that annual trade volume could reach higher than $240 billion.

"Chinese importers have a good appetite for Russian grain, flour, oil seed, pork, beef, poultry and fish, and in these areas Russian exporters have good supply capacity," Chen said, noting that an uptick in Russian agricultural exports to China would contribute to a more balanced trade structure in China-Russia trade.

The logistics hurdles that impeded China-Russia trade in the past have largely been addressed now, Chen said, adding that the roads and railway crossings along the borders have now all opened and customs clearance has seen improvement in efficiency.

Bilateral business visits at the government level, corporate level and local levels have been brisk this year.

The 8th China-Russia Expo is set to start in Harbin, Northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, from Thursday to May 21, attracting some 1,400 companies from 44 countries and regions and 21 Chinese provinces, according to the Ministry of Commerce.

In the first four months of this year, China-Europe freight trains departing from China-Russia border cities including Manzhouli in North China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region and Suifenhe and Tongjiang in Heilongjiang saw a 7 percent increase, according to data from the China State Railway Group on Monday. 

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said on Friday that China and Russia have the right to conduct normal economic and trade cooperation, and such cooperation should not come under external interference or constraint.

Lin noted that for a long period of time, the US has suppressed Chinese companies citing "risks to national security," but has failed to produce any evidence.

"We urge the US to stop overstretching the concept of national security, stop politicizing trade and tech issues or using them as weapons, and to stop abusing sanctions to suppress Chinese companies. China will continue to do what is necessary to defend the lawful rights and interests of Chinese companies," Lin said.

Xiang Piao Piao's stock price soared on Monday and hit the daily up limit after netizens found one of its products sold in a store in Japan have cup sleeve satirizing Japan's handling of nuclear-contaminated wastewater.

The Chinese milk tea brand has reportedly seen a 400 percent surge on its live streaming sales in China as millions of netizens bought the products from Saturday to Sunday.

A Chinese netizen discovered that MECO fruit tea, a drink under the brand of Xiang Piao Piao, sells products in a store in Japan with slogans on their cup sleeves showing "the ocean is not Japan's sewer" and "0.1 percent of the land pollutes 70 percent of the ocean." The picture was then exposed on Chinese media social platform.

Tens of thousands of simultaneous viewers visited Xiang Piao Piao's  live stream over the weekend after the matter went heated, in which three of the six items were sold out during the live. The daily sales of its store have skyrocketed from 2,500 yuan ($346) to 1 million yuan, according to media reports. 

The cup sleeves have also been out of stock as the demand is increasing, and it will be replenished at a later date, according to the anchor of the event. 

The official Weibo account of Xiang Piao Piao also released a statement on Saturday saying that "our staff are awesome" after its action triggered heated discussion on Chinese social media platforms. According to media report, the president of Xiang Piao Piao said during the live stream on Sunday that he would award 100,000 yuan to the related employees and donate all the income from the live stream from 8 pm to 12 am that night to the Environmental Protection Foundation.

The hotline staff from Xiang Piao Piao said that it was a personal behavior of the employees, not an initiative of the company, according to the 21st Century Business Herald. The Kyowa store in Okubo of Japan also told the media that the store has not sold drinks with such cup sleeves.

According to previous reports, the Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) started to dump the fifth batch of Fukushima nuclear-contaminated water into the ocean on April 19. In Japan's fiscal 2024, which ends in March 2025, TEPCO plans to release a total of 54,600 metric tons across seven rounds, the Japan Times reported.

China has opened a "golden circuit" in developing its new-type energy storage, as a number of provinces are stepping up efforts to apply new-type energy storage technologies, in a bid to advance the green energy transition. 

New-type energy storage refers to energy storage technologies, other than pumped storage, in which the main form of energy storage is the output of electricity. In 2024, "development of new-type energy storage" was written into the Government Work Report for the first time.

