A glass door at Hangzhou Railway Station was forcibly opened by passengers during an attempt to escape congestion on Saturday, the last day of China's Qingming Festival, or Tomb-Sweeping Day. Railway authorities have apologized and no injuries were reported.
A video circulating online showed a man forcefully opening a locked glass door at Hangzhou South Railway Station as a large number of people flooded the station.
The video quickly went viral online. Hangzhou railway authorities revealed that two trains arrived at the same time on Saturday night, leading to a large number of passengers trying to leave the station
A passenger even accidentally fell down an escalator while leaving the station. Station staff promptly activated the brake button, organizing passengers to quickly leave the area with no injuries reported.
Rail authorities also apologized for the temporary chaos, and vowed to strengthen organization for future peaks.
Following the incident, media quoted staff from the station as saying that a music concert in the city led to the large number of passengers amassed at the station.
The incident occurred on the final day of China's Qingming Festival holidays, which lasted from Thursday to Saturday. According to Hangzhou authorities, the city recorded 3.94 million visits during the Qingming Festival holiday. The daily average number of tourists reached 1 million, representing a year-on-year growth of 39.8 percent.
In March, the China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) announced it would open 10 of its nuclear technology research facilities and testing platforms, including China's new-generation "artificial sun" Huanliu-3 (HL-3) tokamak, to the world for the first time.
The move is expected to not only further enhance China's influence in nuclear science and technology globally, but also boost international cooperation in dealing with the energy crisis as the issue seemingly grows more and more urgent along with the rapid development of artificial intelligent (AI) in consideration of the technology's staggering energy consumption. Current AI technology could be on track to annually consume as much electricity as the entire country of Ireland (29.3 terawatt-hours per year), according to a report published in October 2023 in Joule magazine.
"Magnetic confinement nuclear fusion is a cutting-edge disruptive technology with outstanding advantages such as abundant resources, environmental friendliness, and inherent safety. It is currently recognized as one of the most important ways to ultimately solve global energy and environmental problems and promote the sustainable development of human society," Liu Zhonghua, deputy director of the Southwestern Institute of Physics (SWIP) under CNNC told the media during a group visit to the institute in late March.
The visit is part of CNNC's series of events to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the success of China's atomic bomb test in 1964 as well as the upcoming 70th anniversary of the establishment of the CNNC in January 2025.
China has set a "three-step" technological roadmap of "thermal neutron reactor, fast reactor, and controllable nuclear fusion reactor" for nuclear energy development. With the existing nuclear science and technology industrial system, it is believed that human beings can use controllable nuclear fusion energy in about 30 years, that is, by the middle of this century, the Global Times learned from CNNC.
The core temperature of the sun is approximately 15 million to 20 million degrees, while the metal materials on Earth will melt at around 1,000 degrees. The goal of China's construction of "artificial sun" is to build a device on Earth that can withstand temperatures of more than one million degrees.
Scientists at the SWIP are sparing no effort to realize the goal step by step. In the 1980s, the first-generation fusion platform HL-1 was built and it was the first national large-scale scientific engineering facility in the field of nuclear fusion in China; in the early 21st century, HL-2 was completed, laying a solid scientific and engineering foundation for the leap from principle exploration to large-scale device experiments in China's nuclear fusion research.
In 2020, the new-generation "artificial sun" HL-3 was successfully designed and built independently, becoming the largest and highest parameter advanced tokamak device in China with a total height of 8.39 meters and a diameter of 8 meters. The plasma ion temperature can reach 150 million C, which is 10 times the temperature of the core of the sun.
In August 2023, HL-3 realized high-confinement mode operation with a plasma current of one million amperes for the first time. The breakthrough puts the operational level of China's magnetic confinement nuclear fusion device at the forefront of the world. It also marks an important step forward in the research of high-performance nuclear fusion plasma operation.
In December 2023, CNNC announced the global opening of HL-3 to invite scientists worldwide to come to China and collaborate toward the shared goal of pursuing "artificial sun energy" after SWIP signed an agreement with the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) and the development of future fusion reactors. HL-3 since then has become an important supporter to the construction and operation of ITER, the world's largest "artificial sun" project.
The next step of the "artificial sun" project is to gradually transit from the deuterium-tritium combustion experiment stage to the fusion reactor engineering and physical experiment stage, and finally realize the aim of building fusion power stations of demonstration and then the construction of commercial fusion power stations, according to CNNC.
According to Li Bo, a senior engineer at the SWIP, the energy released from the nuclear fusion reaction of one liter of deuterium extracted from seawater is equivalent to that released by 300 liters of gasoline. "To put it simply, if we were to burn coal to fuel a 1-million-kilowatt power plant for a year, it would require around 2 million tons, nearly 33,000 train cars of coal. However, if we use nuclear fusion, only 0.6 tons of materials, equivalent to a small pickup truck, would be sufficient," Li said.
Nuclear fusion energy can also be converted into power through more various methods, Xiao Guoliang, a researcher at the SWIP, told the Global Times. "Besides the traditional steam turbine power generation, the energy carried by the charged particles in the nuclear fusion reactor may also be directly extracted and converted into electricity through specific techniques such as magnetic fluids and plasma waves. With the advancement of technology, the utilization of nuclear fusion energy in the future can be more diverse and efficient," Xiao said.
As a technician at the SWIP, Wang Jin has personally debugged and installed tens of thousands of components on different generations of confinement nuclear fusion devices since 1996.
One of the most memorable things for him was in 2022, when he and other dozens of people fought on site to achieve the first 1 megampere discharge in China as soon as possible against the heat and power limit in summer. After more than a month of arduous preparation, this discharge parameter was successfully achieved.
Wang recalled that, once, he followed an experienced master to conduct a safety inspection of the device. The master walked to a piece of equipment and asked him, "Do you see anything different here?" He looked at that area but did not find anything different.
The master said, "Do you notice the crack in the paint under that screw?" Wang suddenly saw it. Through this incident, he said he felt that doing nuclear fusion work requires great care and patience.
