As the world faces challenges from threats, disputes, and misunderstandings, we need to work together to showcase different cultures, learn about them, respect them, and learn from each one, said various scholars and experts at the 2024 Beijing Culture Forum on Thursday.

In his video speech, former French prime minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin said that the High-level People-to-people Exchange Mechanism between China and France has showcased the mutual respect between the two great civilizations.

As today's world grapples with threats and challenges, Chinese people, French people, or other people with good intentions "must ensure that culture powers cooperation. The world must choose cooperation instead of tension and confrontation," he said.

With a permanent theme of "Inheritance, Creativity, Mutual Learning," the forum has "Enhance Culture Exchanges for Common Progress" as its theme for this year. A main forum, six sub-forums, and 32 professional seminars and relevant cultural activities will be held during the three-day event.

Over 800 participants from home and abroad including Raffarin, Irina Bokova, former director-general of UNESCO and Yukio Hatoyama, former Japanese prime minister, held in-depth discussions on topics including mutual learning between civilizations and common progress, spiritual life and industrial development, cultural heritage protection and inheritance, and new cultural business forms and technology integration.

GCI, a shared solution

China's Global Civilization Initiative (GCI) has called for the upholding of the principles of equality, mutual learning, dialogue, and inclusiveness among civilizations. The initiative advocates respect for the diversity of civilizations, the common values of humanity, the importance of inheritance and innovation of civilizations, as well as robust international people-to-people exchanges and cooperation.

From languages to customs, history… All of these elements make up cultural diversity, which is the basis for mutual respect among people of all countries and influences international relationships.

"That's the reason why France and China decided to take turns hosting the Sino-French Cultural Forum," Raffarin explained.

Christine Cayol, French vice president of the Sino-French Cultural Forum, told the Global Times that she has been expecting the upcoming forum, to be held in the French city of Deauville in November this year, which aims to "share our mutual perspective about transmission."
Thanks to GCI's ideas of mutual learning and exchanges, she said she had the chance to attend the forum twice together with other guests.

"It is not a political or financial forum, but a cultural one. It is very special and even more precious," she said.

In contrast to the Western claims of the "superiority of certain civilizations and a clash of civilizations," China has called for the upholding of the principles of equality, mutual learning, dialogue, and inclusiveness among civilizations. It emphasizes the importance of cultural exchanges transcending estrangement, mutual learning transcending clashes, and coexistence transcending feelings of superiority.

Robert Walker, a fellow at the Academy of Social Sciences in the UK, told the Global Times that the world "is experiencing enormous tensions. We have to work together to solve common problems" as well as hosting events like the Beijing Culture Forum, a platform for people to share and communicate.

Alexandros Modiano, chairman of the West-East Urban Governance Institute in Greece said, "Culture is a slippery, but yet very safe place to invite people from different horizons to be together [and] understand each other. And when we understand each other, we ­appreciate each other. We learn from our differences, and we are richer every day, because we understand how complementary our own culture is vis-à-vis Chinese culture."

Positive trajectory

The Report on China's Cultural Exchanges with the World was released at the forum on Thursday. Based on publicly available documents, data, and case studies from various institutions, it is the result of research on China's cultural exchanges with the world in 2023.

The report reveals that, in the face of challenges and opportunities, cultural exchanges between China and other countries in 2023 showed a rapid recovery and a positive trajectory, thanks to a focus on balancing security and development while prioritizing cooperation and mutual benefit. Such exchanges not only expanded in scale quickly approaching pre-pandemic levels, but also became more diverse in form, innovative in approach, and more in-depth in dialogue, entering a new phase of high-quality development.

As China's cultural center, Beijing has played an important role in such exchanges and seen so many foreign visits and people-to-people exchanges. Irina Bokova has been to Beijing, a historical city with a long history, many times. In her speech, she introduced the city's cultural and creativity resources.

In 2012, she witnessed the moment when Beijing joined the UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN) as a City of Design for its sci-tech and cultural innovation. In July, Beijing Central Axis: A Building Ensemble Exhibiting the Ideal Order of the Chinese Capital was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, becoming China's 59th World Heritage Site.

A series of activities and events to promote Beijing's cultural achievement and preservation work will be held during the forum.

China leads the 2024 Paris Summer Paralympics medal table with 20 gold medals and 42 total medals as of Sunday (local time). Since the end of the second day of competition, Chinese athletes have set six new world records.

Behind every medal won by the athletes is an unyielding and inspiring story, and more importantly, a persistent pursuit of their dreams.

"The greatness of the Paralympic athletes lies in their extraordinary perseverance and resolve in the face of physical challenges. Their stories inspire the world, demonstrating the limitless potential of human capability," Luo Le, a sports scholar at the Beijing University of Chemical Technology, told the Global Times.

In the swimming events, Chinese swimmer Guo Jincheng competed in three consecutive finals. After winning a silver medal and breaking the Asian record in the men's S5 100m freestyle final, he and his teammates netted a gold medal in the mixed 4x50m freestyle relay final, fulfilling his Paraympic gold medal dream.

During the training period for the Paris 2024 Paralympics, Guo intensified his training with each session exceeding 10,000 meters in the pools. "Despite the high intensity, he never complained of fatigue. I know it's the dream of the Paralympics that motivates him," said Liu Zhenzhai, Guo's coach.

