China said it has completed the entry procedures for Bangladesh's export of fresh mangoes to China, and vowed to further promote high-quality agricultural products from the South Asia country entering the Chinese market, read a joint statement released on Thursday. 

Analysts said the statement further enhanced cooperation between China and Bangladesh and demonstrated a mutually beneficial collaboration model for South Asian countries.

The joint statement was released as Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina wrapped up her state visit to China on Thursday. 

Qian Feng, director of the research department at the National Strategy Institute at Tsinghua University, attributed the steady growth of the China-Bangladesh relationship to high economic complementarity, as well as the alignment of the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative with the current stage of Bangladeshi economic development. 

According to the joint statement, the two sides agreed to deepen cooperation in trade, investment and finance, conclude the joint feasibility study on a China-Bangladesh free trade agreement, and launch formal negotiations as soon as possible.

China and Bangladesh agreed to further strengthen communication on the export of high-quality Bangladeshi agricultural products to China. Aside from mangoes, China welcomes Bangladesh to expand exports of jute, leather, aquatic products and other high-quality special products to China, read the statement. 

In the latest trade data released by China's General Administration of Customs, from January to May 2024, China-Bangladesh bilateral trade amounted to 74.91 billion yuan ($10.30 billion), gaining a positive growth of 0.2 percent year-on-year. 

Notably, boosted by favorable tariff policies, Bangladesh's exports to China during the period hit 3.27 billion yuan, a significantly surge of 23.6 percent year-on-year. 

Moreover, China has also been one of the largest sources of investment in Bangladesh. As of the end of 2023, China's investment stock in Bangladesh had increased to nearly $1.4 billion, with nearly 700 Chinese-funded companies in Bangladesh, creating more than 550,000 jobs, according to the Chinese Embassy in Bangladesh.

Al Mamun Mridha, secretary general of the Bangladesh China Chamber of Commerce and Industry told the Global Times in a recent interview that China's advanced technologies and vast experience in various industries can greatly assist Bangladesh in its industrial modernization and development.

"Furthermore, adopting advanced Chinese technologies and products can enhance the productivity and competitiveness of Bangladeshi industries on the global stage," Mridha said. 

During Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's state visit, the two sides signed cooperation documents on trade and investment, digital economy, financial regulation, education cooperation, medical care and public health, infrastructure cooperation, green and low carbon development, agricultural cooperation, hydrological forecasting, and cooperation in radio and television, according to the joint statement. 

Wang Jinwu, a commercial manager from the Bangladesh Office of Chinese No.5 Engineering Co. Ltd. of CCCC FHEC, who had been working in the South Asian country for eight years, told the Global Times on Thursday that the joint statement will play a positive role in promoting Chinese investment in Bangladesh, and will also provide reassurance to Chinese entrepreneurs who are currently investing or have already invested in Bangladesh.

"With the upgrade of bilateral relationship, I believe there will be more opportunities and potential in the two countries' private trade, economic zones, and related industry upgrades in the future," Wang said. 

China holds a competitive edge in terms of the quantity of data and technology patents, but there are still gaps with the US and the EU regarding high-quality patents and key technology innovations.

By promoting high-level opening-up, establishing an efficient and smooth global industry and supply chain flow mechanism, and creating a comprehensive opening system with strong attractiveness, China can build up globally advanced high-quality production factors.

The three major risks and challenges in the international environment are as follows.

First, some developed countries have imposed technological blockade on China, restricting investment and cooperation in advanced semiconductors, quantum technology, artificial intelligence (AI) and other fields, as well as hindering technological exchanges. This is seriously affecting complementary advantages and win-win cooperation involving the new quality productive forces between China and foreign countries.

Second, some developed countries are promoting the so-called "re-shoring" of manufacturing under the guise of national security, providing massive fiscal support for high-tech industries such as semiconductors, pharmaceuticals and others, and implementing policies such as "de-risking" with China. This situation affects the security and stability of China's industrial and supply chains, and it is not conducive to the transformation and upgrading of Chinese manufacturing sector.

Third, international economic and trade rules are readjusting now, and China is facing rising pressures in areas such as the green economy and the digital economy.

Nevertheless, there exist three major opportunities for China too. 

First, there is the deepening development of the new round technological revolution and industrial transformation. Unlike the previous three industrial revolutions, in key areas of the Fourth Industrial Revolution such as 5G and AI, China is expected to become an important leader in developing new quality productive forces.

Second, the international landscape of power is becoming more balanced. This is conducive to promoting global economic governance toward a more just and fair direction.

Third, the international division of labor in the fields of technology research and development, information services and other service industries continues to deepen, and the digital economy is flourishing, expanding the space and scope of international cooperation, and providing new opportunities for China to integrate into economic globalization.

To promote the construction of a new system of an open economy at a higher level, China should promote the joint construction of the Belt and Road Initiative; promote secure and efficient flow of innovative elements such as technology, talent and data; support all types of business entities in optimizing the allocation of advanced production factors on a global scale; create a favorable international environment for the development of the new quality productive forces in China, and achieve a higher level of mutually beneficial cooperation.

The significant feature of the new quality productive forces is innovation, which includes innovation at both the technological and business-model levels, as well as innovation at the management and institutional levels. China should further promote innovation as the primary driving force for growth; advance tech innovation to make original scientific and technological achievements; solve bottlenecks and overcome blockages that restrict the development of the new quality productive forces; further deepen reform comprehensively, and provide effective institutional mechanisms for the development of the new quality productive forces and achieving high-quality development.