When entering the installation of HL-3, Wang also had his own team of apprentices to lead them to accomplish greater achievements. Wang said, "I need to pass on our spirit. Only in this way can we constantly strive for excellence and do our job well and strong."
China-US relations have been in a complex situation recently. On one hand, many top US companies have expressed their interest and confidence in China's market and in the recovery of people-to-people exchanges in some fields, but on the other, the US is mulling to increase military activities in South China Sea, and Washington is taking new actions to contain China's rightful development in the high-tech fields.
Experts from both sides said that the most important bilateral ties on this planet remain tense, even though some positive signs have emerged. This signals that while China-US relations have been somewhat stabilized, the relationship is far from recovered or improved.
China has done a lot to show its sincerity in managing differences with the US, and continued to build the bridge of friendship between the two peoples by issuing policies, but Washington has not done enough to fix the poisoned political atmosphere characterized by extreme hostility against China and Chinese in America. China hopes that groups and people from the US who support and benefit from China-US cooperation can act to balance anti-China forces in America, so the two sides can prevent the tension from escalating into an all-out confrontation, analysts said.
Complicated situation
US Ambassador to China Nicholas Burns on Saturday posted a photo on his X account of his meeting with China's NBA legend Yao Ming, also president of the China Basketball Association, saying that they discussed "how to strengthen the bridge that basketball has become between the American and Chinese people."
As the US ambassador has also frequently made hawkish and hostile remarks on issues involving China's national interests and internal affairs, experts said that Burns is trying to balance his image among the Chinese people by using his social media to say some nice-sounding things, but the key is that the US government needs to at least tailor their actions to their words.
Although some US scholars call for the recovery of connectivity between the two countries, many obstacles set by the US for the recovery of people-to-people exchanges have not been removed. For instance, some US airports such as Washington Dulles International Airport are imposing discriminatory and rude measures against Chinese students and scholars who wish to enter US territory.
Compared to the US actions that are inconsistent with its words, China has done a lot more to fix the damaged ties. At the beginning of 2024, China simplified visa applications for tourists from many countries, including the US.
Chinese President Xi Jinping met representatives from the US business, strategic and academic communities in Beijing on Wednesday, as China hosted a series of high-level events this week, demonstrating the country's commitment to attracting more foreign investment and expanding its opening-up to the world.
China has made concrete efforts to show friendship and sincerity to the US, especially to ordinary people and companies, said Li Haidong, a professor at the China Foreign Affairs University. "This shows that China is taking on the responsibility to manage and fix the problematic ties, not only for China's own interests, but also for the global economic recovery, but the US' mindset of strategic competition remains unchanged."
Lü Xiang, a research fellow on US studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Sunday that China's recent efforts show that the Chinese leadership is trying to shape future bilateral ties based on the mindset of "making the pie bigger," while US policymakers are embracing protectionism and the mentality of strategic competition.
Scott Kennedy, senior adviser and Trustee Chair in Chinese Business and Economics at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said at a forum held in Beijing on Thursday that he wants "the hardest-line members of the US Congress" and their counterparts in China with a similar attitude to the US to go to each other's countries.
"Those are the folks that are most pessimistic and most worried about the relationship. Those are the ones that actually need to travel more than anybody else, but those are also the ones who are traveling the least," he noted.
Dangers remain
Meanwhile, the US is still imposing strategic pressure on China. The situation in the Asia-Pacific region has further intensified due to recent provocative actions of the US and its allies, analysts said over reports that Japan is slated to send its Maritime Self-Defense Force to conduct its first joint naval patrols with the US and the Philippines in the South China Sea later this year.
The sci-tech warfare is also intense. Reuters reported that the Biden administration on Friday revised rules aimed at making it harder for China to access US artificial intelligence (AI) chips and chipmaking tools, part of an effort to hobble Beijing's chipmaking industry over "national security concerns." The Commerce Department, which oversees export controls, has said it plans to continue updating its restrictions on technology shipments to China as it seeks to bolster and fine-tune the measures.
However, the latest act to target China's sci-tech development does not overly concern Chinese analysts. The tightening of US restrictions on technology exports to China is not surprising, yet its impact on Chinese industry is shrinking given China's industrial upgrading in recent years, Tian Yun, a veteran economist based in Beijing told the Global Times on Sunday.
Aside from high-tech sectors, other areas indicate a warming trend in the economic and trade sector. In the first two months of 2024, China's exports to the US increased by 8.1 percent from a year ago, according to data from the Chinese Customs.
The China Development Forum held in Beijing last week also saw a significant increase in the number of US multinational CEOs attending, creating a more positive atmosphere for economic cooperation. The increasing economic and trade cooperation between China and the US is a positive trend that is likely to continue, Tian said.
Lü said China provides a huge and irreplaceable market for many US top companies in many fields, although they will face more challenges and more intense competition from Chinese companies. "They will be a constructive force to balance the unwise anti-China politicians and forces in the US and will reduce the risk of an escalation in the current tension."
Da Wei, director of Center for International Security and Strategy at Tsinghua University, said at a forum in Beijing on Thursday that China-US relations are not improving, but they have stabilized to some extent, compared to the past.
Da told the Global Times that the US public opinion environment has been poisoned by some US politicians and media outlets, which will lead to wrong decision-making in Washington on China. China should avoid following this path to make the same mistake of protectionism and abusing the concept of "national security" to harm trade ties, but it should at the same time continue opening-up and embrace healthy competition with companies that possess advanced technology from the US and other countries.
Russian investigators announced on Thursday that they had evidence linking the gunmen responsible for the concert massacre to "Ukrainian nationalists." Experts believe that Russia is seeking to capitalize on the solidarity that has strengthened in the wake of the terrorist attack to accelerate progress on the battlefield, and increase leverage for future negotiations.
"After working with detained terrorists, studying the technical devices seized from them, and analyzing information about financial transactions, evidence was obtained of their connection with Ukrainian nationalists," according to the Russian Investigative Committee, TASS reported.
