上海千花贵族宝贝

In China, an increasing number of people are enjoying the companionship of pets and treating them as part of the family.

Against the backdrop of rapid development in the pet economy, China's pet food market has experienced explosive growth. However, as the market expands, issues with product quality have emerged.

Recently, a series of news reports have uncovered that some pet food manufacturers, in pursuit of higher profits, resort to using low-quality ingredients for dog, and even falsely label nutritional content, misleading consumers.

In March, a scandal involving "toxic dog food" from Xingtai in North China's Hebei Province, the largest dog food production cluster in China, came to light, causing panic among pet owners across China.

This incident exposed the dark underbelly of the industry and the lack of effective regulation. Some unscrupulous companies have been found falsifying the nutritional content and ingredients of their products, such as overstating the chicken content while using cheaper chicken meal as a substitute.

Worse still, to mask the risks of inferior ingredients, some manufacturers excessively add montmorillonite to pet food, which could severely impact pet health over time.

Given the ineffective enforcement of industry standards, pet owners often find themselves in a battle of wits with unscrupulous manufacturers to ensure the dietary safety of their pets.

With the pet market continuing to grow, there is an urgent need to improve industry standards and strengthen regulation. The question of how to expose the chaos in the industry, attract attention from all sectors of society, and drive the pet food industry toward a healthier and more transparent direction is now a major concern, analysts pointed out.

'Toxic' pet food

In Xingtai's Nanhe district, recognized as the nation's largest pet food production base with an annual output of over 1.3 million tons, accounting for 60 percent of China's market share, the practice of "using the worst materials for the most expensive feed" was once an unwritten industry rule.

Investigations have revealed that some manufacturers produced pet food with inferior materials for higher profits, even mixing stone and feather meal into their products, as reported by the China National Radio (CNR).

Following the exposure, the Hebei Provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs responded by investigating the involved companies and taking samples for testing. An official from the Nanhe district agricultural department told the Global Times that the pet food industry is a key development focus for the region, and the scandal has had a significant impact.

A pet food manufacturer in Xingtai confirmed to the Global Times that recent inspections by relevant departments have been strict. He said that dog food purchases are now reliable.

On the sales page of a manufacturer selling pet food on 1688, Alibaba's B2B trading platform, the cheapest dog and cat food from Xingtai sells for less than 10 yuan ($1.43) per kilogram, with different products claiming to cater to puppies, small, medium, or large dogs, and containing various ingredients like beef, fruits and vegetables.

Despite many pet food companies claiming to offer high-quality customized dog and cat food, actual product quality remains poor, with nutritional values often misrepresented. An investigation published by the CNR into a company that outsources dog food production found significant discrepancies between claimed and actual protein content.

Additionally, the use of montmorillonite to absorb toxins has been excessive in "toxic" dog food, reaching about 5 percent when only 0.2 percent is necessary. Overuse of such substances and flavor enhancers to mask the taste of poor-quality feed can have detrimental effects on pet health, according to media reports.

Pet owners vs manufacturers
Xin Rui heard of "toxic dog food" for the first time when she adopted a dog from a stray dog shelter in Beijing.

She bought some dog food and dog snacks on the e-commerce platform Tmall the day the dog shelter owner sent the dog to her home.

"Toxic dog food," the stray dog shelter owner said disdainfully with a sideways glance at the bags of dog food casually lying in the living room.

"Honestly, I totally had no idea what she meant when she said the word 'toxic dog food.' I mean, I trust in Tmall supermarket and have bought many things, including food and snacks for myself on the platform. I carefully selected those products to welcome the dog. I did not understand why she said so. I felt so confused," Xin told the Global Times.

Xin bought another bag of dog food from the shelter owner as she recommended in consideration to help the dog get used to its new home sooner. It did not take a long time for Xin to tell the differences between these products. It took a few days for the dog to get used to the food recommended by the stray dog base owner. But the dog entirely refused to eat the food bought on Tmall, even when Xin mixed it with canned meat.

"Dogs are smart. They are helping owners to select safe food," Xin said.

