Source: China State Council Information Office 2
A 5.3-magnitude earthquake jolted Kizilsu Kirgiz Autonomous Prefecture in northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region at 6:23 a.m. Thursday (Beijing Time), according to the China Earthquake Networks Center (CENC).
The epicenter was monitored at 41.11 degrees north latitude and 78.53 degrees east longitude. The quake struck at a depth of 10 km, said the CENC.
Source: China State Council Information Office
The Palestinian presidency condemned on Wednesday the Israeli army’s ongoing siege of northern Gaza, which has continued for the 11th consecutive day.
In a press release published by the Palestinian news agency WAFA, presidency spokesperson Nabil Abu Rudeineh called Israel’s siege and ongoing military operations that force residents to evacuate their homes “war crimes punishable under international law.”
“It is unacceptable to allow the continuation of Israeli aggression while the UN Security Council remains paralyzed due to U.S. policies that support Israel and its actions, which defy international will,” he said.
Abu Rudeineh stressed that these U.S. policies “have violated all prohibitions of international law and provided the criminal occupation forces with all forms of financial and military support, encouraging them to commit heinous crimes against our people and the peoples of the region.”
Witnesses told Xinhua that the Israeli army is besieging dozens of families, primarily consisting of women and children, preventing them from leaving the northern areas and putting them at risk of death.
The Israeli army has been conducting a large-scale offensive and imposing a tight siege on Jabalia and the surrounding areas since October 6, allegedly to target militants and their infrastructure in Jabalia and prevent Hamas from regrouping there.
“This operation to systematically dismantle terrorist infrastructure in the areas will continue as long as required in order to achieve its objectives,” the army said.
Source: China State Council Information Office 2
A Chinese mainland spokesperson on Wednesday reaffirmed that Taiwan’s status as part of China has never changed and will never change.
Chen Binhua, spokesperson for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, made the remarks during a press conference in response to a speech made by Taiwan’s leader, Lai Ching-te, on Oct. 10, in which Lai claimed that “the People’s Republic of China (PRC) has no right to represent Taiwan.”
A host of documents with international legal effect, including the 1943 Cairo Declaration and the 1945 Potsdam Proclamation, confirm China’s sovereignty over Taiwan, Chen said.
He emphasized that the government of the PRC was established on Oct. 1, 1949, replacing the government of the Republic of China as the sole legal government representing the whole of China.
At its 26th session in 1971, the United Nations General Assembly adopted Resolution 2758, which restored the representation and seat of the whole of China, including Taiwan, to the government of the PRC, based on the recognition that Taiwan is part of China, Chen noted.
Lai’s framing of “China” and “Taiwan” as oppositional reflects a clear separatist assertion of “Taiwan independence,” Chen said, adding that this undermines China’s sovereignty and challenges the international community’s commitment to the one-China principle.
“Any action or statement that challenges the one-China principle and seeks to divide the country is doomed to fail,” the spokesperson said.
Any attempt to undermine the national identity of Taiwan compatriots and exacerbate cross-Strait tensions will not gain public support, he added.
Source: China State Council Information Office 2
China’s anti-graft chief Li Xi has urged efforts to further improve conduct and build integrity among the Party and combat corruption, thus achieving new progress on the front.
Li, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and secretary of the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, made the remarks during an inspection tour to north China’s Tianjin Municipality from Monday to Wednesday.
While visiting different localities in the city, Li called for efforts to tackle Party discipline and law violations in the field of eco-environmental protection, and continue to address misconduct and corruption occurring at people’s doorsteps, among other efforts.
At a seminar during the tour, Li also urged deepening the reform of the discipline inspection and supervision system to make it more regulated and rule-based, and ensuring that political responsibility for full and rigorous Party self-governance is fulfilled.
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
Final of China International College Students’ Innovation Competition 2024 held in Shanghai
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
BEIJING, Oct. 16 — China is forging its own path to modernization, offering not only inspiration to other developing countries but also tangible opportunities for growth amid a sluggish global economy.
Amid rising trade protectionism, China, the world’s largest developing nation, remains committed to advancing high-level opening up and serving as a reliable partner for developing countries on the path to modernization.
On the domestic front, China is prioritizing institutional openness, unlocking vast market potential and creating abundant opportunities for foreign businesses. Measures like lifting foreign investment restrictions in manufacturing and enhancing intellectual property protection are making China an increasingly attractive destination for global enterprises.
On the global stage, the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), which now encompasses over three quarters of the world’s countries, exemplifies China’s commitment to collaborative progress. Projects once deemed unattainable have become realities, significantly improving the lives of millions.
As Belt and Road cooperation has entered its second decade, new opportunities are emerging, with plans to break new ground through enhanced collaboration with partner countries. In July, a resolution was adopted during the third plenum of the 20th Communist Party of China Central Committee. It calls for efforts to improve the integrated framework for land, sea, air and cyberspace connectivity and build a multidimensional network to connect countries along the Belt and Road.
Cooperation within the BRI framework will be strengthened in key areas such as green development, the digital economy, artificial intelligence, finance, and disaster mitigation. As China rapidly advances in digital communications, it is well-positioned to assist partner countries in developing their digital economies and bridging the digital divide.
In the realm of technological innovation, China has consistently embraced a spirit of collaboration. Its belief that science should benefit all humanity is not mere rhetoric; it is reflected in concrete actions.
China has established scientific and technological cooperation ties with over 160 countries and regions, and signed 118 intergovernmental agreements on such cooperation. China also issued the International Science and Technology Cooperation Initiative, featuring open, fair, equitable and non-discriminatory international science and technology cooperation.
A prime example of such cooperation is the establishment of 10 overseas science and education centers by the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Africa, Central Asia, South Asia, Southeast Asia, South America and beyond. More than 100 scientific and technological projects have been launched, training nearly 5,000 high-level professionals from these regions.
China has provided the international community with abundant public goods, including the annual China International Import Expo and regional initiatives like the China-ASEAN Expo. These influential platforms are set to evolve into concrete cooperation projects that deliver tangible benefits to the people of participating countries. Committed to offering even more global public goods to support peace and prosperity, China aims to achieve more win-win outcomes through its reform and opening up while collaborating with other nations on modernization.
The effectiveness of these efforts is evident. Following its pledge in July to further open its doors to the world’s least developed countries, China announced in early September that it would grant zero-tariff treatment on 100 percent of tariff lines to all the least developed countries that have established diplomatic relations with China. This makes China the first major developing nation and the first significant economy to take such a step.
Cooperation between China and other developing nations is expected to accelerate in the future, especially in green transition efforts aimed at tackling climate change. China’s strengths in clean energy equipment and electric vehicles have already been translated into successful cooperation programs in relevant sectors across developing countries.
Modernization is a shared aspiration for humanity. Chinese modernization dispels the misconception that modernization equates to Westernization. Rather than pursuing isolated success or creating a model that hinders others, China is dedicated to partnering with other nations to jointly advance modernization.
As the world’s second-largest economy, China has contributed more than 30 percent of global economic growth over the past years. The widening door of opportunity being opened by Chinese modernization welcomes all, particularly Global South countries.