The committee said it had confirmed data showing that the terrorists received "significant amounts of money and cryptocurrency from Ukraine," which were used in the preparation of the crime.
Prior to the new findings, Kiev has denied any connection with the attack, and the militant group Islamic State has claimed responsibility.
Experts said Moscow is focusing on how to respond to the tragedy in order to capitalize on this fleeting opportunity to serve its agenda. And for them, solving the conflict with Ukraine is priority.
"Presenting convincing evidence or not is unimportant for Russia, as it aims to make the most of people's unity and cohesion to intensify pressure on Ukraine, and hasten the pace on the battleground," Cui Heng, a scholar from the Shanghai-based China National Institute for SCO International Exchange and Judicial Cooperation, told the Global Times on Friday.
This comes against a backdrop of Ukraine currently being in a weakened state, with military aid from Europe and the US not fully in place, and combat capabilities severely depleted, Cui said.
"This timing presents an opportunity to expand gains for Moscow. Moreover, with the upcoming US elections, acquiring more leverage is crucial for negotiations if Trump takes office and mediates the Russia-Ukraine conflict, as having more bargaining chips will increase negotiating space," the expert noted.
Moscow's claim, however, was immediately denied by the US, with White House national security spokesperson John Kirby calling the Russian allegations "nonsense and propaganda."
Kirby said the US had previously warned Moscow, through public channels, about "extremists" planning an imminent attack, and that it had also issued a written warning to Russian security services on March 7 at 11:15 am, Reuters reported on Thursday.
The report said Russia dismissed a warning from the West, three days ahead of the terror attack, as "blackmail."
The US and the West are trying to distance Ukraine and themselves from the incident, but such defense is meaningless due to their tarnished credibility, Cui said.
One thing worth noting is that intelligence gathering comes with costs. The US could have negotiated with Russia using an exchange of intelligence, rather than resorting to public announcements. "This could indicate that a timely intelligence exchange mechanism between the US and Russia is no longer in place," the expert noted.
The Moscow terror investigation uncovered on Friday that the four gunmen responsible for the deaths of 143 individuals at the Crocus City Hall were under the influence of drugs, media reports said.
It was revealed that the attackers dosed themselves up on Captagon - which ISIS calls "chemical courage" - a form of amphetamine that lowers inhibitions and disables fear, allowing them to kill indiscriminately. This kind of drug was a "favorite" among ISIS fighters, the reports said.
After its recent repeated attempts to resupply its military vessel near China's Ren'ai Jiao (Reef), the Philippine Defense Minister further provoked China on Monday by daring China to go through another so-called international arbitration.
During the past few months, the Philippines has escalated tensions in the South China Sea, repeatedly ignoring China's objections.
Experts said that the Philippines' "revival" of the illegal arbitration is aimed at bringing in external forces and expanding and internationalizing the South China Sea issue. The Philippines' repeated provocations are not conducive to the resolution of the issue and regional security, but may instead escalate the issue into larger disputes or even conflicts.
On Monday, Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro claimed that "China should prove the strength of its maritime claims through arbitration," Reuters reported.
Teodoro's open provocation came right after Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Chen Xiaodong and the Chinese Embassy in the Philippines on Monday lodged representations with the Philippines side over the recent illegal trespasses by Philippine resupply vessels into waters adjacent to Ren'ai Jiao.
The Philippines' disappointing response once again reflects its intention to continue causing trouble and provoking China in the South China Sea region in the near future, experts told the Global Times.
While the Philippines intends to illegally occupy China's islands and reefs in the South China Sea, China has continuously sought to maintain its territorial sovereignty lawfully, Gu Xiaosong, dean of the ASEAN Research Institute of Hainan Tropical Ocean University, told the Global Times on Tuesday.
"The issue of the Philippines' illegal occupation of China's islands and reefs in the South China Sea is completely outside the scope of international arbitration," Gu said. "The sole purpose of the Philippines' repeated calls for 'arbitration' is to internationalize the South China Sea issue and introduce external forces to interfere in the resolution of the issue."
The so-called award on the South China Sea arbitration in 2016 seriously violates international law including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and is illegal, null and void. China neither accepts nor recognizes it, according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry.
If the Philippines continues to ignore China's restraint and continues to solicit external forces to infringe on China's legitimate sovereignty and interests in the South China Sea, it will inevitably further escalate the situation in the South China Sea, which is not conducive to regional stability and may even lead to conflict. This is entirely the responsibility of the Philippines, Gu warned.
At the same time, observers said that the recent provocations by the Philippines against China in the South China Sea have been supported by many forces, including the US, Japan and India. Officials from the US and India have recently spoken out in support of the Philippines and expressed a desire to strengthen defense cooperation with the Philippines. Additionally, the US, Japan and the Philippines are planning their first trilateral summit, with experts predicting that the theme will be to enhance their defense cooperation to counter China.
In response, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said during a routine press conference on Tuesday that maritime disputes are issues between the countries concerned. Third parties have no right to interfere whatsoever.
"We urge relevant parties to face squarely the facts and truth on the South China Sea issue, and respect China's territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests and the efforts of regional countries to keep the South China Sea peaceful and stable," he noted.
The recent turmoil and instability in the South China Sea are mainly caused by interference from external forces, with the main purpose being to woo the Philippines and promote the US strategy of containing China in the Indo-Pacific region. However, this is not something that most countries in the region, including Southeast Asian countries, would agree with, said Gu.
Chinese Premier Li Qiang on Sunday offered a powerful reassurance for global business leaders about China's economy and its steadfast opening-up, saying at a major forum in Beijing that China's economy has strong resilience, vast potential and sufficient vitality and an increasingly open China will bring more opportunities for the world.
More than 110 global business leaders and scholars, including a remarkable number of US executives, have descended on Beijing for the China Development Forum (CDF), putting on a vivid display of global businesses' confidence and commitment to the Chinese market, as China's economy continues to recover and the country continues to open up its market to the world.
