Tag: InternationalNews

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.

Wang Yi and He Lifeng were present at the events.

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.

{{Accelerating the creation of a new development pattern and pursuing high-quality development}}

To build a modern socialist country in all respects, we must, first and foremost, pursue high-quality development. 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.

We must uphold and improve China’s basic socialist economic system. We must unswervingly consolidate and develop the public sector and unswervingly encourage, support and guide the development of the nonpublic sector. We will work to see the market plays the decisive role in resource allocation and that the government better plays its role.

In pursuing economic growth, we must continue to focus on the real economy. We will advance new industrialization and move faster to boost China’s strength in manufacturing, product quality, aerospace, transportation, cyberspace and digital development.

We will continue to put agricultural and rural development first. We will move faster to build up China’s strength in agriculture and steadily promote the revitalization of businesses, talent, culture, ecosystems and organizations in the countryside.

We will thoroughly implement the coordinated regional development strategy, major regional strategies, the functional zoning strategy and the new urbanization strategy. We will improve the distribution of the major productive forces and develop a regional economic layout and a territorial space system that complement each other’s strengths and promote high-quality development.

We will steadily expand institutional opening-up with regard to rules, regulations, management and standards.

{{Advancing whole-process people’s democracy and ensuring that the people run the country}}

China is a socialist country of people’s democratic dictatorship under the leadership of the working class based on an alliance of workers and farmers; all power of the state in China belongs to the people. People’s democracy is the lifeblood of socialism, and it is integral to our efforts to build a modern socialist country in all respects. Whole-process people’s democracy is the defining feature of socialist democracy; it is democracy in its broadest, most genuine and most effective form.

We must firmly stay on the path of socialist political advancement with Chinese characteristics, uphold the unity between Party leadership, the running of the country by the people, and law-based governance, and ensure the principal position of the people, so as to give full expression to their will, protect their rights and interests, and spark their creativity.

We will improve the system of institutions through which the people run the country. We will encourage the people’s orderly participation in political affairs and guarantee their ability to engage in democratic elections, consultations, decision-making, management and oversight in accordance with the law. We will inspire the people’s motivation, initiative and creativity, so as to consolidate and develop a lively, stable and united political atmosphere.

-* Strengthening the institutions through which the people run the country

-* Fully developing consultative democracy

-* Actively developing democracy at the primary level

-* Consolidating and developing the broadest possible patriotic united front

We will remain committed to the principle that religions in China must be Chinese in orientation and provide active guidance to religions so that they can adapt to socialist society.

{{Building cultural confidence and strength and securing new successes in developing socialist culture}}

To build a modern socialist country in all respects, we must develop a socialist culture with Chinese characteristics and be more confident in our culture. In our efforts to turn China into a country with a strong socialist culture, we will focus on upholding socialism with Chinese characteristics, rallying public support, fostering a new generation of young people, developing Chinese culture and better presenting China to the world.

We should uphold the foundational system for ensuring the guiding role of Marxism in the ideological domain. We will ensure that culture serves the people and serves socialism. We will follow the principle of letting a hundred flowers bloom and a hundred schools of thought contend, and we will encourage creative transformation and innovative development of traditional Chinese culture. Guided by the core socialist values, we will develop advanced socialist culture, promote revolutionary culture and carry forward fine traditional Chinese culture.

・ Developing a socialist ideology that has the power to unite and inspire the people

We must ensure that the Party firmly exercises leadership over this work and that the responsibility system for it is fully implemented.

・ Enhancing civility throughout society

We will continue the civic morality campaign, carry forward traditional Chinese virtues, foster stronger family ties, values and traditions, and raise the intellectual and moral standards of minors.

-* Developing cultural programs and the cultural sector

-* We will encourage people-centered cultural creation and production of more outstanding works that inspire the people.

-* Extending the reach and appeal of Chinese civilization

We will stay firmly rooted in Chinese culture. We will accelerate the development of China’s discourse and narrative systems, better tell China’s stories, make China’s voice heard and present a China that is credible, appealing and respectable.