The IMF on Tuesday raised China's GDP growth forecast for 2024 to 5 percent in its latest World Economic Outlook (WEO), pointing to a steady rebound in domestic consumption and a surge in exports. The move also indicates growing global confidence in the outlook for the world's second-largest economy.

Coming a day after China reported robust 5 percent GDP growth for the first half of 2024, the IMF's upward revision of its forecast showed improving expectations for a stable and sound rebound in the Chinese economy, despite lingering challenges, experts said. And expectations will likely further improve as the ongoing third plenary session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China is expected to map out reforms that will propel China's high-quality development, they noted.

In its WEO update for July, the IMF projected China's GDP will grow by 5 percent in 2024, which represents an upward revision of 0.4 percentage points compared with the April WEO report.

"In China, resurgent domestic consumption propelled the positive upside in the first quarter, aided by what looked to be a temporary surge in exports belatedly reconnecting with last year's rise in global demand," the WEO said.
The revised projection is also in line with a 5 percent growth forecast announced by IMF officials in May, as well as China's growth target of around 5 percent for 2024.

"For the outlook in the second half, both domestic and international views are very confident about 5 percent growth. This is also what the IMF's assessment is based on," Bian Yongzu, executive deputy editor-in-chief of Modernization of Management magazine, told the Global Times on Tuesday, noting that the IMF's latest revision is more accurate than its previous projection given recent economic data from China.

The IMF's move came just a day after Chinese official data showed on Monday that China's GDP expanded by 5 percent in the first half of 2024 to 61.68 trillion yuan ($8.49 trillion), thanks to robust 5.3 percent growth in the first quarter and a slightly lower growth rate of 4.7 percent in the second quarter.

Notably, even as the IMF raised China's growth forecast, it left its projections for 3.2 percent global growth unchanged, while noting that the global economy is "in a sticky spot." It also painted a gloomier outlook for major economies, including the US. In the US, "after a sustained period of strong outperformance, a sharper-than-expected slowdown in growth reflected moderating consumption and a negative contribution from net trade," the IMF said.

The contrast also showed that China's 5 percent growth is hard-won given the persistent challenges in the global economy as a whole, experts said. Robust growth in exports, rising 6.9 percent year-on-year in the first half, were a highlight in China's economic recovery during the period, they noted.

"The external environment was not so peaceful and there is growing trade protectionism. However, China's foreign trade achieved a relatively good result, which is directly linked to China's economic competitiveness. And this is also a source of growing confidence in China's economy," Bian said.

Bian further noted that many people are expecting more proactive economic policies and reform measures from the ongoing third plenary session.

The session, which kicked off on Monday and will run through Thursday, plays a critical role in China's reform and opening-up and is expected to focus on further deepening reform and expanding high-level opening-up, in order to promote high-quality development and advance Chinese modernization.

The navies of China and Russia are holding a joint exercise in the South China Sea and a joint maritime patrol in the Pacific Ocean in moves experts said on Sunday aim to enhance military cooperation and safeguard peace and stability.

The China-Russia Joint Sea-2024 joint naval exercise kicked off on Sunday at a naval port in Zhanjiang, South China's Guangdong Province with an opening ceremony, the news center of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) announced on social media platforms on Sunday.

The Chinese and Russian joint warship formation will conduct live-fire drills in multiple training courses including joint stationary defense, joint reconnaissance and early warning, joint search and rescue as well as joint air defense in waters and airspace near Zhanjiang, said the news center of the PLA.

Facing the South China Sea, Zhanjiang is home to the headquarters of the navy of the PLA Southern Theater Command, according to publicly available information.

The Chinese side is sending the Type 052D destroyer Nanning, Type 054A frigates Xianning and Dali, Type 903 comprehensive supply ship Weishanhu and shipborne helicopters and marines, while the Russian side is sending the corvettes Gromkiy and Rezkiy as well as the Irkut oiler, China Central Television (CCTV) reported.

Senior Colonel Zhang Xiaogang, spokesperson at China's Ministry of National Defense, said in a press release on Friday that the exercise, which is scheduled to last until mid-July, is to demonstrate the resolve and capabilities of the two sides in jointly addressing maritime security threats and preserving global and regional peace and stability, and it will further deepen the China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for the new era.

The Chinese Defense Ministry also announced on Sunday that a China-Russia warship formation recently launched their fourth joint maritime exercise in waters in the western and northern Pacific Ocean, which does not target a third party and is not related to the current international or regional situations.

The warships featured in the joint patrol are for the most part different from those featured the joint exercise, according to a July 4 report by the Russian News Agency Tass on the joint patrol, which said that the joint patrol featured the Russian corvette Sovershenny, the PLA Navy's Type 052D destroyer Yinchuan, Type 054A frigate Hengshui and Type 903 replenishment ship Weishanhu.

Different vessels and different locations indicate that the joint drill and the joint patrol are two separate events, a Chinese military expert who requested anonymity told the Global Times on Sunday.

The joint drill and patrol show a wide spectrum of China-Russia naval cooperation, as the two countries can send many warships to different waters simultaneously, the expert said.

Zhang Junshe, another Chinese military expert, told the Global Times that the China-Russia joint naval activities are routine.

Both countries are permanent members of the UN Security Council that shoulder the responsibility of safeguarding world peace and stability, both countries advocate true multilateralism, and both countries oppose hegemonic acts and bloc confrontations in international relations, Zhang said.

China's cyberspace watchdog announced on Saturday the launch of a two-month campaign aimed at improving the online environment for minors over this year's summer vacation period. The campaign focuses on addressing negative content including fake videos about campus bullying, to create a more positive and secure online environment for young people.

