“We will fully implement the trilateral memorandum,” Kristersson said at a joint press conference with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the capital Ankara.
“Sweden will take important steps with regards to the fight against terror,” he added.
Sweden plans to introduce new legislation by 2023 to fight terror groups, whether they pose risk to Sweden or Türkiye, the Swedish leader noted.
Kristersson said his country has designated the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) as a terrorist organization and his government was willing to support Türkiye in its fight against the group.
“Joining this alliance is a vital security issue for us. Being a NATO member means taking (security) responsibility for other allies,” he added.
Kristersson held talks with Erdogan on Tuesday in a bid to convince the Turkish leader to approve Sweden’s bid to join the NATO.
“Sweden wants NATO membership for its own security, and we want to see a Sweden that supports our own security concerns,” Erdogan said.
Finland and Sweden’s NATO bid was initially blocked by Ankara, which accused them of supporting anti-Türkiye groups as they rejected Ankara’s extradition requests for the suspects affiliated with the PKK and the Gulen movement.
On June 28, Türkiye, Sweden and Finland reached a trilateral memorandum of understanding (MoU) ahead of the NATO Madrid summit.
Sweden and Finland pledged to support Türkiye’s fight against terrorism and agreed to address Ankara’s pending deportation or extradition requests for terror suspects expeditiously and thoroughly.
Türkiye remains one of the two NATO members yet to ratify their accession, as Ankara has been complaining that the two countries have moved too slowly in fulfilling their commitments over the Turkish security concerns.
The PKK, listed as a terror organization by Türkiye, the United States and the EU, has been rebelling against the Turkish government for more than three decades.
The Gulen movement, led by the U.S.-based Muslim preacher Fethullah Gulen, has been accused by the Turkish government of masterminding the 2016 failed coup to topple Erdogan’s rule.
In an interview with the Italian newspaper La Repubblica, Podolyak said that a potential ceasefire deal at the current stage of the conflict would provide Russia with time to strengthen its positions.
“The ceasefire for Russia is a tactical pause for reinforcement,” Podolyak said.
While commenting on the reports that the representatives of the U.S. Pentagon and the Russian Defense Ministry are involved in talks, Podolyak said that “there are no negotiations between Russia and Western countries regarding Ukraine.”
“Our partners adhere to the principle of ‘nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine.’ Neither side will be able to ensure the implementation of agreements without the support of the Ukrainian people,” he said.
The Russia-Ukraine conflict started on Feb. 24.
Ukrainian and Russian negotiators held the latest round of face-to-face peace talks in Istanbul, Türkiye, on March 29.
“If we look at high-frequency indicators and the economic sentiment, we see that many things point to a contraction in economic activity this winter,” Gentiloni said at a press conference of the Eurogroup.
Paschal Donohoe, president of the Eurogroup, said everyone knows that the economy within the euro area is slowing down. In October, economic growth for the area stood at 0.5 percent.
The finance ministers, representing the 19-country euro area, met in Brussels on Monday to discuss the eurozone’s economic development, as well as budgetary measures to mitigate the impact of high energy prices.
According to estimates by the Commission, euro area governments have so far collectively spent about 200 billion euros, or 1.25 percent of the European Union’s (EU) gross domestic product (GDP), on energy support for the year.
Gentiloni said around 70 percent of the supporting measures adopted by the member states so far are untargeted, meaning “they benefit all, or a very large share, of the population.”
“We are aware of course that targeting is not always easy, politically and technically, especially if you have to react very quickly. This is also why we have the expectation that this targeting of measures can improve in the coming months,” he added.
Donohoe said the ministers noticed the challenges of significant supports and effectively managing the trade-off between reducing inflation, while supporting both vulnerable households and the euro area’s international competitiveness
Xi noted that Scholz is the first European leader to visit China after the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC), and that it is also his first visit to China as the Federal Chancellor.
Xi said the visit will further enhance the mutual understanding and trust between the two sides and deepen practical cooperation in various fields, and gives the two sides an opportunity to plan for the growth of bilateral ties going forward.
Xi stressed that China-Germany relations could not have reached today’s level without the extraordinary vision and political courage of generations of Chinese and German leaders, mentioning this year marks the 50th anniversary of China-Germany diplomatic relations.
The five-decade journey shows that as long as the two sides follow the principles of respecting each other, seeking common ground while reserving differences, maintaining exchanges and mutual learning, and pursuing mutually beneficial cooperation, bilateral ties will keep going in the right direction on the whole and making steady progress, he said.