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
Salt harvested at Nanpu salt field in Tangshan, Hebei
Source: China State Council Information Office
Peng Liyuan, wife of Chinese President Xi Jinping and UNESCO special envoy for the advancement of girls’ and women’s education, sent a congratulatory message to the 2024 United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Prize for Girls’ and Women’s Education award ceremony held on Wednesday in Paris, France.
In her message, Peng paid high tribute and extended best wishes to the award-winning organizations from Uganda and Zambia, saying that girls’ and women’s education has a bearing on their growth and development, the well-being of numerous families and the world’s future.
She expressed the hope for every quarter to strongly support health education and digital education among girls and women, develop and gear science education more toward them, and help them attain better health conditions, digital skills and scientific literacy, particularly the competence to innovate and start up business, so as to contribute to advancing women’s education and development in the new era.
Peng said that China has always attached great importance to the cause of girls’ and women’s education, actively pushing forward the global cause of women’s education while continuously improving the educational environment for women in China.
Peng said that as a UNESCO special envoy for the advancement of girls’ and women’s education, she is ready to work with every party in pooling efforts to achieve gender equality and advance the global women’s cause.
The UNESCO Prize for Girls’ and Women’s Education, established by China in cooperation with UNESCO, is the organization’s only prize for promoting girls’ and women’s education. It plays a vital role in publicizing the concept of gender equality in education and related good practices and in implementing gender equality as a global priority.
Source: Allens Insights
Allens has advised the lenders on the successful financial close of BCI Minerals’ $981 million financing for the Mardie Salt Project (the Mardie Project), marking a significant milestone in the development of Australia’s first large-scale salt project in decades.
The syndicate of lenders includes Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility, Export Finance Australia, Export Development Canada, Westpac Banking Corporation, and Industrial and Commercial Bank of China Limited.
The financing package comprises $830 million for construction loans, $70 million for bank guarantees, and $81 million for potential cost overruns. The Mardie Project has been accredited as a Green Loan aligned with the Green Financing Framework.
‘We are proud to have played a key role in this significant financing deal for the Mardie Project,’ said lead Partner Ben Farnsworth.
‘This not only represents a major investment but also highlights the growing importance of sustainable financing in the global market. The Green Loan accreditation underscores the project’s commitment to environmental sustainability and economic growth.’
Financial close was reached on 4 October. Allens continues to work with Lenders and BCI on satisfying the further conditions to the first drawdown of the construction loan facilities.
Ben Farnsworth (Partner), Louise Barbato (Senior Associate), Madeleine Ninkov (Associate), Megan Lee (Associate), Mariella Panegyres (Lawyer)
Naomi Bergman (Partner), Layth Zumot (Associate)
Jodi Reinmuth (Partner), Lewis Pope (Associate)
Source: China State Council Information Office 2
The venue of the 2024 World Agri-food Innovation Conference (WAFI 2024) is seen in Beijing, capital of China, Oct 11, 2024. [Photo/Xinhua]
A global panel of agrarians has called for the innovation-driven green transition of the world’s agri-food system, as part of efforts to curb carbon emissions and mitigate the impact of climate change on food production.
While some food-producing regions have initially benefited from warmer weather, the substantial uncertainties caused by global warming are disrupting agriculture across Asia, Africa and South America, the experts said.
They made the remarks on the sidelines of the 2024 World Agri-Food Innovation Conference, held in Beijing earlier this month. The event was organized by China Agricultural University.
Sun Qixin, president of China Agricultural University and an academician at the Chinese Academy of Engineering, told China Daily that mainstream models indicate a 6 to 8 percent decrease in food production for every 1 C increase in global temperatures, unless technological innovations are introduced to alleviate these effects.
“However, the impact of a warmer climate is not uniform across the globe,” he said.
Despite instances of warmer and wetter climate boosting food production in some areas that were previously cold and prone to drought, the sudden and extreme shifts in weather patterns are causing widespread disruptions in food production globally, Sun noted.
Given that the green transition necessitates a substantial reduction in agricultural inputs such as fertilizers, it is crucial to invest in research and technological innovations to ensure that these reforms do not result in decreased output, Sun said.
“We must proceed in this direction despite the challenges,” he added.
An estimate by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the United Nations body for evaluating climate science, showed that the agri-food sector, covering the entire cycle from food cultivation to consumption, contributes one-third of global greenhouse gas emissions.
Fu Wenge, a professor at China Agricultural University, said that innovations facilitating green transition do not always require groundbreaking scientific discoveries, adding that sometimes, minor and cost-effective reforms in management models and other fields can bring significant changes.
Fu cited the university’s Science and Technology Backyard project, which encourages students to live and work alongside smallholding farmers in rural areas as part of their education programs. The arrangement aims to help promote high-yield crop varieties and environmentally friendly farming practices among rural farming communities. “This model has been implemented in Africa and other regions,” he said.
Ismahane Elouafi, executive managing director of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research, or CGIAR, a global partnership that unites research groups for a food-secure future, said that the green transition could be achieved through innovations that span technological, policy and institutional levels and include models for countries to work together.
“The impact of climate change is multiplying every day, and the only way forward for us is to adopt innovation in its broad sense to really transform the agriculture system,” she said.
The experts also called for greater awareness of increasing food production with reduced carbon footprint and more care for the environment.
Patrick Caron, vice-chair of the CGIAR system board, said that humans have managed to increase food production throughout history, as living conditions improved and consumption patterns changed.
“However, at the moment, we are looking at the increase of production with a different angle,” he said, referring to greater care to avoid climate change and degradations of land, water and biodiversity.
Makers of food policy point to China as a source of hope amid the gloomy outlook of increasing food insecurity worldwide, citing the country’s ambitious goal to boost its annual food production capacity to approximately 700 million metric tons by 2030, up from the 695 million tons in 2023.
Elouafi, the CGIAR executive managing director, said, “I think China really is a bright spot in the global picture, and not only in increasing productivity in a very smart way, but also in reducing poverty and hunger.”
Despite a recent reversal in global progress, the world made significant strides in alleviating hunger and poverty between 2000 and 2017, largely because of China’s efforts, she said.
Elouafi noted that China’s adoption of technologies and innovations in the agri-food sector, along with its initiatives to enhance rural incomes, played a pivotal role in the success.
Wednesday marked World Food Day, which has been celebrated annually on Oct 16 since 1981 to raise awareness and promote action for fighting hunger and ensuring food security for all.
At a news conference on Wednesday, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said that as the world’s largest food producer, China attaches great importance to global food security.
“China has provided more funding and experts and undertaken more projects than any other developing country under the framework of the Food and Agriculture Organization’s South-South Cooperation Programme,” she said.
Mao added that China is willing to continue strengthening cooperation on food security with all parties to strive for a world free of hunger.
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
Full Text: Remarks by Chinese Premier Li Qiang at the 23rd Meeting of the Council of Heads of Government of Member States of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization
ISLAMABAD, Oct. 17 — Chinese Premier Li Qiang on Wednesday delivered a speech at the 23rd Meeting of the Council of Heads of Government of Member States of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.