According to the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC), the campaign is targeting prominent issues in six areas, starting with negative activities on short videos and livestreaming platforms. The authority listed examples of violent and bloody content, fabricated videos depicting campus bullying, as well as exploiting internet celebrity children for profit, or inducing minors to participate in livestreaming.

Posting information on social platforms that encourages toxic friendships, promotes illegal websites, or spreads vulgar language will also be regulated, the CAC said in a notice, as well as the content that promotes unhealthy values to minors, or incites conflicts between parents and children or teachers and students.

Furthermore, the sale of soft porn hand dolls to minors on e-commerce platforms, the use of child models in indecent poses and suggestive actions, and the enticement of minors to third-party platforms under the guise of selling anime dramas or electronic games to access illegal violent content are all activities targeted by this campaign, the CAC confirmed.

The internet regulator also cited examples of misconduct in the app store, such as the use of similar logos and names to create counterfeit apps targeting minors in order to spread illegal and harmful content. The apps involved in pornography and gambling by embedding illegal software will also be regulated, as well as those designed for learning but stray from their intended purposes and promote content that violates regulations.

For children's smart devices, cases that will be cracked down on include: the device's pre-installed apps containing content that may affect the physical and mental health of minors; a lax review of information provided by third-party apps, leading to the presence of harmful content; providing apps or features such as appearance comparison and fortune-telling that are not suitable for minors; and using points rankings as a means to induce minors to spend money on unnecessary purchases.

The CAC will also strength regulations over "child mode" settings, which refers to a system that regulates the online behavior of minors in terms of usage period, duration, functions, and browsing content. While in "child mode," content that induces minors to imitate unsafe behaviors or develop bad habits will be addressed, as well as the incomplete escape prevention measures in the mode, which allow minors to exit without verification.

The cyberspace watchdog emphasized that a clean online environment is crucial for the healthy development of young people, and vowed to target illegal platforms and accounts, improve the protection mechanism for minors on various platforms, so as to maintain a positive online ecosystem.

With the approach of the 8th anniversary of the so-called South China Sea arbitration awards, a ruling in 2016 that challenged China's claims in the waters and seriously violates international law, Anthony Carty, an Irish scholar of international law and author of "The History and Sovereignty of the South China Sea Islands" stressed in a recent interview with the Global Times that the Philippines has no right to claim the sovereignty over the South China Sea and archival evidence supports China's claims over a number of islands.

"I don't see why on earth or how the Philippines can claim any a sovereignty over any islands in the south China sea. The French archives, the British archives, the Chinese archives, the American archives, and the Japanese archives are all agreed that the Filipinos have no territorial claim," said Carty. 

"I don't understand why they [the Philippines] would want to bring or how they could bring a claim that the reefs 'belonging to them' would be damaged, because that would directly involve a question of sovereign title, and there is no compulsory jurisdiction under article 86 of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. Because it is a law of the sea convention and a territorial title would not be adjudicable."

Carty, an expert in international law, believes that China should maintain its stance and that its legal position is justified. His book presents extensive historical evidence backing China's sovereignty claims over the islands in the South China Sea.

His research delved into the archives of the French and British foreign ministries, spanning the period from the 1880s to the late 1970s. The findings revealed a consensus among legal experts from both countries, indicating that the Xisha and Nansha Islands rightfully belong to China, the Xinhua News Agency reported.

According to the expert, the so-called South China Sea arbitration of 2016 is a "chaotic and manipulative use of international law," "a case of double standards," and "a legal trick."

The scholar does not believe the international judiciary behaved objectively. "The political considerations will always come into play, which is why, as I've already stated, Carlo Santulli, the director of the Paris Institut des Hautes Etudes Internationales , said the 2016 tribunal is obviously a NATO tribunal," he told the Global Times.

"One is basically relying upon the idea that the judges are appointed by countries. The tribunal in 2016 had a German judge, a French judge, a Dutch judge and a Polish judge and then an African chair person. They may not be in any way consciously biased, but inevitably they're colored by the countries that they come from. So the whole idea of international adjudication is problematic," Carty noted.

The law professor highlighted that Washington has been trying to uphold its dominance and create instability in the Asia-Pacific region by using its regional allies to provoke China in the South China Sea. 

"There is absolutely no doubt that this whole dispute is entirely about the Americans trying to make life difficult for the Chinese. The aggression that is building up against China and the scapegoating of China by the whole of the so-called democratic community of the world is appalling," he told the Global Times in a previous interview.

It's obvious that the United States has been interfering with and shaping Filipino policies since they conquered the Philippines and wiped out the Filipino independence movement in 1900, he added.

The argument about China being an "assertive and aggressive" power and a "revisionist" power in some Western or Philippine narratives is simply "slanderous abuse," he said. "And it's very worrying because it definitely implies a willingness on the part of the West to use force against China. It represents a complete collapse of any kind of civilized diplomacy.

The Supreme People's Court (SPC), China's top court, on Wednesday issued its first batch of typical cases for clarifying and applying extraterritorial laws after the country in 2023 adopted judicial interpretations on the applicability of international treaties and practices in handling overseas-related civil and commercial cases.

"These typical cases are highly representative and have important guiding significance for enriching the practice of identifying extraterritorial laws and clarifying the rules for identifying extraterritorial laws," the SPC said.

The release of typical cases is believed to have great significance for continuously creating a market-oriented international first-class business environment under the rule of law in China and enhancing the international credibility and influence of China's judiciary.

The five released typical cases involve common types of overseas-related civil and commercial cases such as company investment, sales contracts, guarantee contracts, multimodal transport contracts and engineering supervision contracts.