"To practice breath-holding, I pushed myself to the limit each time, often until nearly suffocating before taking a breath," Guo said.

He practiced breathing techniques with a basin of water at night after daytime pool sessions, gradually extending his breath-holding time from one minute to nearly two, and reducing his breathing intervals in the pool from three times to once per 50 meters.
'My own hero'

Guo lost both arms in an accident when he was only five years old, but this did not deter him from pursuing his dreams. Since joining the swim team at age 12, Guo has trained nearly every day, dedicating six hours daily to the sport without interruptions. Even after training, he would study videos of top swimmers in the world, in order to improve his own skills in the pool.

Guo has learned to use his feet for tasks typically performed by hand, such as using chopsticks. He said, "What hands can do, feet can do too; what others can do, I can do too. I want to be my own hero."

"Paralympic athletes not only excel in sports but also demonstrate extraordinary spirit in everyday life, facing challenges with courage and a relentless pursuit of self-improvement," Luo noted.

In Para Taekwondo women's K44 -57kg final on Saturday, China's Li Yujie defeated her opponent with a score of 11:0, claiming China's first Paralympic taekwondo gold medal. Like Guo, Li lost her right hand in an accident when she was young.

"I treat every match at the Paralympics as if it's my last, aiming to achieve the results I desire," Li said. Her lifelong passion for sports and rigorous training have led to her outstanding achievements in national and international competitions.

Li previously told the media that she hopes to make more people understand disabled sports and let more people know that disabled people are not a burden but are doing their best to achieve excellence.
Family support

"Paralympic athletes need targeted training methods and techniques to overcome all kinds of challenges, while maintaining a positive mind-set and strong willpower. Family support, professional coaching, and societal encouragement are key factors in their career success," Luo told the Global Times.

On the Paralympic stage, China's table tennis team remains a "dream team," with 19-year-old Huang Wenjuan and 16-year-old Jin Yucheng winning the gold medal in the women's doubles WD14 class final.

"My partner performed with a 'big heart' today, and I also felt that I achieved that feeling," Huang said in an interview after winning the tough match.

Born with congenital deformities, Jin faced severe disabilities in her limbs and knees. At two years old, she could not even place her feet normally. Her parents sought medical help and she underwent rehabilitation and surgery, enabling her to walk at three years old. To aid her recovery, her mother enrolled her in a local table tennis training program at age 11 and later sent her to a more specialized program in Chongqing at 12.

Despite grueling training that sometimes left her in tears, Jin's mother, Li Xiaoyong, provided unwavering support and encouragement. She helped Jin persist through the challenges of training with a disability, even as her hands developed thick calluses from gripping the paddle. Li Xiaoyong gently encouraged her daughter to persevere, making the sacrifices worthwhile.

This familial support has been a cornerstone of Jin's success. Besides her family, the schools, teachers, and societal support have also played crucial roles. Jin's middle school teacher, Zhu Lin, noted her boundless energy despite her small frame.

Luo concluded that the special athletes, through persistence and effort, have tried to achieve their dreams in adversity.

"Their stories inspire more people with physical disabilities, teaching them not to give up but to bravely pursue their life goals. The positive energy is vital for achieving personal excellence," Luo noted.

Editor's Note:

"Read ten thousand books, and your pen will be guided as if by the gods" is an ancient Chinese idiom that can be seen in students' textbooks. China's Ministry of Education has published an action plan to further promote reading among students across the nation. With new and diverse book recommendations, the reading scene is expected to be revived not only at schools, but also across society.

To contribute to this endeavor, the Global Times launched the "My Reading Life" essay contest for middle school students.

Please pick up a pen and share your stories with us at reading@globaltimes.com.cn Participants will be rewarded once the article has been selected.

Birds who want to fly first need to flutter their wings, people who seek progress first need to read. In today's society, many people love reading books very much, and I'm no exception. During the summer vacation, I read Red Star Over China, and it attracted me a lot because of the story of the Red Army. 

It was written by Edgar Snow, a reporter from the US. It tells us about his interview in the revolutionary base area in northwest China from June to October 1936. Snow gave the whole world a true account of China and the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, as well as many of its leaders and generals. 

I think the most impressive plot in the whole book is the strategic migration of the Red Army. It describes the event of the Long March in beautiful language from a first-person perspective. During the Long March, the Red Army met plenty of difficulties, such as the Kuomintang's pursuit and interception, snowy mountains and grasslands with harsh conditions, and so on.

The quality reflected by this event is the spirit of the Long March. The spirit of the Long March is a belief that is extremely loyal to revolutionary ideals and cause, the spirit of the Long March is  proletarian optimism that is not afraid of sacrifice and dares to win, the spirit of the Long March is a noble character that takes into account the overall situation, strictly abides by disciplines, and is closely united. 

All of those constitute the great Long March spirit. While I was reading the book, every time I thought of this spirit, it gave me a great inspiration. The great spirit of perseverance showed by Red Army soldiers who overcame numerous difficulties and traveled over 25,000 li (12,500 kilometers) is worth learning from. 

The Long March is one of the wonders of humanity. In the military history of ancient and modern times, which army has gone through such a long march under such difficult and harsh conditions? Which army could face the journey of life and death without losing heart, and march toward victory with greater unity and pride? Only the Red Army led by the Communist Party of China.