Noting the complex and fluid international landscape, Xi underscored the need for China and Germany, two major countries with great influence, to work together in times of change and instability and contribute more to world peace and development. China will work with Germany for a future-oriented all-round strategic partnership and for new progress in China-Germany and China-Europe relations.
Xi briefed Scholz on the 20th CPC National Congress, with a particular focus on the essence of Chinese modernization. He pointed out that modernization is an aspiration and goal shared by people in all countries. That said, countries should choose their paths to modernization in light of their own national realities.
Xi said Chinese modernization has elements that are common to the modernization processes of all countries, but it is more characterized by features unique to the Chinese context, because of China’s unique national conditions, because of China’s social system and governance philosophy, and because of understanding gained through decades of endeavors toward modernization.
The president said China has been upholding and promoting world peace through its own development. In this process, the development of China and that of other countries have become more interconnected and mutually reinforcing. China will stay committed to advancing high-standard opening up, keep to the right direction in economic globalization, promote an open world economy, and expand converging interests with other countries.
Xi stressed that political trust is easy to destroy but difficult to rebuild and that it should be nurtured and protected by both sides. He cited a quote which former German Chancellor Helmut Schmidt used and which he appreciated, that political leaders should have the serenity to accept the things they cannot change, the courage to change the things they can change, and the wisdom to distinguish between the two.
“It is important that China and Germany respect each other, accommodate each other’s core interests, adhere to dialogue and consultation, and jointly resist disturbance from bloc confrontation and attempts to see everything through the prism of ideology,” Xi said.
He called on both sides to keep to the overall direction of bilateral ties from a strategic height, pursue the biggest common ground in a constructive manner, and advance practical cooperation with an open mind to create conditions for long-term and steady growth of bilateral ties.
“There should be no self-imposed restrictions or unrealistic expectations,” Xi said.
Noting the high degree of stability and consistency in China’s policy toward Germany, he called on Germany to follow a positive China policy for the mutual benefits of both countries.
Xi pointed out that over the past five decades, bilateral practical cooperation has kept deepening, with two-way trade growing by almost 1,000 times, serving economic and social development in both countries.
“The two sides should make the pie of common interests still bigger,” he said, adding that while exploring more cooperation potential in traditional areas, efforts should be made to energize cooperation in emerging fields such as new energy, artificial intelligence and digitalization.
China will work with Germany and Europe to further deepen aviation cooperation, conduct exchanges and cooperation on COVID-19, increase interactions and mutual learning on green development and ecological conservation, and encourage more people-to-people exchanges, he said, calling on Germany to join China in resisting protectionism so that the fruitful bilateral cooperation can deliver more benefits to the two peoples.
Xi pointed out that China-Europe relations bear on global stability and prosperity in Eurasia and should be maintained and developed with efforts from both sides.
Xi said China always regards Europe as a comprehensive strategic partner, supports the strategic autonomy of the European Union and wishes Europe stability and prosperity. China maintains that its relations with Europe are not targeted at, dependent on, or subjected to a third party.
The more complex and difficult the situation becomes, the more important it is for China and Europe to uphold mutual respect, mutual benefit, dialogue and cooperation, Xi said. “China will work with Germany and with Europe to step up coordination and cooperation in international affairs and jointly look for solutions for such global issues as climate change, biodiversity and food security.”
Scholz expressed his pleasure to visit China in a year that marks the 50th anniversary of Germany-China diplomatic relations and have an in-depth discussion with Xi on Germany-China relations and on important issues of mutual interest. He thanked Xi for the update on China’s development outlook.
He observed that in a complex and grave international landscape, Europe also faces unprecedented challenges. China is playing an important role on many global issues like climate change, biodiversity, COVID-19 response and food crisis. Germany wants to maintain communication and coordination with China to better safeguard regional and global peace and security.
Scholz said China is an important trading partner for Germany and for Europe as a whole. Germany firmly supports trade liberalization, supports economic globalization, and opposes decoupling. Germany stands ready for closer trade and economic cooperation with China, and supports more mutual investment by Chinese and German businesses.
Scholz said on issues where the two countries’ positions diverge, Germany is willing to exchange views with China to increase mutual understanding and trust, and stabilize, cement and grow bilateral ties. A multi-polar world is needed in which the role and influence of emerging countries can be taken seriously. Germany opposes bloc confrontation for which politicians should be responsible. Germany will play its role in furthering Europe-China relations.
