China has decided to issue five-year multiple-entry visas to qualified business individuals from the five Mekong countries of Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam, China Central Television reported on Thursday.
The decision was announced by Chinese Premier Li Qiang while he made remarks at the eighth Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) Summit, which was held in Kunming, Southwest China's Yunnan Province, from Wednesday to Thursday, the Xinhua News Agency reported.
In the first three quarters of this year, Yunnan's import and export value to the five Mekong countries reached 78.92 billion yuan ($11 billion), accounting for 93.7 percent of its trade to the 10 countries of ASEAN, the Foreign Affairs Office of the Yunnan Provincial Government said on Wednesday.
By September, Yunnan had recorded a total of $8.714 billion of non-financial outbound direct investment (ODI) in the Mekong River countries, and 680 non-financial ODI enterprises in the Mekong River countries had been registered and set up, according to data from Yunnan Provincial Department of Commerce.
Li said that China stands ready to work with Mekong countries to deepen the "hard connectivity" of infrastructure, and enhance "soft connectivity" on policies, laws, supervision, rules and standards.
China will strive to facilitate the use of cross-border payments and local currency settlements, proactively create more cross-border cooperation demonstration zones, and accelerate the process of regional economic integration, Li added.
"China stands ready to work with Mekong countries to deepen cooperation in the new energy battery, automobile and PV industries, and expand cooperation in emerging areas such as clean energy, smart manufacturing, big data and smart cities," Li said.
Li noted that since the establishment of the GMS mechanism, it has increasingly become an important platform for China and Mekong countries to explore cooperation and promote development. Thanks to concerted efforts, regional economic cooperation has made new progress with growing trade and investment, greater connectivity, expanding mutually beneficial cooperation, and deepening affinity between people. The fruitful cooperation outcomes speak volumes about the vitality and strong resilience of the GMS mechanism.
In a bid to promote sustainable development and economic integration in the region, the GMS Summit is themed "Toward a Better Community Through Innovation-driven Development." Leaders of the five Mekong countries and President of the Asian Development Bank attended the summit upon China's invitation.
Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, has stressed sound protection and in-depth research on ancient bamboo and wooden slips.
Xi made the remarks during his visit to an exhibition featuring slips dating back to the Qin Dynasty (221 B.C.-207 B.C.) and the Han Dynasty (202 B.C.-220 A.D.) at a museum in Yunmeng County, central China's Hubei Province, on Monday afternoon.
The return capsule of the Shenzhou-18 manned spaceship, carrying astronauts Ye Guangfu, Li Cong and Li Guangsu, touched down at the Dongfeng landing site in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region on Monday.
An unexpected ostrich, standing higher than an adult, was recently spotted running through a motorway in Xuzhou, East China’s Jiangsu Province, CCTV reported on Monday.
The local police station in Suining county, Xuzhou, received a call from the public reporting an ostrich running on the motorway on October 23. According to a video from CCTV, passing cars were getting out of the way to avoid the ostrich as it ran unpredictably and freely. Local police, along with bystanders, eventually managed to intercept the ostrich at an intersection.
The police found that the ostrich belonged to a nearby farmer and subsequently returned it to its owner, as reported by CCTV. According to the police, the owner had been occupied with fieldwork that day, which allowed the ostrich to escape through a gap in the fence.
The ostrich owner promised to be more vigilant in guarding the ostrich in the future to prevent future escapes, according to local police in Suining. The police reminded animal owners to take their responsibilities seriously and advised drivers in similar situations to prioritize safety.
Calling it the most important trip of the year, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico kicked off his official visit to China on Thursday. This visit is also viewed as having significant practical and positive political implications by some Chinese analysts, who said that it could deepen pragmatic cooperation between Slovakia and China, establish a model for China-EU cooperation and help improve China-EU relations, especially amid ongoing disputes over tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles (EVs).
Fico arrived in Beijing on Thursday, reported Chinese news network CGTN.
During a session of the National Council of the Slovak Republic on October 24, Fico stated that he views the official visit to China as "the most significant trip of the year."
