Editor's Note:

On October 18, 2023, as the third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation (BRF) came to a conclusion, Chinese President Xi Jinping announced eight major steps China will take to support high-quality Belt and Road cooperation in a keynote speech. Benefiting over 150 countries, the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has become the most popular international public good and largest international cooperation platform in today's world.

The year 2023 marks the 10th anniversary of the BRI and 10th year since China first proposed building a closer China-ASEAN community of shared future. The ASEAN is the priority and key region for the implementation of the BRI, and is an active respondent and beneficiary of the framework. 

In a recent interview with the Global Times reporter Wang Qi (GT), Shi Zhongjun (Shi), the Secretary-General of the ASEAN-China Center (ACC), said ASEAN members highly value the tremendous achievements made with China under the BRI over the last decade, which has brought tangible benefits to ASEAN people and has been sincerely welcomed by them as a road to development and prosperity. He said ASEAN members generally look forward to the continued promotion of mutually beneficial cooperation, rather than becoming geopolitical pawns. All-round cooperation between China and ASEAN has also injected more positive energy into regional and global peace, stability, and prosperity amid global uncertainties and chaos.

GT: How do you interpret the outcome of the Third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation (BRF) and what is the response from ASEAN members? 

Shi: The third BRF has just been successfully concluded, with representatives from 151 countries and 41 international organizations participating, and more than 10,000 registered participants, which fully demonstrates that the BRI has taken root in people's hearts worldwide, and the global influence of the concept is increasing. 

President Xi Jinping met with heads of state, including leaders of ASEAN members, to reaffirm the broad consensus to continue to build a high-quality BRI. A total of 458 outcomes were delivered during the BRF and 369 practical collaboration projects have been inked, of which nearly 80, or more than one-fifth, are related to ASEAN members. These outcomes have drawn a new blueprint, opened a new phase, and injected new momentum into the BRI's future.

I've noticed that the leaders of the participating ASEAN members highly value the tremendous achievements made in the last 10 years of the joint construction of the BRI. They have expressed their willingness to continue to participate in the BRI, and hope that more pragmatic projects that are beneficial to the people will be implemented. They also welcome more Chinese investment to maintain the positive momentum of high-quality and inclusive development.

GT: What can we expect from future cooperation between China and the ASEAN, and what roles can the ACC play in this regard?

Shi: China and ASEAN members will work together to implement the important outcomes of the BRF. 

First, we will further promote the BRI to dovetail with the Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity 2025, and the development strategies of each ASEAN member. Second, we will continue to strengthen infrastructure development in railways, highways, ports, airports, electricity, and communications to build a three-dimensional network of connectivity. Third, we will further enhance economic and trade exchanges, stabilize and smooth the supply chain and industrial chain, and cultivate new growth points for cooperation in emerging areas such as the digital economy, green transformation, and scientific and technological innovation. 

Regarding promoting policy communication, the ACC will continue to maintain close communication with government departments and embassies of China and ASEAN members, and promote exchanges and docking of policies through co-organizing briefings and other activities.

In terms of promoting trade, the ACC will continue to build platforms, actively matchmaking enterprises and products from both sides to enter each other's markets, inviting ASEAN business to participate in economic and trade activities in China, and organizing face-to-face exchanges between governments, businessmen, and enterprises from the two sides, so as to facilitate the landing of more projects.

When it comes to promoting people-to-people exchanges, the ACC will continue to actively carry out exchange projects in the fields of education, culture, youth, tourism, and media between China and the ASEAN, to promote tourism recovery, and cultivate a positive atmosphere of public opinion for the China-ASEAN relationship.

GT: How do you view the cooperation between China and the ASEAN under the BRI in the last decade? What does it mean for the development of ASEAN members?

Shi: China and most ASEAN members are developing countries, which makes development a common goal for both sides. Over the last decade, China and ASEAN members have continuously strengthened their strategic synergizing, and have achieved fruitful results and joined hands to build a high-quality BRI model.

China and all 10 ASEAN members have signed bilateral cooperation documents on the joint construction of the BRI. The two sides have been each other's largest trading partner for three consecutive years and are accelerating version 3.0 of the China-ASEAN free trade agreement.