The two leaders also exchanged views on the Ukraine crisis. Xi reaffirmed China’s support for Germany and Europe to play an important role in facilitating peace talks and to build a balanced, effective and sustainable security architecture in Europe.
Under the current circumstances, the international community should support all efforts conducive to the peaceful settlement of the Ukraine crisis and call on relevant parties to remain rational and exercise restraint, start direct engagement as quickly as possible, and create conditions for the resumption of talks; oppose the use of or the threat to use nuclear weapons, advocate that nuclear weapons cannot be used and that nuclear wars must not be fought, and prevent a nuclear crisis in Eurasia; work together to keep global industrial and supply chains stable and forestall disruption to international cooperation in energy, food, finance and other areas and consequent damage to global economic recovery, especially the economic and fiscal stability of developing countries; and make joint efforts to tide civilians in areas affected by the crisis through the winter, and improve the humanitarian situation to avoid a humanitarian crisis on a bigger scale.
After the meeting, Xi held a banquet for Scholz at the Golden Hall of the Great Hall of the People.
The number of ships leaving Ukraine’s ports reached 426, and the amount of grain transported exceeded 9.7 million tons, Akar said in a statement.
“We will intensify our efforts on the extension of the grain initiative, which will expire on Nov. 19,” he added.
The Turkish minister underlined that while using the model of consensus reached in the grain initiative, Türkiye wanted to establish a ceasefire and open the road to peace in the coming days between Russia and Ukraine.
Russia on Wednesday announced its return to the implementation of a grain export deal via the Black Sea, saying Ukraine has promised not to use the humanitarian corridor for military attacks.
The joint coordination center for the implementation of the Black Sea Grain Initiative on Tuesday received a written guarantee from Ukraine of not using the shipping route defined in the deal and Ukrainian ports designated for grain export to conduct military operations against Russia, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement.
The Ukrainian side officially assured that the maritime humanitarian corridor will be used only in accordance with the provisions of the grain export deal and related regulations of the joint coordination center, it added.
On July 22, Russia and Ukraine separately signed a document in Istanbul with Türkiye and the United Nations on grain and fertilizer exports from Ukraine and Russia to ensure supplies to global markets amid the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
Xi Jinping was elected general secretary of the CPC Central Committee at the first plenum of the 20th CPC Central Committee following the Party’s twice-a-decade national congress.
Greeted by rapturous rounds of applause, Xi led Li Qiang, Zhao Leji, Wang Huning, Cai Qi, Ding Xuexiang and Li Xi onto a red-carpeted stage at the Great Hall of the People.
They are members of the newly-elected Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee.
According to the Party Constitution, the highest leading bodies of the Party are the National Congress and the Central Committee which it elects. Between plenary sessions of the Central Committee, the Political Bureau and its Standing Committee shall exercise the functions and powers of the Central Committee.
The 20th CPC Central Committee was elected Saturday at the closing session of the 20th CPC National Congress.
Speaking to over 600 journalists from home and abroad, Xi hailed the congress as one that held high its banner, pooled all the strength, and promoted solidarity and dedication.
Xi expressed gratitude for the trust the whole Party has placed in the new central leadership.
“We shall keep in mind the Party’s nature and purpose and our own mission and responsibility, and work diligently in the performance of our duty, to prove worthy of the great trust of the Party and our people,” he said.
Xi said China, having completed its building of a moderately prosperous society in all respects, is now taking confident strides on a new journey to turn China into a modern socialist country in all respects.
That journey, one that is “filled with glories and dreams,” will see China advance toward the second centenary goal, and embrace the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation on all fronts through a Chinese path to modernization, Xi said.
In its two-step strategic plan, the CPC aims to basically realize socialist modernization from 2020 through 2035, and build China into a great modern socialist country that is prosperous, strong, democratic, culturally advanced, harmonious, and beautiful from 2035 through the middle of this century.
The world’s second largest economy is walking on a model of modernization that has not been seen before — the modernization of a huge population, of common prosperity for all, of material and cultural-ethical advancement, of harmony between humanity and nature, and of peaceful development.
“This is a great yet enormous undertaking. The enormity of the task is what makes it great and infinitely glorious,” Xi said.
He said the CPC and the Chinese people have sought long and hard to pursue a Chinese path to modernization, and the Party must always act for the people on the journey ahead and rely on them in everything it does.