Experts said on Wednesday that new-type energy storage is becoming a key technology in China's efforts to build new energy and power systems, as well as an important means of promoting the green and low-carbon transformation of energy production and consumption.

In Rudong, East China's Jiangsu Province, the country's first 100-megawatt-hour gravity energy storage project is under construction. Within a month or so, the project will be formally put into operation.

Gravity energy storage is a mechanical energy storage method. Its main principle is to use the surplus power generated by new energy to lift the gravity block for "charging." At times of peak electricity consumption, it will put down the gravity block to "discharge," so as to provide electricity for the power grid.

Baotang Energy Storage Station in Foshan, South China's Guangdong Province, is the largest independent lithium battery energy storage station built in China. It can deliver 430 million kilowatt hours (kWh) of clean electricity to the region every year, and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 300,000 tons.

Facing challenges and opportunities of the new power system, China is exploring more means of energy storage. China's first salt cavern compressed air energy storage facility started operations in Jiangsu Province in 2022. 

The power station uses electric energy to compress air into an underground salt cavern, then releases air to drive an air turbine, which can generate electricity when needed. The energy storage capacity in each cycle reaches 300,000 kWh, equal to the daily consumption of about 60,000 residents.

Gravity energy storage and compressed air energy storage are typical types of diversified energy storage technologies, known as physical energy technologies, Liu Yong, secretary-general of the Energy Storage Application Branch of China Industrial Association of Power Sources, told the Global Times on Wednesday, adding that chemical energy storage technologies account for more than 90 percent of the international market.

Liu said that progress in compressed air energy storage is expected to have further positive results during the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25) and 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30).

Since the beginning of the 14th Five-Year Plan period, newly installed new-type energy storage capacity in China has directly promoted investment of more than 100 billion yuan ($13.93 billion), driving further expansion of upstream and downstream industrial chains.

As of end-2023, installed new-type energy storage capacity in China stood at 31.39 gigawatts, with a 2.1-hour average energy storage time. During 2023, 22.6 gigawatts of new-type energy storage capacity were installed, up 260 percent year-on-year and nearly 10 times the figure as of end-2020.

At the beginning of this year, the National Energy Administration released a list of 56 new-type energy storage pilot demonstration projects, including 17 lithium-ion battery projects and 11 compressed air energy storage projects. Some of these projects have been connected to the grid, effectively promoting the application of new technologies.

So far this year, the number of registered energy storage projects in Guangdong has increased by more than five times year-on-year, and Jiangsu will have 4 million kilowatts of new-type energy storage integrated into the State Grid this year.

On the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Hungary, the two sides decided to elevate the current comprehensive strategic partnership to an all-weather comprehensive strategic partnership for the new era, which experts said on Friday will provide new economic and trade cooperation opportunities for the two countries. 

Embracing the elevated partnership, China and Hungary will eye strengthened cooperation in infrastructure construction, agriculture, digital economy, green development as well as other emerging industries. Moreover, the two countries' pragmatic and fruitful achievements have set a good example for China's collaboration with other European countries, analysts noted.

"Deeper and precise cooperation will become the key word between the two countries under the all-weather comprehensive strategic partnership for the new era, which means both sides will formulate cooperation policies that are more closely aligned with each other's development strategies," Song Wei, a professor from the School of International Relations at Beijing Foreign Studies University, told the Global Times on Friday.

According to the joint statement released by the two countries, emphasis is placed on enhanced cooperation in infrastructure construction under the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). 

The two countries are willing to actively promote the construction of the Hungarian section of the Hungary-Serbia Railway, and jointly promote high-level connectivity in Central and Eastern Europe.

In addition, the two sides will support the sound and steady development of the China-Europe Land-Sea Express Line, and promote connectivity and trade between China and Hungary.

The two sides spoke highly of the development of the China-Europe Railway Express between China and Hungary, and agreed to establish an inter-governmental cooperation mechanism on the China-Europe Railway Express, promote infrastructure connectivity, and jointly take practical measures to ensure the security of the transport routes and improve the quality and efficiency of the China-Europe Railway Express, so as to provide important support for deepening economic and trade cooperation between the two countries.