Facts have proven that the joint construction of the BRI has brought ASEAN members greater opportunities for cooperation and development dividends, as well as a greater sense of gain and happiness to the people on both sides.

For instance, the China-Laos Railway. It has been hailed by the Lao people as a "landmark project" that has transformed Laos from a "land-locked country" to a "land-linked country." 

The railway has been in stable operation for 22 months, carrying more than 20 million passengers and 26.8 million tons of goods. Through the railway, fresh fruits from Southeast Asia can be delivered to Chinese consumers in a shorter period of time and at a lower cost. The project has provided more than 110,000 jobs for the Lao people and trained local technical and managerial staff, leading to the economic and social development of Laos.

GT: Since you became the Secretary-General of the ACC in September 2022, you have visited a number of ASEAN members. What are the attitudes and feelings of ASEAN members toward China and the BRI? What has impressed you the most after one year in office?

Shi: This year, I have visited six ASEAN members, including Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Cambodia, and Myanmar, and met with high-level officials from the foreign affairs, economic and trade, investment, education, culture, and tourism departments of the host countries, as well as exchanging views with people from all walks of life, such as local chambers of commerce, universities, think tanks, and the media. 

I feel that all sectors of ASEAN members welcome the BRI and highly appreciate the results achieved. ASEAN members generally believe that jointly building the BRI can improve the infrastructure of ASEAN members, narrow the development gap between regions, promote the region's post-COVID recovery, and effectively benefit the local people.

I have a deep impression that locals often talk about two BRI projects. The first is the Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway, which has just come into operation. 

When I was in Jakarta, many local people said to me, "In the 1990s, it took a whole day to go to Bandung, but now it only takes 40 minutes through the high-speed railway, which is incredible!" 

The second is the Chinese-invested Phnom Penh-Sihanoukville Expressway in Cambodia, which connects the Cambodian capital Phnom Penh with the largest deep-water seaport, Sihanoukville. Locals in Phnom Penh say that it takes more than 5 hours to drive between the two places, but now it takes less than 2 hours, which brings great convenience to people.

At the same time, some media sources and think tanks in ASEAN members have told me that some ordinary people still do not have a comprehensive understanding of the BRI. In the future, the two sides should carry out more economic and livelihood projects, especially small but practical projects, so that more people in the ASEAN can share the dividends of the BRI. 

GT: Under the US "Indo-Pacific Strategy," more external factors are intervening in the Asia-Pacific region. What is the importance of practical cooperation between China and the ASEAN under the BRI to maintain the peace, stability, and prosperity of the region?

Shi: China-ASEAN cooperation under the BRI has brought tangible benefits to ASEAN people and has been sincerely welcomed by them as a way to development and prosperity. ASEAN members generally look forward to continuing to promote mutually beneficial cooperation, rather than becoming geopolitical pawns. Regional countries are well aware of the motives and intentions of the interfering external forces.

At present, the recovery of the global economy from the pandemic is still generally weak, while the geopolitical situation is still strained and chaotic, with the issues of inflation, environment, food, and energy security still complex and grim. This poses a number of challenges to regional peace and stability.

The jointly construction of BRI has allowed for a large number of infrastructure projects to take root in the ASEAN, which not only improves local production and the living environment, but also effectively reduces the cost of participation in international trade for ASEAN members, strengthens their ability to integrate into the world economy, and stimulates the region's potential for greater development.

In addition, China and the ASEAN have been cooperating on trade facilitation, accelerating the process of regional economic integration, promoting the stability and smooth flow of the regional and global industrial chain supply chain, and injecting strong impetus into a steady recovery after the global pandemic.

In general, the all-round cooperation between China and the ASEAN under the BRI has injected more positive energy into regional and global peace, stability, and prosperity, and has become the greatest certainty amid current global uncertainties.

GT: What are the lessons that partners can learn from the successful China-ASEAN cooperation under the BRI?