She tried four brands of dog food in the nearly two years after adopting the dog. "I do not trust the base owner as she did not tell me where she got the food. Her price is much lower than that in official stores, making me suspicious about the quality and authenticity of the food," Xin said.

Now Xin buys food from a pet shop near her home. "The employees at the shop can provide official pet nutritionist certificates and they treat pets very nicely, so I choose to trust them. I hope they do not disappoint me," she said.

Actually, Xingtai's case is not unique, and Xin's worry is not unprovoked either.

Many pet owners have taken to social media platforms complaining that their dogs died or got seriously sick, for example by getting pancreatitis, after eating cheap food bought from online channels. Some of the cheap foods were revealed to have had dust and saw powder mixed in.

Even well-known pet food brands are not always trustworthy.

In April 2022, a pet owner in Hangzhou, East China's Zhejiang Province, reported that his cats were poisoned after consuming Singen cat food, with one of them dying. After seeking information online, he discovered that many other families had encountered similar issues. Statistics gathered from 90 individuals revealed similar issues happened with 239 cats, resulting death of 95 cats, reported the Jiemian News.

Singen, founded in the island of Taiwan, claims to have a 50-year history of production. The company's business scope includes the production of veterinary drugs, feed, and feed additives.

Besides the issue of manufacturers falsifying their own products, there have been instances of factories producing counterfeit pet food of major brands.

On March 21, Shanghai-based Observer News reported that the local police department, after thorough investigations, dismantled three dark factories in Central China's Hunan Province and South China's Guangdong Province involved in manufacturing and selling counterfeit cat food of a certain brand.

According to a report on pet market consumption released by e-commerce platform JD.com in late 2023, the number of pet-owning households in China exceeded 100 million in 2023, increasing from 98 million in 2022 to 105.65 million. Among them, the number of pet dogs in 2023 was 51.75 million, a 1.1 percent increase from 2022.

"For China, there is a great potential for the improvement and development of the pet industry. With the improvement of residents' income levels and quality of life, the concept of pet ownership is gradually shifting from guarding the home to emotional companionship. It is expected that in the next 10 years, China will become the world's largest pet market," said Qin Yuchang, president of the pet food branch of the China Feed Industry Association.

Regulating the industry

According to Qin, China's pet industry already reached over 490 billion yuan in 2020, becoming the third-largest service market after Europe and the US. The market size is estimated to reach 800 billion yuan by 2025.

In addition, there has been a significant increase in demand for imported pet feed, with over 600 pet feed import registration certificates issued by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs in 2021, a 7.3-fold increase from 2016.

However, compared with the rapidly growing industry, there is still a significant gap in the standards of pet feed in China, which seriously slows the industry's development needs, especially in the standards for pet food additives, with only over 100 of the more than 400 additives having been standardized.

"Some companies' pet food cannot meet the nutritional requirements for young animals, as reflected in the high failure rates of water-soluble chlorides, total calcium, and total phosphorus content. The quality control of animal-derived raw materials, such as meat meal, by companies is insufficient," said Fan Xia, executive deputy director of the National Feed Quality Inspection and Testing Center in Beijing.

In 2018, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of China issued the "Regulations on the Management of Pet Feed," establishing a standardized management system and placing the pet feed industry onto a path of standardized development.

The vast majority of pet feed products have already achieved production certification, but from the market response, there are still some cases of substandard production and production without certification in the production process. It is necessary to increase the publicity and implementation of regulations, and companies must carry out production and operation in accordance with the law and regulations, experts said.

Moreover, many pet feed operators, especially e-commerce and cross-border e-commerce platforms on the internet, have not strictly controlled the quality and safety of their products, leading to the influx of products of varying quality into the market. This requires the strengthening of the supervision of the pet feed industry, continuously improving inspection and testing technology, optimizing the regulatory system. Companies must strictly adhere to the bottom line of quality and safety, experts pointed out.

At the same time, enterprises and operators who violate relevant laws and regulations must be resolutely ordered to rectify, and those who cause serious injury will be held accountable, in order to effectively create a healthy dog food market, Qin stressed.