The following is the full text of the speech:
Remarks by H.E. Li Qiang
Premier of the State Council of the People’s Republic of China
At the 23rd Meeting of the Council of Heads of Government of
Member States of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization
Islamabad, October 16, 2024
Your Excellency Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif,
Colleagues,
It is a great pleasure to meet you in Islamabad, the beautiful “city of gardens.” At the outset, I wish to express my appreciation to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and the government of Pakistan for your meticulous preparations and thoughtful arrangements for this meeting. I welcome Prime Minister Roman Golovchenko of Belarus, a new member state of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).
Over the past year, governments of the member states of the SCO have actively responded to and implemented the common understandings of the Council of Heads of State, carried out solid cooperation in such areas as economy, trade, security and people-to-people exchanges, reached dozens of cooperation documents, and formulated more than 10 reform measures. Fruitful outcomes have been achieved. The member states have forged ahead steadily and side by side on a collective journey to promote security and development. Unlike most international organizations, the SCO has both a Council of Heads of State and a Council of Heads of Government. As it happens, the specific institutional design, with the Council of Heads of State drawing up the blueprint and the Council of Heads of Government focusing on implementation, has been effective, practical and efficient, and has made the SCO an important platform for maintaining peace and stability in the region and promoting development and prosperity of nations.
At the Astana Summit held last July, President Xi Jinping and fellow leaders of member states reached important understandings on jointly building a common home of the SCO featuring solidarity and mutual trust, peace and tranquility, prosperity and development, good-neighborliness and friendship, and fairness and justice. This endeavor to build a common home is driven by the values we all share; it focuses on the tough issues we all face, and will help create a future we all desire. In my view, this common vision entails efforts in the following five aspects:
First, efforts to build an even more solid political foundation. The fundamental reason why the SCO has stayed vibrant since its inception is that we have upheld the Shanghai Spirit, a vital political consensus, and endeavored to be trustworthy and reliable partners for each other. No matter how the international landscape may evolve, SCO cooperation in various fields will move forward steadily as long as the Shanghai Spirit remains entrenched.
Second, efforts to provide more reliable security safeguards. As we speak, geopolitical conflicts, power politics and acts of bullying continue to undermine regional peace and stability, while on such fronts as cyber security and biosecurity, new threats and new challenges continue to emerge. No country is immune, and the only true security is security for all. Only by further improving the mechanisms and tools to tackle threats and challenges can we provide better safeguards for common development.
Third, efforts to foster closer economic bonds. The SCO’s continuous expansion of membership in recent years has created more notable economic complementarity among member states. By deepening our economic ties, resisting external attempts of pulling us apart, and tapping into and pooling our respective strengths in resources, market and industries, we will be able to foster even stronger synergy for development.
Fourth, efforts to cultivate stronger emotional bonds. Our region is home to diverse and splendid civilizations, where different nations and cultures have interacted and converged with each other throughout the course of history and coexisted in harmony. This has been the source of popular support for cooperation among SCO member states. We need to further promote mutual learning among civilizations and cultural exchanges so as to enhance mutual understanding and friendship between the people of SCO member states.
Fifth, efforts to boost coordination in multilateral fora. Embracing 26 countries from three continents, the SCO family is a constructive force that carries important global influence. With our commitment to the purposes and principles of the U.N. Charter, and our enhanced communication and coordinated actions, SCO member states will better rally the developing world in promoting a more just and equitable global order.
As president of the SCO for 2024-2025, China has introduced “Upholding the Shanghai Spirit: SCO on the Move” as our slogan. The goal is to engender effective actions among ourselves to deliver on the agreement of our heads of state and realize the vision of building a common home featuring solidarity and mutual trust, peace and tranquility, prosperity and development, good-neighborliness and friendship, and fairness and justice. In this connection, China proposes the following four points.
First, enhancing strategic synergy for our shared purpose. Pursuing peaceful development is the abiding purpose of the SCO. We should stay grounded in the fundamental and long-term interests of the region, bear in mind the big picture and keep external disruptions at bay. Our best efforts must be directed toward mapping out the SCO’s development strategy for the next decade and drawing up roadmaps for cooperation in various areas. Member states should step up strategic communication, bridge differences and boost mutual trust through dialogue, and pool strengths for unity.
Second, expanding practical cooperation in line with development needs. The year 2025 will be the SCO Year of Sustainable Development. China stands ready to deepen cooperation with all sides in poverty reduction, digital economy and green development, to generate sustained momentum for development. We should continue to draw impetus from openness and cooperation, boost the region’s trade and investment facilitation and connectivity, and maintain stable and smooth industrial and supply chains. Active efforts should be made to establish an SCO development bank in order to provide financing support for countries in their pursuit of development.
Third, proactively addressing major risks. Our region continues to face grave security issues. The fight against terrorism, separatism and extremism remains a long-term, arduous task, and various challenges lie ahead in such areas as safeguarding information security and combating transnational organized crime. China stands ready to work with all sides to strengthen intelligence sharing and joint operations, move faster to build a universal center to address the challenges and threats to the security of SCO member states and the Anti-Drug Center, and strive for major outcomes at next year’s summit, so that we can put in place new platforms and a new architecture for regional security cooperation.
Fourth, expanding people-to-people exchange to meet popular expectations. We should fully leverage the role of the SCO Committee on Good-Neighborliness, Friendship and Cooperation, develop an effective SCO digital education alliance, organize excellent events under our flagship programs such as the Forum on People-to-People Friendship and the Forum on Friendship Cities, the Forum on Women, and the Art Exhibition of Young Artists, and increase our peoples’ participation and sense of fulfillment, to keep people-to-people friendship strong for generations to come.
Colleagues,
As an ancient Chinese saying goes, “Those who take real actions are more likely to succeed, and those who hit the road are more likely to reach the destination.” Let’s continue to carry forward the Shanghai Spirit, pull together, and take practical and determined steps. Let’s get on the move to deliver on our responsibility, build prosperity and usher in a better future for our common home.
Thank you.
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
Autumn harvest in Linhe District of Bayannur, N China
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
2024 China Toy Expo kicks off in Shanghai
Source: China State Council Information Office
Qu Dongyu (R), director-general of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), presents the FAO Achievement Award to the Institute of Plant Protection of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (IPPCAAS) at a ceremony to mark the World Food Day in Rome, Italy, on Oct. 16, 2024. [Photo/Xinhua]
The Institute of Plant Protection of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (IPPCAAS) was awarded the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Achievement Award Wednesday at a ceremony held by the FAO to mark the 44th World Food Day in Rome, Italy.
FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu presented the prestigious FAO Achievement Award to the IPPCAAS and described their groundbreaking work in combating the Fall Armyworm as having a profound impact in China, across Asia, and globally, making significant strides in protecting crops and securing food supplies.
This year’s World Food Day, with the theme “Right to foods for a better life and a better future,” aims to raise global awareness about the right to foods and advocates for transforming agrifood systems to support peaceful, resilient, and inclusive livelihoods for all.
According to the FAO, around 730 million people are currently facing hunger, and over 2.8 billion people cannot afford a healthy diet. This means that even if their calorie intake is sufficient, they may not be receiving the necessary nutrients and dietary diversity to maintain good health.
In his address, Qu called for renewed “commitment to building more efficient, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable agrifood systems that can nourish the world,” saying, “There is no time to lose; we must take immediate action.”