"From the Hungary-Serbia Railway to China-Europe Railway Express, infrastructure cooperation has promoted cross-border connectivity which then helps related countries become embedded in the European and global value chain, reducing the cost of logistics and personnel," Song noted.

Moreover, the two sides recognized the huge potential in agricultural cooperation between them and will strengthen economic, trade and investment cooperation between agricultural enterprises of both sides, widen market access, promote the cooperation of "small and beautiful" projects, and strengthen cooperation in areas such as animal health and joint research and development of deep processing technologies for agricultural products.

In the latest achievement in bilateral agricultural cooperation, China's General Administration of Customs announced on Friday that it has allowed, effective immediately, the import of Hungarian fresh cherries that meet the relevant requirements. 

According to the statement, the two sides will promote orderly cooperation in emerging fields including clean energy, artificial intelligence (AI), mobile communication technology and nuclear energy and technology. They will deepen cooperation in digital economy and green development, foster new drivers of trade and economic growth, expand the scope and depth of economic and trade cooperation, and jointly safeguard the stability and security of industrial and supply chains.

The two sides will also further deepen cooperation in finance, encourage financial institutions of both sides to provide financing support and financial services for trade and investment cooperation, further tap the cooperation potential in green finance and other fields, and continue to jointly issue green Panda bonds. 

"The joint statement covers a wide range of cooperation fields, including economy, science and technology, and culture, showing the comprehensive and multi-dimensional character of China-Hungary cooperation," Wang Peng, an associate research fellow at the Beijing Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Friday.

Looking ahead, Wang noted that with the transformation of the global energy structure, cooperation in the field of clean energy is particularly important. China and Hungary can develop in-depth cooperation in the fields of solar energy and wind energy. Moreover, there are also high expectations that collaboration in AI and mobile communication technology will be enhanced.

Wang said the pragmatic cooperation between China and Hungary provides a successful example of cooperation between China and other countries in Central and Eastern Europe. This model of cooperation can serve as a reference and a model for other countries and promote cooperation and development in the region as a whole.

"In the context of geopolitical tensions, especially the Russia-Ukraine crisis, Central and Eastern Europe itself is facing a series of challenges, and strengthening cooperation with China is conducive to its independent development and regional stability," Song noted.

China's foreign ministry's office in Hong Kong slammed the latest remarks of the US Consul General Gregory May, who criticized judicial cases in the Chinese city and openly supported anti-China and anti-Hong Kong figures including infamous rioter Jimmy Lai. Experts said the responsibility for improving US-China relations, including those with Hong Kong, lies with the US side, which should refrain from meddling in Hong Kong affairs.

A spokesperson for the Commissioner's Office of the Chinese Foreign Ministry in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) expressed strong opposition and condemnation toward the remarks made by May, according to a statement published on the website of the office late Thursday night.

Certain anti-China organizations and politicians in the West remain resentful of Hong Kong's shift from chaos to governance and now to prosperity. Under the guise of academic discussions, they actually intervene and discredit Hong Kong's political democracy, judicial fairness, and human rights conditions, which is neither objective nor fair, the spokesperson said.

With Hong Kong entering a new phase of economic revitalization and development, any external interference is destined to fail, the spokesperson noted, advising the US to recognize the reality, position itself appropriately, refrain from stirring trouble, and return to the right path of fostering healthy and stable development of China-US relations through concrete actions.

While China and the US are attempting to stabilize bilateral relations, May said during a webinar hosted by a Washington think tank Center for Strategic & International Studies on Thursday night that the US aims to stabilize relations with China, including those with Hong Kong.

He also suggested that if Hong Kong leaders cease their "expanding crackdown" and return to the provisions and spirit of the Sino-British Joint Declaration and the Basic Law, the US government would respond positively and attempt to improve Hong Kong-US relations, local media outlet Ming Pao reported.