After Japan released its plan to upgrade 16 airports and ports for possible defense use, experts pointed out that this is in line with the US' regional strategy to contain China, and also a manifestation of Japan's "resurgence of militarism," which will have a destructive impact on regional peace and order.

According to a report from Japanese media outlet Kyodo News on Wednesday, Japan is planning to upgrade five airports and 11 ports, with the intention of them being utilized by the country's defense forces and coast guard in case of military emergencies.

Citing a government source, the report said that Japan has lingering concerns over China's maritime assertiveness and a potential conflict over Taiwan island.

Nearly half of the 16 commercial facilities are located either in Okinawa Prefecture, where US troops are concentrated, or the southwestern main island of Kyushu, which according to Kyodo News reflects "Japan's efforts to beef up defense around its far-flung southwest islands."

Experts reached by the Global Times pointed out that Japan's upgrading plan aims to coordinate with the US' latest military deployment in the Asia-Pacific region, and also demonstrates the country's "resurgence of militarism," indicating its ambition to extend its military reach and influence.

"The latest plan by Japan is undoubtedly in line with the US' 'Indo-Pacific Strategy,' achieving the effect of demonstrating US leadership in the Asia-Pacific region," Li Haidong, a professor at the China Foreign Affairs University, told the Global Times on Friday, adding that the plan itself deliberately creates a tense atmosphere in the region, while also indicating that the US and Japan may continue to create crises in the area.

In addition to serving US strategic interests, Japan is also using this opportunity to realize its own political objectives, which is to expand its military influence, in a clear departure from its postwar pacifist principles, Chen Hong, executive director of Asia Pacific Studies Centre at East China Normal University, told the Global Times on Friday.

Chen emphasized that the US is actively supporting Japan in expanding its military capabilities and is creating conditions for Japan to relax its military restrictions. This is seen as a way to enable Japan to compete and confront China in the US' strategic planning, Chen noted.

According to Kyodo News, the plan is expected to commence in the next fiscal year starting April. On Thursday, Japan's parliament approved the budget for the fiscal year of 2024, including a record 7.95 trillion yen ($52.53 billion) in defense spending.

During a regular press conference on Friday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said that in recent years, Japan has been drastically readjusting its security policy, increasing defense spending year after year, easing restrictions on arms exports and seeking military breakthroughs.

Lin noted that this has inevitably led neighboring countries in Asia and the international community to strongly question whether Japan is truly committed to a defensive posture and the path of peaceful development.

"We urge Japan to sincerely respect the security concerns of neighboring countries, deeply reflect on its aggressive history, and adhere to the path of peaceful development, so as to avoid further loss of trust from neighboring countries in Asia and the international community," the spokesperson said.

Analysts pointed out that Japan's recent military activities have sparked concerns among neighboring countries, as they could lead to regional instability and escalate the arms race in the region.

They also noted that such reckless behavior could have an impact on regional economic cooperation.

Earlier on Tuesday, Japan's cabinet greenlit the export of new fighter jets it is developing with the UK and Italy, which will allow Japan to export lethal weapons it co-manufactures to other countries for the first time. Experts noted that this new resolution opens the door for the direct export of advanced military equipment such as Japanese warships and submarines to third countries in the future.

Prime Minister of the Netherlands Mark Rutte is on a working visit to China from Tuesday to Wednesday, at a time when the Netherlands' chip export policy has been in the spotlight.

Chinese analysts pointed out that Rutte's visit is perfectly timed, as his country's largest company, the semiconductor equipment maker ASML, is seeking to expand outside the Netherlands after raising concerns about the country's business climate.

They believe that amid weak economic growth, insufficient impetus for technological innovation and spillover effects of the Russia-Ukraine conflict - which most EU state members are faced with - the Netherlands wants to expand cooperation with China in high-end manufacturing, and maintain pragmatic economic and trade cooperation in general.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian confirmed on Monday that Rutte's working visit comes at the invitation of Chinese Premier Li Qiang.