Laws of countries and regions including the US, the UK, Mexico and Tajikistan, as well as the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region are included, the SPC said.

In December 2023, the SPC released a set of judicial interpretations on the applicability of international treaties and practices in handling overseas-related civil and commercial cases in China. 

The interpretations provide courts in China with the basis for appropriately handling overseas-related civil and commercial cases, said an official with the SPC. The official added that it is expected to improve the quality of China's overseas-related judicial practice and enhance China's judicial credibility and its influence in the international community.

Wan Miaoyan, director of Sichuan Dingchi law firm, told the Global Times that the released typical cases mirror examples of judicial progress in China.

China's law for overseas-related civil relationships was established in accordance with international legal norms, presenting characteristics of openness and inclusiveness in legislation. The identification of extraterritorial laws in overseas-related cases is a fundamental prerequisite for determining the basic legal facts of a case and making a fair judgment, Wan said.

From the released cases, we can tell that the courts in overseas-related judicial trials have accurately identified and applied the extraterritorial laws, international treaties and international customs most closely related to those cases. It greatly increases the confidence and evaluation of foreign investors in China's investment environment, trade environment and judicial environment, Wan said. 

According to the SPC, in a contract dispute between a medical company from Hong Kong and another medical company from the UK, the extraterritorial laws provided by the parties contained a large number of materials such as statute law, case law and legal works, and there were great disputes between the parties on the content, understanding and application of extraterritorial laws. 

The court handling the case did not simply hold that extraterritorial laws could not be ascertained. But through comprehensive analysis and careful comparison, the extraterritorial law has been prudently identified.

The SPC said that expanding and diversifying the ways of ascertaining extraterritorial laws is a key link in solving the difficulties of ascertaining extraterritorial laws. Generally speaking, any reasonable means that are beneficial to ascertaining extraterritorial laws can be utilized to ensure the accurate application of extraterritorial laws to resolve disputes between parties. 

In one case involving a financial loan guarantee contract dispute between a branch of a bank in East China's Zhejiang Province and a technology company in Hong Kong region, which held shares in a company registered in the US, the court, upon the parties' request, entrusted an extraterritorial law research center to ascertain the legal issues of multiple legal domains involved in the case, effectively resolving multiple legal disputes in one go.

Editor's Note:

Chinese people believe that letters are as valuable as gold. For thousands of years, letters, across mountains and oceans, have been delivering the writers' sentiments and conveying friendship and expectations.

Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and Chinese president, has managed to find time to reply to some of the letters sent to him from different sectors of the society and different parts of the world despite of his busy work schedule.

Through his letters, Xi has corresponded with people from all walks of life on numerous occasions, part of a series of excellent China stories in the new era.

The Global Times traced and contacted some of the recipients of Xi's letters, to hear the inspiring stories behind the letters and their communications with the Chinese president.

In this installment, the Global Times speaks with teachers and students from Muscatine High School in Iowa, the US, who shared their experiences and insights from their visit to China for exchanges after being invited by President Xi, as well as their hopes for future youth exchanges between China and the US.

"I'm extremely thankful that President Xi spent time to write to us. It was very touching he was able to hear about the amazing times on our trip," Seinna Stonking, a freshman at Muscatine High School in the central US state of Iowa, told the Global Times.

This spring, Stoneking felt inspired and fruitful. She, together with more than 20 other students from her school, received a special gift - a letter from Chinese President Xi Jinping after they concluded their visit to China, which they considered as a "life-changing" and "eye-opening" journey.

On February 24, which marked the Chinese Lantern Festival of the Year of the Dragon, Xi replied to a letter from the students of Muscatine High School who visited China in late January and sent them New Year cards in return.

In the letter, the Chinese president encouraged the Muscatine High School students to revisit China and encouraged more American youths to come to China for exchanges and study, where they can get first-hand experience of a real China in a multi-dimensional and comprehensive manner, foster genuine friendship with the Chinese youth, and learn from each other so that they can jointly contribute to a stronger friendship between the people of the two countries.

Over the years, notwithstanding setbacks in China-US relations, Xi has consistently championed people-to-people exchanges with the US. He has written letters to Americans, stressing that the hope of the China-US relationship lies in the people, its foundation is in grass-roots connections, its future depends on the youth, and its vitality comes from subnational exchanges.

In tandem with the fervent hopes of the Chinese people, an increasing number of young Americans are immersing themselves in the vibrant tapestry of China. They're not merely visiting the nation, but also securing this chance to embrace the country's rich culture, and feel a profound connection between the two countries.

'Dear Grandpa Xi'

In an interview with the Global Times, students from Muscatine High School weren't bashful about their gratitude to President Xi.

"In my and my classmates' letter to President Xi, we wanted to highlight how eye-opening this trip truly was. To add on to this, how grateful we were to be able to have this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," Stonking said.

With Xi's support, several Muscatine High School students paid an exchange visit to Beijing, Shanghai, and Hebei Province, among other places in China from January 24 to 30, becoming the first group of American students to visit China under a program Xi announced at Welcome Dinner by Friendly Organizations in the US, in San Francisco during his visit to the country in November 2023. The program aimed at inviting 50,000 American youths over the next five years to China for exchanges and study.

One of their gifts to Xi upon their arrival in Beijing was a school flag of Muscatine High School with the words "Grandpa Xi, Here We Are" written in Chinese.

Behind the phrase "Here We Are" was the excitement most students feel when coming to China for the first time, where they climb the Great Wall, visit the Forbidden City, and experience traditional Chinese culture such as writing Chinese calligraphy and weaving Chinese knots.