Their patriotism reflects the pure heart of every modern fighter - no matter what kind of test they undergo, they can always maintain their originalaspiration; demonstrates the tenacious will of those who strive - being able to persevere no matter what hardships they encounter; and embody the spirit of dedication of those who strive - no matter how many sacrifices they make, they have no regrets or grievances. 

My strong sense of patriotism has made me love this land. As a Chinese, living in the good environment created by those old revolutionaries has given me a sense of security and pride. 

The snow-capped mountains of the Long March are monuments composed of the remains of countless martyrs, guiding their comrades and people today to go forward along the way.

The author is a student at Beijing Wenhui Middle School

"Go, Paris Olympics!" Recently, in the training room of the French martial arts club "Oriental Martial Arts School," Fang Xiaofen, coach of the French national martial arts team, and her French students recorded a video together, cheering in Chinese to show their support for Chinese and French Olympic athletes.

"These students are happy to express their goodwill toward China in this way. Many of them are true 'China enthusiasts,'" Fang said with a smile.

Having taught martial arts in France for over 30 years, Fang has always used martial arts as a window for the French to understand China.

From participating in martial arts competitions to coaching the French national martial arts team, serving as an international martial arts referee, running her own martial arts clubs, and nurturing her daughter to carry on the martial arts tradition, Fang's journey in martial arts has been a process of building cultural bridges.

She said she has seen many French people fall in love with Chinese culture through practicing martial arts, so she hopes to continue helping more young French people understand and love martial arts.

A brilliant resume

Winning two gold medals in fist fighting and sword fighting techniques at the French Martial Arts Open, securing five consecutive championships at the French Martial Arts Championships, and taking home two gold medals for Yang and Chen-style tai chi at the Singapore International Martial Arts Competition, Fang has a brilliant resume shining with a collection of medals from various competitions.

Fang, born in Wenzhou, East China's Zhejiang Province, started practicing martial arts with her father at the age of 6. She pursued professional training at the Wenzhou Sports School before immigrating to France with her parents at the age of 20, but she never gave up on her passion for martial arts. After arriving in France, she immediately embarked on her martial arts journey.

"When I first arrived in France in 1988, wushu [martial arts] was still an unfamiliar term for many local French people. Some knew 'Chinese kung fu,' but they didn't understand the specifics of Chinese martial arts. In addition to practicing at local sports clubs, I also participated in various French martial arts competitions. My French wasn't very good at the time, but I wasn't afraid of losing - I saw it as an opportunity to prove my skills," Fang recalled. "I believed that only by achieving results in competitions could the French truly see the level of Chinese martial arts and appreciate its charm."

As she continued to compete, Fang gained a certain reputation in the French martial arts community. Her outstanding achievements also caught the attention of the French Ministry of Sports. In 2011, Fang was appointed coach of the French international martial arts team. During her tenure, the French team won four championships in events like broadsword and tai chi at the 2012 European Martial Arts Championships, raising the team's ranking to the top three in Europe. In the same year, the French team won the spear event at the World Junior Martial Arts Championships in Macao, China, marking France's first world championship in martial arts. In 2013, Fang was officially appointed as the head coach of the French national martial arts team.

When discussing her coaching achievements, Fang often focused more on the dedication and passion of French martial arts enthusiasts.

"Unlike practicing martial arts in China, the venues, facilities, and training conditions in France are relatively simple. But the local martial arts enthusiasts are highly motivated and train hard. As professional coaches, we help them maximize their physical strengths, design innovative moves, and develop their own style and competitive edge," said Fang.
Building bridge

Now 56, Fang not only coaches the French national martial arts team, but also serves as an international referee for the International Wushu Federation. She also runs several martial arts clubs with more than 200 students. In addition to her sports-related work, Fang is passionate about promoting martial arts to the French public through performances, exchanges, and free training programs at French schools.

"I've taught thousands of students at my martial arts clubs, including people of all ages and backgrounds, and most of them are French. They work in different jobs during the week, but on weekends, they gather at the martial arts clubs. Some even bring their whole families," Fang said. Her clubs offer various types of martial arts training, including long fist, southern fist, tai chi, swordsmanship, broadsword, spear, staff, baguazhang (the eight-diagram palm), yingzhaoquan (Eagle Claw boxing), and tanglangquan (Praying Mantis boxing), providing diverse options for French students.

Fang is often moved by the passion of the French students for martial arts. Some parents drive an hour each way just to bring their children to a one-hour practice session, and they never miss a week. Some martial arts enthusiasts have inspired their spouses, children, and even grandchildren to start martial arts, turning club practices into family activities. Some children have even learned many Chinese martial arts terms and fallen in love with the Chinese language. One elderly student developed a deep love for Chinese culture through tai chi and eventually became a tea ceremony master. In Fang's clubs, martial arts have become a bridge connecting French students to Chinese culture, and more and more French students are filled with admiration and goodwill toward China.

In 2018, Fang organized a group of her club students to visit her hometown for a martial arts exchange at the Wenzhou Sports School. Among the 10 participants were engineers, teachers, and doctors - all martial arts enthusiasts who fell in love with Chinese martial arts traditions, local delicacies like wonton and rice cakes, and explored the Wenzhou Museum. They even went shopping for traditional Chinese crafts to bring back to France as gifts for their friends.