The Dutch media outlet NL Times reported on Friday, citing the caretaker Cabinet announcement, that Rutte will meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang during the trip.

The two heads of state last met on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Bali in November, 2022.

The leaders of the two countries will discuss "bilateral and economic relations, the war in Ukraine and the situation in the Middle East," the Netherlands' caretaker Cabinet announced on Friday. The two-day visit will also include talks between Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao and Dutch Foreign Trade Minister Geoffrey van Leeuwen, NL Times revealed.

Although the Dutch government did not specifically mention if ongoing restrictions on the export of high-tech machinery will be a specific discussion point, Reuters, citing sources, reported on Saturday that whether ASML can continue to service billions of euros worth of computer chip equipment it has sold to Chinese customers is expected to be discussed during the visit.

Under pressure from the US, the Dutch government introduced a licensing requirement for ASML's shipments of its most advanced deep ultraviolet lithography machines in 2023.

On January 2, ASML said that the Dutch government had partially revoked an export license for the shipment of some chipmaking equipment to China, according to a press release previously sent to the Global Times.

In January, the company's CEO, Peter Wennink, said it was poised to expand its operations, media reported.

In response, the Dutch government had launched a cross-ministry effort, dubbed "Operation Beethoven," to encourage ASML to continue to invest in the country, the Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf reported on Wednesday.

ASML has a long history of cooperation with China. However, due to pressure from the US, the Europe, including the Dutch government, eventually yielded to the super power, which damaged the bilateral economic and trade cooperation with China, specifically harming the credibility of ASML, Zhao Junjie, a research fellow at the Institute of European Studies of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Tuesday.

Chinese experts criticized the US for using long-arm jurisdiction to force its allies to be foot soldiers of its containment and decoupling strategies against China.

In January, ASML warned that US export controls would affect its sales in China by 10-15 percent in 2024 while announcing better-than-expected results for the fourth quarter and full year of 2023.

ASML wants to expand its operations overseas, which may help ease the mounting pressure both from the American and Dutch governments, Zhao said. In this case, the Dutch government is scrambling to stop the move.

Under such circumstances, Rutte, who is also a popular candidate for NATO Secretary General, is expected to clarify some of the Dutch government's ideas on the issue to the Chinese government, analysts believe.

While the chip tensions strain bilateral ties between China and the Netherlands, the two countries remain pragmatic cooperation partners in many fields.

European politicians, including those in the Netherlands, are currently facing governance challenges such as weak economic growth, insufficient impetus for technological innovation and spillover effects of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Zhao listed.

In the context, the Netherlands appear to be willing to expand cooperation with China in high-end manufacturing, including green and low-carbon economy, environmental protection technology, biopharmaceuticals and other areas of strength, according to analysts.

Rutte's visit needs to maintain pragmatic economic and trade cooperation with China, reap the benefits from it and appeal to voters, experts said.

With the implementation of the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance, signifying that Hong Kong has fulfilled its constitutional responsibility as stipulated in the Article 23 of the Basic Law, Hong Kong officials stepped up efforts in countering Western attacks and smear targeting the new law, emphasizing that foreign companies are still eager to invest in the city despite political maneuvers made by some Western politicians.

The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Chief Executive John Lee signed the ordinance passed by the Legislative Council (LegCo) on Friday night, and the long overdue local security law was officially gazetted on Saturday and started to take effect.

The long overdue local law consists of nine parts, covering offences and punishments such as treason, state secrets and espionage, sabotage endangering national security, external interference endangering national security and organization engaging in activities endangering national security.

Some Western countries including the US, Australia and the UK as well as some anti-China hawks in the US like former US House speaker Nancy Pelosi have been criticizing the law, calling it as further "erosion of Hong Kong's freedom," raising concerns about its impact on the business sentiment.

The Security Bureau of the HKSAR strongly condemned on Saturday the unfounded and biased remarks made by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken for deliberately misleading the public and undermining the ordinance.