Beyond their strong presence at the forum, many multinational executives explicitly stated plans to expand investment in the Chinese market, with some declaring "investing in China is investing in the future." Such a vote of confidence in China's economy by global businesses with "their feet" also underscores the limitations of some Western politicians' attempt to drive multinationals away from China by pushing for an economic decoupling and smearing China.
In a keynote speech at the opening of the CDF on Sunday, Li said China's economic recovery continues to consolidate and strengthen and new industries, new business models and new growth drivers continue to grow. "China's economy has strong resilience, great potential, and sufficient vitality, and its long-term positive fundamentals have not changed."
The Chinese premier also talked about China's steadfast pursuit of high-quality development and high-level opening-up. "An increasingly open China will definitely bring more opportunities for win-win cooperation to the world," Li said, noting that China stands ready to share great opportunities from its continuous development.
Hosted by the Development Research Center of the State Council since 2000, the CDF has become an important platform for exchanges between Chinese and global business leaders. The opening ceremony was attended by about 400 people, including the heads of the World Bank and the IMF and executives of multinational corporations.
Specifically, more than 110 international guests, including business leaders and scholars, signed up for the two-day event. The heads of many Fortune Global 500 companies were also in attendance, including the executives of Apple, Mercedes-Benz, and HSBC. Crucially, the number of US business leaders at the CDF this year saw a significant increase. Also notable is the presence of major US chip firms such as Qualcomm, Micron and AMD. Of the more than 80 executives listed, over 30 were from US, or around 40 percent, according to a Global Times count of the list.
"If I compare the US participation to last year's, it's probably increased two to two-and-a-half times," Stephen Orlins, president of the National Committee on US-China Relations, told the Global Times on the sidelines of the CDF on Sunday, noting that the increase is due to the end of the COVID-19 pandemic and the fact that many businesses want to understand where China's economic policies are going.
Also, Orlins said that since April 2023, there have been a series of high-level engagement between China and the US, and the bilateral relationship "has gotten off from the rock bottom and has improved somewhat," though there is still a huge space for further improvement.
"Most of the attendees are from the US. It's quite obvious," Wang Yiwei, a professor at the School of International Relations at Renmin University of China who attended the CDF, told the Global Times on Sunday. "It's a signal for both improving China-US ties as well as US businesses' commitment to the Chinese market. They are basically voting with their feet."
US businesses have been under increasing pressure, as Washington continues to push for sweeping restrictions on China-US trade, particularly in the high-tech industries, as part of its attempt to "outcompete" China and contain China's rise. Among a growing number of crackdown measures against China, the US is seeking to further tighten restrictions on US and other Western firms' sales of chips and chipmaking tools to China. Still, that has not deterred US businesses away from China, as evidenced by the vast of number of US firms at the CDF. Firm commitment
"For American businesses, the commitment to China and the deep engagement with the Chinese market have, in my opinion, remained unchanged over the past two or three years," Joseph Luc Ngai, chairman of Greater China at global consulting firm McKinsey & company, told the Global Times on Sunday.
The strong show of US businesses at the CDF also underscored a major gap between the US business community and politicians in Washington.
"The business community just wants normal, good relations, so do the American people. Our politicians have a twisted mentality. They want confrontation," Jeffrey D. Sachs, director of center for sustainable development and professor of Columbia University, who attended the opening ceremony of the forum, told the Global Times on Sunday.
Sachs also noted that Premier Li's speech was very business-like, very clear and very straightforward that China is doing well. It's going to continue to do well, and it is open for business for the world. "I thought the message was correct and very clear," Sachs said.
Many global business executives were also encouraged by the clear message of China's continuous development and opening-up.
"I thought the speech was very helpful in understanding China's priorities for how the economy is going to continuously develop," Timothy Creber, general manager of China Operation of American Express, told the Global Times on Sunday. "So the opportunities are huge and the opportunity to continue to partner with different institutions in this market is very good. We're very confident about the Chinese economy over the coming years."
Some global businesses also stated their commitment to expand investment in the Chinese market.
Nicolas Hieronimus, CEO of L'Oréal, who also attended the CDF on Sunday, told the Global Times that the company will continue to invest in China, noting the company believes that investing in China is investing in the future. "We believe that the next China is China - and we will continue to develop in China, for China and with China."
China has made attracting foreign investment a top priority this year, and has taken a slew of measures to further expand market access for global businesses and improve the business environment. On Tuesday, China's State Council issued a 24-point action plan to attract foreign investment. On Friday, China released its first nationwide negative list for cross-border services trade, which opens up more areas for global investors.
At the CDF on Sunday, Chinese officials also vowed to further open up more areas and improve the business environment to support foreign businesses.
Zheng Shanjie, head of the National Development and Reform Commission, the top economic planner, said at the CDF that China will steadily expand institutional opening-up, make greater efforts to attract foreign investment, continue to support a batch of major foreign-funded projects and expand market access in areas such as digital products. "China's determination to open up will not change, and its pace of development will not stop," Zheng said.
When Lucas Fan received his friend Jim in Beijing in June 2023, Lucas had to order a taxi for Jim every time he needed one as Jim, from Ireland, could not link his international bank card with WeChat or Alipay payment functions. As the two main social networking apps in China, WeChat and Alipay are virtually indispensable in nearly every aspect of daily life, from chatting, working to shopping, and from taxi-hailing to making electronic payments.
But had Jim pushed his visit back by a month, he would have found it more convenient to travel as a foreigner in China. Alipay and WeChat Pay started to comprehensively upgrade their systems in July 2023 to optimize support for international bank cards to better serve a growing number of international travelers along with bolstering international exchanges.
According to official data, in 2023, the national border inspection authorities checked in a total of 210 million inbound travelers, recovering to 62.9 percent of 2019 levels and the number is expected to continue to grow in 2024.
"This [payment difficulty of foreigners] is indeed an unexpected new problem as mobile payment has developed very rapidly in China," Sun Yeli, Chinese Minister of Culture and Tourism, told domestic and foreign journalists after the closing of China's annual national legislative session in Beijing.