"After returning to France, they enthusiastically introduced China to their friends, sharing stories about China's development, the friendliness of the Chinese people, and the richness of Chinese cuisine. They kept these fond memories of the trip in China and couldn't help but share them with others," Fang said. "One student told me that the trip was the best experience of his life. Hearing such high praise, I felt very touched."

Passing on tradition

Recently, at the College of Physical Education and Health of Wenzhou University, Fang, accompanied by her 17-year-old daughter, martial arts enthusiast Fang Lefang, engaged in a lively martial arts exchange with the university's martial arts team. Together, they practiced tai chi, southern fist, and Shaolin fist. As a professional martial arts coach and referee, Fang praised the students' dedication and politeness, which she said are integral to the spirit of Chinese martial arts.

"Martial arts keep people energetic and help them become more confident and courageous. These are the valuable qualities I hope my daughter can acquire through martial arts practice," said Fang.

Born in 2007, Fang Lefang grew up immersed in martial arts under her mother's guidance. Over the past two years, she has made her mark in various international martial arts competitions, winning one silver and two bronze medals at the World Traditional Kung Fu Championships and one gold and one silver at the European Traditional Wushu Championships. She also claimed the gold medal at a French youth tai chi competition. Fang believes her daughter's connection with martial arts developed naturally.

"Lefang has always lived in France, and my husband is French, but I've always hoped she wouldn't forget the 'Chinese cultural gene' inside her," Fang said. She has taught her daughter Chinese from a young age, guided her in learning Chinese martial arts, sent her on "root-seeking" trips to China, and arranged for her to study and train in martial arts in Wenzhou for a full year. Fang hopes that her daughter will carry forward the cultural roots of the Chinese nation.

Now a member of the French Association of Second-Generation Chinese Entrepreneurs, Fang Lefang will participate in the upcoming World Tai Chi Championships in Singapore. "Through competing in martial arts around the world, she has become more independent and confident. No matter how far her martial arts journey takes her, I believe this experience will be a lifelong spiritual asset for her," Fang said. "Perhaps one day, my daughter, my club students and I will all appear together in the arena. Martial arts keep me feeling young and passionate. I look forward to participating in competitions with my students even when I'm 60 years old."

If you asked people about artificial intelligence (AI) 10 years ago, most wouldn't have understood its meaning. Today, however, AI has been gradually integrated into all aspects of daily life in China, such as travel, retail, medical, entertainment, logistics and other services sectors.

Analysts have noted that the acceleration of digitalization and expanded intelligence applications in the services industry have become a new trend, driven largely by advancements in AI technologies.

Industry insiders that a more extensive and faster digital transformation of the services industry is essential to ensure broader benefits for the public. In the future, thousands of industries are expected to be empowered by AI, and originally expensive services will also go to the public and serve daily life.

In fact, several AI-powered service examples were showcased at the just-concluded 2024 China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) in Beijing.

Deep integration

For example, AI has already assisted many people in job seeking in China. At the 2024 CIFTIS, Alipay unveiled an AI-powered public employment robot named Xiaogu, designed to support the intelligent transformation of employment services.

According to existing regional data, the matching rate of people and job posts has been increased by at least 10 times, the Global Times learned from Alipay.

While AI-powered services like this may go unnoticed by many, the application of AI technologies in sectors such as tourism and gaming is more visible.

The integration of AI with scenic spots is creating a new and enhanced travel experience.

For example, in the scenic area of Mount Huangshan in East China's Anhui Province, an AI escort service has been implemented, and it was showcased at the 2024 CIFTIS.

An AI-powered application can recommend services throughout the entire journey, such as tour guides, taxi bookings, and food options, based on tourists' spatial positioning, the Global Times has learned.

"AI technologies can empower digital creative content production, and the digital content can be combined with the natural scenes within the scenic spots using augmented reality (AR) technology carriers, such as AR glasses," Chen Xi, a vice president of Rokid, a Hangzhou-based AR tech startup, told the Global Times on Friday.

AR is a technology that enhances or provides additional information about what people see in physical reality through digital images, sounds, and text. AI enhances AR by enabling it to recognize and augment the real world more effectively.

"In addition to immersive travel experience realized through AR technology, we also created some treasures hunting games with the help of AR technology in the context of local culture to help people, especially the kids enjoy the travel," Chen said, noting that such applications will also largely improve travel experiences at night.

AI technologies have also been applied in museums. Many global tourists visit exhibition halls using AR technologies in Chinese museums, enhancing the quality of their travel experience, as AI helps remove some barriers such as in language, Tian Feng, dean of SenseTime's Intelligence Industry Research Institute, told the Global Times on Friday.

Chen said that Rokid uses AI to do recognition of exhibits, and then uses AR technology to make the text explanation of the museum visual in about 200 museums in China.

OUTPUT, a Shanghai-based new digital content operation platform, has created digital content and scenario-based experience works in conjunction with Beijing's Palace Museum and Shanghai's Yuyuan Garden.

"We have helped showcase the treasures of the Palace Museum digitally in Singapore and participated in the Yuyuan Garden Lantern Festival in Paris and Shanghai to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and France," Liu Yinmeng, founder and CEO of OUTPUT, told the Global Times.