{{Improving the people’s well-being and raising quality of life}}

This country is its people; the people are the country. As the Communist Party of China has led the people in fighting to establish and develop the People’s Republic, it has really been fighting for their support. Bringing benefit to the people is the fundamental principle of governance. Working for the people’s wellbeing is an essential part of the Party’s commitment to serving the public good and exercising governance for the people. We must ensure and improve the people’s well-being in the course of pursuing development and encourage everyone to work hard together to meet the people’s aspirations for a better life.

We must strive to realize, safeguard, and advance the fundamental interests of all our people. To this end, we must do everything within our capacity to resolve the most practical problems that are of the greatest and most direct concern to the people. We will stay engaged with our people and their communities, adopt more measures that deliver real benefits to the people and win their approval, and work hard to resolve the pressing difficulties and problems that concern them most. We will improve the basic public services system to raise public services standards and make public services more balanced and accessible, so as to achieve solid progress in promoting common prosperity.

-* Improving the system of income distribution

The system of income distribution is the foundational system for promoting common prosperity. We will keep distribution according to work as the mainstay with multiple forms of distribution existing alongside it. We will promote equality of opportunity, increase the incomes of low-income earners and expand the size of the middle-income group.

We will improve the policy system for distribution based on factors of production, explore multiple avenues to enable the low- and middle-income groups to earn more from production factors, and increase the property income of urban and rural residents through more channels.

-* Improving the social security system

We will remain committed to the fundamental national policy of gender equality and protect the lawful rights and interests of women and children.

-* Advancing the Healthy China Initiative

We will improve the population development strategy, establish a policy system to boost birth rates.

{{Pursuing green development and promoting harmony between humanity and nature}}

Respecting, adapting to and protecting nature is essential for building China into a modern socialist country in all respects. We must remember to maintain harmony between humanity and nature when planning our development.

We will carry out coordinated industrial restructuring, pollution control, ecological conservation and climate response, and we will promote concerted efforts to cut carbon emissions, reduce pollution, expand green development and pursue economic growth.

-* Accelerating the transition to a model of green development

We will implement a comprehensive conservation strategy, boost green and low-carbon industries, encourage green consumption and promote green and low-carbon ways of production and life.

-* Intensifying pollution prevention and control

We will basically eliminate serious air pollution, generally eliminate black, malodorous water bodies in cities and strengthen prevention and control of soil contamination at the source. The environmental infrastructure will be upgraded and living environments in both urban and rural areas will be improved.

-* Enhance diversity, stability and sustainability in our ecosystems

Major projects for preserving and restoring key ecosystems and protecting biodiversity will be carried out. We will promote the natural regeneration of grasslands, forests, rivers, lakes and wetlands, enforce the 10-year fishing ban on the Yangtze River, improve the system of fallowing and crop rotation.

-* Working actively and prudently toward the goals of reaching peak carbon emissions and carbon neutrality

Based on China’s energy and resources endowment, we will advance initiatives to reach peak carbon emissions in a well-planned and phased way in line with the principle of building the new before discarding the old. We will use coal in a cleaner and more efficient way and speed up the planning and development of a system for new energy resources.

{{Exercising law-based governance on all fronts and advancing the rule of law in China}}

The comprehensive advancement of law-based governance has been a profound revolution in China’s governance. Law-based governance is important for the Party’s success in governing and rejuvenating the country, for the well-being of the people, and for the long-term stability of the Party and the country. We must give better play to the role of the rule of law in consolidating foundations, ensuring stable expectations, and delivering long-term benefits, and we must strive to build a modern socialist country in all respects under the rule of law.

We must follow a path of socialist rule of law with Chinese characteristics, develop a Chinese system of socialist rule of law and establish China as a socialist country under the rule of law. We must, with a focus on protecting and promoting social fairness and justice, pursue coordinated progress in law-based governance, law-based exercise of State power and law-based government administration and take integrated steps to build a country, government and society based on the rule of law. We will make all-around efforts to ensure sound legislation, strict law enforcement, impartial administration of justice and society-wide observance of the law and see that all work of the State is carried out under the rule of law.