The US official also criticized the Hong Kong government's stated goal of combating "soft resistance," arguing that it is actually using extrajudicial means for "soft suppression," according to the media report.

Based on May's comments, the US is trying to find an "exit strategy" in the face of being unable to change the situation in Hong Kong. However, if the US demands that Hong Kong admit to "mishandling" matters, Hong Kong will naturally refuse since that would be untrue, Lau Siu-kai, a consultant from the Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macao Studies who is also a senior policy advisor, told the Global Times on Friday.

Lau believed that the responsibility for improving US-China relations, including those with Hong Kong, lies with the US side, which should refrain from meddling in Hong Kong affairs.
The US official told a webinar that American companies in Hong Kong are still interested in investing there, but some are concerned about potential instability following the implementation of Article 23 of the Basic Law and the legislation on critical infrastructure security expected later this year, according to the local media report.

Businesses worry that some offenses under Article 23 are vaguely defined, leading to uncertainty for businesses and individuals, May noted, emphasizing that American companies expect the Hong Kong government to firmly and clearly reaffirm that the internet will remain free and open, and that Hong Kong will avoid strict information control, preventing foreign companies from having operational difficulties.

National Security together with a safe, fair, proper and harmony use of the internet and electronic media, continuously contributes the prosperity of the city. The internet is never an extraterritorial forum or should be isolated from widespread of violence and illegal propaganda or materials, Chu Kar-kin, a veteran commentator based in the HKSAR and member of the Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macao Studies, told the Global Times on Friday.

"The HKSAR government has devoting efforts to contribute to the business environment, reputation and image. May should not defame Hong Kong and never interfere in Hong Kong's internal affairs and judicial system by inserting external pressure based on subjectivity and bias," Chu said.

The fundamental national policies toward Hong Kong outlined in the Sino-British Joint Declaration have been fully implemented in the Basic Law, and the UK has no sovereignty, jurisdiction, or supervisory rights over Hong Kong after its return to the motherland, Willy Fu, a law professor who is also the director of the Chinese Association of Hong Kong & Macao Studies, told the Global Times on Friday.

Over recent years, the UK, the US, and anti-China nations have intervened in Hong Kong's internal affairs in various ways. They mistakenly regard the Joint Declaration as a legal basis for the Basic Law of the HKSAR and demand that China fulfill "obligations" stipulated in the Joint Declaration, Fu said.

"They also use the declaration to criticize China's enactment and implementation of the National Security Law for Hong Kong. These actions entirely confuse the original intent, nature, and status of the Joint Declaration. China's consistent stance is that the UK has no right to use the declaration as an excuse to interfere in Hong Kong after its return," the legal expert said.

Some lawmakers in Hong Kong also voiced strong opposition to the US Consul General's remarks. Lawmaker Nixie Lam Lam said in a statement issued on Friday that some American politicians continue to ignore the deep societal divisions in their own country, suppress dissenting students, and restrict freedom of speech, yet focus on commenting on other nations' internal affairs to divert global attention away from these issues.

"Anti-China rioter Jimmy Lai and other infamous anti-China figures have long played the role of traitorous clowns, deliberately slandering Hong Kong and fabricating false stories to solicit international sympathy with ulterior motives," Lam said, noting that Hong Kong's political democracy has continuously improved, freedoms and human rights are fully protected, economic development is steadily recovering, and society is orderly.

The lawmaker also pointed out that May and the US government have long disparaged Hong Kong affairs, including the National Security Law for Hong Kong and the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance.

"I believe such remarks show that US criticism of Hong Kong is completely unfounded, ignoring the fact that every country has national security laws," Lam said.

May further claimed that the upcoming Cybersecurity Law would directly impact the free flow of information in Hong Kong, but his comments on a law that hasn't even been enacted are entirely fabricated and alarmist, which indicates that the US' comments about Hong Kong are purely political and are not based on facts, the lawmaker added.