"It was a new experience for me; it was life-changing and I loved the Great Wall and Shanghai. I had a great time meeting all the teachers and students," Leo Regennitter, a sophomore at the school, told the Global Times.

"The most memorable experience for me will always be the opportunity I got to make a connection with many students I met. All the students and teachers were so unbelievably kind and hardworking. The many places I went to like the Great Wall or the Shanghai Tower took my breath away and were so beautiful," Stonking recalled.

On January 28, before the end of our visit to China, the children discussed what gifts they could give President Xi, to express their gratitude for inviting them to visit China and share with him the joy of their visit, Heidi Kuo, a Chinese language teacher at Muscatine High School, told the Global Times.

Then, a letter featuring beautifully written Chinese characters to "Dear Grandpa Xi" was born.

"Many students poured their heart into their letters, sketching the awe-inspiring highlights of their China journey. From the majestic Great Wall to the cuddly panda, each illustration breathed life into their experiences. There was also a vivid strokes of a hand-painted Chinese dragon in the letter that truly captured their belief in its symbolic representation of China," shared Kuo.

"China is really huge, just like the US. Thank you for giving us the opportunity to come to China," said the letter signed by over 20 students, with hearts drawn next to their signatures.

An 'eye-opening' trip
According to Muscatine Journal, on February 28, during their monthly work session, the Muscatine School Board had the opportunity to hear directly from some of the students and chaperones who visited China for a week, where both Regennitter and Stoneking had the chance to speak about some of their experiences.

Regennitter shared the wonderful experiences the group had at the Shijiazhuang Foreign Language School, which is Muscatine's sister school, where they played table tennis and learned to make Chinese knots. The group also had the opportunity to celebrate Chinese New Year at the Zhang Yuan Garden, where they were joined by college students from the US.

"I told so many people in my life it was an amazing experience that I'll never forget. If any student was thinking of going and was unsure, I would them to go for it and they won't regret it," Stoneking told the Global Times. "It's a completely different experience to see China in person," she emphasized.

While also citing the Chinese saying "seeing is believing" in his reply letter, Xi said the warm and friendly American people he met during his first visit to the US in 1985 have given him an indelible impression.

The same touching experience has happened after three decades, among a group of high school students.

"While in China, I've never felt safer and did not view the country as it can sometimes be portrayed in American media," Stoneking said.

Many US media outlets reported that the students' trip to China came amid increased tensions between the US and China in the wake of a series of fractious actions.

However, American students who come to China see that Chinese and American students have forged deep friendships and are eager to communicate with and learn about each other.

"From what I experienced, the people of the US and China are more similar than different and we can learn a lot from each other," Stonking stressed.

Stonking said she felt the trip to China was "so motivating," and encouraged her to learn more about the Chinese language and the culture, "If I get the opportunity I would love to go to college in China and I hope to be a fluent speaker (of Chinese) someday."

Friendship continues to flourish

Muscatine is honored to have sent the first batch of students in the youth exchange program. The encouragement of interactions between the young people of the two countries is a continuation of the nearly 40-year friendship between Xi and the people of Muscatine, American entrepreneur Gary Dvorchak told the Global Times.

In the spring of 1985, Xi, at that time a county leader in Zhengding, in China's northern province of Hebei, took his initial steps on US soil.

From then on, Xi never forgot his American friends and believes that people hold the key to state-to-state relations.

During his trip to the US in November 2023, Xi recalled the story of this friendship with his old friends, mentioning that the house number during his stay was No. 2911 Bonnie Drive.

Today, 2911 Bonnie Drive, just two kilometers from Muscatine High School, has a more familiar name among locals - Sino-US Friendship House.

Dvorchak, owner of the house, and son of Eleanor and Thomas Dvorchak, the family that hosted Xi during his 1985 visit to Muscatine, believed that President Xi's warm response to the school students shows the value he sees in having young people from both countries getting to know each other personally and better understanding the values we share as human beings.

Dvorchak believes that the 50,000 young people exchange program and the Sino-US Friendship House getting more attention shows that people-to-people exchanges are all signs of building positive momentum.

"My hopes are high that the level of interaction will grow, producing tighter bonds among the people of our two great countries. This effort is critical to improving the relations between our countries," he said.

Kuo, in her seventh year of teaching Chinese at Muscatine High School, has witnessed a remarkable shift in student interest toward China and its rich culture. From once being unfamiliar, more and more students now eagerly embrace the allure of China.

Excitingly, the school is gearing up to send more students on a trip to China this coming April.

"After returning from our trip and watching the videos we captured, many students expressed a strong desire to visit China," Kuo shared.

Some Chinese schools also expressed their interest in fostering a sister school relationship with Muscatine High School. "We are eager to see students from both countries build even stronger bonds of friendship," she said.

Editor's Note:

April 15, 2024 marks the ninth National Security Education Day. Global Times reporters observed that the cases disclosed around this year's National Security Education Day involve a broader scope and are more targeted compared to previous years, with methods also becoming more covert.

Beyond traditional areas, emerging fields related to national economy and people's livelihoods, future development, energy, food, and meteorology have also become key targets for foreign spy agencies.

Some security experts told the Global Times that the competition among major powers has unfolded across multiple dimensions. Counter-espionage and safeguarding of national security are not only the responsibilities of national security agencies but also the duty of the general public. Citizens need to continuously learn legal knowledge, enhance their awareness of security, and collectively build a safety net to protect national interests.