Further development

"The development of AI technologies will bring great change and opportunity to many industries, such as tourism, sport and gaming," Tian said.

"AI Plus" was mentioned in the Government Work Report for the first time in 2024, saying that China will launch an AI Plus initiative, and build digital industry clusters with international competitiveness and will also promote the digitalization of the service sector.

"AI Plus" will serve as a key driving force, deeply integrating with industries such as healthcare, education, and cultural tourism, and promoting the transformation and upgrading of traditional industries, Wang Peng, an associate research fellow at the Beijing Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Sunday.

In 2023, China unveiled a plan for the overall layout of the country's digital development, which included support for the in-depth integration of digital technology and the real economy and the application of digital technology in the agriculture, manufacturing, finance, education, medical services, transportation and energy sectors.

China has experienced rapid development in the creative industry, also known as the orange industry, industry observers said on Friday at the Orange Industry and Sustainable Investment Forum, a sub-forum of the 2024 CIFTIS.

The UN defines the creative economy as cycles of creating, producing, and distributing goods and services that use creativity and intellectual capital as primary inputs.

According to UNCTAD, in 2020, China was by far the largest exporter of creative goods, at a reported value of $169 billion. As the service sector has gained prominence in the creative industries, China's creative service exports have grown from $59 billion in 2020 to $67 billion in 2022.

With the rapid advancement of key technologies such as AI, big data, cloud computing, and 5G communication in the country, China's orange industry is benefiting from strong technical support and is gradually moving toward a leading position globally, Liu said.

"In the coming years, China's orange industry is expected to see significant growth. Technological innovation, market demand and policy support will promote the orange industry to become an important force in China's economic diversification," Liu noted.

Analysts have noted that the orange industry exemplifies creativity and innovation, aligning closely with China's pursuit of an innovation-driven development strategy and the cultivation of high-quality new productive forces.

Editor's Note:

Friendly exchanges between China and Africa have enjoyed a long history and have deepened in recent years, covering various fields such as politics, the economy, and culture. The Global Times is launching a China-Africa Rhapsody series, aiming to showcase the profound human connections and development visions between the two peoples by sharing the true stories of Chinese people in Africa and African people in China. From touching stories of China-Africa cooperation and exciting collisions of youthful ideas, to debunking fallacies concocted by some Western sources about the China-Africa collaboration, this series hopes to promote closer cooperation and deeper understanding between the peoples of China and Africa.

In this installment, we turn our attention to Chinese agricultural experts who have been actively collaborating with African countries to improve local rice cultivation techniques, significantly boosting agricultural productivity. This cross-continental partnership exemplifies a commitment to global food security and highlights the importance of international cooperation in fighting against hunger and achieving sustainable agricultural development.

Around 733 million people - meaning one in 11 people worldwide - had to go to bed hungry in 2023, with a significant number from Africa where one in five individuals face this plight, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations' latest figures.

In the face of this persistent challenge, the cycle of hunger and poverty continues to deepen, exacerbating the issue. To combat chronic hunger in Africa, Chinese professor Xu Jianlong at the Crop Science Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences has embarked on a mission to fight against hunger by empowering smallholder farmers and households to boost their agricultural production.

Since 2008, Xu, together with a group of Chinese researchers, has managed to use genetic molecular research to breed Green Super Rice (GSC) that can be grown in the resource-poor regions of Africa, with support from the Chinese government and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

When it comes to solving the difficult problem of hunger and alleviating poverty, China is undoubtedly a good forerunner. The country announced in 2021 that extreme poverty had been eradicated and it has lifted nearly 800 million people out of poverty over the last four decades. Agricultural development was used as an effective way to lift people out of poverty. Therefore, China has valuable lessons to share.

According to Xu, they have been busy breeding different GSR varieties to adapt to different ecological environments. In Africa, for example, the GSR varieties need to be more resilient to drought and high temperatures.

"It's important to teach them 'how to breed rice' instead of just 'giving them rice,'" Xu told the Global Times.

One step further
Over the last decade, Xu and his colleagues have successfully developed 236 excellent rice varieties, with nearly 6,000 imported materials being tested and screened in different countries in Africa and Asia. Ninety-six GSR varieties have been approved or registered, with a promotion area of 6.12 million hectares, helping farmers increase their income by $1.4 billion, Xu introduced.

During his work in Africa, he noticed that farmers living in remote and scattered areas have difficulties accessing good quality seeds, which greatly influenced their rice yields.

"People often say that a single seed can change the world. We believe that it is more important to get these seeds into the hands of smallholder farmers, plant them in the soil, and only then can there be subsequent harvests and celebrations," he said.

It is for this reason that Xu is collaborating with the Gates Foundation to jointly decide on the next step forward after developing GSR. In September 2021, they launched a program to promote the construction of the rice seed industry system in West African countries through a dual-track approach, from upstream breeding and seed production to downstream seed promotion and marketing, forming a complete chain. They first piloted the scheme in West African countries and established rice demonstration areas in Nigeria and Mali.

To appeal to local farmers, they first rented large demonstration farmlands to plant the developed GSR and the most widely planted local varieties side by side. When the rice matured, they invited nearby small-scale farmers to witness the harvest of both types of rice. They weighed the results on the spot, showing that the hybrid rice varieties could increase yields by more than 50 percent.

