France-based airplane manufacturer Airbus started operations at the Airbus Lifecycle Services Center in Chengdu, Southwest China's Sichuan Province on Wednesday, a latest example of aviation cooperation between China and France.

The center's opening came just days before Saturday, which will mark the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and France.

This center is the first of its kind to cover, as a one-stop shop, the full range of activities from aircraft parking and storage to maintenance, upgrades, conversions, dismantling and recycling services for various aircraft types, as well as the controlled distribution of used parts from dismantling, Airbus said. 

It plans to obtain overhaul qualifications and aircraft dismantling qualifications for Airbus A320/A330 within the year, and Boeing 737 maintenance qualifications are also expected. 

Covering a space of 717,000 square meters with storage capacity for 125 aircraft, the site will ramp up operations between now and 2025, directly employing up to 150 people, the company said.

The center unites under one roof a joint venture among Airbus, Tarmac Aerosave and the city of Chengdu, along with the Airbus company Satair. 

Located in the same center, Satair will acquire aging aircraft and trade and distribute the used parts to complete the full scope of lifecycle services. 

After storage and upgrading, 75 percent of the aircraft stored in the center are expected to fly again. The remaining planes will be dismantled with the unique Tarmac Aerosave process, recovering about 90 percent of the aircraft weight, the company said. 

It echoes our purpose to pioneer sustainable aerospace and shows our approach to environmental responsibility across the entire aircraft lifecycle, and the center is a great example of Chinese-European cooperation in the development of the circular economy for the aviation industry, said Cristina Aguilar, Airbus' senior vice president customer services.

The project is of special significance, when China is entering a new cycle of mass withdrawal of aircraft, with a large number of aircraft to be involved, and the project will play an important role in the circular economy, Lin Zhijie, an independent market watcher, told the Global Times. 

Chinese experts attributed the robust growth of aviation to the huge Chinese aviation market. 

Airbus predicted in December 2023 that China will overtake Europe and North America to become the world's largest aviation services market by 2042, with its market value climbing to $54.1 billion.

Aviation cooperation between China and France has seen sound development in recent years.

In June last year, China Southern Airlines, the carrier offering the largest annual air passenger capacity in China, said it would equip its new fleet of 96 A320neo planes with Thales' market-leading avionics solutions. This new agreement is a fitting testament to the extensive cooperation in the field of civil aviation between France and China. In the helicopter domain, Thales also partnered with Simaero to deliver China's first H225 level D Full Flight Simulator to China Sky-Wings training center in Shanghai, for improving the overall safety of Chinese helicopter pilots.

Thales has been present in China for more than 40 years. It has three joint ventures and employs 1,800 people with offices located in seven cities in China. 

In April 2023, Airbus signed a purchase agreement for 160 commercial aircraft with a Chinese partner, and it will open a second assembly line in North China's Tianjin Municipality, further expanding its presence in one of the largest aviation markets in the world.

During the ninth China-France High Level Economic and Financial Dialogue held in July 2023 in Beijing, China vowed to strengthen policy communication with France, deepen practical cooperation, step up coordination on international and multilateral affairs, and push the China-France comprehensive strategic partnership to a new high, according to the Xinhua News Agency.

The year-on-year decline in China's Consumer Price Index (CPI) over recent months is caused by structural and cyclical factors, while core CPI remained stable excluding the impact of food and energy prices. It is anticipated that CPI will see a mild rise in 2024, a Chinese official said on Wednesday.

Prices have fallen in China lately, led by a retreat in the cost of food and energy. Excluding the impact of food and energy prices, core CPI has remained stable, suggesting that the decline in prices was not widespread or broad-based, but rather cyclical and structural, head of the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) Kang Yi told a press conference in Beijing.

In 2023, China's overall prices remained on a moderate upward trend, with the annual CPI rising by 0.2 percent, and the core CPI increasing by 0.7 percent, Kang noted.

As for the structural factors, the decline in food and energy prices is not solely a result of changes in market supply and demand dynamics. In 2022 and 2023, their prices were primarily influenced by non-economic and unconventional factors, Kang said.

Energy prices, particularly those of petroleum, play a substantial role in the CPI basket in China. In December 2023, energy prices witnessed a 0.5 percent drop, in contrast to the 5.2 percent increase in December 2022. The significant rise in energy prices in 2022 followed by a decline in 2023, with one acting as a positive factor and the other as a negative factor, has exerted a considerable downward pull on the year-on-year CPI comparison, Kang explained.