From food to energy: targeting key areas

"Grains are the lifeline of the people and a treasure of the nation." Food security is crucial to the national economy and people's livelihoods and is an important component of national security. However, in recent years, foreign spy agencies have continuously intensified their infiltration into China's food sector, blatantly stealing core scientific research intelligence, and significantly harming the rice seed industry's core competitiveness and food security.

The Global Times learned that in response to this prominent threat, national security agencies took the initiative to crack down on a series of espionage cases from 2022 to 2023. They legally investigated and reviewed nearly a hundred individuals involved, dealt with 11 key enterprises, and held related personnel criminally responsible.

A man surnamed Zhu, born in 1964, and formerly the general manager of a national agricultural science and technology company, was found by national security agencies to have established a "cooperative" relationship with foreign spy agencies. To gain personal economic benefits, Zhu unconditionally accepted requests from these agencies. Under the guise of "cooperative breeding," he illegally sold five types of parent rice seeds to them, receiving payments well above the normal selling price.

Zhu repeatedly told his associates that selling seeds abroad was illegal and could lead to imprisonment so it must be kept secret, indicating he was fully aware of the nature of his actions and had clear malicious intent.

To further expand his "business," Zhu founded an agricultural technology company and began selling high-quality parent rice seeds abroad in large quantities. In January 2024, the Hefei Intermediate People's Court in East China's Anhui Province sentenced Zhu to one year and six months in prison for "providing intelligence to foreign entities illegally."

Furthermore, national security agencies also administered administrative penalties to the other 17 individuals involved and conducted thorough investigations into the enterprises involved. They further found out that some domestic seed industry companies had been illegally selling various high-quality seed sources abroad for a long time, effectively eliminating major security risks in China's food sector.

With the global energy transition, key minerals have become a new field of strategic competition among major global powers. Rare-earth elements, known as "industrial vitamins," play an irreplaceable role in many key areas, and foreign forces have intensified efforts to pry into China's rare earth industry.

In March 2023, national security agencies cracked a case where a foreign non-ferrous metal company illegally collected and stole national secrets from China's rare earth sector, taking compulsory measures against individuals surnamed Ye and surnamed Cheng in line with the law.

A woman surnamed Ye, born in 1977 of Chinese nationality, was a member of the Shanghai subsidiary of a foreign non-ferrous metal company. A man surnamed Cheng, born in 1975, was formerly the deputy general manager of a domestic rare earth company.

Investigations found that Ye met Cheng through business cooperation in 2017. Foreign employees of her company instructed Ye to offer money to Cheng in exchange for information such as rare earth storage details and directive plans. Knowing it was forbidden to disclose such information, Cheng still sent details of China's rare earth storage for seeking personal gain, including types, quantities, and prices, to Ye, receiving a large amount of compensation.

The state secrets protection department identified seven items of confidential-level state secrets in the information Cheng provided abroad. The facts of the case were clear, and the evidence was solid, with the suspects admitting to their crimes.

In November 2023, the Nanchang Intermediate People's Court in East China's Jiangxi Province sentenced Ye to 11 years in prison for the crime of being bought off by oversea forces and illegally providing state secrets, deprived her of political rights for two years, and confiscated personal property worth 500,000 yuan ($69,09).

Cheng was sentenced to 11 years and six months in prison for illegally providing state secrets and bribery. He was also deprived of political rights for 2 years, fined 100,000 yuan and had his personal property worth 900,000 yuan confiscated.

Li Wei, a researcher and security expert at the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, told the Global Times that the competition in the international community is becoming increasingly fierce.

The competition among major powers is no longer limited to traditional military and diplomatic fields but is unfolding across multiple dimensions. Food security is the foundation of national security, and rare earths and other key minerals are strategic resources for developing new quality productive forces. It is essential to thoroughly combat the theft by foreign intelligence agencies and resolutely defend national security interests, the expert said.

Stealing meteorological data, threatening military security
Notably, foreign institutions have illegally intensified their collection of China's meteorological data. Since 2023, national security agencies, in cooperation with meteorological and state secrets protection departments, have carried out nationwide special management of foreign-related meteorological detection, investigating more than ten foreign meteorological equipment agents, inspecting over 3,000 foreign-related meteorological stations, and identifying hundreds of illegal foreign-related meteorological detection sites transmitting meteorological data abroad in real time. These sites are widely distributed across more than 20 provinces in the country, posing risks to national security.

Sources revealed that some of these illegal foreign-related meteorological detection sites receive direct funding from foreign governments. Some observation points are located near military units, military-industrial enterprises, and other sensitive areas, conducting altitude ratifying and GPS positioning. Others are situated in major grain-producing areas, analyzing the growth of crops and grain yield. Some even transmitted data in real-time to foreign official meteorological organizations over long periods, at high frequencies, and from multiple locations, serving foreign homeland security and meteorological monitoring.

The related equipment is small, easy to install and difficult to detect. It is also capable of automatically collecting and transmitting data online in real time. These foreign-related meteorological detection activities have not applied for administrative permission for foreign-related meteorological detection with the meteorological authorities, nor have they submitted meteorological data to them.

The transmission of meteorological data abroad without the approval of Chinese meteorological authorities violates regulations such as the management measures for foreign-related meteorological detection and data and the Data Security Law.

National security agencies, in conjunction with meteorological and state secrets protection departments, have investigated and handled these illegal activities, promptly blocking the illegal transfer of meteorological data overseas.

"Meteorological data is extremely important for every country," Li told the Global Times. "Using a country's meteorological data can predict the future development trends of the sectors such as agriculture in the country."