“We will always ride out the storm with our people and stay heart to heart with them, taking their priorities as ours and acting on their wishes. We will continue the hard work to turn their aspiration for a better life into a living reality,” he said.
His emphasis on the people echoed a report Xi delivered to the 20th CPC National Congress, hailing the great achievements of the new era, which came from “the collective dedication and hard work” of the CPC and the Chinese people.
In the past decade, China’s GDP has grown from 54 trillion yuan (about 7.6 trillion U.S. dollars) to 114 trillion yuan and come to account for 18.5 percent of the world economy, up 7.2 percentage points. China has remained the world’s second largest economy, and its per capita GDP has risen from 39,800 yuan to 81,000 yuan.
The country has eradicated absolute poverty, and built the largest education, social security, and healthcare systems in the world.
It has also joined the ranks of the world’s innovators, while achieving an overwhelming victory and fully consolidating the gains in the fight against corruption.
But Xi said the Party cannot rest on its laurels just yet.
The just-concluded 20th CPC National Congress came at a time when the world is undergoing accelerating changes unseen in a century, and a new phase of uncertainty and transformation.
China has entered a period of development in which strategic opportunities, risks, and challenges are concurrent, and uncertainties and unforeseen factors are rising, Xi said in the report to the congress.
“Confronted with new challenges and tests on the journey ahead, we must remain on high alert and stay sober-minded and prudent like a student sitting for a never-ending exam,” he told journalists Sunday.
“We must make sure that our century-old Party will become ever more vigorous through self-reform and continue to be the strong backbone that the Chinese people can lean on at all times,” he said.
The journey ahead is long and arduous, but with determined steps, “we will reach our destination,” he said.
“We’ll not be daunted by high winds, choppy waters or even dangerous storms, for the people will always have our back and give us confidence,” Xi said.
He went on to express China’s commitment to further promoting the building of a human community with a shared future.
“We will work with peoples of all other countries to champion humanity’s shared values of peace, development, fairness, justice, democracy and freedom to safeguard global peace and promote global development, and keep promoting the building of a human community with a shared future,” Xi said.
Just as China cannot develop in isolation from the world, the world needs China for its development, he said, adding that the Chinese economy would remain on the positive trajectory over the long run, and that the country will open its door wider to the rest of the world.
“We’ll be steadfast in deepening reform and opening up across the board, and in pursuing high-quality development. A prosperous China will create many more opportunities for the world,” Xi said.
The session, presided over by Xi, was attended by 203 members of the 20th CPC Central Committee and 168 alternate members.
Xi was also named chairman of the CPC Central Military Commission at the session.
The members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee elected at the session are Xi Jinping, Li Qiang, Zhao Leji, Wang Huning, Cai Qi, Ding Xuexiang and Li Xi.
Also elected were members of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee at the session, which endorsed the members of the CPC Central Committee Secretariat nominated by the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee.
The session named the members of the Central Military Commission.
The session approved the secretary, deputy secretaries and members of the Standing Committee of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) elected at the first plenary session of the 20th CCDI.
The following are the lists:
The members of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee (in the order of the number of strokes in their surnames):
Ding Xuexiang, Xi Jinping, Ma Xingrui, Wang Yi, Wang Huning, Yin Li, Shi Taifeng, Liu Guozhong, Li Xi, Li Qiang, Li Ganjie, Li Shulei, Li Hongzhong, He Weidong, He Lifeng, Zhang Youxia, Zhang Guoqing, Chen Wenqing, Chen Jining, Chen Min’er, Zhao Leji, Yuan Jiajun, Huang Kunming, Cai Qi
The members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee:
Xi Jinping, Li Qiang, Zhao Leji, Wang Huning, Cai Qi, Ding Xuexiang, Li Xi
General secretary of the CPC Central Committee:
Xi Jinping
The members of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee:
Cai Qi, Shi Taifeng, Li Ganjie, Li Shulei, Chen Wenqing, Liu Jinguo, Wang Xiaohong
Chairman, vice chairmen and members of the Central Military Commission:
Chairman: Xi Jinping
Vice chairmen: Zhang Youxia, He Weidong
Members: Li Shangfu, Liu Zhenli, Miao Hua, Zhang Shengmin
Secretary, deputy secretaries and members of the Standing Committee of the CCDI
Secretary: Li Xi
Deputy secretaries: Liu Jinguo, Zhang Shengmin, Xiao Pei, Yu Hongqiu (f.), Fu Kui, Sun Xinyang, Liu Xuexin, Zhang Fuhai
Members of the Standing Committee of the CCDI (in the order of the number of strokes in their surnames):
Wang Xiaoping (f.), Wang Aiwen, Wang Hongjin, Liu Jinguo, Liu Xuexin, Xu Luode, Sun Xinyang, Li Xi, Li Xinran (Manchu), Xiao Pei, Zhang Shengmin, Zhang Fuhai, Chen Guoqiang, Zhao Shiyong, Hou Kai, Yin Bai (Naxi), Yu Hongqiu (f.), Fu Kui, Mu Hongyu (f.)