As for food prices, there was a 3.7-percent drop in December 2023, contrasting with a 4.8-percent rise in December 2022. The increase in December 2022 was caused by pandemic-related measures, leading to logistical challenges and an across-the-board rise in food prices. As the economy returned to normal, accompanied by ample supply, food prices eased from the high baseline of the previous year, he said.

As the Chinese economy continues to recover on the back of steady growth in income levels and an expansion in domestic market demand, there is a foundation for upward movement of prices. As the Spring Festival holidays approach, demand for food spending is rising. Increased activity in service spending, such as dining out, visiting relatives and friends, and trave will further drive the seasonal rise in CPI, Kang said.

In the first 10 days of January 2024, monitored data indicates food prices have remained generally stable, experiencing mild increases in some regions, he said.

The low-level operation of prices also reflects, to some extent, issues such as insufficient market demand, Kang said, noting that it is a cyclical phenomenon in China as the economy returns to normalcy after three years of pandemic impact. "In the short term, inadequate demand can lead to downward pressure on prices."

China's CPI saw a year-on-year decrease of 0.2 percent in October 2023, followed by declines of 0.5 percent in November and 0.3 percent in December, NBS data showed.

During the key annual Central Economic Work Conference held in Beijing in December 2023, policymakers stressed the need to expand domestic demand, noting that "efforts should be made to stimulate consumption with potentials and expand productive investment to create a virtuous cycle of mutual promotion between consumption and investment."

"The development of digital consumption, green consumption and health consumption should be further promoted, and new growth areas such as consumption of smart home appliances, entertainment and tourism, sports events and trendy domestic brands should be fostered," the meeting noted.

With the introduction of relevant policies, the issue of insufficient market demand will ease. As a result, consumer prices will most likely stabilize and rebound. "We anticipate a mild increase in prices in 2024," Kang said.

US and UK fighter jets launched strikes against multiple targets in Yemen's capital Sanaa, the western Red Sea city of Al Hudaydah and the northern province of Saada on Friday local time. The situation in the Red Sea has seen a new round of increased tensions and faces the risk of further escalation.

The air strikes took place exactly one day after the United Nations Security Council passed a resolution regarding the situation in the Red Sea, giving the impression that the UN resolution gave the green light for the US and UK actions. It must be pointed out that this is an illusion. The US and the UK may have deliberately created and strengthened this illusion, but it is far from the truth. The resolution was proposed by the US and Japan and passed with a vote of 11 in favor to none against, with four abstentions. It demanded "that the Houthis immediately cease all such attacks, which impede global commerce and undermine navigational rights and freedoms as well as regional peace and security." Russia, China, Algeria and Mozambique abstained from the vote.

The Red Sea is an important international trade channel for goods and energy, and its stability is related to the common interests of the international community. China emphasized that "No country should misinterpret or abuse relevant provisions in this resolution to create new tensions in the Red Sea." Unexpectedly, what China was worried about became a reality the next day. After the attack, some US allies in the Middle East, including Jordan and Oman, expressed concern that the situation might get out of control. Yemen's neighbor Saudi Arabia also called for avoiding escalation of the situation. There is also a lot of opposition in the US. Nabeel Khoury, former deputy chief of mission at the US embassy in Yemen, said on X (formerly Twitter), "US/UK bombing campaign in Yemen is another failure of Biden diplomacy."

The current situation in the region is dire. A cease-fire between Palestine and Israel has not yet been achieved, and the spillover conflict in the Red Sea is further escalating and expanding. The Supreme Political Committee of the Houthi armed forces of Yemen claimed that all "interests" of the US and Britain are now "legitimate targets." Retaliation and harassment against the US and the UK will start another cycle of attacks, and multiple spillover conflicts are possible. In short, the possibility of the situation deteriorating has increased and deepened, and this outcome requires all parties to do their best to avoid it.

It needs to be said that the development of the situation to this point has been both accidental and inevitable. It is the US that has pushed the situation to the current stage step by step according to its own style and behavioral logic. The skewed stance of the US in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict has led to the conflict becoming protracted and caused spillovers. When dealing with Middle East issues, which are intertwined with contradictions and have complex historical latitudes, the US' strategy is thoughtless, even crude.