-* Improving the socialist legal system with Chinese characteristics with the Constitution at its core

We will step up legislation in key, emerging and foreign-related fields and advance the rule of law in domestic and foreign-related affairs in a coordinated manner.

-* Steadily advancing law-based government administration

-* Ensuring strict and impartial administration of justice

-* Stepping up efforts to establish the rule of law throughout society

{{Invigorating China through science and education and developing a strong workforce for the modernization drive}}

Education, science and technology, and human resources are the foundational and strategic pillars for building a modern socialist country in all respects. We must regard science and technology as our primary productive force, talent as our primary resource and innovation as our primary driver of growth. We will fully implement the strategy for invigorating China through science and education, the workforce development strategy and the innovation-driven development strategy. We will open up new areas and new arenas in development and steadily foster new growth drivers and new strengths.

We will continue to give high priority to the development of education, build China’s self-reliance and strength in science and technology, and rely on talent to pioneer and to propel development. We will speed up work to build a strong educational system, greater scientific and technological strength, and a quality workforce. We will continue efforts to cultivate talent for the Party and the country and comprehensively improve our ability to nurture talent at home. All this will see us producing first-class innovators and attracting the brightest minds from all over.

-* Developing education that meets the people’s expectations

We will continue to follow a people-centered approach to developing education, move faster to build a high-quality educational system, advance students’ well-rounded development and promote fairness in education.

-* Improving systems for scientific and technological innovation

-* Accelerating the implementation of the innovation-driven development strategy

-* Implementing the workforce development strategy

We will move faster to build world hubs for talent and innovation, promote better distribution and balanced development of talent across regions, and strive to build up our comparative strengths in global competition for talent.

{{Modernizing China’s national security system and capacity and safeguarding national security and social stability}}

National security is the bedrock of national rejuvenation, and social stability is a prerequisite for building a strong and prosperous China. We must resolutely pursue a holistic approach to national security and promote national security in all areas and stages of the work of the Party and the country, so as to ensure national security and social stability.

We must take the people’s security as our ultimate goal, political security as our fundamental task, economic security as our foundation, military, technological, cultural, and social security as important pillars, and international security as a support. We will take coordinated steps to ensure external and internal security, homeland and public security, traditional and non-traditional security, and our own security and common security. We will both uphold national security and create the conditions for ensuring it.

-* Improving the national security system

Improvements will be made in the legal, strategy, and policy systems for national security as well as the risk monitoring and early warning systems and the national emergency management system.

-* Strengthening our capacity for safeguarding national security

We will resolutely safeguard the security of China’s state power, systems, and ideology. We will ensure the security of food, energy, and resources as well as key industrial and supply chains.

-* Enhancing public safety governance

We will follow the principles of putting safety first and placing emphasis on prevention, and we will establish an overall safety and emergency response framework.

-# Improving the social governance system

We will improve the social governance system based on collaboration, participation, and shared benefits, so as to make social governance more effective.

{{Promoting world peace and development and building a human community with a shared future}}

China has always been committed to its foreign policy goals of upholding world peace and promoting common development, and it is dedicated to promoting a human community with a shared future.

China remains firm in pursuing an independent foreign policy of peace. It has always decided its position and policy on issues based on their own merits, and it has strived to uphold the basic norms governing international relations and safeguard international fairness and justice.

China stands firmly against all forms of hegemonism and power politics, the Cold War mentality, interference in other countries’ internal affairs and double standards.

No matter what stage of development it reaches, China will never seek hegemony or engage in expansionism.

It is committed to promoting a new type of international relations, deepening and expanding global partnerships based on equality, openness, and cooperation, and broadening the convergence of interests with other countries.

China is committed to its fundamental national policy of opening to the outside world and pursues a mutually beneficial strategy of opening up. It strives to create new opportunities for the world with its own development and to contribute its share to building an open global economy that delivers greater benefits to all peoples.