"The farmers were amazed. Furthermore, we distributed seeds for free on-site, giving two pounds to each invited farmer, encouraging them to plant the seeds," Xu said.

For West African farmers, their primary concern is yields, so Xu's team brought high-yielding and stress-resistant rice varieties for local cultivation. But after actual inspections, they found that farmers also had their own preferences for rice taste, preferring long-grain aromatic rice. Therefore, they introduced hybrid rice varieties that are high-yielding, long-grain, and aromatic, which the farmers liked and more easily accepted.

However, the road has not been that smooth. In the GSR breeding project, they initially imported developed varieties from China to countries like Nigeria for testing, hoping to find seeds suitable for local cultivation in Africa. But African soil and climatic conditions are very different from China's, and out of 100 varieties they brought over for testing, only a few - one to two varieties - succeeded.

Besides, Xu noted that even the same rice variety, for example, may produce different results in experimental fields and farmers' fields due to differences in water and fertilizer conditions. Because smallholder farmers find it difficult to plant rice in the same way as in the experimental controls, optimally controlling all the water and fertilizer conditions and using the most suitable pesticides. Therefore, even if a variety can increase yields by up to 50 percent in experimental fields, it may only increase yields by 20 percent in farmers' hands, a difference that must be considered.

"It is important to start from reality. Like breeding work, projects must consider local temperature and light conditions and work in real environments," he said.

"We must always consider the actual situation in farmers' fields and their actual needs, which places more specific requirements on our breeding work," Xu told the Global Times.

Lesson to share

Over the last 40 years, China has made significant progress in agricultural development, which has not only ensured China's food security but also laid a strong foundation for the sustainable development of Chinese agriculture. This path of agricultural development that benefits smallholder farmers has great significance for Africa, where smallholder farmers are also the mainstay.

Xu told the Global Times that after finding the most appropriate seeds, it is more important to help locals master breeding and planting methods.

To do this, they worked closely with local technical experts to pass on breeding knowledge, hybrid rice seed production, and high-yield cultivation techniques, allowing them to achieve self-breeding and food self-sufficiency. They also went into the fields to observe how farmers planted rice and helped them find specific skills on how to water, fertilize, and spray pesticides during different rice growth seasons.

"Only by giving people the ability to sustain themselves can sustainable development be achieved," Xu said.

In addition to rice planting, China and Africa have established extensive cooperation in the agricultural sector under multiple mechanisms including the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

In an interview with the Xinhua News Agency, Felix Dapare Dakora, former president of the African Academy of Sciences, noted, "Learning from China is the right path." He hailed China's great achievements in solving food shortages through technological innovation and China's efforts to help Africa strengthen food security.

Recently, experts from the China Agricultural University participated in an international agricultural expo in Tanzania. The red slogans in both Chinese and English reading "Harvesting Festival for Small Technology Big Harvest" at the scene.

Li Xiaoyun, a professor at the China Agricultural University, told The Beijing News that they arrived in Tanzania 10 years ago and found that the local corn yield was very low. Traditional Chinese corn planting techniques could help local farmers increase their production rapidly without incurring higher investment costs.

Initially, they promoted the technology in one local village and now the program has been expanded to 10 villages, helping to increase local farmers' corn yield two- to five-fold. They also assisted local families in trying corn and soybean intercropping, producing soybeans, and making soy milk and other soy products by themselves, to solve the problem of nutritional deficiencies in the local area, read the report.

Meanwhile, the training of African experts is ongoing. According to the China Agricultural University website, the "China-Africa Science and Technology Backyard" is a China-Africa agricultural education project launched in 2019, implemented by the China Agricultural University, which recruits agricultural students from Africa to study in China.

It uses China's agricultural experience to help Africa cultivate high-quality agricultural talents and promote the development of African agriculture. The project has experimental bases in Quzhou County, Hebei Province, and Malawi. Over the last six years, the project has recruited 91 agricultural talents from 12 countries in Africa. These students have also become builders and witnesses of the deepening cooperation between China and Africa. The feedback from farmers showed that they have benefited a lot from the training, which greatly increased their production yields, according to the university.

Xu's lab also provided advanced training regarding GSR breeding techniques to about 942 scientists and technicians from 15 countries and this training program continues to expand.

"The use of Chinese technology to ensure food security in developing countries is of great importance to BRI construction and the building of a global community of shared future," Xu said, eyeing the promotion of techniques to help African farmers in more countries in the future.

China's Ministry of Finance (MOF) and the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) on Friday announced "maximum" penalties on global auditing firm PwC over its failure to perform due diligence in its audit of Evergrande's annual reports and bond issuances, including a total fine of 441 million yuan ($62.16 million) and a six-month business suspension on PwC's auditing unit.
Chinese experts said the move reflects the country's firm determination to enhance regulatory supervision to ensure market fairness and stability, and such an individual case will not affect China's continuous efforts in opening up to foreign businesses that abide by Chinese laws and regulations. 

In a statement, the CSRC said that an investigation found that PwC failed to perform due diligence in its audit of Evergrande's annual reports and bond issuances in 2019 and 2020, violated multiple auditing standards, and failed in many audit procedures. 

