China

It's at the end of the video (6m).

Tiktok is just the beginning.

Beijing, Mar 10 (Prensa Latina) The National People's Congress (Parliament) of China unanimously re-elected President Xi Jinping for another term and also appointed its new leaders and other senior State officials.

The almost three thousand deputies present at the annual session of the Congress ratified Xi Jinping at the head of the Central Military Commission.

Xi has served in those two posts for 10 years and has also been the General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) since 2012.

Han Zheng was elected Vice President, while Zhao Leji was appointed chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, along with another 14 vice presidents of the Committee.

After the voting, the President and the other officials swore loyalty to the Chinese constitution.

The new Prime Minister will also be appointed this weekend from among a number of members of CCP Politburo Standing Committee.

Since last weekend, the session in the National Assembly has been running parallel to that of the National People’s Congress to define China’s short- and mid-term socioeconomic course.

Both bodies are also examining initiatives to solve different problems, such as the challenges resulting from low birth rates and population aging.

Can anyone in Mainland China confirm if it's true that it's a half-day public holiday for women today?

Here in HKSAR it's just another day, except for some greeting card gifs over whatsapp

Thoughts?

An article explaining the composition and functions of a principle Chinese governmental organ, which has opened its national session today.

It shows there is still work to be done, but also that China does have a democratic model that is consultative and has mechanisms for dread back from the population.

say xi jinping's mental health begins to deteriorate because of his age. how would he be removed from office and replaced by a successor?

URUMQI, Feb. 27 (Xinhua) -- Per capita net income of populations lifted out of poverty in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region increased rapidly last year, up 12.1 percent to nearly 15,000 yuan (about 2,156 U.S. dollars), the information office of the regional government said.

The number of people lifted out of poverty with per capita net income of less than 10,000 yuan dropped by 72.9 percent from 950,000 at the end of 2021 to 257,100 at the end of 2022.

The region has been making efforts to increase income for those who have escaped poverty, such as promoting employment.

Last year, the region supported 35 counties, which have been lifted out of poverty, in fostering competitive industries in light of local conditions.

This year, Xinjiang will focus on building industrial clusters for grain, oil, cotton, textile and clothing, green organic fruits and vegetables, and high-quality livestock products; strengthen economic exchange and cooperation between areas that have escaped poverty in Xinjiang and other provincial-level regions; and foster new growth areas in rural areas.

LHASA, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- More trees and expanding grasslands have covered southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region over the years, thanks to central and local government's afforestation efforts, official figures showed.

As a pilot zone for high-altitude tree planting projects, the regional capital Lhasa has carried out various scientific research efforts since 2012.

Over the past decade, more than 30 species suitable for planting on the plateau have been screened and planted, according to Hu Zhiguang, deputy director of the regional forestry and grassland bureau.

In 2021, the largest afforestation project in Tibet was launched. According to the plan, the project is expected to complete afforestation of about 2.07 million mu (137,800 hectares) by 2030.

After completion of the project, the annual increase of newly-added water storage will reach 49.8 million tonnes, carbon sequestration 229,100 tonnes, and oxygen release 193,000 tonnes, respectively, which will create an annual ecological value of over 1.48 billion yuan (about 215.4 million U.S. dollars).

With an average altitude of 4,500 meters, Nagqu on the northern Tibetan plateau was once the only city in China without trees. Following nearly 20 years of exploration, scattered trees have survived and are growing in the yards of some government departments and next to some roads.

The central government has since 2012 invested an accumulated 12.7 billion yuan in building an ecological security barrier in Tibet, according to Shui Yanping, deputy director of the regional department of ecology and environment, adding that the forest coverage rate increased to 12.31 percent, while the comprehensive vegetation coverage of grassland reached 47.14 percent.

Statistics show that in 2022, Tibet completed afforestation of some 1.18 million mu and restored over 4.37 million mu of degraded grassland, with 50 percent of its land area classified under ecological protection.

Beijing has expressed national-security concerns related to the SpaceX network

Chinese researchers are preparing to launch close to 13,000 satellites into a low-earth orbit, in a move which would dwarf – and potentially monitor – Elon Musk’s SpaceX ‘Starlink’ network, which first launched in 2019 and provides satellite internet access to 50 countries.

The project, which is codenamed ‘GW’ and is being led by associate professor Xu Can of the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) Space Engineering University in Beijing, will see 12,992 satellites operated by the China Satellite Network Group Co launched into orbit, and is designed to improve communications efficiency.

The launch schedule remains unknown but the team led by Xu said that they plan to deploy them “before the completion of Starlink.” They added that this would “ensure that our country has a place in low orbit and prevent the Starlink constellation from excessively pre-empting low-orbit resources.”