In a video message, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said that a zero-hunger world was possible, but “food systems need a massive transformation,” to become more efficient, inclusive, resilient and sustainable.
As part of the World Food Day celebrations, a World Food Forum event is being held at FAO headquarters from Oct. 14 to 18.
The FAO Award for Achievement is awarded every two years to honor an entity or individual for outstanding technical cooperation or humanitarian work in the fields of sustainable agriculture, rural development, or food security at the country level.
Source: China State Council Information Office
Palestinians mourn over victims killed by the Israeli army in the refugee camp of Jabalia, at a hospital in Gaza City, on Oct. 11, 2024. [Photo/Xinhua]
In just one week, nearly 400 Palestinians have reportedly been killed and almost 1,500 injured in Gaza, said Joyce Msuya, the UN acting under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator, on Wednesday.
Briefing the UN Security Council on the humanitarian situation in Gaza, Msuya said the people of Gaza have suffered multiple mass casualty incidents due to Israeli airstrikes since her last briefing on Oct. 9.
“The world has seen the images of patients and displaced persons, sheltering near Al Aqsa hospital, burning alive,” she said, adding that scores of others, including women and children, are suffering the excruciating pain of severe lifechanging burns.
“If such horror does not awaken our sense of humanity and propel us to action, what will?” Msuya asked.
She said Israel’s military offensive is intensifying in the north, and since the beginning of October, it’s estimated that over 55,000 people have been displaced from the Jabaliya area, while others remain stranded in their homes with water and food running out.
“For the 155,000 pregnant and breastfeeding women in Gaza, it is an exhausting and traumatizing experience, not knowing where and how to give birth, or whether their child will survive,” said Msuya.
She noted that from Oct. 2 to 15, no food aid entered northern Gaza with “a trickle” allowed in, and all essential supplies for survival are running out.
“Given the abject conditions and intolerable suffering in north Gaza, the fact that humanitarian access is nearly non-existent is unconscionable,” she said.
Msuya said that during the first two weeks of October, just one out of 54 coordinated movements to the north via the Al Rashid checkpoint was facilitated by Israeli authorities, while another four were impeded but eventually accomplished. Eighty-five percent of the movements were denied, and the rest were impeded or canceled, due to security or logistical issues.
“Every time a mission is impeded, the lives of people in need and humanitarians on the ground are put at even greater risk,” she said.
“The level of suffering in Gaza defies our ability to capture it in words, or even to comprehend its scale,” said the senior UN official, adding that “international humanitarian law must be respected and this council, and all member states, must exert all their influence to ensure it.”
The representative of Algeria, who requested the meeting, expressed alarm about the catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza.
He noted that a few trucks of aid were distributed in northern Gaza on Tuesday, but failed to reach Jabalia, which remains under siege. “Let me be crystal clear: a military siege that deprives civilians of essential means of survival is not just unacceptable. It is a war crime,” he stated.
Riyad Mansour, the permanent observer for the State of Palestine to the United Nations, said that in the face of the “monstrosity” unfolding in northern Gaza, “silence and inaction are not an option.”
Noting that the Palestinian and Lebanese people are paying the price for Israel’s impunity, he said that in northern Gaza, 400,000 besieged, starved, and bombed Palestinians are being subjected to the so-called General Plan, according to which any Palestinian remaining in the north is considered a legitimate military target. “That is not war. These are crimes. They must be stopped. And they must be stopped now.”
Mansour called on the Security Council to “fight back with the tools provided by the (UN) Charter and by the law to combat those who are obliterating the Charter and the law,” stressing, “It is time to act. Anything else is complicity and surrender.”
In his remarks, Israel’s representative detailed recent attacks against his country. He said that although “101 human beings have been tormented by Hamas terrorists in their terror dungeons,” Security Council members barely mentioned the hostages or did so as an afterthought.
He asserted that Israel and its humanitarian partners have “flooded” Gaza with humanitarian aid, and Hamas has “hijacked” aid and “weaponized” the humanitarian situation.
Source: China State Council Information Office
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday presented to parliament his “victory plan,” outlining Ukraine’s strategy in the ongoing conflict with Russia.
“If we begin implementing this Victory Plan now, we could end the war no later than the next year,” Zelensky was quoted by the Interfax-Ukraine news agency as saying.
Zelensky said the five-point plan covers geopolitical, military, economic, and security goals, emphasizing that inviting Ukraine to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in the “near future” is its key element.
Other proposals include lifting the current restrictions hindering Ukraine from using long-range Western weapons on targets inside Russia and placing a comprehensive non-nuclear strategic deterrence package in Ukraine, Zelensky said.
He also said the document envisages that Ukraine will jointly protect, use and invest in its critical resources with partners.
Besides, Kiev stands ready to replace U.S. military contingents in Europe with Ukrainian units after the end of the conflict, according to the plan, which also contains three classified annexes.
Source: China State Council Information Office
This photo shows the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) during their patrol in Marjeyoun, Lebanon, on May 26, 2024. [Photo/Xinhua]
Sixteen countries of the European Union (EU) contributing troops to the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) have agreed to increase political and diplomatic pressure on Israel to avoid further incidents involving the mission.
This decision was reached after a videoconference led by Italy’s Defense Minister Guido Crosetto and French counterpart Sebastien Lecornu on Wednesday, amidst escalating clashes between the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) and Hezbollah in southern Lebanon.
The videoconference involved key EU nations, including Ireland, Germany, Spain, Austria, and Greece, among others.
These countries collectively condemned attacks on UNIFIL bases, which have endangered the safety of the mission’s over 10,000 personnel coming from 48 countries, and urged Israel to take preventive measures to ensure no more such incidents occur.
The Italian defense ministry said in a statement that a key conclusion of the meeting was “the shared will to exert utmost political and diplomatic pressure on Israel, so that no further incidents occur.” Meanwhile, the statement also stressed that Hezbollah cannot use UNIFIL personnel as a shield in the context of the conflict.
The call followed a series of IDF strikes on UNIFIL positions in southern Lebanon since Oct. 9, which resulted in injuries to several peacekeepers.
Although Israel had asked UNIFIL to withdraw its troops within 5 km of the Israeli-Lebanese border, which would mean leaving all UNIFIL positions in south Lebanon, all countries contributing to the mission declined.
On Wednesday, the EU countries reiterated their commitment to maintaining a stable UNIFIL presence in the region and asserted that any changes to the mission’s future should be decided collectively by the UN.
Source: China State Council Information Office 2
Starting Wednesday, foreign residents living in Hong Kong and Macao can apply for multiple-entry visas to the Chinese mainland with a validity period of up to five years by following a simplified procedure, according to the central government.
The Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region announced on Wednesday that non-Chinese Hong Kong permanent residents and non-Chinese Hong Kong residents who are traveling to the mainland for tourism, business, family visits or cultural and academic exchanges can apply for a visa valid for up to five years, which will allow them to stay on the mainland for up to 180 days.
Under the new arrangement, applicants are not required to provide proof of round-trip tickets or hotel reservations when applying for visas, the office said.
Those who successfully applied for visas from overseas Chinese visa-issuing authorities and had their fingerprints collected during the process will be exempted from fingerprint collection when applying from Hong Kong, the office added.