Specifically, the CSRC said audit working papers were distorted, and 88 percent of real estate project observation records were inconsistent with the actual implementation. On-site visit procedures also did not fulfill their purpose, as most of the real estate projects that were considered to have met delivery conditions during the visits were actually not completed or delivered, and some were just "pieces of vacant land."

PwC's behaviors are not just a simple audit dereliction and failure. It has, to a certain extent, covered up and even condoned Evergrande's financial falsification and fraudulent issuance of corporate bonds. It seriously eroded the foundation of law and integrity, seriously damaged the legitimate rights and interests of investors, seriously undermined market confidence, and should be severely punished in accordance with the law, the CSRC said. 

The CSRC imposed a "maximum fine" of 297 million yuan and confiscated a total of 27.74 million yuan in PwC's financial gains from the related business. 

In a separate announcement, the MOF also said that an investigation found that PwC knew misstatements in Evergrande's financial reports but failed to identified them, issued inappropriate audit opinions and false audit reports between 2018 and 2020. The ministry imposed a fine of 116 million yuan and suspended PwC's operations in China for six months. 

The MOF and the CSRC vowed to enhance regulatory supervision and ramp up crackdown on illegal activities to ensure stable market operations. 

Strengthened regulatory supervision is conducive to maintaining fairness, ensuring market order and promoting high-quality development, Cao Heping, an economist at Peking University, told the Global Times on Friday, adding that relevant efforts will also further improve the environment for businesses, including foreign companies. 

China's business environment for multinational companies is becoming increasingly optimized, which will help attract more foreign investment and promote sustainable economic development and provide a more standardized and secure environment for multinational companies to expand their businesses in China, Cao said.  

China has been continuously opening up its market for global businesses, and the Chinese market welcomes foreign businesses as long as they abide by Chinese laws and regulations, experts said.

The case against PwC will serve as an example that China regulates market entities in accordance to the law and aims to build a fair and just business environment for all types of businesses, Dong Shaopeng, a senior research fellow with the Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies at the Renmin University of China, told the Global Times on Friday. 

Meanwhile, foreign businesses continue to flock to the Chinese market. In the first seven months of 2023, nearly 32,000 new foreign-invested enterprises were established in China, an increase of 11.4 percent year-on-year, according to official data.   

A farmer gathers harvested rice in Shajingwan village of Hengyang, Central China's Hunan Province, on September 12, 2024. To reduce the influence of heavy rainfall, the government of Hunan Province has been accelerating the rice harvest by deploying more harvesting machines and arranging grain purchases. Photo: VCG

Illustration: Liu Rui/GT

The clear and refreshing wind brings joy to all things, which is the best scenery of the year. From August 25 to 28, entrepreneurs and representatives of the multinational companys who participated in the international cooperation and communication meeting of Yancheng Zero Carbon Industrial Park, visited Yancheng Dafeng Deer Nature Reserve, Dongtai Tiaozi Ni Wetland, and Yining Energy Park, and embarked on a field visit and inspection tour, experienced the beauty of Yancheng's ecology and feeling the green transformation.

"This industrial park is really good, with complete infrastructure and advanced technology. You can feel elements such as 'green, low-carbon, and smart' everywhere in the park," exclaimed a foreign journalist who was visiting Yining Energy Science and Technology Innovation Industrial Park on August 28.

The park is an industrial agglomeration base and intelligent warehousing base for State Grid Yancheng Power Supply Company and Jiangsu Yining Energy Industry Group Co., Ltd. A total of 1.659 MW photovoltaic panels have been installed in the park, which can achieve an annual power generation of about 1.8 million kWh. The park has built a demonstration application project of 'regional source grid load storage integration' AC and DC microgrid, consisting of more than 20 smart system projects. Using the energy carbon big data model, a micro carbon smart energy control platform has been constructed.

By integrating clean energy sources such as wind, solar, and geothermal, it has been able to regulate a new energy installed capacity of 1.65 megawatts, and has cumulatively generated over 1.4156 million kilowatt hours of electricity, reducing carbon emissions by 1967.31 tons.

The "Micro Carbon Smart Energy" concept not only builds the park's own microgrid system, but also provides a good reference for the further development of green energy industry in Yancheng.

In 2023, Yineng Group successfully achieved the first case expansion and replication in the government built Sheyang Zero Carbon Industrial Park, which has built and operated an "energy carbon" dual control management platform, clarifying the green power supply structure of the park, conducting full factor carbon emission accounting, and building a safe, controllable, efficient, and diversified energy storage "zero carbon" ecosystem. The industrial park is expected to be officially put into operation by the end of September this year.

In addition, entrusted by the government of Yancheng, an industrial park have been designated as the core area, and a low and zero carbon demonstration island have been expanded outward. Multiple business formats such as zero carbon park, office, industry, residential and living facilities have been planned and constructed.

On January 10, Yineng Group. and Guangzhou Saibao Certification Center Service Co., Ltd. signed strategic partnership agreement. Nowadays, Yineng Group can act as an authoritative third-party organization to assist enterprises in carbon emission measurement and grant carbon neutrality certificates.

“We will continue to play a key role as a third-party certification body for carbon neutrality, providing strong support for the sustainable development of social enterprises, promoting the green transformation of the entire society. "said Wang Guoping, the person in charge of Yineng Group.

Basking in the wind, the green energy surges. Driving along the coastline of Yancheng, clusters of wind turbines rotate with the wind, and the beautiful scenery resources are gradually becoming green energy for development.