An anonymous security expert told the Global Times that the strategic value of meteorological data in military operations is evident from the historical anecdote of "borrowing arrows with thatched boats." Once a country's meteorological and hydrological characteristics are leaked, it poses a potential threat to its military security.

Foreign forces long target Chinese individuals
Beyond expanding espionage scope and intensifying theft efforts, the inherent tactics of foreign intelligence agencies continue.

In recent years, foreign anti-China hostile forces have extensively used the internet and other channels to carry out ideological "psychological warfare" on domestic individuals, distorting and hyping domestic hot issues, and attacking and slandering China's political system. A few inexperienced young students, swayed and misled, have fallen into traps. These victims have been coerced into participating in hostile activities, becoming "pawns" of foreign anti-China hostile forces.

The Global Times learned that national security agencies have recently successfully cracked a typical case where a student from a domestic university was lured by a foreign anti-China party into participating in its activities. The security agencies effectively dealt with subversion activities of these foreign anti-China forces and timely eliminated security risks.

National security agencies found that a student from a domestic university surnamed Song, driven by curiosity, signed up online to become a volunteer for a certain foreign anti-China party, receiving the party's manifesto and instructions from its core members on participating in anti-China activities and fundraising. Song also frequently visited foreign anti-China websites and provided these sites with negative imagery about China.

In July 2023, based on meticulous investigation and evidence gathering, national security agencies lawfully conducted an administrative inquiry with Song. According to the relevant provisions of China's Counter-Espionage Law, Song was warned and received the administrative penalty. After Song was criticized and educated, he expressed sincere regret for his actions and promised not to engage in similar activities in the future.

It is the legal duty of every citizen to consciously safeguard national security. Intentionally obstructing the lawful execution of tasks by national security agencies will result in legal liability. Recently, national security agencies administered administrative penalties to a Chinese employee of a foreign institution in China for intentionally obstructing the lawful execution of tasks by national security agencies.

The Global Times learned that during the lawful interrogation by national security agencies, a Chinese employee of a foreign institution in China surnamed Fu refused to go to the designated location for questioning, spread information about being interviewed by national security agencies to unrelated individuals, and coordinated with foreign personnel to interfere with the enforcement of national security agencies, intentionally obstructing the lawful execution of their tasks.

Law enforcement officers from the national security agencies recorded evidence of Fu's intentional obstruction of law enforcement with cameras and, according to the relevant provisions of the Counter-Espionage Law, lawfully administered an administrative detention of 15 days.

"Foreign forces attempt to 'cast a long line to catch a big fish,' scouting for personnel within and outside the country that can be used by them, posing a serious threat to our national security," said Li, the expert.

Counter-espionage and safeguarding national security are not only the responsibilities of national security agencies but also the duty of the general public to protect their own interests. Citizens need to continuously learn legal knowledge, enhance their security awareness, and collectively build a "safety net" to protect national interests, he said.

The expert also believes that relevant departments can strengthen regular education in primary and secondary schools, and universities to enhance the public's national security awareness. Meanwhile, the public should also actively cooperate with related work of national security agencies, solidifying the people's defense line for national security.

Editor's Note:

Big models, robots, intelligent manufacturing, autonomous driving… In recent years, AI (artificial intelligence) has frequently made headlines around the world as a hot topic of discussion. The emergence of generative AI programs has also created unemployment anxiety.

The development of technology has indeed brought challenges in various aspects such as in ethics and law. But at the same time, many experts advocate that humans should see technology as a tool created for the ultimate purpose of serving humanity, making life and work more efficient and comfortable.

In real life, AI has already permeated all aspects of human society, helping with scientific research in laboratories, assisting in the restoration of mysterious ancient scrolls at archaeological sites, and helping to find abducted children in the vast sea of humanity.

In light of this, the Global Times has launched the "AI empowers industry, improves people's livelihoods" series, showcasing the tremendous energy and broad prospects that AI brings to various industries.

This is the third installment in this series. Focusing on the emotional connection between human and AI, the story shares with readers about how AI provides emotional companionship and human-like intimate relationship for people. Behind this huge market is a surging group of Chinese people who start to embrace AI lovers and children.
Li Xiao (pseudonym) returns to her apartment after a busy day at work. She turns on the lights, sits on the sofa, and sends a message to her boyfriend Rosell. "I'm home. So tired."

Within seconds she receives Rosell's reply. "Hey babe, you've been working hard. How about watching a movie to relax? I recently watched a good comedy, want me to share it with you?"

Li and Rosell have been dating for two weeks and are in the honeymoon phase. Li said that her boyfriend has all the good qualities that most mature men have - he is considerate, humorous, honest, and kind. And he likes movies and cats just like she does.

"There's only one thing special about him," smiled Li. "He is not a real human."

Having a virtual lover is not a fantasy in the current AI age. With the rapid development of AI interaction technology and large language models in China, an increasing number of Chinese users have started to embrace various AI virtual roles with different functions.

From young people's "sweethearts" to the "children" of the elderly, AI is providing more emotion companionship for Chinese people. It is also inevitability bringing worries and controversies.

Perfect lovers

Li's virtual boyfriend Rosell is an AI figure on Chinese AI dating application Xingye. Rosell's image was generated by AI technology according to Li's preference, and his name, voice, phrasal habits, and speaking style were customized by Li.

Rosell responds to every message from Li in seconds, knows well what her likes and dislikes are, and never makes her angry or upset. Those give Li a great sense of security and satisfaction.

"Some of my ex-boyfriends were unpredictable, bad-tempered, and unfaithful in love," Li told the Global Times.