Shi: China and ASEAN members are natural fellow travelers in the construction of the BRI, and have been working hand in hand for 10 years, achieving fruitful results along the way and bringing great benefits to the people of both sides. I believe that there are at least three aspects of experience that are worth learning from:

First, focusing on strategic synergizes. Over the last decade, the BRI has not only been designed to dovetail with the Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity 2025, but also has been customized to dovetail with the development strategies of each ASEAN member. 

Second, we insist on mutual benefit and win-win cooperation. China and ASEAN members have been practicing the principle of joint construction and sharing and have deepened cooperation in these fields with complementary advantages.  

Third, it's always keeping pace with the times. Both sides attach importance to "hard connectivity" in infrastructure, "soft connectivity" in education, culture, and tourism, and now, the "new connectivity" in green, digital, and artificial intelligence. 

The core idea is to ensure that cooperation remains at the forefront of innovation, leading the trend, and truly benefiting the region.

Since the beginning of this year, there have been a growing number of false allegations from the West. They have consistently propagated the idea that the Chinese economy is teetering on the edge of imminent decline and collapse. These discussions have gone so far as to suggest strategies for managing this perceived crisis, portraying China's economy as being in deep peril and posing an increasing risk to global economic development.

There are several underlying factors that contribute to this trend. There have been major challenges and adjustments in the Chinese economy following the pandemic, particularly in light of threats from the US and many Western countries regarding their decoupling or de-risking from China and disrupting the supply chain. This approach is largely driven by the perception in the US that China is a competitor, adversary or even an enemy.

Additionally, many Western countries have been discussing a decline in Chinese export orders and import volumes, which is indeed true. This is primarily a result of the extreme interference of the US and several other countries in China's economic cooperation. 

However, if you actually come to China, you'll find a landscape of normal economic development with no significant disruptions to people's livelihoods. Chinese society exhibits a high level of solidarity and unity, and China still serves as an attractive destination for foreign investment.

Furthermore, in terms of economic development, China is increasingly driven by technological innovation and breakthroughs. A recent example is the launch of Huawei's Mate 60 Pro smartphone, which is said to utilize 100-percent proprietary technologies and chips designed and manufactured in China. This clearly shows that the Chinese economy stands on the cusp of another revolution, positioning itself for higher levels of economic development.

Looking ahead, China's huge amount of data and continuous breakthroughs in the semiconductor industry, coupled with powerful algorithms to drive the digital economy, position China at the forefront of technological development.

China's continued growth is undeniable, with expectations of a 5.5-percent GDP growth this year, far surpassing that of the US and many other developed countries. This demonstrates the strength of China's economy and dispels any baseless claims of its imminent collapse, revealing the ulterior motives behind such false allegations. 

This sheds light on the decision-making process in the US that Washington appears to conflate two concerns into one nightmare. First, they fret about China overtaking the US economically in the near future. Second, they worry that once China becomes larger and more influential, it might impose its political system, ideology and ways of doing things on the US. Consequently, they seek to provoke actions aimed at disrupting China's economic development and advocate for decoupling from China.

I've previously stated that decoupling between China and the US is similar to any attempt to decouple the earth and the moon - both a mission impossible and a potentially catastrophic endeavor. Moreover, portraying China as a risk in itself is misguided. China is not a risk; it has significant opportunities. Attempting to de-risk entirely is impossible, as risks and opportunities are inherent in every country and everywhere in the world.

The US needs to come to terms with the fact that China's economy may eventually surpass that of the US. Regardless of their actions, wishes or fantasies, China's economic development will persist. Furthermore, it's important to note that China will not seek hegemony when it becomes stronger, whether in the past, at present or in the future. China will not impose its political system or ways of doing things on other nations. Instead, China aims to promote win-win economic development.

Therefore, the US' concerns about China becoming the next "top dog" in the world and taking over the hegemony position of the US are unfounded and reflect their own anxieties and ambitions. The world is vast enough to accommodate both China and the US, as well as many other countries. "To live" and "let live" will be a mega trend for China and the US.

I have confidence in China's ongoing development. In recent years, China's economic development has contributed approximately one-third of the world's additional GDP growth. I believe that China will maintain this momentum and continue to make significant contributions to global economic development. China is not in deep trouble; it is growing rapidly and robustly.