The office stressed that the validity of the visa and duration of stay will be decided case by case, and applicants may also be asked to submit additional documents or attend interviews.
The visa policy does not apply to foreign domestic helpers, the office noted.
Also on Wednesday, the Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the Macao SAR announced a similar optimization for permanent and temporary foreign residents of the city.
People who apply from Macao for short-term activities such as tourism, trade and family visits can get visas with a validity period of five years and a stay for no more than 180 days, the office said, adding that proof of outbound transportation and hotel bookings are no longer required under the new arrangement.
Starting July 10, non-Chinese permanent residents of both Hong Kong and Macao can apply for a new mainland travel permit, which allows multiple entries into the mainland within a five-year validity period, with each stay capped at 90 days.
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)
PARIS, Oct. 16, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — From October 14 to October 21, Sunwoda Mobility Energy Technology Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as “SEVB”), a leading Chinese power battery provider, made a significant appearance at the Paris Motor Show, showcasing its core products. Concurrently, the company held a groundbreaking ceremony at its manufacturing base in Nyíregyháza, Hungary, marking a significant milestone in its global expansion.
SEVB Chairman Mingwang Wang stated, “Our participation in the Paris Motor Show showcases the company’s five core strengths: leading technology, superb intelligent manufacturing, ultra-high quality, reliable delivery, and extensive service experience for major customers. SEVB will leverage nearly 30 years of lithium battery expertise and the local service advantages of our Hungarian base to continue providing first-class solutions for our European customers.”
SEVB presented a range of products at this year’s Paris Motor Show, including its HEV batteries, PHEV batteries, the globally launched 6C Super-fast Charging Battery 3.0, as well as cutting-edge solid-state and sodium-ion batteries.
Among these, the Dacia Spring model, powered by SEVB’s HEV battery, was previously awarded the title of “Best-Selling Electric Vehicle in Italy” and ranked second in electric vehicle sales in France. The 6C Super-fast Charging Battery 3.0, making its global debut, can charge to 80% SoC in just 10 minutes, significantly easing charging anxiety. The PHEV batteries, known for its practicality and environmental benefits, holds strong value in Europe, where usage of electric vehicles has slowed, and environmental standards are high.
To align our global strategy with “REGULATION (EU) 2023/1542”, SEVB is, firstly, strengthening its supply chain management system and enhancing carbon emission controls. Secondly, promoting the implementation of a “China Battery Passport,” aligning domestic battery systems with international standards. Thirdly, expanding into battery recycling.
To date, SEVB has established 12 manufacturing bases worldwide. The company has reached Benchmark’s top tier EV battery cell manufacturer status and was recognized as a “Greater Bay Area New Energy Innovation Enterprise” by KPMG. According to SNE Research, from 2021 to 2023, SEVB ranked first in China for HEV battery installations, and in H1 2024, it entered the global top ten for power battery installations.
In the future, SEVB will continue to base itself in China and look to the world, promoting the globalization of its power battery and energy storage battery solutions to empower customers with world-class products and services.
Photo: https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/bc4cb4bb-af82-4156-be23-22ccbd72bd46
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
The Hong Kong Observatory (HKO) will hold the HKO Open Day on November 30 and December 1 (Saturday and Sunday), with the theme “Working Together for a Better Climate”.
This year marks the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China. The Open Day activities will not only showcase the various services of the HKO and enhance public understanding and awareness of climate change and extreme weather, but they will also provide a brief overview of the long-standing collaboration between the HKO and meteorological authorities in Mainland China and around the world over the years.
Online pre-registration is required for the Open Day activities. Each applicant may request a maximum of four tickets free of charge. If there is an oversubscription, selection will be made by computer balloting. The online registration system will accept applications from today (October 17) to noon on November 1. Successful applicants will receive tickets with a QR code by email on or before November 16.
Open Day details:
Venue: Hong Kong Observatory Headquarters (134A Nathan Road, Kowloon)
Date: November 30 and December 1 (Saturday and Sunday)
Time: 9.30am to 5pm
Remarks: The duration of each session is around one hour
For more information on the Open Day activities, please visit the HKO website: http://www.hkoopenday.gov.hk/en/registration.
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
Buyers from emerging markets are steadily taking the lead at the 136th session of the China Import and Export Fair, or the Canton Fair, replacing those from Europe and North America as the primary participants, according to the Ministry of Commerce.
The global trade event, held twice a year in Spring and Autumn, is being held from Tuesday through Nov 4, in Guangzhou, South China’s Guangdong province.
A total of 125,000 overseas buyers had registered for the 136th session of the fair by Oct 9. Among them, about 76 percent are from countries and regions involved in the Belt and Road Initiative, while 12.5 percent are from North America and Europe, said the Ministry of Commerce.
The driving forces behind this trend include the diversification of China’s export markets, rising business and consumer demand in emerging markets and shifting global trade dynamics, as economies in Southeast Asia, North Africa and South America become increasingly integral to global supply chains.
“These economies often show strong demand for the industrial products and consumer goods available at the Canton Fair,” said Chu Shijia, director of the Guangzhou-based China Foreign Trade Center under the Ministry of Commerce, one of the Canton Fair organizers.
As China is in the midst of a green transformation, its traditional exports — like household appliances and industrial equipment — are also making room for a fresh wave of technologically advanced and eco-friendly products, further meeting the needs of buyers from both developed and developing markets, said Han Yonghui, a professor specializing in foreign trade at Guangzhoubased Guangdong University of Foreign Studies.
Emerging markets represented by Southeast Asia, the Middle East and Latin America, with their vast market potential and promising development prospects, are attracting a growing number of Chinese enterprises seeking business opportunities, according to a report jointly released by Deloitte and WorldFirst, an international payment services provider.
As the internationalization of Chinese manufacturers and traders reaches a more mature stage, an increasing number of enterprises are embarking on a deeper level of internationalization — transitioning from product exports to establishing operations overseas — according to the report released on Monday in Guangzhou.
This involves contract fulfillment supported by the integration of “local entities, local operations and local supply chains”. For instance, according to data from WorldFirst, the number of Chinese merchants using the payment platform to expand their overseas operations in the first quarter surged 56 percent year-on-year.
Between 2018 and 2023, China maintained high growth rates of exports to its major trading partners in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, the Middle East and Latin America, with compound annual growth rates generally exceeding 10 percent, according to the report.
“Over years of development, we have seen an increased number of trade partners from emerging markets,” said Li Zhaoying, CEO of ChillSun Technology Co.
The company, based in Huizhou, Guangdong, is attending the Canton Fair. “In addition to maintaining sustainable growth in developed markets, we are making efforts to reach more trade deals with buyers from emerging markets, especially those from member countries of ASEAN,” said Li.
Xiao Lu, deputy director of the department of foreign trade at the Ministry of Commerce, said China’s new trade growth drivers are gaining momentum. Armed with accumulated capital and technology, Chinese companies are eager to demonstrate their innovation and technological strengths, leveraging digital and green concepts to shape the future direction of the market.
“For instance, China-made new energy vehicles are now reaching over 170 countries and regions worldwide,” Xiao said.