Fico's visit to China holds significant and positive political implications. Over the past few years, he has adopted a pragmatic and friendly approach toward China, making Slovakia-China cooperation in strategic level a model among central European nations, Zhao Junjie, senior research fellow at the Institute of European Studies at Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Thursday.
Fico had originally planned to visit China in June but had to postpone due to injuries he sustained from an assassination attempt in May, Slovak news website Hnonline.sk reported.
Zhao said that some Central and Eastern European countries, including Slovakia, have strong desire to collaborate with China in new energy sectors, especially in electric vehicles and battery production, and they remain open to Chinese investment.
Given Europe's current economic downturn and high unemployment rate, attracting Chinese investment and fostering high-tech cooperation are crucial for future development and will boost local economies, said Zhao, noting that Fico's visit underscores his pragmatic approach with the goal of strengthening economic and technological ties with China.
The Prime Minister rejected claims that his trip threatens Slovakia's economy.
According to him, if anyone threatens the economy of the Slovak Republic, it is the green deal approved by the EU. Next year, according to him, it will experience difficult economic times due to its decisions, according to news portal European Newsroom.
On Tuesday, the European Union decided to impose the so-called countervailing duties on Chinese EVs, ranging from 17 percent to 35.3 percent, according to the European Commission's press release.
Zhao said that against the background of trade frictions, political trust between China and the EU has somewhat weakened. Some countries face challenges in maintaining strategic autonomy amid great power game, particularly in light of the Russia-Ukraine conflict and the EU's increasing alignment with the US. Therefore, Fico's China visit holds particular significance, Zhao noted.
Slovakia and Hungary stand out among Central and Eastern European nations for their pragmatic approach toward China, and high-level interactions are vital for improving China-Europe relations, the expert said.
China on Tuesday unveiled the design of the Haolong space cargo shuttle. It is an independently developed, reusable commercial winged spacecraft for low-cost space station cargo transport missions, the Global Times learned from the spacecraft’s maker.
Lin Xiqiang, spokesperson of the China Manned Space Agency, announced the selection progress of China’s development plans for low-cost cargo spacecraft and manned lunar rover at a press conference for the Shenzhou-19 manned spaceflight mission on Tuesday.
The Haolong space cargo shuttle, developed by the Chengdu Aircraft Design and Research Institute under the state-owned Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC), was among the winning projects, and was awarded a contract for the engineering flight verification phase.
The spacecraft of this type can be launched by a carrier rocket and dock with the space station. After separating from the space station, it can perform deorbit braking, reentry flight, before landing horizontally on an airport runway. After checking and maintenance, it can be reused in future missions, the Global Times learned from AVIC.
Featuring a large wingspan, high lift-to-drag ratio and reusable vehicle technology, the Haolong is a winged, reusable commercial space vehicle that can further reduce the cost of cargo transportation to the space station, according to the maker.
It has large capacities for cargo transport both to and from the space station, excellent flight environment and efficient support for operations. It can further reduce space station cargo transport cost by repeated use. Together with the existing cargo transportation systems, it aims to establish a safe, reliable, diverse, and efficient cargo transportation system between the space station and Earth. A model of the Haolong is scheduled to make debut at the 15th Airshow China, which will be held from November 12 to 17 in Zhuhai, South China’s Guangdong Province, as AVIC will display the spacecraft from all angles, the company said.
The Haolong cargo spacecraft will lead and promote further breakthroughs and developments in China’s reusable space-Earth transportation technologies, enabling China’s steps to explore space to go steadier and farther, while making new contributions to the well-being of humanity, AVIC said.
The Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee held a meeting on Monday to review a report on the third round of disciplinary inspection launched by the 20th CPC Central Committee.
Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, chaired the meeting.
The inspection results showed that the Party building of central Party and state departments and centrally administered financial institutions has been strengthened, said a statement issued after the meeting.
Although new achievements have been made in various areas, problems still exist, said the statement.
The meeting called for addressing the issues identified during the inspections to promote high-quality development through effective rectification.