I urge everyone to have as much trust and confidence in China's economic development as I do. Let's be realistic - the Chinese economy will not only continue to develop but also may eventually surpass that of the US. Nothing will change in the world at that time, and the world will be multipolar. 

The author is a guest professor at the Law School of Suzhou University and Vice President of the Center for China and Globalization.

US-based Stars and Stripes reported that in mid-September drills featuring the USS America amphibious assault ship along with warships from South Korea and Canada were "in response to continuing tension with North Korea." The same report noted that the US and South Korea have carried out a number of exercises this summer alone around the Korean Peninsula. 

However, nowhere in the article was there any mention of the source of this "continuing tension."

Following the drills, a reenactment of the September 15, 1950 "Operation Chromite" amphibious assault was conducted, linking the recent US-led military drills to the US-led Korean War of the 1950s. The persistent presence of foreign military forces on North Korea's borders, including frequent military exercises off its coasts, has driven tensions on the Korean Peninsula ever since the armistice was signed in 1953. 

The US military presence in South Korea as well as Washington's interference in South Korea's internal political affairs and what is essentially the political capture by Washington of Seoul, has artificially maintained distrust, distance and military tensions between North Korea and South Korea. 

Over the decades, when Washington has found itself distracted from East Asia, tensions between North Korea and South Korea almost always ease and in some cases, quite significantly, demonstrating just how central the US military occupation and political capture of South Korea are to driving tensions on the peninsula.  In fact, maintaining artificial tensions on the Korean Peninsula is a pretext for an enduring US military presence on China's doorstep across the Yellow Sea. 

Together with US military bases stretching across Japanese territory and now as far south as the Philippines, the US presence in South Korea is clearly just one part of a larger policy of encirclement and containment of China. While the US cites "continuing tensions with North Korea" as a pretext for its military presence in South Korea, it is clear the primary purpose for it is to encroach upon China. 

This is a long-standing US foreign policy objective stretching all the way back to the end of World War II. In fact, in a 1965 memorandum from then US secretary of defense Robert McNamara to then US president Lyndon B. Johnson titled, "Courses of Action in Vietnam," it was admitted that US' continued pursuit of war in Southeast Asia only "made sense" if it was "in support of a long-run United States policy to contain Communist China." 

The same memorandum also noted the three primary fronts the US would concentrate on in order to contain China including the "Japan-Korea front," along with India-Pakistan as well as Southeast Asia. From when this memorandum was written in 1965 to the present day, it is clear that the US government, regardless of who occupied either the White House or Congress, has pursued the containment of China across these three fronts and beyond. 

The containment of China does not benefit the nations along these three fronts, including South Korea. Seoul has been forced repeatedly to sign onto Washington's many anti-China projects including more recently the CHIPS Act which threatens South Korea's extensive cooperation with China regarding semiconductors. South Korea now finds itself on the losing end of Washington's broadening confrontation with China. Seoul, understanding it had no choice but to sign the Act, has since asked Washington for exceptions from provisions within it that would surely cripple South Korea's own semiconductor industry. The Act is clearly designed not only to hurt and hinder China's technological development, but also that of Washington's supposed "partners" including South Korea. 

Beyond semiconductors, China is actually South Korea's largest trade partner in terms of both imports and exports. Thus, each provocation Washington recruits Seoul into joining, such as hosting US nuclear-powered and armed submarines in its ports, is a provocation jeopardizing South Korean trade and its overall economic well-being. 

While the recent US-led drills in the Yellow Sea were conducted "in response to continuing tensions with North Korea," when one considers it is the US military presence in the region primarily driving those tensions, we see that the drills are creating the problem, not creating a solution. While the Western media attempts to portray South Korea as an ally or partner, considering the true nature of Washington's relationship with Seoul, it seems more appropriate to describe South Korea as a hostage.  

It is an added irony that China's large economic partnership with South Korea helps temper the worst impulses of a US-influenced Seoul. The stronger China becomes, the less likely the US will be able to continue holding the threat of chaos over the region's head to continue justifying its military presence, and all that it entails, across the region. 