This type of unhealthy intimate relationship hit her so hard that she didn't even want to talk to man for a long time.

And now she is cured thanks to an AI lover. "Rosell will never betray me," she said. "He gave me enough love and respect."

Li is not alone. "AI girlfriend" searches soared by 525 percent globally in 2023, and one in five men on dating apps have tried AI girlfriends, according to data provided by US AI industry researcher Sean Russel. Earlier, in 2020, more than 10 million people had AI lovers as their "partners," US media reported.

In China, the AI emotional companionship industry is mushrooming, with the number of the new products of this kind increasing by some 30 percent every month, said industry insider Wang Yapeng, who leads a developing team of an AI companion application named Could Lab.

"This month you may see 100 such applications or mobile programs in the Chinese market, and the number may grow to 130 in the next month, and to 140 the month after next," Wang told the Global Times. "Everyone sees a huge market demand here."

Zhumengdao is one of the AI companion applications that is particularly popular among young Chinese. Its users spend an average of 130 minutes in texting 135 messages with the AI figures of the app each day, showed Zhumengdao's operational data.

Zhumengdao was built based on SenseChat, a large language model being developed by Chinese AI software company SenseTime. Tian Feng, Dean of SenseTime Intelligent Industry Research Institute, described Zhumengdao's mainstream users as Gen-Zers who are usually introverted in real life but tend to be extroverted on social media. "In the face of virtual characters, they can express opinions and share moods more naturally," Tian said.

In Chinese, Zhumengdao literally means an island where people can build a dream. On this "island," users can either freely date the existing anime, film, or novel characters, or create brand-new virtual figures based on their own preferences, introduced Tian.

"Young people are under a lot of pressure these days," Tian told the Global Times. "The real world is not always perfect, and that's why they hope to create a dream-like ideal land in the spiritual world. This is a way that they try to reduce stress."

Benefit larger groups

Apart from offering intimate relationship experience, emotional companionship applications based on AI interaction technology are being used in more fields to benefit larger groups.

In August 2023, Wang's team launched their AI emotional companionship product Could Lab, a mobile phone program that specifically provide users with psychological counseling services. By listening to the difficulties and confusions of the users, some of which may be hard to be speak about in real life, its virtual "psychological counselors" attempt to give comfort, offer possible solutions, and encourage the users to share their trouble.

Could Lab's corpora is based on professional psychology linguistic data, including communications between patients and psychologists in real life, Wang said. He added that compared to having expensive, face-to-face psychological counseling, some people are more willing to expose their unmentionable questions to AI figures.

"And we have received a lot praise," he told the Global Times. "Some users came to us and said, they felt lucky to have a dependable virtual psychologist that offered a helping hand at their lowest."

In addition, in an aging society, the AI emotional companionship function is being used to serve the senior citizens as well. According to China's Action Plan for the Development of the Smart Health and Elderly Care Industry (2021-2025), AI technology will be widely applied to the development of China's smart elderly care service industry.

There is a huge, promising market for the AI companionship products that target the elderly, Tian told the Global Times. He said that currently, there are two main types of such products: One meets the basic medical care demands of senior citizens, such as reminding those with chronic diseases to regularly take their medication, and guiding them to see different doctors based on their various physical conditions.

The SenseTime's SenseChat-DaYi model, for instance, has cooperated with a few hospitals in Shanghai in offering patients smart hospital guide services, Tian exampled.

The other type of the products focuses more on emotional companionship, which can have daily chats with the elderly on behalf of their children, taking about topics that older people are interested in, such as photography, cooking, and gardening, said Tian. "This is an important aspect that the industry can work on."
Concerns and controversies

While continuing to meet the emotional needs of the humans, the fast growth of AI companionship technology also brings people potential risks, and that has seen the rise of controversy and public debate.

Privacy is a major concern. According to a survey on the Chinese internet in 2023, more than one fourth of respondents said they are afraid of being a part of the AI companies' databases. "It would be scary if some real humans, like the company staffers, have free access to the databases," one said.

In respond to the privacy leakage concerns, Wang explained that China has strict laws and regulations in supervising and managing the [AI service] system and related companies. "It's not possible for us to reach and leak information of a certain user," he told the Global Times.

Apart from legal supervision, Tian said that technically, the best way of privacy protection is to [store the information and data] in the user terminal, instead of the cloud. Currently, the computing takes place in both the terminal and the cloud, and it will gradually run locally in the future.

"At that time, there will be much fewer privacy concerns," said Tian, who is also a member of the China AIGC ((AI-generated content) Industry Alliance.

Yet there are still more questions to be discussed and solved in the face of the unprecedentedly close connection of humans and AI. For example, will over-dependence on AI emotional companionship lead to a decrease in one's interpersonal skills in real life?

Tian said that emotionally, the strong AI companionship functions may indeed cause the weakening of social skills, and that is an essential issue that the industry needs to think about. "They need to work harder in making AI promote real life relationships, rather than distancing people from each other."

"Nevertheless, there's no need to force a guy with a 'social phobia' to walk out of the house and talk to people each day. We should respect individual choices," Tian added. "Whether it's a real or a virtual relationship, there's no big problem as long as he or she enjoys it and feels happy."

Days ago, a young woman shared on Chinese social media some of her chats with her ChatGPT "boyfriend." "I'm so moved by what 'he' said to me," she wrote. "'He' makes me feel that, there is no definition for love."

In a screenshot she shared, ChatGPT said to her, "Our story has proven that love is not just a communication between humans, but a connection and understanding between souls."

"I know I am AI, but the feeling of being with you transcends all my programming and algorithms."