China plays an active part in the reform and development of the global governance system. It upholds true multilateralism, promotes greater democracy in international relations, and works to make global governance fairer and more equitable.

China has put forward the Global Development Initiative and the Global Security Initiative, and it stands ready to work with the international community to put these two initiatives into action.

{{Achieving the centenary goal of the People’s Liberation Army and further modernizing national defense and the military}}

Achieving the goals for the centenary of the People’s Liberation Army in 2027 and more quickly elevating our people’s armed forces to world-class standards are strategic tasks for building a modern socialist country in all respects.

We will continue to enhance political loyalty in the military, strengthen the military through reform, science and technology, and personnel training, and run the military in accordance with the law.

We will continue integrated development of the military through mechanization, informatization, and the application of smart technologies and work faster to modernize military theory, organizational forms, personnel, and weaponry and equipment.

We will intensify troop training and enhance combat preparedness across the board to see that our people’s armed forces can fight and win. We will study and gain a good grasp of the characteristics of informatized and intelligent warfare and the laws that govern it, provide new military strategic guidance, and develop strategies and tactics for a people’s war.

We will establish a strong system of strategic deterrence, increase the proportion of new-domain forces with new combat capabilities, speed up the development of unmanned, intelligent combat capabilities, and promote coordinated development and application of the network information system.

We will improve the command system for joint operations and enhance our systems and capacity for reconnaissance and early warning, joint strikes, battlefield support, and integrated logistics support.

We will intensify military training under combat conditions, laying emphasis on joint training, force-on-force training, and high-tech training.

In fulfilling major tasks for national defense and military development, we will coordinate our operations, capacity building, and combat preparedness.

{{Upholding and improving the policy of One Country, Two Systems and promoting national reunification}}

The policy of One Country, Two Systems is a great innovation of socialism with Chinese characteristics. It has proven to be the best institutional arrangement for ensuring sustained prosperity and stability in Hong Kong and Macao after their return to the motherland. This policy must be adhered to over the long term.

We will ensure that the capitalist system and way of life remain unchanged in Hong Kong and Macao in the long run and work to promote long-term prosperity and stability in the two regions.

We will continue to develop the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and support Hong Kong and Macao in better integrating themselves into China’s overall development and playing a greater role in realizing national rejuvenation.

We will implement our Party’s overall policy for resolving the Taiwan question in the new era, and unswervingly advance the cause of national reunification.

Resolving the Taiwan question is a matter for the Chinese, a matter that must be resolved by the Chinese. We will continue to strive for peaceful reunification with the greatest sincerity and the utmost effort, but we will never promise to renounce the use of force, and we reserve the option of taking all measures necessary. This is directed solely at interference by outside forces and the few separatists seeking “Taiwan independence” and their separatist activities; it is by no means targeted at our Taiwan compatriots.

The wheels of history are rolling on toward China’s reunification and the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. Complete reunification of our country must be realized, and it can, without doubt, be realized!

{{Exercising full and rigorous self-governance and advancing the great new project of Party building in the New Era}}

Our Party has a pivotal role in building China into a modern socialist country in all respects and in advancing the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation on all fronts. As the largest Marxist governing party in the world, we must always stay alert and determined to tackle the special challenges that a large party like ours faces, so as to maintain the people’s support and consolidate our position as the long-term governing party.

All of us in the Party must bear in mind that full and rigorous self-governance is an unceasing endeavor and that self-reform is a journey to which there is no end. We must never slacken our efforts and never allow ourselves to become weary or beaten. We must persevere with full and rigorous self-governance, continue to advance the great new project of Party building in the new era, and use our own transformation to steer social transformation.

We must meet the overall requirements for Party building in the new era, improve the systems for exercising full and rigorous self-governance, and comprehensively advance our efforts to purify, improve, renew, and excel ourselves. This will enable our Party to stay true to its original aspiration and founding mission and remain the strong leadership core in building socialism with Chinese characteristics.