Sun noted that the Chinese central authorities have paid great attention to this issue and have established a coordination mechanism to solve it.
"We are optimizing each step of the inbound tourism process, streamlining procedures ranging from visa applications to flight arrangements, hotel check-ins, shopping, and sightseeing. With the implementation of these measures, foreign tourists visiting China will enjoy the same level of convenience in accommodation, transportation, and shopping as domestic tourists," Sun said.
"We sincerely welcome tourists from all over the world to visit China, enjoy the charm of Chinese culture, discover rapid changes in the country, and experience the hospitality of the Chinese people," Sun noted. Get through 'reverse digital divide'
The new mobile payment represented by barcode payment has become the mainstream payment tool in China. However, in most countries around the world, especially in some developed economies, bank cards are still the mainstream payment tool.
In recent years, with the rapid development of informatization and digitization in China, the popularity of mobile payment has increased rapidly. Now, the popularity of digital payment in China may be twice as high as in other countries. And everyone in the country is very accustomed to using a mobile phone for all aspects of life. However, this has made China too "digitized" to be "out of touch" internationally. Some people say that this has created a "reverse digital divide" between China and foreign countries.
One main difficulty for foreigners in making mobile payments lies in the low success rate of overseas individuals using Alipay and WeChat to link overseas bank cards, as well as payment limits.
When overseas users enter China and want to link a third-party payment app, they need to provide real-name information. Some overseas users may be unwilling to provide their personal information for personal privacy concerns. In addition, the transmission of cross-border information is a long-standing difficult issue even in the traditional financial area due to different principles and rules in various countries in the issue.
Aside from mobile payment, foreigners were also reported to encounter obstacles in using cash and international cards in China. A typical example of this is foreigners like Jim who had difficulties in hailing and making payments in taxis in China, as due to the popularization of online payment, most Chinese taxi drivers receive orders on car-hailing apps and present a QR code to passengers to effect payment. Fewer and fewer of them handle cash, not to mention POS devices.
"Taxis are often the first local service that overseas business people and tourists come into contact with after arriving, and it is also one of their main ways of getting around the city. However, payment difficulties are particularly prominent in taxis," Yang Guoping, chairman of the Shanghai Dazhong Transportation Group and a representative to the 14th National People's Congress, told China Business Journal.
High transaction fees are also another obstacle. The single transaction fee for foreign card payments is basically between 2.5 percent to 3.5 percent, with VISA and MasterCard having a single transaction fee of around 3 percent, while the single transaction fee for domestic cards is around 0.6 percent, and mobile payment fees are even lower, with Alipay at 0.38 percent, according to a report published by yicai.com.
Many domestic merchants are not willing to pay high cross-border credit card transaction fees, but rather encourage foreign tourists to use cash, Alipay, or WeChat Pay, according to the report. Step up efforts to address problems
Facing these problems, Chinese authorities and platforms are moving fast to address the obstacles to help facilitate foreigners' stay in the country.
On February 23, the State Council executive meeting reviewed and approved the "Opinions on Further Optimizing Payment Services to Facilitate Payments," (referred to as the "Opinions"), emphasizing the need to focus on the payment inconvenience of groups such as the elderly and foreigners coming to China.
On February 29, the People's Bank of China held a meeting to promote the optimization of payment services. On March 1, the State Council Information Office held a regular policy briefing on further optimizing payment services and enhancing payment convenience.
Zhang Qingsong, Deputy Governor of the People's Bank of China, introduced the specific content of the above mentioned "Opinions," including promoting the improvement of the bank card acceptance environment and adhering to the positioning of cash as the bottom line, among others.
On the evening of March 7, the "Opinions" were officially released, closely followed by implementations by various platforms like Alipay and WeChat Pay.
If Jim came to Beijing now, whether arriving at the Beijing Capital International Airport (PEK) or the Daxing International Airport, he could go directly to a service center outside the international arrival gate and seek help from staff to install Alipay or WeChat.
He could also directly withdraw RMB from the ATMs beside the service desk if he did not wish to bother with buying a Chinese phone card or had worries about personal information security. The service center could also provide him with smaller bank notes if necessary.
If he uses Alipay with real-name registration, he would be able to make a single transaction with a maximum limit of $5,000 and a maximum annual transaction limit of $50,000.
If Jim was a first-time user of WeChat Pay from abroad, he could also directly add his international bank cards to quickly activate the WeChat payment function without needing to buy a Chinese phone card. By linking an international card, he could use WeChat Pay in China within a certain amount of spending without verification.
As one of China's most international metropolises, Shanghai led the charge in providing international visitors with convenient payment services.
Since late 2023, Shanghai has taken the lead in installing over 36,000 points of sale (POS) machines that can accept foreign bank cards in commerce, cultural, and tourism sites, airports, and railway stations throughout the city, according to the Shanghai government website.
Near Yuyuan Garden, one of the most popular tourist sites in downtown Shanghai, small boards that read "Visa, Master, JCB… now available" are seen on the cashier counters of most shops and restaurants there. According to a cashier at a three-story shop selling souvenirs, clothes, and skincare products, the shop started offering foreign bank card payment services in November 2023, when Shanghai hosted the 6th China International Import Expo.
This improvement has particularly excited many foreign excursionists, who have little time to withdraw cash or get used to China's digital payment systems.
"I can't wait to directly pay with my bank card; that's much better and convenient for us international visitors," a Japanese college student told the Global Times ahead of the Chinese New Year in February. She planned to have a week-long stay in this city.
According to yicai.com, the coverage rate of key merchants accepting foreign cards in Shanghai and neighboring Zhejiang Province in East China has exceeded 90 percent. Determined to further open up
According to media reports, by 2023, millions of foreigners in China had used mobile payments and truly enjoyed the convenience. In the fourth quarter of 2023 particularly, the scale of mobile payment transactions by inbound travelers significantly increased, with a total of 35 million transactions amounting to 5 billion yuan ($695.6 million).