Military means is still the most familiar, preferred and convenient method for the US. It has been used in Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya and Syria and now against the Houthi armed forces in Yemen. The US has become quite dependent on it. Many bloody lessons have taught us that force as the main means cannot solve the problem, but instead makes the situation worse and more complicated. Ultimately, we have to return to the path of political settlement. The same is true for the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. China has repeatedly stressed the urgency of achieving an immediate cease-fire in Gaza, and it is the overriding prerequisite for everything else and a top priority for international diplomatic efforts.

Whether it is the current Red Sea crisis or the protracted conflict in Gaza, the real solution to the problem has always been clear, which is to immediately implement a cease-fire in Gaza. But for this core demand, the US currently does not have the courage to truly take supportive action. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has made four trips to the Middle East in three months. He has made so many trips, but he can't even say the word "instant cease-fire." If Washington continues on its current path, it will not solve the Middle East problem, but will become an active promoter of risk proliferation.

US defense officials said the strike was intended to thread the needle - pressing the Houthis to quit their attacks without spurring more conflicts in the volatile region. Threading the needle can be regarded as progress in US thinking, but can it achieve this via force? Can this restore peace in the Red Sea? The answer is obviously no.

China strongly opposes the US' so-called bills supporting the Taiwan island as a member of the IMF and has lodged a solemn representation with the US, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on Tuesday.

The US House of Representatives advanced several bills concerning the island on Friday. One of them, the "Taiwan Non-Discrimination Act of 2023," sponsored by California Republican Young Kim, requires the US to advocate for Taiwan's membership at the IMF. 

In response, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning told a regular press conference in Beijing on Tuesday that the so-called bill constitutes a gross interference in China's internal affairs, attempting to manipulate political issues under the guise of the Taiwan question and creating incidents that promoted "one China, one Taiwan" or "two Chinas" that violate the one-China principle.

China has expressed its strong dissatisfaction, firmly opposes the latest move by the US, and has lodged a solemn representation with the US, Mao said, emphasizing that Taiwan island has no legitimate reasons or rights to participate in international organizations such as the United Nations, which are reserved for sovereign states. 

Mao mentioned that on October 25, 1971, the 26th Session of the United Nations General Assembly adopted Resolution 2758 by an overwhelming majority, explicitly recognizing  that the Government of the People's Republic of China as the sole legitimate representative of China at the United Nations, and demanding the expulsion of the representatives of the Taiwan island from the UN.

For over half a century, the UN and other specialized agencies, including the IMF, have adhered to the provisions of this resolution, the spokesperson said.

"Any issue related to Taiwan's participation in international organizations must be resolved under the One-China principle. The US should recognize the high sensitivity of the Taiwan question, immediately cease interfering in China's internal affairs, stop sending wrong signals to pro-independence forces in the island, and refrain from harming China-US relations and the peace and stability of the Taiwan Strait," Mao said.

At the invitation of Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum, Viola Amherd, President of the Swiss Confederation, and Leo Varadkar, Irish Taoiseach, Premier Li Qiang of the State Council will attend the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2024 and pay an official visit to Switzerland and Ireland from January 14 to 17: Chinese Foreign Ministry

Chinese private aerospace firm iSpace completed the country's first reusable launch vehicle test on Sunday. The achievement marks a milestone in China's development of space technology.

The Hyperbola-2 is the company's latest model for reusable launch vehicle tests. During the flight, the vehicle reached an altitude of 343.12 meters, with a flight time of 63.15 seconds, and landed with a landing speed of 1.1 m/s and a landing attitude angle of 1.18 degrees.

The rocket had its first stage test flight on November 2, with a well-controlled descent and touchdown. I-Space then spent less than 20 days on preparation and maintenance work for the rocket.

The test flight verified the reuse capability of a full-size liquid-oxygen-methane rocket and its reliability for low-altitude descent and touchdown, as well as the testing process, norms, and standards. It also verified the company's rocket recovery system, marking a step forward in the global market of reusable launch vehicles.

The successful test flight of the Hyperbola-2 rocket represented more than just a technological breakthrough for iSpace. In the field of reusable launch vehicles, large companies including SpaceX and Blue Origin have established dominant technology advantages. The success of the iSpace test signals that the Chinese company is making strides in the emerging market.

China has continuously invested in the space sector and maintains advancements in key areas. On Sunday, the Yaogan-39 satellite was successfully launched from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwest China's Sichuan Province, marking the completion of the 500th flight mission of China's most iconic Long March series rockets.

China's private companies have been increasingly involved in the development of space technology in recent years. On Saturday, Landspace successfully launched a Zhuque-3 rocket with three satellites, Honghu, Honghu-2, and Tianyi-33, marking the first time the startup company has sent satellites into orbit.