Party committees at all levels were asked to strengthen political responsibility in performing their duties, take bold and effective actions to overcome challenges, and carry out reform tasks with unwavering determination while guarding against risks in key areas, according to the statement.
The meeting also stressed the necessity of maintaining a tough stance against corruption. It called for eradicating the root causes and the enabling conditions of graft, and for fighting corruption on a regular and long-term basis.
Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday called on BRICS members to conform to the general trend of the rise of the Global South and actively respond to the call of countries to join the BRICS cooperation mechanism. The group should advance the process of expanding membership and establishing partner countries and enhance the representation and voice of developing countries in global governance, Xi said. He made the remarks when addressing the 16th BRICS Summit.
He called on the BRICS members to build BRICS for peace and act as guardians of common security, urging the BRICS countries to uphold the three principles of no expansion of the battlefield, no escalation of fighting and no provocation by any party, to work for de-escalation of the Ukraine crisis as soon as possible.
The Chinese president also called on BRICS members to build BRICS for innovation and act as pioneers for high-quality development.
In addition, he called on BRICS members to build green BRICS and be practitioners of sustainable development.
Xi also called for building a BRICS for justice and leading the reform of the global governance system. The Chinese president also urged BRICS countries to advocate peaceful coexistence and harmony between civilizations.
The ongoing BRICS Summit has decided to invite a number of nations to become partner countries, Xi said, hailing the decision as another important development in the course of BRICS development.
China will establish 10 overseas learning centers in BRICS countries to provide training opportunities for 1,000 education administrators, teachers and students, Xi said.
As chair of the BRICS Summit, Russian President Vladimir Putin opened a 10-member meeting in Kazan on Wednesday, TASS reported.
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres also arrived in Russia on Wednesday to attend the summit, according to AFP.
Tangible opportunities
Experts noted that over the years, BRICS has differentiated itself from other organizations through its tangible results and significant progress achieved during cooperation. These outcomes not only enhanced the organization's appeal to Global South countries, but also amplified their voices, uniting their influence and establishing BRICS as a steady force in safeguarding global security.
BRICS has maintained or revived the Global South. For example, we can learn from China's experience of leaving no one behind, not allowing people to suffer from lack of food and lifting people from poverty, Shadrack Andile, a journalist from BRICS Africa Channel told the Global Times.
Now that the world is changing, and BRICS can play a more significant role to provide development opportunities for Global South countries, said Andile, noting that some BRICS initiatives are quite important and they need to happen faster than they are.
Some multilateral cooperation mechanisms are labeled as mere "talking shops" as they tend to be abstract, but BRICS has proved different, and BRICS has achieved many tangible results that set it apart, Wang Youming, director of the Institute of Developing Countries at the China Institute of International Studies in Beijing, told the Global Times.
For example, the New Development Bank, set up by BRICS, has made significant contributions to infrastructure development and sustainable growth in developing countries, and the establishment of the BRICS Partnership on New Industrial Revolution Innovation Center in Xiamen [of China], has achieved notable results in policy communication, project development and talent training, Wang said.
It is this pragmatic and action-oriented spirit of BRICS that has resonated with many countries in the Global South, many of which are eager to join BRICS and expand their benefits through collective collaboration, the expert said.
Global South voice
BRICS countries primarily play a bridging and alleviating role in addressing ongoing security crises, Li Haidong, a professor at China Foreign Affairs University, told the Global Times on Wednesday.
Li said that the China-proposed Global Security Initiative has already been fully reflected in the BRICS mechanism, which means that member countries would aim to guide existing crises, conflicts and unrest toward a path of gradual alleviation and resolution.
Many countries in the Global South oppose the Western approach of exacerbating conflicts and providing military support. Instead, they advocate political solutions and diplomatic approach to resolving disputes, Wang noted. He emphasized that this summit aims to amplify the voices of the Global South regarding ongoing global conflicts and to offer an alternative to the Western way of resolving hotspot issues.
In an interview with "Russia Today" on Tuesday, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty stressed that Egypt is against the policy of political polarization, saying "we face serious and existential challenges at the regional and international levels, a matter that necessitates consensus among major countries.