By taking multiple measures to improve the convenience of mobile payment, it is not only an important starting point for Chinese mobile payment to go global, but also a vital part of China's recent efforts to expand international exchanges, including tourism and trade, experts pointed out.
Improving the convenience for foreign nationals to work and study in, and travel to China has been included in the Report on the Work of the Government (2024) announced during the just concluded two sessions.
On March 7, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi announced a visa-free policy for Switzerland, Ireland, Hungary, Austria, Belgium, and Luxembourg on a trial basis at a press conference on the sidelines of the second session of the 14th National People's Congress (NPC).
In January, China had already announced five measures, including shortening visa application forms, lowering visa fees for the entire year, exempting some applicants from fingerprinting, providing walk-in without appointment visa application services, and extending a unilateral visa-free policy to a select number of countries including France and Germany on a trial basis.
At a press conference on February 7, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin revealed that, as of the time of the conference, China had signed mutual visa exemption agreements with 157 countries that cover different types of passports, and had reached agreements or arrangements to simplify visa procedures with 44 countries. China has a complete mutual visa exemption with 23 countries.
These measures show China's determination and concrete efforts to keep opening up, experts noted.
They proposed to continue to expand the scope of visa exemptions so that more foreign travelers can get a chance to enjoy China's large and diverse landscapes, the convenience brought by the 5G network and high-speed bullet trains, and understand China through first-hand experience rather than some second-hand biased reporting.
China and ASEAN countries have the ability and wisdom to reach a Code of Conduct in the South China Sea (COC) and safeguard peace and stability, freedoms of navigation and overflight, and the legitimate rights and interests of other countries in the region, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said at the 60th Munich Security Conference on Saturday.
A Chinese maritime expert attending the conference noted that China has always advocated resolving South China Sea disputes through peaceful means. However, if extraterritorial countries continue to send wrong signals, leading to the Philippines taking risky actions and escalating tensions at sea, China will inevitably take necessary actions to defend its own rights.
Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, refuted the fallacy of China's so-called aggression in the South China Sea when answering questions following his keynote speech during the "China in the World" session.
He said that China is working with ASEAN countries to accelerate consultations on the COC and striving to reach an early agreement on regional rules which are effective, substantive, and in line with international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, which will be more conducive to managing differences, stabilizing the South China Sea, and promoting cooperation.
Wu Shicun, chairman of the Huayang Research Center for Maritime Cooperation and Ocean Governance and founding president of the National Institute for South China Sea Studies, is also attending the 60th Munich Security Conference. He told the Global Times in an exclusive interview that "a most significant external factor currently threatening the stability of the South China Sea is the militarization encouraged or even led by the US. Besides, some claimant countries, with the Philippines being the most prominent one, have intensified their unilateral infringements and consolidated and expanded their vested interests during the window period before the completion of the COC." Wu also introduced the obstacles faced by the COC negotiation.
Currently, the Philippines has revved up unilateral infringement of the South China Sea. From February 2 to 9, the Philippine Coast Guard Ship 9701 repeatedly trespassed on the waters adjacent to China's Huangyan Dao (also known as Huangyan Island) ignoring verbal warnings from the China Coast Guard (CCG), and the CCG took route control and repelling measures in accordance with the law, CCG spokesperson Gan Yu said in a statement issued on February 11, stressing that the CCG's on-site operations were professional and up to standard.
Then on Thursday, Philippine Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Ship 3005 trespassed on the waters adjacent to China's Huangyan Dao, and the CCG again took similar measures after verbal warnings went ignored, Gan said in a statement on the day.
Talking about the possible risks that may occur in the South China Sea, Wu said that the US plays a very important role. For example, in the Ren'ai Jiao (also known as Ren'ai Reef), the US continuously sends out wrong signals, showing bias and even supporting the provocative actions of the Philippines. The continuous strengthening of these signals will lead to the Philippines taking risks and escalating tensions at sea. In response, China will take necessary measures to defend its rights and claims.
"Many representatives from Southeast Asian countries, the US and Europe to the Munich Security Conference meeting have military backgrounds. I hope to clarify the current risks and main factors that the South China Sea is facing by introducing the situation in the South China Sea at the conference," Wu said.
He explained that if the US and its allies continue to send out the wrong message and do not adjust their policies, China will have to take necessary measures. The South China Sea issue is no longer just a dispute between China and relevant claimant countries over the sovereignty of certain islands and reefs, but also a major tool for the US to contain China's maritime power and undermine China's relations with ASEAN countries, especially with the claimant countries.
"Therefore, we need to voice China's position on such an important occasion and reiterate China's claims," he reiterated.
Wu responded to the misunderstandings of Western societies regarding the South China Sea one by one.
He first said that Western countries, including the US, often accuse China of bullying smaller countries in the South China Sea, and even resorting to the use of force. However, in reality, disputes over the South China Sea are primarily territorial disputes, especially regarding the ownership of islands and reefs. China has always advocated for the resolution of these disputes through peaceful means and emphasizes the importance of bilateral negotiations and the construction of rules-based mechanisms to maintain peace and stability in the South China Sea.
Secondly, the US has long used "freedom of navigation" as a pretext, but in fact, freedom of navigation in the South China Sea has never been affected by territorial disputes over islands and reefs. As the biggest beneficiary of the security and freedom of navigation in the South China Sea, China reaffirms its position and claims every year to give confidence to the international community and emphasize the stability and security of the South China Sea.
"China advocates for resolving the issue through peaceful negotiations, avoiding the use of force and the introduction of third-party mechanisms, so as not to further complicate the issue," Wu noted. He took the so-called South China Sea arbitration case initiated by the Philippines in 2013 as an example. The arbitration not only failed to resolve the disputes, but made the situation in the South China Sea more complicated, affecting China-Philippine relations.
This fully proves that the attempt to resolve the South China Sea issue through third-party mechanisms is not feasible and will only add chaos, which is of no help to the resolution of the South China Sea issue, he stressed.