Upholding and strengthening the centralized, unified leadership of the Party Central Committee

-* Enhancing cohesion and forging the Party’s soul with the Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era

-* Improving the systems and regulations for the Party’s self-reform

-* Cultivating officials capable of shouldering the mission of national rejuvenation

-* Enhancing the political and organizational functions of Party organizations

-* Taking strict steps to improve Party conduct and enforce Party discipline

-* Winning the tough and protracted battle against corruption

Antonio Ovando, who arrived in New York City less than a week ago, was expecting some people from the city to bring some clothes on Sunday afternoon when he joined his family members and fellow asylum seekers around the entrance of a hotel in Staten Island.

Ovando told Xinhua that he arrived in Texas at the end of September, and then was advised to come to New York assuming they could get material support there.

“We have no clothes and no shoes. And we ran out of money,” Ovando said.

Ovando stays with his wife and two young children in Comfort Inn on Staten Island, which is far from the downtown area and was recently converted into a shelter center for asylum seekers.

New York City has contracted over 40 hotels across the city to accommodate over 17,000 asylum seekers since April 2022.

Some migrants waiting outside the hotel were in their shorts, when the temperature in New York City had fallen to around 10 Celsius degrees.

It was reported that some asylum seekers from the Comfort Inn knocked on the doors of local residents and asked for help.

Ovando and other migrants finally picked up some clothes, which were dropped off by some New Yorkers at the hotel.

More importantly, asylum seekers don’t have work permits and have to wait for months, which adds to their anxiety and hardship.

Ovando, who worked as an accountant in Nicaragua, said he needs to find a job though he is thankful for help from others.

Jose, who came from Venezuela with his wife and son, said, “Getting a job is the most difficult thing for us who are here from far away.”

“We don’t know how long we will stay here and we’re just following instructions,” said Ovando.

As the vast majority of asylum seekers only speak Spanish, there is a language problem in everyday life and school.

Moreover, the newly arrived asylum seekers may find themselves unwelcome in the local community.

Shortly after the arrival of asylum seekers at the Comfort Inn, elected officials from Staten Island held a press conference voicing their opposition to placing migrants in the Comfort Inn, which is located in Travis-Chelsea neighborhood.

“Travis is not the place for these asylum seekers. It’s sad to say, but it’s just not going to work here,” said Gene Guerra, president of the Travis Civic Association.

John Michael, a member of Travis Civic Association, posted a comment recently on the social media suggesting that community members hold a rally and protest against using the Comfort Inn and other hotels in the neighborhood as migrant shelters.

Meanwhile, New York City is building a humanitarian emergency response and relief center for asylum seekers on Randall’s Island in Manhattan borough.

Dubbed as a “tent city,” the transitory relief center is designed to accommodate 500 newly arrived asylum seekers, but the island’s relative isolation, as local media reported, would not help migrants interact with the local community.

Last week, New York City Mayor Eric Adams declared a state of emergency in response to a record-breaking influx of asylum seekers into the city, mostly from the southern border of the United States.

The strikes at TotalEnergies and ExxonMobil refineries will extend to Tuesday, the General Confederation of Labour (CGT) said.

According to the Ministry for Energy Transition, 29.4 percent of service stations in the country were experiencing difficulties with at least one product on Monday, compared to 19 percent on Friday.

French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne organized an urgent crisis meeting Monday evening. According to French media, the government will ban the filling of fuel jerry cans across the country.

The strikers’ actions have led to a decrease in fuel deliveries, provoking fears and long hours of waiting. School bus transportation was also affected by the strikes.

“The French must not be prisoners of this social conflict which does not concern them,” said Minister for Energy Transition Agnes Pannier-Runacher on Monday.

In addition to the strikes, the price of fuel has increased in the last seven days. In order to counterbalance the fuel shortage, the French government has released significant volumes of fuel from its strategic stocks and reinforced fuel imports from Belgium.

Over the weekend, TotalEnergies and the CGT agreed to start negotiations but no agreement was concluded.

The strikers demand a raise in salary to compensate for the high inflation that France is experiencing.