"We count on this economic bloc [BRICS] to be a voice for the Global South and developing countries," Abdelatty said.
BRICS is one of the key symbols of the transition toward multipolarity. Its demographic, economic, energy, political, diplomatic, security and normative power have boosted its soft power. Proponents of multipolarity worldwide, be it in Asia, Africa, South America or the Middle East, rightfully object to the imposition of the Western "rules-based order" and the imposition of Western values, norms, institutional arrangements and development paths, Aleksandar Mitic, Research Fellow at the Centre for Belt and Road Studies of the Institute of International Politics and Economics in Belgrade, Serbia, told the Global Times.
BRICS has never aspired to replace any existing organizations, and its goal is to reform and innovate the inequities of the existing global order, striving for a system that is fair and equitable, and advocate a model of governance characterized by joint decision-making, consultation and shared benefits, said Zhu Tianxiang, executive dean of the Institute of BRICS Studies at Sichuan International Studies University.
Recently in North China’s Inner Mongolia, a student’s graduation has been jeopardized due to cosmetic surgery. Bai shared her sister’s plight, revealing that during her studies at Fengzhou Vocational College, discrepancies arose between her graduation certificate photo and the one registered on the national education verification platform, Xuexin.
Bai’s sister, who attended the college from September 2021 to July 2024, underwent rhinoplasty and eyelid surgery.
Upon graduation in July, she discovered that her graduation information was missing from Xuexin. After consulting the school, she learned that the mismatch in photos led to the inability to verify her identity, resulting in the retraction of her diploma, according to Daxiang News.
Despite securing a job, Bai’s sister is unable to access necessary employment benefits due to the absence of her graduation certificate. On October 21, a representative from the college explained to Daxiang News that the verification failure stemmed from the cosmetic changes, which prevented the school from uploading her graduation information correctly.
Although the school has provided documentation to confirm her identity, the issue remains unresolved.
The UK has once again invoked a strategy of "checks and balances" against China, as its politicians have begun to hype allegations that Chinese hackers are targeting UK critical infrastructure. This rhetoric, coming ahead of reported visit by the British foreign secretary to China, suggests that London is still grappling with the challenges of formulating a coherent policy toward China, Chinese experts said.
Senior ministers in the UK's Labour government have been informed since taking power in July that hackers linked to Beijing have probably compromised supply chains and computer systems key to a range of vital services, Bloomberg quoted people with direct knowledge of the matter as saying on Tuesday.
Such Chinese activity is systemic and goes beyond the alleged attacks on Parliament and the Defense Ministry made public in the past year, according to the sources, who requested anonymity to discuss national security matters.
The Bloomberg piece was published after Reuters reported last week that Britain's Foreign Secretary David Lammy will visit China this week, as the new Labour government seeks less confrontational ties with China and to resume trade and investment talks.
The visit is not yet confirmed by China.
Currently, the UK is pursuing a "balanced" policy toward China under the Labour government. This approach involves engaging with China while also applying pressure on Beijing regarding issues that London believes concern bilateral relations, such as human rights and cybersecurity, Cui Hongjian, a professor at the Academy of Regional and Global Governance at Beijing Foreign Studies University, told the Global Times on Wednesday.
Cui said that hyping the alleged hacker attack is a case in point. This approach is not merely intended to pressure China, it also aims to address the increasing negative elements of the UK's China policy in recent years.
British officials have said they want to recalibrate many of the previous Conservative Party-led government's positions on China, which it described as an "epoch-defining challenge," particularly around accepting Chinese job-creating investment, per Reuters.
The lukewarm relationship between China and the UK has not only hindered bilateral investment but has also muted the UK's voice on the international stage, Cui noted. He emphasized that many problems may remain unresolved without dialogue with China.
Cui noted that since the Labour government took office, it appears to be attempting to recalibrate the UK's China policy. However, given its latest hype on Chinese hackers, the new administration still seems to be struggling to establish a coherent approach to China.