Wu expressed his belief that the possibility of a military clash between China and the US in the South China Sea airspace is very low, but the intensity of the competition will increase.
A main basis for this conclusion is the important consensus reached between the leaders of China and the US during their meeting in San Francisco in 2023 to restore military communication and exchanges.
Wu said that the two sides are currently working to restore the dialogue mechanism between their militaries, and contacts at the working level have basically been restored. It is catastrophic for China, the US, and global stability if a military conflict occurs, even if it is just a minor incident. Therefore, the US is also making every effort to avoid a military conflict.
"However, due to the South China Sea being an important shipping and strategic channel, the frontline military forces of both sides can directly come into contact, so there is still a certain level of risk. For example, when the US takes so-called freedom of navigation actions or conducts close-in reconnaissance, China has to take measures such as tracking, identification, warning, and expulsion. In this situation, if any party does not abide by the rules, a military clash may occur," Wu said. He noted that only through joint efforts, strengthened communication and coordination can we ensure stability and security in the region.
There are "solid bits of evidence" proving that India supports terrorist forces in some Pakistani areas like Balochistan province, providing them with money, weapons, and training, some sources close to the matter told the Global Times.
While continually suppressing some of its rivals and neighbors in the international community with the excuse of anti-terrorism, India has secretly funded terrorist forces in Pakistan, in various parts of the South Asian country, such as its separatist-plagued Balochistan, inciting local secessionists to undermine regional stability through terrorist attacks, they revealed.
Through looking into historical materials and related news reports from both Pakistani and Indian media sources, as well as speaking with sources and observers who are familiar with the situation in Balochistan, the Global Times found that India has a long history of backing terrorism in Pakistan.
'Concrete evidence'
In December 2023, a commander of the Baloch National Army (BNA) separatist militant group, who had surrendered himself to the Pakistani government, disclosed that India has been secretly supporting terrorist activities in Balochistan and financing separatist forces in the region.
According to Pakistani media sources, commander Sarfraz Ahmed Bungulzai made the announcement at a press conference in Quetta, the capital city of Balochistan. Bungulzai said that he thought his armed struggle was for Baloch rights, but later he realized that "India is involved in all these conspiracies."
Bungulzai mentioned a helicopter crash in 2022, in which six Pakistani army officials, including a general, were martyred. He said at the press conference that the secessionist group Baloch Raj Aajoi Sangar (BRAS) had taken responsibility for the incident at India's command.
"And after taking money from India, they shed the blood of their own Baloch," said Bungulzai, according to Pakistani news website Dawn.
A Pakistani source told the Global Times that once again, it shone a light on India's behind-the-scenes villainy.
However, Chinese observers said the commander's surrender does not mean the collapse of the BNA, the group may have an impact on similar terrorist and separatist forces there.
Apart from the latest case pointing to India, a few years back, there was another case that indicated that India was probably supporting terrorism in Pakistan.
In March 2016, Pakistan's Inter Services Public Relations released a confessional video statement of an Indian spy agent named Kulbhushan Yadav, who was reportedly arrested red-handed earlier that month while attempting to infiltrate Pakistan from the border area.
According to an article by the Associated Press of Pakistan (APP), Yadav said in the video that he was a serving officer of the Indian Navy, and did intelligence gathering for Indian agencies under the cover name Hussein Mubarik Patel.
"I was picked up by RAW (the Research and Analysis Wing, India's alleged external intelligence agency) in 2013 end," Yadav said. "My purpose was to hold meetings with Baloch insurgents and carry out activities with their collaboration. These activities have been of [a] criminal nature, leading to the killing of or maiming of Pakistani citizens."
Multiple instances have been highlighted by Pakistan's security authorities on some international forums, illustrating how the RAW funds elements in Pakistan to spread unrest, observer Ali Abbas Ramay, a journalist with the City News Network Pakistan, told the Global Times.
"Proof of India's involvement in creating the BLA has been presented, including Yadav's confessions," Ramay said.
The clues of India's connection with terrorist forces in Pakistan could also be found in a few Indian media reports.
The Hindu, for instance, published an article in July 2019, stating "It is established that BLA (Baloch Liberation Army) commanders, in the past, had sought medical treatment in India's hospitals, often under disguise or with fake identities." Pakistan designated the BLA as a terrorist organization in 2006.
The Hindu article referred to BLA's militant commander who "was based in Delhi for at least six months in 2017," to receive "extensive treatment for kidney-related ailments." It is known that Baloch sardars "maintained warm personal ties with various Indian political figures," the article said.
Some of the related evidence has been made public. Many other concrete forms of evidence show that India backs terrorism in Pakistan, although they have not yet been released for a variety of reasons, said a source close to the situation in Balochistan.
"We have had the evidence long before," the source told the Global Times. He said that he was "100 percent" sure that India has been funding the terrorist forces in Balochistan.
Double standard in fighting terrorism
Some Pakistani scholars believe that India has a long history of continuous interference in Pakistan's affairs.
For example, scholar M. Ikram Rabbani wrote in his book Comprehensive Pakistan Studies that the interference "can be traced back to the times of independence from the British rule."
In his book, Rabbani cited Subrahmaniyam, a former director of the then Indian Institute of Defence Studies, who said during a symposium in March 1971 that "what India must realize that the breakup of Pakistan is in our interest and an opportunity which will never come again."
Worse still, while supporting separatist groups to commit terrorist attacks in regions like Balochistan, India is good at taking the habitual tactic of a thief crying "stop thief" in the international community, while slinging mad at Pakistan, Pakistani and Chinese observers noted.
India employs a consistent double standard toward terrorism, said Ye Hailin, deputy director of the National Institute of International Strategy of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. "If you look at India's media and think tank reports, you will find that their descriptions of the terrorist attacks in Balochistan are completely different from those of the situation in Kashmir," Ye told the Global Times.
Ramay echoed Ye's words, saying the evidence of India's adoption of double standard in countering terrorism "is evident."
He pointed out that India has sought to tarnish Pakistan's image globally by leveling serious allegations of terrorism, aiming to deter investments and striving to include Pakistan in the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) blacklist.