As the world economy is facing a tough situation this year, with probably tougher prospects for the next, China’s economic outlook carries global significance. Voicing their confidence in China’s future growth, business communities worldwide believe that China’s modernization stride and innovation-driven growth will inject more certainty into the global economy.
{{Quality development benefits all }}
China will accelerate creating a new development pattern and pursue high-quality development, said Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, while delivering a report at the CPC congress.
“We must fully and faithfully apply the new development philosophy on all fronts, continue reforms to develop the socialist market economy, promote high-standard opening-up, and accelerate efforts to foster a new pattern of development that is focused on the domestic economy and features positive interplay between domestic and international economic flows,” Xi said.
Deeply impressed by the remarks, Wichai Kinchong Choi, senior vice president of the leading Thai bank Kasikornbank, said he can see China’s future development direction focus more on high-quality and sustainable development. “This is good news for Thailand and other neighboring countries,” he said.
In the past few years, many Chinese high-tech enterprises have set up factories in Thailand, which is exactly what Thailand needs, he noted, saying that they have helped the Thai economy to transform and upgrade, and enhance its competitiveness.
Over the past decade, China’s gross domestic product has come to account for 18.5 percent of the world economy. It has become a major trading partner for over 140 countries and regions, leading the world in total volume of trade in goods. Since the COVID-19 pandemic broke out, China, which has managed to coordinate pandemic control and economic development, still maintains a stabilizer of the global supply and industrial chains, and is keeping driving the world economic recovery.
Moreover, its development is not achieved at the expense of the environment. Instead, China is striving to make its development greener and more sustainable. In pursuit of harmonious coexistence between humanity and nature, the country has cut its carbon emission intensity by 34.4 percent over the past 10 years, and pledged to have CO2 emissions peak before 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality before 2060.
In the eyes of Chenhong Huang, global executive vice president of the German multinational software company SAP SE and president of SAP Greater China, China’s green development will profoundly change the global energy, environment and economic landscape.
“Chinese enterprises are using digital technology to make carbon emission data transparent and quantifiable, and promote a balance between green development and commercial development,” Huang said.
Meanwhile, China renewing its commitment in the CPC congress report to promoting a high-standard opening-up also strikes a chord with the international business community. U.S. automaker Tesla’s success in China speaks volume for Beijing’s determination to further opening-up.
Thanks to the efforts of the Chinese government to facilitate foreign investment, Tesla became the first wholly foreign-owned auto enterprise in China, Vice President of Tesla Tao Lin said, adding that the U.S. company is seeking to further expand its presence in the Chinese market.
German heat exchanger company Kelvion (China) has started operations in China over 20 years ago. Cheng Wenwu, general manager of the company, said doing business in China is becoming easier.
Mentioning an effective market mechanism and a convenient and fast standardized administrative process in China, Cheng said the changes over the past years have lowered the costs of companies, facilitated market access and helped firms to adapt to international rules, benefiting the companies’ operations.
{{Chinese modernization means opportunities}}
Chinese modernization, a key term defining China’s journey to national rejuvenation and another buzzword in the CPC report, has spurred a heated discussion in business communities both domestic and abroad.
It contains elements common to the modernization processes of all countries, but more importantly, it features the Chinese context. It is the modernization of a huge population, of common prosperity for all, of material and cultural-ethical advancement, of harmony between humanity and nature and of peaceful development.
For business leaders in many parts of the world, Chinese modernization means more opportunities.
Jose Antonio Hidalgo, former president of the Ecuador-China Chamber of Commerce, said Chinese modernization will generate a positive impact in the global context, especially for the agri-food sector of Ecuador.
“It is an opportunity for us because the middle-class consumers (in China) are going to need excellent quality agrifood and they are going to look for it in countries like ours,” he said.