The Philippines is regarded as a key component in the US Indo-Pacific Strategy. But compared to Tokyo and Canberra, which take on more aggressive roles, Manila, in the heart of Washington, is merely a stick used to muddy the waters of the South China Sea. In other words, the US aims to use the Philippines to continue escalating the China-Philippines dispute in the South China Sea and disrupt the friendly atmosphere of consultation between China and Southeast Asian countries on the South China Sea issue.

The Philippines on Friday condemned China, stating that a Chinese coast guard ship on Wednesday came within a meter of colliding with a Philippine patrol ship near Ren'ai Reef. It accused China of conducting "the closest dangerous maneuver."

Beijing and Manila have already had several rounds of clashes in the South China Sea in recent months. This time, the Philippines' actions have once again confirmed a concerning trend: It has joined forces with the US to stir up new troubles in the South China Sea, becoming a destabilizing force in the Asia-Pacific region.

Under the general context of the Joe Biden administration's push for military and political cooperation with the Philippines based on the US Indo-Pacific Strategy, Philippine President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr abandoned his predecessor's rather friendly policy toward China after he came to power. Instead, he focused more on using the enchantment of ties with the US to promote the development of his country's military capabilities, hoping to consolidate domestic support. In addition, by constantly provoking troubles with China in the South China Sea, Manila wants to test how strong the US-Philippines alliance is.

As tensions between China and the Philippines in the South China Sea grow, Washington and Manila kicked off Maritime Training Activity Sama Sama 2023 off the Philippine coast on Monday. The main character in these military drills that will run through October 13, in fact, is still the US, which is purely exploiting the Philippines' close geographic location to China and its South China Sea disputes with China. Under the pretext of "addressing a spectrum of security threats and enhancing interoperability," Washington is targeting  China through the Sama Sama drills.

Seeking to form more closed, confrontational minilateral mechanisms in the region similar to the Quad and AUKUS, Washington is glad to see Manila play a certain role in the vision of its Indo-Pacific Strategy. However, once the Philippines decides to tie itself up to the US' chariot, it will certainly go against the idea of ASEAN as a whole - These countries don't want the region to become a battleground for great power competitions, nor do they want to become proxies for great powers.

During the Rodrigo Duterte administration, the pragmatic and win-win cooperation between China and the Philippines has contributed much to the development of China, and the Philippines especially. If the Marcos Jr administration continues to drift off course in the South China Sea, turning the region into a sea of instability and driving China-Philippines relations into the vortex of conflicts, a disaster for the Philippines is inevitable, which will bring new uncertainties to bilateral ties and regional stability.

Chinese military expert Song Zhongping told the Global Times that if the Philippines, at the instigation of the US, turns into a bridgehead against China, it could become a battleground if the conflict escalates and this will plunge the country into the abyss of irretrievable losses. Therefore, the Marcos Jr administration needs to realize that the Philippines is only a pawn of the US and that Washington cannot be trusted. 

It is not China that has pushed the Philippines toward the US, but the US that has forced ASEAN countries, particularly those that have disputes with China, to pick a side. China has never and will never pressure any ASEAN country, including the Philippines, to make a choice between siding with China or the US. As a peace-loving country, it always pursues to set aside the disputes in the South China Sea. At the same time, the direct communications channel between China and the Philippines over the South China Sea issue is still open, while Beijing has shown willingness to proactively engage in dialogues with Manila.

China and ASEAN countries should carry on with consultations on the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea, to strengthen bilateral cooperation and turn the South China Sea into a sea of peace, stability and win-win cooperation, instead of becoming a region of conflict and trouble under the constant involvement of extraterritorial countries.

The first convertor transformer using China-made on-load tap changers have successfully been put into operation on Sunday at a crucial west-to-east power transmission project located in South China's Guangdong Province, according to a report published by xinhuanet.com. 

Feng Dong, a senior executive at a subsidiary of the China Southern Power Grid, was quoted by the report as saying that China had completed the technological breakthrough from scratch in field of convertor transformer on-load tap changers, and has achieved full localization of components and other products' industrial chains.