Over a million new products and items with proprietary intellectual property rights will be showcased at the Canton Fair this time, including a range of humanoid robots, smart devices and autonomous driving products making their debut, said the Ministry of Commerce.
Source: China State Council Information Office
China’s much-anticipated fiscal stimulus package could amount to somewhere around 10 trillion yuan ($1.4 trillion), which would represent reasonable and moderate funding to address the most immediate issues facing the world’s second-largest economy, policy researchers and advisers said.
They underlined the need for policymakers to avoid any overly massive stimulus that could come at a heavy cost, but instead advance deeper, wider reforms along with the stimulus package to secure a more sustainable transition in growth drivers.
Sheng Zhongming, a research fellow at CF40 Institute, affiliated with the China Finance 40 Forum think tank, said China must confront the key structural issues of local debt risks, government outstanding payables to businesses, real estate concerns and the recapitalization needs of banks.
Effectively addressing these issues will require at least 10 trillion yuan in additional public funds over several years, Sheng said, adding that he anticipates an annual debt swap program of around 2 trillion yuan, with a cumulative total of 5 to 6 trillion yuan required to substantially reduce the debt load in heavily indebted regions.
Charlie Zheng, chief economist at Samoyed Cloud Technology Group Holdings, said that a fiscal stimulus package of around 10 trillion yuan may be essential in 2025 to tackle the key issues highlighted by the finance minister.
The proposed package, which could be financed by ultra-long-term special treasury bonds, would primarily focus on local debt swaps and bank recapitalization, while alleviating the property sector’s challenges and supporting people in difficulties, Zheng said.
However, he emphasized that China should not rely solely on stimulus measures to revive the economy, warning of the potential for high inflation and an imbalance between the State-owned and private sectors that could result from overreliance on government spending.
China must advance reforms to boost the private economy at the same time, Zheng said, urging policy clarity for private entrepreneurs that any business is permissible unless prohibited by law, while explaining to government officials that any governmental behavior is infeasible without legal authorization.
Discussions of the size of China’s stimulus package heated up after Finance Minister Lan Fo’an said on Saturday that the country plans to increase the debt limit by a large scale and replace local government hidden debt, while recognizing there is “relatively large space” for the central government to raise debt and increase the deficit.
The market is waiting for the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress — the country’s top legislature — to convene in late October or early November to approve the specifics of the plan.
Gong Liutang, a professor of applied economics at Peking University’s Guanghua School of Management, said that if the stimulus package comes to about 10 trillion yuan, it won’t be “overly aggressive” given that China’s annual GDP has reached 126 trillion yuan.
“The key is for the government to comprehensively communicate with the public regarding details of the package as soon as possible so as to provide more certainty to the market and ensure a steadier recovery in confidence,” said Gong, who is also a member of the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, the country’s top political advisory body.
Compared with the stimulus program initiated in 2008, Gong said the latest round of policy buffer should focus more on enhancing consumption and preventing resource misallocation, with increased spending on education, healthcare and social protection, as well as subsidies for low-income and unemployed individuals.
Upon the recent bigger-than-expected policy stimulus announcement, Goldman Sachs has raised its forecast for China’s real GDP growth from 4.7 percent to 4.9 percent this year and from 4.3 percent to 4.7 percent in 2025.
“The Chinese government has clearly made a turn on cyclical policy management and increased its focus on growth,” a Goldman Sachs report said, adding that a significant policy offset is needed next year due to the property market’s lingering drag on GDP growth and the possibility of slowing export growth.
Source: China State Council Information Office
This photo taken from Jingshan Hill on Aug. 12, 2024 shows the skyscrapers of the central business district (CBD) on a sunny day in Beijing, capital of China. [Photo/Xinhua]
Home sales in major Chinese cities are ticking up this month, as a series of recent stimulus measures have boosted homebuyer sentiment.
The early signs of recovery in the housing market in big cities offer some relief as Chinese authorities seek to stimulate the world’s second-largest economy by stabilizing the property market.
The struggling property sector has been a major drag on China’s economy over the past few years, with cash-strapped developers and high inventories of unsold homes and unfinished projects.
In a bid to prop up the housing market, Chinese authorities in late September ordered to cut mortgage rates for existing loans, lower down payment ratios and relax purchase restrictions.
The cities of Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen introduced their versions of stimulus measures for local housing markets just before the National Day holiday.
This came in late September, when a meeting of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee underlined the need for efforts to reverse the real estate market downturn and stabilize the market.
The stimulus package has proven effective in boosting homebuyer sentiment in big cities quickly. This month, many housing sales centers in major cities are packed with clients as many once hesitant homebuyers are again jumping into the market.
On Sunday, 744 customers signed up to vie for 332 flats in a Shenzhen housing project, and all the flats were sold out in three and a half hours, a rarity before the stimulus package was announced.
The market rebound started with the week-long National Day holiday from Oct. 1 to 7. According to Leyoujia, a housing agency in Shenzhen, the conversion rate of home buyers for new homes — the ratio of finalized deals to all customers who have visited a real estate project — jumped to 12 percent from 2 percent.
Liu Xiaofei, a sales manager at property developer LVGEM Group in Shenzhen, said the new stimulus has greatly boosted the market and confidence, helping to increase the conversion rate and shorten the decision-making process.
During the holiday, buyers in Shenzhen signed initial purchase contracts for 1,841 new homes, up 664.1 percent from a year earlier, local data showed. Meanwhile, homebuyers signed contracts for 2,316 second-hand homes last week, a weekly transaction record in nearly three years, according to housing agency Leyoujia.
Liu believes the housing market is stabilizing after hitting a trough, but more measures are needed to further boost consumer confidence.
In Guangzhou, capital of south China’s Guangdong Province, homebuyers had signed initial purchase contracts for 6,687 new homes, up 137 percent year on year, after home purchase restrictions were lifted on Sept. 29, the Guangzhou Municipal Housing and Urban-Rural Development Bureau said on Oct. 12. The bureau attributed the strong growth to policy incentives and sales promotions by developers.
In Shanghai, 1,334 second-hand homes were traded on Sunday, the daily record in more than a year, according to the website of the Shanghai Real Estate Trading Center.
The daily number of more than 1,000 shows that second-hand home transactions are very active in Shanghai, said Lu Wenxi, an analyst with real estate agency Centaline Property.
A Shanghai homebuyer, surnamed Zhang, was a beneficiary of the stimulus. The down payment ratio for second-home purchases was lowered to 25 percent, allowing him to improve his living conditions much sooner, Zhang said.
The market also heats up in Beijing. The number of second-hand home transactions here nearly doubled from the previous month and surged more than 150 percent year on year from Oct. 1 to 15, according to Leng Hui, an analyst with the research institute of Lianjia, a major second-home realtor.
Li Yifeng, deputy research chief at China Index Academy, said Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen still have room to loosen housing policies to further stabilize the property market in the future.
Economic fundamentals are key to stabilizing the property sector and expectations, and if the economic recovery accelerates in the fourth quarter with stimulus measures, the property market in key cities could stabilize, and a similar result could even be expected for the market nationwide, Li said.
Source: China State Council Information Office
The country’s southernmost province of Hainan plans to issue up to 3 billion yuan ($421.8 million) in offshore renminbi bonds in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, marking its third consecutive year of tapping the dim sum bond market.