Secretary for Security Tang Ping-keung pointed out in the statement that Blinken once again targeted the HKSAR government's work on safeguarding national security and made slandering, smearing, misleading and erroneous remarks against the ordinance, with his latest despicable political maneuver and hypocrisy built on double standards.

It's normal for the foreign business community to pay attention to the Article 23 legislation, but it should not be described as "doubt" regarding the concern of foreign business, the city's Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po was quoted as saying in local media reports on Saturday.

When commenting on Australian government's updating its travel advisory for HKSAR due to the implementation of the legislation, Chan said Australia is taking a political stance but in reality, companies are still willing to invest in Hong Kong.

Tian Feilong, a vice-dean of the Law School of Minzu University of China in Beijing and director of the Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macau Studies, told the Global Times on Sunday that exaggerating panic through the Article 23 legislation, talking down Hong Kong, attacking Hong Kong's status as an international financial center, and scaring off foreign capital and professional migration are part of the new cold war and decoupling strategy of the US and the West against China.

"This constitutes a fixed discourse strategy and action pattern that even Western businesses in Hong Kong do not believe," Tian said.

Surveys on the business environment in HKSAR and foreign investment confidence can confirm this, the expert said, noting that Western businesses understand and recognize the rule of law and the business environment in Hong Kong better than Western governments and politicians do.

They also maintain confidence in ''One Country, Two Systems'' and Hong Kong's economic and trade freedom, as well as its legal status.

Regina Ip, the chairperson of the New People's Party and convener of the Executive Council, told local media in Hong Kong on Sunday that the national security laws of Western countries are more stringent than those of Hong Kong, and she sees no basis for the criticism from foreign governments.

Ip said that she has continued to engage with foreign media recently, willing to explain the regulations to any foreign businesses and scholars with questions. Among the institutions she has been in contact with, some said there are absolutely no issues, while others expressed a desire to know more details, the local official noted.

"Moreover, I have not seen anyone 'so scared they want to leave,' considering such claims to be completely unfounded and exaggerated," Ip added.

"I believe we have full confidence in the future development of Hong Kong, because both its past development and its future actually depend on the governance and development of China, a super-large country," Li Xiaobing, an expert on Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan affairs from Nankai University, told the Global Times on Sunday.

The potential unleashed by the country's development will bring historic opportunities for Hong Kong's development. These opportunities are not charity from Western countries, Li noted.

Even during the British colonial period, the development of Hong Kong was recognized by the colonizers for its pivotal position as a hub between the Chinese mainland and the rest of the world. And Hong Kong's past, present and future are indeed closely linked to the destiny of the entire country's development, the expert said.

Editor's Note:

"Cognitive Warfare" has become a new form of confrontation between states, and a new security threat. With new technological means, it sets agendas and spreads disinformation, to change people's perceptions and thus alter their self-identity. Launching cognitive warfare against China is an important means for Western anti-China forces to attack and discredit the country.

Some politicians and media outlets have publicly smeared China's image by propagating false narratives in an attempt to incite and provoke dissatisfaction with China among people in certain countries. These means all serve the seemingly peaceful evolution of the US strategy to contain China's rise and maintain its hegemony. The Global Times is publishing a series of articles to reveal the intrigues of the US-led West's China-targeted cognitive warfare, and expose its lies and vicious intentions.

In the 10th installment in the series, the Global Times looks into how some US politicians attempt to demonize and drive away Chinese investment from the country, with the recent "land grabbing" fallacy.
A few conspiracy theorists and "persecution mania sufferers" in the US have always imagined that China has launched "battles" against the US in various forms. And now they've created a new narrative: China grabs US land.

In January, Iowa's Governor Kim Reynolds claimed that "China continues to grow more aggressive, and buying American land has been one of the many ways they have waged this new battle." She said she intends to introduce a new law that would strengthen farmland ownership reporting rules in this state.

"…as China's threat adapts, our laws should too," said Reynolds, who was reportedly once very welcoming of Chinese investment. "Let's make sure that American soil remains in American hands," she said.