Chinese President Xi Jinping and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic on Wednesday held talks here.

The Palestinian-Israeli conflict is set to continue, as Israel warned Palestinians to evacuate from Rafah and the Israeli military prepared for an attack on the southern city on Palestine's border with Egypt. Experts said on Monday this will surely cause large numbers of civilian casualties, and the latest development in the situation proves that the US-dominated mediation has failed once again.  

Although analysts doubted that Israel can realize the goal of "eradicating Hamas," they said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his cabinet would like to see the war extended, until they see Donald Trump winning the US presidential election at the end of this year. They added that this is the only chance for the Netanyahu administration to stay in power, and unfortunately, more civilians in Gaza will die, and the US will just refuse all demands to stop military aid to Israel. 

As long as the conflict continues, the pro-Palestine protests in universities in the US and many other major Western countries will continue, and this will surely damage the image of the Joe Biden administration, as all of this proves that Biden is refusing to try his best to stop Netanyahu, experts said. They noted that the pro-Palestine protesters are mostly Democratic voters, and after a series of conflicts with US police, many of them might realize that political elites in the Democratic Party are just using them and failing to deliver what they are asking for. If they don't vote for Biden, Trump will have a chance to win, and this is exactly what Netanyahu is waiting for, they said.  

Israel's military has issued a call for residents in eastern Rafah to "evacuate immediately," one day after the country's defense minister told troops inside Gaza to expect "intense action in Rafah in the near future," CNN reported on Monday.

A CNN stringer in east Rafah said that people were terrified and in a state of panic after the evacuation order from the Israeli military. Video footage showed people in the city packing cars and donkey-drawn carts with belongings.

Earlier, a Hamas delegation was in Cairo on Saturday as Egyptian state media reported "noticeable progress" in cease-fire talks for Gaza, but Israel did not send a delegation, the AP reported.

The bloodshed continued on Sunday as three Israeli soldiers were killed in a rocket attack claimed by Hamas' armed wing near Rafah, where Palestinian health officials said at least 19 people were killed by Israeli fire on the same day, Reuters reported.

Netanyahu on Sunday doubled down on his rejection of Hamas' demand for an end to Israel's war against it in exchange for freeing the hostages it holds, saying that such a move would "keep Hamas in power in Gaza and pose a threat to Israel," the Times of Israel reported on Sunday.

Liu Zhongmin, a professor at the Middle East Studies Institute of Shanghai International Studies University, told the Global Times on Monday that the main difficulty facing cease-fire talks is that Israel wants to eradicate Hamas after it releases the detained Israelis, while Hamas wants a sustainable cease-fire to ensure the group stays alive. 

Another key reason behind the failure of the US mediation is that Washington is adopting a problematic stance: On the one hand, it wants to respond to both internal and external pressures by pushing Israel and Hamas toward a deal, on the other hand, the US will unconditionally provide military aid to Israel, and both of them want Hamas to be eradicated, Liu said. 

Ma Xiaolin, dean of the Institute for Studies on the Mediterranean Rim at Zhejiang International Studies University, told the Global Times on Monday, "Netanyahu understands that if he accepts the cease-fire, he and his cabinet will have to face consequences, as the goal that they promised of eradicating Hamas has not been realized, and this will be considered a failure in Israel, but the ground attack against Rafah will inevitably result in more civilian deaths." 

No matter how many civilians are killed by Netanyahu and his army, the US will unconditionally defend Israel, despite Washington occasionally complaining about the ruthless behavior of Israeli military forces, experts said.   

Although Israel will be heavily criticized if it launches a massive attack against Rafah, as long as the Biden administration refuses to stop military aid, Israel will be immune to criticism and condemnation, and will be able to do whatever it wants in Gaza, while the US, especially the Biden administration, will face the pressure and pay the price for Israel, experts noted.