The projected number of ‘GW’ satellites would surpass Starlink’s current total of around 3,500. SpaceX plans to have 12,000 devices in its constellation of satellites by 2027, with that figure eventually rising to 42,000.

Xu’s team elaborated that they would place their satellites into “orbits where the Starlink constellation has not yet reached” and that they would “gain opportunities and advantages at other orbital altitudes, and even suppress Starlink.”

The ‘GW’ network could also be equipped with technology to provide “long-term surveillance of Starlink satellites,” the team of researchers added.

Xu and his team also suggested that the Chinese government could form an anti-Starlink coalition with various other governments which would “demand that SpaceX publish the precise orbiting data of Starlink satellites.”

Chinese military figures have previously expressed concern at the national security implications posed by SpaceX’s satellites, and called for the development of “hard kill” technology “to destroy the constellation’s operating system” should it be necessary.

China’s efforts to counter Starlink come amid growing concerns about the potential military applications of the global satellite network. The technology has been used to bolster communications by Ukrainian military forces throughout its conflict with Russia – though SpaceX took steps earlier this month to restrict its use in controlling military drones in the country.

Dear God why?!?!?!!

The country has substantially increased its renewable capacities

China has begun construction of a large-scale green hydrogen project that will use solar and wind power in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, according to Sinopec Group, the country’s biggest oil refiner.

The company expects the project, its second green hydrogen enterprise, to produce 30,000 tons of green hydrogen and 240,000 tons of green oxygen annually.

According to Xu Zhendong, executive director of the Inner Mongolia branch of Sinopec Star Petroleum, the green hydrogen and green oxygen produced there will be transported via pipelines to a pilot coal deep-processing project to replace part of what is produced using the existing coal-to-hydrogen method.

Inner Mongolia is currently one of China’s biggest coal-mining regions but is set to become a renewable energy hub. Although China still relies heavily on its large coal industry, it is hoping to make a gradual transition to renewable alternatives and achieve decarbonization over the coming decades. The country is planning to become carbon neutral by 2060 following a peak in carbon emissions in 2030.

Hydrogen is considered green since it is produced from renewables, such as solar and wind sources, and does not result in carbon dioxide emissions.

After becoming fully operational, the project is expected to reduce annual carbon dioxide emissions by some 1.43 million tons. That is equivalent to planting around 825,000 trees, according to Xu.

China is the world’s largest producer of hydrogen, though most of it is currently produced from coal. The country’s annual output is expected to reach up to 200,000 tons of hydrogen – thanks to renewables – in order to cut carbon dioxide emissions by up to two million tons by 2025.

Builders of Fangchenggang-Dongxing railway, an important railway linking China and Vietnam, said about 90 percent of the construction of the railway has been completed. They expected it to be fully completed before the end of the year.

It wouldn't let me upload more than one picture, but the link has everything!

This aerial photo taken on Feb. 21, 2023 shows the Fuzhou South Railway Station under construction in Fuzhou, southeast China's Fujian Province. The 277-km railway runs along southeast China's coastline and crosses over three major bays on gigantic bridges. It's the country's first sea-crossing high-speed railway. With a designed speed of 350 km per hour and eight stations along the route, it is expected to slash the travel time between the two cities to just one hour. (Xinhua/Lin Shanchuan)

Equipped with a hydrogen fuel cell and a low-pressure hydrogen storage device, the only waste produced by this environmentally friendly bicycle is water! Join us at the Chinese enterprise behind this exciting prototype to learn more.

Up to 200 soldiers will reportedly head to the island to train its military against a hypothetical “Chinese invasion”

Washington is planning to send between 100 and 200 troops to Taiwan “in the coming months,” the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday, citing anonymous officials. The personnel will be tasked with training the Taiwanese military against what was described as a “rising threat from China.”

The deployment will more than quadruple the US military presence on the island, according to the Journal. According to the Pentagon’s Defense Manpower Data Center, there were 23 American soldiers in Taiwan as of autumn 2022.

These Americans have been acting as advisers and trainers for the US weapons and equipment sent to Taipei. The new troops will also train the Taiwanese in tactics “to protect against a potential Chinese offensive,” according to unnamed US officials.

There were also Taiwanese troops in the US, with “a contingent” training alongside the Michigan National Guard in the north of that state, the Journal reported. When reached for comment, the Pentagon said only that the US “commitment to Taiwan is rock-solid.”

“We don’t have a comment on specific operations, engagements, or training, but I would highlight that our support for, and defense relationship with, Taiwan remains aligned against the current threat posed by the People’s Republic of China,” Army Lieutenant Colonel Marty Meiners, a Pentagon spokesman, told the Journal.