The People’s Government of Hainan and the Hong Kong Monetary Authority jointly hosted an investor roadshow on Wednesday to promote the bond sale. This follows Hainan raising 5 billion yuan through a mix of green, blue and sustainable bonds last year, and a 5 billion yuan offering in 2022.
This year’s bond sale is expected to include three tranches: a three-year green bond for environmental and social sustainability projects, a five-year bond for general government use, and a 10-year blue bond focusing on ocean-related initiatives.
The pricing of the bonds is expected to take place on Thursday.
Under Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury of the HKSAR government Joseph Chan Ho-lim said that the sale “marks Hainan’s first 10-year long-term offshore renminbi bond, further enriching Hong Kong’s renminbi financial product offerings and supporting the internationalization of renminbi”.
“For years, Hong Kong has been Asia’s largest international bond issuance center and hosts the world’s largest offshore renminbi liquidity pool,” he added.
Chan noted that Hainan’s bond issuance in Hong Kong demonstrates the SAR’s crucial role as a “superconnector” between the Chinese mainland and the rest of the world, and “super value-adder” in international finance.
Kenneth Hui Wai-chi, the executive director (external) of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority, said the bond structure reflects the mainland authorities’ commitment to sustainable development and the national “30/60 dual carbon” goal, referring to peak CO2 emissions before 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality before 2060.
Hui noted the fundraising amount will be used for critical areas such as marine protection, water pollution control, and projects supporting public welfare in healthcare and education.
The island province posted a 766 billion yuan GDP last year, marking an increase of 9.2 percent year-on-year.
Li Lei, deputy director of the Department of Finance of Hainan province, said that Hainan’s local government debt balance stood at 410.6 billion yuan in 2023, accounting for 54.4 percent of the province’s GDP.
From 2020 to June this year, the Hainan free trade port recorded duty-free imports totaling 20.75 billion yuan, with total tax exemptions reaching 4 billion yuan, Li added.
Source: China State Council Information Office 2
Chinese President Xi Jinping has encouraged representatives of students participating in China International College Students’ Innovation Competition 2024 to promote the spirit of science and actively engage in technological innovation.
Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks in a reply letter to them.
MILES AXLE Translation. Region: Russian Federation –
Source: Moscow Government – Government of Moscow –
On the third Sunday of October, our country celebrates Father’s Day. In honor of the holiday, VDNKh has prepared a special promotion, within the framework of which on October 20, fathers with children will be able to receive a 30 percent discount when visiting several exhibition spaces. Guests will also enjoy thematic excursions at the sites of the VDNKh Museum City, events at the robot exhibition “Robostation”, in the robotics and innovation center “Kulibin Pro” and at the “City Farm”. And in the pavilion “House of Russian Cuisine”, fathers who are cooks with many children will hold master classes on preparing various dishes from the cuisines of the peoples of Russia.
On October 20, a 30 percent discount can be received when visiting two facilities of the Orion family amusement park: the Aerial Tram cable car and the House of Fears attraction. And also the City Farm, the Museum of the Special Purpose Garage of the Federal Protective Service of Russia, the exhibitions In the Galaxy Far, Far Away, Terracotta Army. Immortal Warriors of China and Find Banksy, the SkyTown rope park, the Robostation and the Kulibin Pro center. To receive a discount at the box office, fathers with children must say the code phrase “it’s not scary with dad” and present identification documents, as well as proof of relationship. You can read the terms of the promotion on the VDNKh website.
On October 20 at 10:30, 13:00, 15:30 and 18:00 you can visit thematic excursions around the territory of the country’s main exhibition “Male images of VDNKh”. Guests will learn little-known facts about the people who left their mark on the history of VDNKh: for example, who was its first director or in whose honor the first chestnut tree was planted on the Cosmonauts’ Alley. Guests will gather at the VDNKh Museum.
At 13:00, 15:00 and 17:00 the Cosmonautics and Aviation Center invites you to thematic excursions “Space Fathers”. Tour guides will tell you about the children of famous cosmonauts who followed in their fathers’ footsteps, about the founders of cosmonautics itself and the difficulties of orbital flight.
And at 17:00, 18:00 and 19:00 in the pavilion “Worker and Kolkhoz Woman” thematic excursions will take place “Father’s Day at VDNKh: Inspiration and Traditions”. We will talk about who became the architect of this pavilion, who was the inventor in the field of cinema technology for the unique cinema at the main exhibition of the country, thanks to whom the revival of VDNKh took place.
At 19:00, guests of the Museum of Slavic Literature “Slovo” are invited to a thematic excursion “Where there is a good father, there is a good son”. The father always served as an unconditional example for the younger generation, which was reflected in numerous Russian epics, fairy tales, sayings, proverbs and chronicles. You can learn about this and much more on the excursion.
In honor of Father’s Day, the largest robotics exhibition “Robostation” (Pavilion No. 2) printed more than five thousand festive keychains on a 3D printer, which all guests will receive. On October 20 at 13:00, there will be a master class where children will make a gift for dad with their own hands and learn the basics of robotics and soldering. At the same time, there will be a master class “Constructor from Childhood”, where dads will be able to reminisce and assemble a Soviet metal constructor. At 14:00, as part of the karaoke guessing game, guests will be divided into two teams and will sing the famous song “Papa Can”, but they must remember the correct words and sing them instead of the gaps. The winners will be determined by the least number of mistakes, and everyone will receive gifts for participation.
Throughout the day, there will be sparring sessions between dads and kids, where they will control robot boxers. The winners will receive gifts printed on a 3D printer. To participate in the activities, you must purchase entrance ticket to the exhibition.
The Kulibin Pro Robotics and Innovation Center, which is located in the Cosmonautics and Aviation Center at VDNKh, has also prepared a festive program for Father’s Day. On October 20 at 1:00 p.m., a master class on construction for fathers and children will be held, during which guests will be able to assemble a suspension bridge from construction set parts. At 2:00 p.m., you can listen to a lecture entitled “Calling – Inventor.” Throughout the day, all fathers will be congratulated by Boris the Robot. To participate, you must purchase an entrance ticket to the center. “Cosmonautics and Aviation”.
The “City Farm” at VDNKh has prepared its own festive program. The main characters will be not only human dads, but also animal fathers: alpaca Pedro, goat Ivan and goose Vasily. On October 19 and 20, guests will enjoy master classes and farm games. Walks with animals will also be organized. Over the course of two days, from 11:00 to 18:00, there will be master classes “Postcard for Dad”, “Autumn Craft”, “Toy for Animals”, “Animal Portraits”. At the same time, you can take part in the sports relay race “My Dad and Me”. At 13:00 and 16:00, there will be an interactive lecture “The Best Fathers in the Animal World”, and at the end of the event – a quiz.
In addition, on October 19 and 20, guests of the City Farm will be able to walk with animals: a donkey (from 11:00 to 11:30), a sheep (from 12:00 to 12:30), goats (from 12:00 to 12:30, from 14:00 to 14:30 and from 16:00 to 16:30), an alpaca (from 15:00 to 15:30), and a reindeer (from 17:00 to 17:30).