In 2021, China announced that after eight years of strenuous work between late 2012 and late 2020, the country had lifted the final 98.99 million impoverished rural residents living under the current poverty line out of poverty, and removed all 832 impoverished counties and 128,000 villages from the poverty list. Now the country boasts the world’s biggest middle-income group — 400 million people. That means huge potential for consumption.
Hamdi Al-Tabbaa, president of the Jordanian Businessmen Association, also sees opportunities in the Chinese path to modernization.
China’s consistent efforts to improve people’s living standards mean a significantly expanded middle-income group and upgraded consumption structure, which will offer more development opportunities for global enterprises, said Al-Tabbaa.
From initiating the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank and the New Development Bank to taking the lead in implementing the UN sustainable development agenda, China has always been sharing its development dividends with the rest of the world.
Woody Guo, senior vice president and managing director of Herbalife Nutrition in China, said the CPC report underlines the certainty of the Chinese market against the uncertainties of the global market, and makes foreign enterprises feel reassured about their development in China.
The Chinese modernization “will provide more chances and opportunities, not only from the growing of markets, but also from an employment point of view,” said Sara Vermeulen-Anastasi, head of group communication at Swiss technology group Oerlikon. “We will be able to attract more engineers and have more choices of new technologies,” Vermeulen-Anastasi said.
{{Innovation inspires new momentum }}
While invigorating its economy, China has made innovation a top priority in its planning. The country rose to 12th place on the Global Innovation Index 2021, up from 34th place in 2012, said the World Intellectual Property Organization. It ranked first among middle-income economies.
“We must regard science and technology as our primary productive force, talent as our primary resource, and innovation as our primary driver of growth,” Xi said in the report.
“Everything is about innovation,” said Stephen Perry, chairman of Britain’s 48 Group Club. China is very forward-looking, as in every sector, China has the dynamic about “wanting to know where the world is going,” he added.
Amid the innovation drive, the number of Chinese companies on the Fortune Global 500 list has grown. In 2021, 145 Chinese companies made it to the list, climbing from 95 in 2012 and increasing for 19 consecutive years.
In terms of telecommunication infrastructure, the country has built the world’s largest 5G network, with a total of 1.43 million 5G base stations installed across the country by the end of 2021, accounting for over 60 percent of the world’s total.
Backed by technological advancement, China has accelerated the construction of high-speed transportation networks. With the world’s most developed high-speed rail network, China now has more than 40,000 km of high-speed rail lines in operation.
Oswaldo Navarro from Jalisco, an agriculture-producing state in Mexico, has purchased several pieces of agriculture and farming equipment from China.
He told Xinhua that the seed cleaning machine he imported from China has a daily capacity two to three times that of the equipment from other countries, saving much time and cost.
China’s increased efforts in science and education will help turn scientific and technological achievements into productivity, said Navarro.
Hichem Chorfi, an Algerian businessman working for a consulting firm in industrial technology and innovation, said China shares advanced development models and achieves economic complementarity with other countries, improving the well-being of people in various countries through advanced technologies.
Chinese innovation will be featured in many important areas of human society in the future, he said.
The 5G network required for the East-West Gate (EWG) project was built by Vodafone Hungary and the network equipment was supplied by Huawei of China.
The terminal, built at a cost of over 40 billion forints (95.3 million U.S. dollars), will be able to handle up to one million twenty-foot containers (TEUs) per year, making it the largest such facility on the continent in terms of theoretical capacity and area.
“With the construction of the East-West Gate, Hungary is back on the map of international rail logistics,” Janos Talosi, chief executive officer (CEO) of the investor East-West Intermodal Logistics company, adding that the most advanced technologies available have been incorporated into the terminal, making transport faster and more accurate.
“Our vision was for EWG to become a gateway for the new Silk Road,” he told Xinhua on site following the opening ceremony.
China is promoting modern technology within the framework of its Belt and Road Initiative, hence it is no coincidence that EWG opted for a state-of-the-art private 5G network provided by Huawei, according to Talosi.
EWG is the first terminal in Europe to control cranes remotely using 5G technology. The terminal has one 41-meter wide and two 28-meter wide giant cranes on rails, as well as a 20-meter high rubber-tyred crane.