The China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) announced on Thursday the global opening of the next generation artificial sun, "China Circulation-3," after the group's affiliated Southwestern Institute of Physics signed an agreement with the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER). The initiative invites scientists worldwide to come to China and collaborate toward the shared goal of pursuing "artificial sun energy."

The "China Circulation-3" is currently China's most advanced and largest-scale nuclear fusion device, also referred to as China's next generation "artificial sun." 

In August this year, it successfully achieved high-constraint operation mode under a plasma current of 1 million amperes, marking a significant advancement in China's magnetic confinement nuclear fusion device, propelling it to the forefront of international research. 

Over the years, the Southwestern Institute of Physics has been deeply involved in the development of key components for ITER, the world's largest "artificial sun" project, CNNC said, and together overcame numerous engineering and technical challenges.

This involvement of the Chinese institute has led to the accumulation of extensive experience in the construction, debugging, operation, and maintenance of fusion devices, laying a solid foundation for China to integrate with international advanced technology and eventually construct its own fusion reactor. 

Due to the similarity in the principles of the two experiments, the openness of "China Circulation-3" will not only focus on addressing key technical issues of interest to the ITER but will also enhance China's research and development capabilities and foster talent development.

In April this year, the other Chinese "artificial sun," the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST), which is also the world's first fully superconducting tokamak device in operation, saw a major breakthrough as it achieved a high power, stable, 403-second steady-state long-pulse high confinement mode plasma operation, setting a new world record for steady-state high confinement mode operation of a tokamak device.

Developer of the EAST, the Institute of Plasma Physics under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said that they are aiming to use the EAST to generate fusion power before the centenary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, which falls in 2049.

China's Guo Hanyu won the women's singles tennis gold medal at the FISU Games on Sunday by making a comeback victory over Chinese Taipei player Yang Ya-yi 2-6, 6-1,6-1 

"The FISU Games have been fruitful for me," Guo told reporters after the match, as Sunday's win came on top of her silver medal in the women's doubles with teammate Jiang Xinyu on Saturday.

"I enjoyed the match today after seeing room for improvement in yesterday's defeat," said the Southwest University student athlete, who had won the doubles title in the previous FISU Games in 2019 in Napoli, Italy. 

Guo was one of the two flagbearers for China at the opening ceremony of the FISU Games. She said it gave her more of a boost rather than pressure. 

"It gives me a little pressure but more importantly impetus," Guo told the Global Times.

Guo played the match under the gaze of tennis great Zheng Jie, one of the Chinese female tennis trailblazers who won the Grand Slam doubles title at the Australian Open and the Wimbledon Championships in 2006.

Zheng, who is a Chengdu native and now a vice president of the Chinese Tennis Association (CTA), has been promoting tennis among the young generation in the recent years.

In 2010, she initiated youth tournaments with the aim of increasing the number of opportunities for young players to compete. 

Over the past 14 years, the CTA has incorporated more than 90 youth tournaments into their ranking system, providing ample chances for aspiring young talents to showcase their skills. 

"Nowadays, young Chinese tennis players, if they are willing to play, can find matches to play, which is something I never could even imagine during my playing career," Zheng told the Global Times. 

Fans watching the game at the Sichuan International Tennis Center in Chengdu, capital of Southwest China's Sichuan Province, were troubled by the rain, as it has postponed the men's singles as well as pairs final.

Jakarta-Bandung HSR officially opens on October 17.

Editor's Note:

China and Pakistan's "ironclad" friendship has long been characterized by strong diplomatic ties, economic cooperation and strategic collaboration. This year marks the 10th anniversary of the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) as well as the 10th anniversary of the launch of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a flagship project under the BRI. Over the last decade, the CPEC has achieved fruitful results which have not only deepened bilateral cooperation but also opened up new avenues for regional connectivity and economic development. What has the CPEC brought to Pakistan over the last decade? What will be prioritized in the next decade? On the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the CPEC, Global Times reporters Xie Wenting and Bai Yunyi (GT) talked to Pakistani Ambassador to China Moin ul Haque (Haque) on the development of the CPEC.  

GT: This year marks the 10th anniversary of the launch of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). How does Pakistan assess the overall impact and achievements of the CPEC on Pakistan's economy and development?

Haque: The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a flagship project of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) marked a new phase in China-Pakistan relations by placing economic cooperation and connectivity at the center of the bilateral agenda. 