The expanded training is intended to “thwart a possible invasion by China,” and has been planned for months, long before this month’s incident with the Chinese “spy balloon,” officials who spoke to the Journal said. They also don’t believe it amounts to “anywhere close to a tipping point” for Beijing.

“One of the difficult things to determine is what really is objectionable to China,” one official said.

China has repeatedly warned the US against arming Taiwan and warned Washington to abide by the treaties and agreements governing their relationship. The US used to recognize Taipei as the “Republic of China” but switched that recognition to Beijing in 1978, adopting a One-China policy.

Taiwan has been a point of contention between China and the US since 1949, when the Communists won the civil war against the Kuomintang. The Americans helped evacuate the defeated nationalists to the island, which was liberated in 1945 from 50 years of Japanese rule.

The People’s Republic of China has pointed to Taiwan’s status as Chinese territory for over 200 years before it was ceded to Japan as a war trophy in 1895. Beijing seeks to reunite what it calls a renegade island with the mainland, preferably by peaceful means.

SHENZHEN, Feb. 22 (Xinhua) -- China's southern metropolis of Shenzhen will build 10,000 5G base stations in 2023, local authorities have said.

By the end of 2023, the 5G base stations will be distributed at a density of 42 per 10,000 people and 37 per square km in the city, according to an action plan issued by the municipal industry and information technology bureau.

Since 2019, Shenzhen has constructed over 65,000 5G base stations, with over 10 million 5G users, said the plan.

As a frontrunner in China's high-tech industrial development, Shenzhen boasts a host of Chinese startups and tech heavyweights, including Huawei and Tencent.

The ties between the two countries can “withstand” global challenges, Foreign Minister Wang Yi believes

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Tuesday that the bond between the two countries was strong and stable. During his visit to Moscow, the diplomat met with Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolay Patrushev to discuss “mutually beneficial cooperation in all fields.”

“China-Russia relations are mature in character and rock solid, able to withstand the challenges of the volatile international situation,” Wang stressed. He added that the countries were ready to defend their national interests and dignity.

Patrushev responded to Wang by saying the relations between Moscow and Beijing had “inherent value” and “were not swayed by outside trends.” He added that a strategic partnership with China was a priority for Russia as both countries were devoted to creating “a more just world order.”

According to Wang, the two countries, as members of the United Nations Security Council, are responsible for “keeping the peace on the planet.”

Wang announced on Saturday during the Munich Security Conference that China had a peace proposal for the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and that “some forces might not want to see peace talks materialize.” He claimed he would present this plan at a later time.

Chinese leader Xi Jinping is also planning a visit to Moscow in the coming months for a summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin, as reported by WSJ, citing sources familiar with the plan.

Last week, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated that Washington had information that China was mulling over providing “lethal support” to Russia in the military operation in Ukraine and that this would have “consequences.” Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said during Monday's press briefing Beijing would “not accept the US’s finger-pointing or even coercion targeting China-Russia relations.”

The Chinese leader will use the visit to promote Beijing’s Ukraine peace plan, the outlet reported

Chinese President Xi Jinping will travel to Moscow for a meeting with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in the coming months, the Wall Street Journal claimed on Tuesday. Reports of the trip come as Beijing looks to take a leading role in resolving the conflict in Ukraine.

The visit will take place sometime in April or early May, the American newspaper said, citing “people familiar with the plan.” The sources claimed that Xi will use the summit with Putin to push for multiparty peace talks aimed at ending the fighting in Ukraine.

Successive rounds of peace talks failed last year, with Kiev abruptly withdrawing from negotiations in Istanbul in April. Russian officials and others elsewhere have claimed that Western powers pressured Ukraine into abandoning the talks, despite an agreement being close at hand.

Chinese Foreign MInister Wang Yi announced last week that Beijing will soon release a paper outlining its “position on the political settlement of the Ukraine crisis.” Wang said that the plan will respect the “territorial integrity and sovereignty” as well as the “legitimate security concerns” of both Russia and Ukraine.

However, the minister suggested that China’s push for peace may meet the same end as last year’s negotiations did, as “some forces might not want to see peace talks materialize,” in what was seen as a thinly-veiled reference to the West’s alleged intervention in Istanbul.

Wang arrived in Moscow on Tuesday, and the Wall Street Journal said he will discuss Xi’s visit with Russian officials. Wang is scheduled to meet Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Wednesday, but it is still unclear whether he will speak with Putin.

China has taken a relatively neutral stance on Ukraine, with its Foreign Ministry repeatedly calling for peace talks while labeling the US the “main instigator” of the conflict. Beijing has refused to join the Western-led sanctions regime against Russia, and has strengthened its trade ties with Moscow since the start of the military operation in Ukraine last February.

i can only hope that measures such as automation, ubi, and elderly care are accelerated in the decades to come.