During the holiday weekend, you can also watch the feeding of nutria (at 11:00), poultry (at 16:00), goats, sheep, reindeer, alpacas and donkeys (from 17:30). Participation in all events is subject to an entrance ticket to the “City Farm”. The cost can be found out on the website.
On October 20, the House of Russian Cuisine pavilion at VDNKh invites you to International Chef’s Day and Father’s Day. In 2024, these dates coincided, and in honor of this, regional entrepreneurs and chefs of the House of Russian Cuisine, and part-time fathers of many children, will hold free master classes from 12:00. They will dedicate them to preparing dishes from the cuisines of the peoples of Russia. Among the presenters are Mikhail Gavrilov (chef of the V Karelia Yest corner and father of three children), Alexander Volkov-Medvedev (chef of the Ruski restaurant and father of three children), Danila Kozlov (founder of a chain of northern delicacies stores, brand chef of the Azbuka Severa corner of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), father of three children), Alexey Votintsev (founder of the Perepechkin Udmurt cuisine chain, author and inventor of the mobile Russian stove, father of five children), Damdin Dashiev (founder of the Orda Buryat cuisine restaurants, father of four children).
Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
Please note; This information is raw content directly from the information source. It is accurate to what the source is stating and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
Source: China State Council Information Office
People visit the pavilion of Chinese carmaker BYD at the 2024 Paris Motor Show during the media day in Paris, France, Oct. 14, 2024. [Photo/Xinhua]
Chinese automakers are pushing forward with their development plans despite protectionist tariff threats from the European Union.
Nine leading Chinese brands, including BYD, Xpeng, and Leapmotor, showcased new electric vehicle (EV) models at the 2024 Paris Motor Show, highlighting their technological advancements and determination to grow.
Among the key unveilings was Leapmotor’s global debut of its B10 model, a compact electric SUV that will be manufactured in Poland for European consumers.
Zhu Jiangming, founder of Leapmotor, outlined the B10’s advanced features, which include Advanced Driver Assistance Systems, a customizable digital cockpit, and intelligent driving capabilities. He also noted the company’s collaboration with the Stellantis team for chassis tuning, aiming to meet the preferences of younger consumers seeking innovation and quality.
“The debut highlights Leapmotor’s rapid growth in Europe, with over 200 dealers already established across 13 markets, aiming to reach 500 sales points by 2025,” Leapmotor revealed.
Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares commended Leapmotor’s rapid growth and its in-house R&D capabilities, highlighting that the Leapmotor joint venture will promote affordable EVs globally and reshape Europe’s EV market.
China’s Dongfeng Liuzhou Motor Co., Ltd. showcased four new energy vehicles: the flagship luxury Forthing V9 MPV, the pure electric sedan Forthing S7, the pure-electric SUV Friday and the hybrid MPV U-Tour.
General Manager Lin Changbo emphasized the company’s portfolio of over 21,000 active patents, highlighting the commitment to enhancing global competitiveness and fostering collaboration with industry partners.
Xpeng Motors introduced its AI-powered P7+ sedan, which it described as the “world’s first AI car.”
Currently, the automotive industry is benefiting from two major advantages: intelligence and electrification, He Xiaopeng, chairman and CEO of Xpeng, told Xinhua in an exclusive interview.
He stressed that as a member of China’s emerging car manufacturing forces, the company will continue to invest in R&D and deliver innovative intelligent technology to the European market.
BYD unveiled its mid-sized electric SUV, the Sealion 7, and introduced its luxury Yangwang U8 SUV to the French market. Executive Vice President Li Ke told Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung newspaper that the company plans to start vehicle production in Hungary by late 2025, further cementing its position as a major Chinese player in Europe’s EV market.
Source: China State Council Information Office
Dutch semiconductor equipment manufacturer ASML saw a steep drop in its stock price for a second consecutive day on Wednesday, following a sharp fall on Tuesday.
The slide came after the company released its third-quarter 2024 financial results a day early, revealing a sharp decrease in orders.
ASML reported that third-quarter orders totaled approximately 2.6 billion euros (about 2.8 billion U.S. dollars), less than half of the 5.6 billion euros from the previous quarter. This disappointing performance triggered a major sell-off on Tuesday, causing ASML’s stock to plummet by nearly 124 euros, a 15.6 percent drop by the market’s close.
The downward momentum continued into Wednesday, with shares falling an additional 5.1 percent, ending the day at 633.9 euros.
Over the two days, ASML saw more than 60 billion euros in market value erased, leading to the loss of its status as the most valuable tech company in Europe. German software giant SAP SE has now claimed that title, with a market capitalization of approximately 259 billion euros. (1 euro = 1.09 U.S. dollars)
Source: China State Council Information Office
China will introduce a slew of incremental measures to stabilize the property sector, Ni Hong, minister of housing and urban-rural development, told a press conference on Thursday.
The government will step up support for urban village and dilapidated housing renovation projects, Ni said, adding that China will complete the renovation of an additional 1 million such housing units by providing monetary compensation to residents.
The minister stressed all eligible real estate projects will be included in the “white list” mechanism and that their reasonable financing needs will be met through loans.
As of Oct. 16, loans approved for the “white list” real estate projects have reached 2.23 trillion yuan (about 313.11 billion U.S. dollars), Xiao Yuanqi, deputy head of the National Financial Regulatory Administration, said at the press conference.
It is expected that by the end of this year, the approved loan amount for “white list” projects will double to over 4 trillion yuan, Xiao said.
Under the “white list” mechanism launched in late January, local authorities are recommending that financial institutions provide financial support to eligible real estate projects.
The mechanism is part of China’s efforts to stabilize the sector weighed by debt problems and boost confidence in an industry that accounts for nearly 6 percent of the country’s GDP.
Source: China State Council Information Office
Clean energy growth and shifts in the global economy are poised to slow energy demand growth, bringing the world to a pivotal point where demand for fossil fuels will peak by 2030, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said on Wednesday.
In its World Energy Outlook 2024, the IEA emphasized that the clean energy growth is strong enough to meet the global increase in energy demand post-2030, entirely through renewable sources.
The IEA points out that an electrified, renewables-dominated energy system is far more efficient than traditional fossil fuel-based systems where much energy is lost as waste heat.
In 2023 alone, more than 560 gigawatts (GW) of new renewable energy capacity was added globally, with investments in clean energy projects nearing 2 trillion U.S. dollars annually – almost twice the amount being spent on new fossil fuel supply.
The report praised China’s contribution, noting that the country accounted for 60 percent of the new global renewable capacity in 2023. By the early 2030s, China’s solar PV generation is expected to surpass the current electricity demand of the entire United States.
Looking ahead, the IEA predicts that electricity demand will continue to grow rapidly, outpacing overall energy demand and marking a shift toward a more electrified global energy system.
However, despite this transition, liquefied natural gas (LNG) demand is expected to grow at a rate of over 2.5 percent annually through 2035, an upward revision from last year’s outlook and faster than the rise in overall gas demand.
The IEA also forecasts an easing of oil market pressures, with spare crude production capacity set to rise to 8 million barrels per day by 2030.
IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol noted that this potential surplus in oil and gas, dependent on geopolitical developments, could lead to a very different energy world than the one experienced during the recent global energy crisis.