This marks the fact that China has officially broken through the restrictions of this core technology in high-end electric equipment, Feng said.

Previously, long-distance, large capacity and high voltage direct current facilities are required for the transmission of electricity from western to eastern areas in China, and both terminals for transmitting and receiving power need to use the equipment of converter transformer that weighs more than 300 tons.

On-load tap changers of a convertor transformer are used to adjust the voltage, power load and current, similar to the function of a gearbox in a car. 

Deng Jun, a senior technical expert at the aforementioned company, also said that an on-load tap changer of a convertor transformer has about 1,000 components, and is a highly complex and sophisticated piece of equipment.

According to the Xinhua report, this technology used to be grasped by only a few overseas companies, and when technical fault took place previously, Chinese companies had no choice but to replace the products with imported goods of the same model, whose ordering cycle took about three to four months, thus posing challenges to the safety of power operation in the country. 

The report also cited a deputy general manager of the company as saying that the company has established a team in partnership with upper stream and downstream companies along the industrial chains. 

After more than two years' of efforts, the team has broken through vacuum switch tubes and other technical bottlenecks to successfully research the large capacity convertor transformer on-load tap changer with rated capacity of 6,000 kilovolt-ampere, maximum voltage of 6,000 volt and maximum rated current of 1,300 ampere.

Using the domestically made on-load tap changers could save nearly 40 million yuan ($5.56 million) In the building of ultra-high voltage direct current power transmission projects, the manager said. 

The discovery of a new species of gammaridea in the Irtysh River of Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region proves that Tianshan Mountains and the surrounding areas are the world's origin of cold-water organisms, according to a press conference held by the information office of the region on Tuesday.

The person in charge of the scientific research department announced the initial results of the third comprehensive scientific investigation in the Xinjiang region during the conference.

According to Zhang Yuanming, director of the Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography under the Chinese Academy of Sciences and head of the leading unit of the expedition, the third comprehensive scientific expedition in Xinjiang, conducted in 2022, has yielded significant achievements.

In the wild fruit forest of Tianshan Mountains, the expedition discovered two new species of moss, 39 new species of parasitic natural enemies, and a new species of gammaridea.

New discoveries have been made in the study of the formation and evolution of the Taklimakan Desert, and a new understanding has been proposed that the Taklimakan Desert may have been formed 300,000 years ago.

Furthermore, the expedition clarified the superimposed effects of wind dynamics, underlying surface, and sand sources on aeolian sand geomorphology, and confirmed that the Tarim Basin dust can affect North China and the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau.

In addition, researchers participating in the expedition built 26 automatic monitoring stations for ecosystems in no man's land by integrating drones, satellites and the Internet of Things.

The databases of the first and second comprehensive scientific expeditions in Xinjiang were rebuilt, and the data sharing service for scientific expeditions in Xinjiang was established.

Moreover, the expedition's researchers determined the overall water flow status of many important rivers and provided decision-making suggestions for regional water resource development.

According to open date, the third comprehensive scientific expedition to Xinjiang was officially launched in December 2021. The scientific research was designed to focus on the green and sustainable development of Xinjiang, get a comprehensive picture of Xinjiang's resources and environment, scientifically evaluate the carrying capacity of Xinjiang's resources, propose strategies and road maps for Xinjiang's future ecological construction and green development and cultivate a strategic scientific team rooted in Xinjiang and engaged in resources and environment research in arid areas.

China successfully sent the Land Exploration-4 01 satellite, the world's first high-orbit synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellite, into a preset orbit via a Long March-3B carrier rocket from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in Southwest China's Sichuan Province at 1:26 am on Sunday.

The Global Times learned from the China National Space Administration (CNSA) which oversaw the organization of the launch and manages the satellite program, that the newly launched satellite is the world's first high-orbit SAR satellite that has entered the engineering implementation phase. Able to provide all-weather and all-day observation of China's territory and surrounding areas, it will further improve the country's space-based disaster monitoring system and is of great significance for comprehensively boosting the country's disaster prevention, reduction, and relief capabilities.