The blacklist contains countries that the FATF deems to be non-cooperative in the global fight against money laundering and terrorist financing.
"China firmly opposes double standard in counterterrorism," noted Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning at a press conference on December 27, 2023, while responding to a question asking about its comments on then-recent media reports, which said that the surrendered BNA commander disclosed that India has been secretly supporting terrorist activities in Balochistan.
"Terrorism is humanity's common enemy," Mao said. "To support and use terrorist groups and let them thrive out of one's selfish interests at the expense of international and regional security benefits no one and will only backfire." China-aid projects become targets of terror attacks
For years, China has been helping in economic development that has benefited local people through various investment and assistance projects across Pakistan.
The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), for instance, is a flagship project under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) proposed by China. Launched in 2013, it connects Pakistan's southwest Gwadar Port with Kashi in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, contributing to Pakistan's infrastructure through energy, transport, and industrial cooperation.
China has been a true development partner to Pakistan through the CPEC and BRI projects, said Nouman Rashid, a media advisor of Pakistani media GNN News. "No matter how many problems may come up or whichever Pakistani political party comes into power, these projects are of the people and for the people," Rashid told the Global Times.
However, these projects became a target of some terrorist forces in Pakistan, who "believe that if they can hurt the Chinese nationals in Pakistan through terrorism, the BRI and CPEC projects can be compromised," Moiz Farooq, executive editor of Pakistan-based Daily Ittehad Medis Group, told the Global Times.
Some terrorist activities are supported by Pakistan's rivals who "always intend to sabotage the friendship between China and Pakistan," he added.
The suicide bombing which took place outside the University of Karachi's Confucius Institute on April 26, 2022, was a typical tragedy targeting Chinese nationals in Pakistan, which killed three Chinese nationals and a local driver. The BLA claimed responsibility for the bombing the following day, and warned of more deadly attacks on Chinese targets.
Trying to split and destabilize Pakistan is the main purpose behind India's backing of terrorism in regions like Balochistan, said Liu Zongyi, director of the Center for South Asia Studies at the Shanghai Institutes for International Studies. "And now there is another purpose: To obstruct and undermine the construction of the CPEC."
Balochistan is a key region of the CPEC, Liu said. "India supports separatism and terrorism in Balochistan and other regions in Pakistan, so as to weaken both Pakistan and China," he told the Global Times. "From the beginning, India has seen the CPEC as a geopolitical project that will hurt its so-called new opportunities in South Asia."
To help maintain regional stability in some Pakistani areas, apart from the current anti-terrorism cooperation, China has made great efforts to support local economic and social development, and improve the living standards of the people there, trying hard to eliminate the root causes of terrorism and separatism at the source, Liu said.
"China's projects are most beneficial for the people of Balochistan," noted Ramay. He mentioned that the Pakistan-China Friendship Hospital in Balochistan was recently completed, saying the hospital is "a major project to improve access to quality medical services in the region."
"Today, the [China-aided] New Gwadar International Airport, hospitals, and mega projects for clean water, have been completed, bringing relief to the people of Balochistan," said Ramay.
As the last magnet of China's High Energy Photon Source (HEPS) was successfully installed in the Huairou Science City in Beijing on December 11, 2023, the first step of the HEPS storage ring installation was officially completed. The HEPS, after completion, will stand as one of the brightest synchrotron radiation (SR) sources in the world and the first high-energy synchrotron radiation facility in China.
Pan Weimin, the chief manager of the HEPS project, along with the audience, toured the HEPS project via video footage at a New Year's Eve event hosted by the Beijing Association for Science and Technology, demonstrating an important development in China's high-tech fields.
"The HEPS, once completed, will become one of the brightest synchrotron radiation light sources in the world. This will underline that China has become one of the frontrunners in the field of X-ray-based forms of research," Pan told the Global Times.
The HEPS is designed with the capacity to emit X-ray beams that are a trillion times brighter than those of the sun. From an aerial view, the HEPS consists of three main buildings, with an overall shape resembling a magnifying glass, symbolizing "a tool for exploring the microscopic world."
Pan introduced that the HEPS has the characteristics of high energy, high brightness, and high repetition frequency, which means scientists can observe the deep internal structures of microscopic substances more clearly and characterize the microscopic structures in multiple dimensions, real-time, and in-situ.
The photon source is scheduled to accelerate the storage ring in July 2024, and emit its first SR light by the end of the year. The quality of the SR X-ray will be continuously improved to reach its design specifications from then on, according to Pan.
Once completed, HEPS will be one of the world's top five high-energy SR light sources and one of the few fourth-generation SR light sources. "This would greatly enhance China's scientific and technological status and promote technological innovation in fields related to people's livelihoods such as life sciences and energy," Pan said.
At the same time, as an open user facility, the HEPS will also attract more scientists from all over the world to conduct SR-based research projects, and pave the way for ground-breaking research, Pan noted.
The brighter light source requires more advanced technologies. The HEPS is mainly comprised of an electron accelerator complex and beamlines. The electron accelerator complex includes a linear accelerator, booster, and storage ring. Among them, the storage ring is the core part of the light source, producing a bright SR beam and requiring greater advancements in technologies.
With a circumference of approximately 1,360 meters, the storage ring contains more than 1,700 high-precision magnets and other important accelerator elements. It is required that the alignment errors of most of these elements must be controlled within 50 micrometers, which is less than the diameter of the human hair over such a large scale, according to Pan.
More than 500 researchers have been involved in the HEPS project, which consists of multiple disciplines such as magnets, vacuum, power supply, mechanics, and X-ray optics and detection. How to integrate various technologies and let talents from various disciplines collaborate with each other are the keys to realizing a large-scale scientific project such as HEPS, Pan noted.
"It is the golden age of science. Participating in the construction of such a large-scale scientific facility is not only an honor for a scientist, but also an opportunity to exercise, improve, and showcase oneself, especially for young scientists," he said.