In the first quarter of this year, the cumulative power generation of new energy in Yancheng was 8.99 billion kilowatt hours, a year-on-year increase of 21.2 percent, accounting for 29.2 percent of the province's new energy power generation and 75.1 percent of Yancheng's total social electricity consumption. It became the first city in East China to have new energy power generation accounting for three-quarters of the total social electricity consumption.

State Grid Yancheng Power Supply Company continuously promotes the transformation and upgrading of the backbone network and the coordinated development of main distribution and micro systems, enhancing the resilience and new energy consumption level of the backbone network.

In March of this year, the "Distributed New Energy Resource Aggregation Platform" led by State Grid Yancheng Power Supply Company was officially launched.It provides accurate load data and the accuracy of busbar load forecasting has been improved from 92 percent to 96 percent.

In order to ensure the efficient consumption of massive new energy electricity, Yancheng Power Supply Company is accelerating the construction, in order to meet the large-scale new energy full consumption demand in the region and simultaneously achieve efficient transmission of surplus electricity. It is expected that after completion, the annual new energy power generation in Yancheng area will increase by over 80 billion kilowatt hours.

However, the seasonal intermittency and volatility of new energy sources such as wind power and photovoltaics have brought new challenges to the power grid. On July 12, the largest new energy storage project in the province, the Yuanjing Sheyang 250000 kW/500000 kWh energy storage power station, was connected to the grid. So far, all 8 new energy storage projects on the grid side included in the power system planning in Yancheng area have been put into operation, with a total scale of 1.51 million kilowatts/3.02 million kilowatt hours, ranking first in the province.

The 500 kV Heqi substation connected to this project is the intersection of 700000 kW offshore wind power transmission. More than one-third of the green electricity can be stored inthe Yuanjing Sheyang Energy Storage Station. It is expected that the annual peak shaving and valley filling electricity can reach about 240 million kWh, which will effectively improve the power supply and new energy consumption capacity.

Yancheng is currently promoting a 400000 kW grid side energy storage projects that has been included in the plan.After putting into operation by 2025, the scale of the regional energy storage cluster will reach 1.91 million kW/4.12 million kWh, "said Cheng Shidong, staff of the Development Department of State Grid Yancheng Power Supply Company.

On July 26, 2019, at the 46th UNESCO World Heritage Committee Meeting held in New Delhi, the Chinese Yellow (Bohai) Sea Migratory Bird Habitat declared by China successfully passed the review of the Heritage Committee and were successfully included in the The World Heritage List.

Wetland ecological restoration work should not only maintain the original appearance of wetlands, but also serve local economic development. State Grid Yancheng Power Supply Company has been involved since 2017, carrying out a series of work and gradually exploring a model of harmonious coexistence between power grid operation and wetland protection.

The Chuanshuiwan Coastal Wetland Restoration Project, is the first ecological restoration project carried out in a coastal heritage site in China. Among them, the relocation of 147 livestock farmers covering an area of 18000 acres is the top priority of the entire wetland renovation. State Grid Yancheng Power Supply Company actively contacted the local government and formulated a detailed plan for pole and line relocation based on the specific situation of the wetland, including the scope and methods of pole and line relocation. At the same time, it carried out publicity with livestock farmers on the progress of wetland restoration.

There are many similar cases in Yancheng, such as the restoration of the Yellow Sea wetland, the restoration of the Dazong Lake wetland, the restoration of the Jiulongkou wetland, and so on. With the continuous expansion of wetland areas, more and more birds choose to come and inhabit. Nowadays, Yancheng Wetland has 3308 species of living organisms and 442 recorded bird species, accounting for nearly one-third of the total in the country. Due to the increasing intersection between power facilities and birds, State Grid Yancheng Power Supply Company continues to carry out the protection of migratory birds and biodiversity under the framework of State Grid's "Migratory Bird Lifeline" public welfare project.

At the same time, State Grid Yancheng Power Supply Company, together with rescue stations, public security, forestry departments, and numerous social organizations, has established a joint rescue mechanism for the Oriental White Stork. Based on this mechanism, 11 Eastern White Storks have been successfully rescued and released from last year to this year, five of which are equipped with tracking rings with Beidou positioning function. It can be seen that the activity trajectory of the Oriental White Stork has traveled through Shandong, Tianjin, Liaoning and other places. The Oriental White Stork released into nature can smoothly adapt to wild life.

In addition, State Grid Yancheng Power Supply Company has also cooperated with local wetland management departments to carry out technical research and development. By using power big data and bird observation records, and comprehensively considering the location, height, historical nesting situation of iron towers, as well as the construction of iron towers within 5 kilometers of the surrounding area, a prediction model for nesting points of large birds such as the Eastern White Stork has been constructed. The tower locations where they may nest have been selected, and protective measures such as installing protective barriers have been taken in advance. By utilizing this system, the utilization rate of the line protection device can be increased by 70%, and the cost can be reduced by over 5 million yuan.

At the beginning of autumn, the coldness in the north is gradually emerging. Autumn migratory birds have arrived at wetlands in Yancheng one after another. They rest and forage here, preparing adequately for winter. Amid the blue sky and clear water, birds dance and soar freely, painting a new ecological picture.