The cranes, supplied by Austrian company Kunz, are equipped with 20 high-resolution cameras the images of which, with the help of 5G, can be viewed in real time at the center of the terminal, enabling the workers to control the cranes as if they were working in the crane cabins,
The primary function of the terminal is to transship incoming rail shipments, which is necessary because, while 1,435-millimeter gauge rails are used in Europe, 1,520-millimeter gauge is used in Russia and many Asian countries.
EWG also has a significant capacity for transshipment of agricultural products and could soon become the largest rail hub for Ukraine’s food exports. The first train carrying agricultural goods from Ukraine rolled into the terminal during the opening ceremony.
From November 2022, the terminal is expected to be capable of handling 800 tonnes of grain and 450 cubic meters of sunflower oil per hour, making it the largest rail hub for Ukrainian food exports, according to the company.
An extensive review of these achievements, measured from multiple perspectives, may provide some insights into how far China has advanced in its pursuit of national development and rejuvenation over the past ten years.
{{New heights}}
In May 2020, when an eight-member Chinese team climbed to the summit of Mount Qomolangma to survey the mountain, they kept in touch with the base camp of the peak via 5G network.
This owes to the world’s highest 5G base station, which was built at an altitude of 6,500 meters in tandem with the survey mission to provide signals covering the summit of Mount Qomolangma.
Delivering a 5G signal to the world’s highest peak is not the only new height China reached in the past decade. On June 25, 2021, the world’s highest electrified railway started operation in southwest China’s Tibet Autonomous Region, connecting the regional capital Lhasa and Nyingchi City.
The country now also boasts the world’s highest civil airport, train station and grid-connected photovoltaic power station as growing innovation and infrastructure strengths are taking the Chinese people to higher levels of development and well-being.
From 2012 to 2021, China’s GDP grew from 53.9 trillion yuan (about 7.58 trillion U.S. dollars) to 114.4 trillion yuan, and its per capita GDP jumped to over 12,000 U.S. dollars from 6,300 dollars. Also in this period, the country’s contribution to global economic growth exceeded 30 percent.
{{Faster speed }}
Backed by technological advancement, development progress and institutional strength, China has gained speed in many areas. In 2021, China introduced a high-speed maglev train that can operate at a top speed of 600 kilometers per hour as the country continued to lead the world in rail technologies.
In December last year, a Long March-4B rocket successfully sent a new group of satellites into space, marking the 400th launch mission of the China-developed Long March carrier rocket series.
Of the 400 launch missions by Long March rockets, the first three 100 launches were completed in 37 years, seven and a half years, and around four years, respectively, while the fourth 100 missions were carried out in only 33 months.
With leapfrog development being made in telecommunication infrastructure, China has become faster digitally. The country has built the world’s largest 5G network, and every administrative village now enjoys access to a broadband service.
In the battle against the COVID-19 virus, China also moved fast to brave the challenges. Makeshift hospitals were built quickly, and the shortage of medical resources and supplies was solved in the shortest time possible. By doing so, people’s lives and health were protected to the maximum extent.
{{Great strides }}
Over the past ten years, China has made great strides in different spheres from space exploration, scientific and technological innovation to infrastructure construction.
China’s Tianwen-1, consisting of an orbiter, a lander and a rover, successfully landed on Mars on May 15, 2021, nearly 300 days after it was launched from the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site on the coast of southern China’s island province of Hainan on July 23, 2020.
In September 2022, the C919, China’s first homegrown large jetliner, secured certification from the Civil Aviation Administration of China, a milestone step on its journey to market operation.
The 55-km Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, known as the longest bridge-and-tunnel sea crossing in the world, links China’s Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR), the city of Zhuhai in the southern Guangdong Province and Macao SAR. It has brought tremendous opportunities and benefits to the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.
{{Precise approach}}
China’s elimination of extreme poverty has been one of the highlights of the country’s remarkable development over the past decade.
The country had lifted all of its 98.99 million impoverished rural residents out of poverty by the end of 2020. Precise measures were implemented to improve the efficiency of poverty alleviation work.
This approach required officials of all levels to identify who the actual impoverished people were and the factors that led to their poverty.
Nearly 20 million civil servants and volunteers were positioned in impoverished villages to battle poverty on the frontline. Each household or even family member was given a bespoke poverty relief plan.
{{Going deeper }}
The Jinping Underground Laboratory, located 2,400 meters beneath the surface in southwest China’s Sichuan Province, is the deepest underground laboratory in the world.
Within the depths of this lab, experiments in astrophysics and dark matter are able to be performed, which has helped China attain leadership in the world concerning research in these fields.