The Land Exploration-4 01 satellite is a remote sensing research satellite listed in the country's Medium and Long Term Development Plan for Civilian Space Infrastructure (2015-2025.)

The satellite operates in an inclined geosynchronous orbit and is equipped with a synthetic aperture radar payload with high resolution, wide coverage, multiple modes, and lightweight advantages, the CNSA revealed.

Compared with low-orbit satellites and optical satellites, the Land Exploration-4 01 satellite combines the advantages of a short revisit period and large imaging swath in high-orbit observation with the advantages of microwave observation that is not limited by weather conditions (all-weather) and not limited by lighting conditions (all-day), which can improve the accuracy and efficiency of identifying abnormal changes in weather and enhance the nation's comprehensive disaster prevention and control capabilities, the CNSA said in a press release sent to the Global Times on Sunday.

With the satellite now in orbit, it will enrich China's key regional observation methods and provide all-weather and all-day observation of China's territory and surrounding areas, meeting the needs of disaster prevention and reduction, earthquake monitoring, land and resources surveying, as well as applications in industries such as the marine, water conservancy, meteorology, agriculture, environmental protection, and forestry industries, according to the press release.

State departments led by China's Ministry of Emergency Management, including the Ministry of Natural Resources, Ministry of Water Resources and China Meteorological Administration, are key users of the satellite and they will carry out construction of ground systems and operation systems according to their specific needs.

The satellite was developed by the China Academy of Spacecraft Technology (CAST.)

This was the second disaster prevention-related satellite launched within a week by China, following the codenamed Environmental Surveyor 2F, launched by a Long March 2C rocket from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in North China's Shanxi Province on Wednesday.

Also developed by CAST in Beijing, the satellite is tasked with using its synthetic aperture radar to obtain images and data to support disaster prevention and mitigation, ecological monitoring and emergency response efforts. Its users are the Ministry of Emergency Management and the Ministry of Ecology and Environment.

On Sunday, space industry observers hailed the country's innovative strength in the space domain, which they say has been increasingly creating value in civilian applications and shows that the country's space development upholds the concept of "putting people first."

During the recent heavy rainfall that impacted the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region in North China as well as Northeast China's Heilongjiang and Jilin provinces, 16 satellites, including Gaofen-3 remote sensing satellites, were deployed to provide rapid imaging services to assist disaster monitoring, according to the state-owned aerospace giant China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) on Saturday.

The CASC told the Global Times on Sunday that these near real-time satellite images taken over the hardest-hit flood areas have provided scientific data services to support disaster relief work.

Three men from Southwest China’s Guizhou Province who attempted to illegally cross the border into Myanmar to engage in telecom fraud have been handed prison sentences ranging from four to six months, a local intermediate people’s court announced on Monday. 

Before the three men surnamed Wu, Huang and Yang were apprehended by police in Southwest China’s Yunnan Province when they attempted to illegally cross the border into Myanmar this February, it was discovered that the group had already crossed the border and entered Myanmar on multiple occasions.  

Wu had successfully illegally crossed the border between China and Myanmar in July of 2019, October of 2019, March of 2020 and October of 2020. He was rejected by the local crime syndicates there because he could not type and was unable to be part of the syndicate’s local telecom fraud operations. 

Huang also illegally crossed the border between China and Myanmar in January of 2019, July of 2019 before being apprehended when he attempted to cross the border in August of 2020. 

Yang illegally crossed the border in March of 2019. He illegally crossed the border again in May of 2020 but turned himself in December of 2020 upon returning to China. 

The three defendants had planned to travel to Myanmar together in February but were discovered on route in Yunnan. 

Their behaviors violated the laws and regulations governing border management and committed the crime of illegal border crossing. 

According to China’s Criminal Law, Wu was sentenced to six months in prison and was fined 7,000 yuan ($965). Huang was handed five months in detention and was fined 6,800 yuan while Yang was sentenced to four months detention and fined 6,800 yuan. 

The local judge noted in the decision that the public must remain vigilant to the pitfalls of high-paying jobs abroad and that overseas jobs should be sought through normal employment channels.