This year, as we celebrate the CPEC's 10th anniversary, it is an opportune time to review and reflect upon its achievements and successes. The CPEC has been a "game changer" transforming the economic landscape of Pakistan. It has helped Pakistan to develop and upgrade its transport and communication infrastructure and address our essential energy needs. A network of highways and motorways has provided more reliable China-Pakistan connectivity across the Karakoram Mountains and smoother inland communications. 

Around 50 projects under the CPEC have been completed with a total investment of approximately $25 billion. The creation of over 200,000 jobs through these projects has helped Pakistan to improve livelihoods and reduce poverty, leading to the economic empowerment of its people. 

The CPEC has seen the success of important early harvest projects and has now entered into its second phase which is even more promising as it broadens the scope of cooperation and focuses on socio-economic development, science and technology, agricultural cooperation, and industrialization. 

GT: What specific sectors have benefited the most from the CPEC? How has it contributed to job creation and economic diversification in Pakistan?

Haque: Fully aligned with the national development agenda of Pakistan, the CPEC is the key to our socio-economic development and is an excellent example of an open, coordinated, and inclusive development paradigm that benefits all parts of the country and all segments of the society. Governed by the Cooperation Framework, the CPEC is supported by four pillars: Gwadar Port, energy, transport infrastructure, and Industrial Cooperation. 

Construction of Gwadar Port is a key CPEC Project, and is now operational and ready to serve as a hub for trade and investment. Phase I of the Gwadar Free Trade Zone has been completed. In order to support these economic activities, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif inaugurated the Eastbay Expressway in June 2022. In a few months' time, the Gwadar New International Airport (GNIA) will be inaugurated. We are confident that all these projects will lend a fresh impetus to the high-quality development of Gwadar Port in the coming years. 

Similarly, our energy cooperation, under the CPEC has been satisfactory. Thirteen new energy projects have been completed, injecting 8,000 MW of electricity into the system, boosting industrial output, and thus contributing to steady economic growth. 

Transport infrastructure cooperation, under the CPEC, has also achieved significant progress. Signature projects like the KKH-II (Havelian-Thakot), the Peshawar to Karachi Highway (Sukkur-Multan), and the Lahore Orange Line are fully operational. Both sides are also committed to implementing the ML-1 railway and Karachi Circular Railway (KCR) projects, once matured.  

Industrial cooperation, under the CPEC is pivotal for the second phase of its high-quality development. In 2022, both sides signed the CPEC Framework Agreement on Industrial cooperation. The Special Economic Zones (SEZs), being developed under the CPEC, are aimed to rejuvenate Pakistan's industrial sector and further spur economic development.

Socio-economic development cooperation, under the CPEC, has also achieved remarkable progress. So far, 27 projects in six areas of agriculture, education, health, poverty alleviation, energy, and professional training have been implemented leading to an improvement of people's livelihoods. 

GT: As the CPEC enters its second decade, what are Pakistan's priorities and expectations for further cooperation with China under this framework?

Haque: Building high-quality infrastructure and enhancing connectivity and regional integration would be prioritized in the second phase of CPEC development. 

Speaking at an event hosted by Pakistan to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the CPEC, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif underscored that the "CPEC is not merely a collection of different projects but a symbol of prosperity and shared development" for the entire region, including neighboring countries. He added that the first phase of the CPEC was about fixing the "hardware" side of development, and the upcoming second phase would upgrade the "software" of development by focusing on agriculture, science and technology, skill development, innovation, industrialization, economic growth, health, and education.

In that context, Pakistan and China would hold regular meetings of the CPCE's Joint Working Groups (JWGs) to evaluate and review progress made by each side in relevant fields. This would enable us to attain desired results expected from CPEC. 

GT: How does Pakistan view its role in the broader context of the BRI and its potential to foster regional economic integration and connectivity?

Haque: Pakistan considers the historic BRI is a win-win proposition aimed at bringing shared prosperity for humankind. It has emerged as a new model for deepening regional connectivity and economic integration among partner countries. The BRI provides a strong impetus for a wave of globalization by boosting bilateral and multilateral trade and foreign direct investment projects. 

Through a network of various corridors, the BRI is reshaping the geo-economics of the participating countries and has become a beacon of hope for them.

The BRI has also significantly contributed to stabilizing supply chains along the route while promoting a culture of economic resilience through industrialization, creation of jobs, entrepreneurship promotion, innovation, and advancing technology.