The construction of the lab is just an epitome of China’s broader enormous strides in exploring the mysteries of space and seeking excellence in the pursuit of science.
China has been striving to strengthen scientific and technological innovation by placing it at the center of overall national development. Major achievements include the unveiling of the Fendouzhe deep-sea manned submersible, the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Radio Telescope (FAST) and the launch of a deep space monitoring network.
{{Power reform}}
China’s consistent and firm reform efforts were the powerful impetus behind the country’s historical changes and substantial achievements in the past decade.
By fully leveraging the decisive role of the market in allocating resources, China has granted market entities more vitality and space to develop and amass wealth. Driven by these efforts, China’s market entities have been growing and are playing crucial roles in fuelling the economy and stabilizing employment.
The number of market entities registered in China has topped 160 million, creating job opportunities for approximately 300 million people, official data showed.
Focusing on ensuring and improving people’s well-being, the Chinese government has made institutional innovations ranging from trial projects in pursuit of effective rural residential land reform to the reform of the medical and healthcare system.
Amid efforts to boost opening up, China has also shortened the negative list for foreign investment for five consecutive years since 2017, and put more laws and regulations into force, including the Foreign Investment Law, to step up protection for foreign investors.
{{Solid foundation}}
Under natural conditions, it takes 200 to 400 years to form a one-centimeter layer of black soil that is very precious for farming.
In the northeastern province of Heilongjiang, the average thickness of the arable layer in the black soil area has increased from 19.8 cm to 23.3 cm due to the promotion of agricultural technologies, crucial to ensure China’s grain security.
Just like crops need fertile soil to grow, China achieved tremendous growth in the past decade thanks to its robust economic fundamentals.
China boasts the biggest and most complete industrial system worldwide. It is the world’s largest producer of over 220 types of industrial products and has all the industrial categories listed in the United Nations industrial classification.
The country also built the world’s largest 5G network, largest high-speed railway system, largest expressway network and largest online retail market.
All these efforts help create a solid foundation for the development of the real economy and China’s industrial upgrading.
{{Higher density}}
China is seeking to increase the “density” of its economic growth — higher-quality and more efficient economic expansion by maximizing economic and social benefits, advancing innovation, and boosting emerging sectors while minimizing the environmental impact and resource exploitation.
Compared with 2012, China’s energy consumption, carbon emissions and water consumption per unit of GDP had dropped by 26.4 percent, 34.4 percent and 45 percent, respectively, in 2021.
China’s land consumption per unit of GDP declined by 40.85 percent in the 2012-2021 period.
China’s innovation capabilities have grown significantly, with the country moving up to 11th place in the Global Innovation Index 2022 released by the World Intellectual Property Organization, 23 places higher than its 2012 ranking.
New growth drivers such as biomedicine, new energy vehicles, and artificial intelligence constantly came to the fore, injecting new impetus into the Chinese economy.
{{Reaching out }}
China is leaving ever-increasing marks on global development, bringing better lives and other tangible benefits to countries and regions worldwide.
A series of landmark projects bore witness to this contribution. The Peljesac Bridge in the south of Croatia, built by a Chinese consortium, opened in July 2022. It realized “the centuries-old dream of connecting the south with the rest of Croatia,” said Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic.
Thanks to the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative, the Maldives has its first cross-sea bridge, Serbia’s Smederevo steel mill restored prosperity, and the Mombasa-Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway helped facilitate transportation along the route.
A vast market, a host of myriad global events, a manufacturing powerhouse — China has never been more integrated into the world economy.
Currently, an average of over 73 million yuan worth of goods are traded per minute between China and the rest of the world, while over 40 trains travel back and forth between China and around 200 European cities every day.
{{Infusing warmth }}
Guided by the people-centered philosophy upheld by the Chinese leaders, the country’s remarkable development in the past decade has spread warmth and care among its people.
Nearly 99 million rural poor people were lifted from poverty as the country eradicated absolute poverty for good, and a moderately prosperous society in all respects has been built.
Some 350 million rural students are guaranteed a nutritious diet, while 1.04 billion people are covered by basic pensions and 1.36 billion by medical insurance.
Going forward, China has set out new development goals and placed common prosperity in a more prominent position, aiming at affluence shared by everyone, both in material and cultural terms.
“We must insist that our development is for the people and depends on the people and that its fruits are shared by the people,” stated a document on the country’s development for the 2021-2025 period and long-term goals through 2035.