More states across the US have actively joined in the chorus to support this "land grabbing" fallacy. Data shows that at least 24 states specifically forbid or limit foreign ownership of private farmland. Many of the bans, which target certain countries including China, were introduced in the last two years in the name of "national security," the Global Times found.

Although it is unsurprising to see some US politicians play the anti-China card however they can in an election year, the remark that China, which legally holds only less than 1 percent of all the foreign-owned land in the US, "grabs US land," is still fairly absurd, said some Chinese economists and international relations experts.

How did the states use legislation and public pressure to vilify Chinese investors, and even drive them away from US farmlands? How did the fallacy of "China grabbing US land" come into being? What underhanded tactics have been employed by some US politicians to propel this fallacy? The Global Times tries to uncover what's behind this new round of cognitive war against China.

Virulent laws and actions

Chinese entities held 349,442 acres of agricultural and non-agricultural land in the US, slightly less than 1 percent of its foreign-held acres, or 0.03 percent of the total, according to a report released by the US Department of Agriculture in December 2022. The percentage fell far behind Canada (12.8 million acres), the Cayman Islands (672,000 acres), said a Forbes article in March 2023, listed under "surprising fact."

This negligible percentage nonetheless can't stop politicians in some states from hyping the "China grabbing land" panic and turning it into vitriolic laws and actions.

Arkansas, for instance, in October 2023, ordered agriculture company Syngenta to sell its 160 acres of farmland in this state, only "because the company is Chinese-owned," CNN reported on October 18.

Arkansas passed a state law earlier that year to prohibit certain foreign parties from acquiring or holding land. China is among the prohibited "parties," because it is subject to US arms export controls known as the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), said Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin.

Regardless of the little connection between arms export control and farmland, Arkansas' order to Syngenta was its first enforcement under the new law. Before this weird logic was finally turned into a legal order, the company "had owned the site for 35 years," according to Syngenta's spokesperson Saswato Das.

Disappointed Syngenta called the order "a shortsighted action" that will hurt Arkansas farmers. "Our people in Arkansas are Americans led by Americans who care deeply about serving Arkansas farmers," CNN quoted Das as saying.

Another infamous example was Texas, which had even tried to ban its citizens of Chinese ancestry from buying a house in the state.

In January 2023, Texas Governor Greg Abbott said he would sign a proposed bill banning citizens and foreign entities from four countries, including China, Iran, North Korea, and Russia, from purchasing Texas land.

The ridiculous "Senate Bill 147" soon sparked months of outcry across the state. In a Senate committee hearing in March that year, more than 100 people, including Asian American business owners, immigrants, and advocacy groups, heavily criticized the bill, according to local media.

Faced with widespread condemnation, the state lawmakers later revised the bill, softening the language to still allow dual citizenship holders and lawful permanent residents of the US to buy property in Texas.

In the last decade, the number of US states that have codified restrictions on foreign ownership of land has risen from 14 to 24, and new restrictions are being proposed in each legislative session, according to Tory Consulting. "As of January 2024, at least five states have active bills in session to restrict foreign ownership of land," said an article published online in February.

China is a main target of this restriction wave, although as a recent opinion piece in The Economist noted: "Chinese landholdings are both tiny and shrinking."

Then how did the "China grabbing US land" fallacy come about?

According to the US National Agricultural Law Center (NALC), a federally funded source of agricultural and food law research and information, many of the states' laws that restrict foreign ownership of land developed at several "political flashpoints," such as the signing of the Declaration of Independence, and the US' westward expansion in the late 1880s.

The latest ongoing "political flashpoint" starts from 2021, partly due to some incidents involving Chinese entities that raised "national security" concerns, said NALC.

One of the incidents was a Chinese company's "purchase of 300 acres near an Air Force base in North Dakota." It was about a Chinese firm planning to build a corn mill in the state. The plan was put on hold in 2023, as the US Air Force said the proposed mill was close to a local air force base and "presents a significant threat to national security."

The state's governor once celebrated the landing of the project in Grand Forks in late 2021, which would have been the city's largest economic development project in recent history, reported the New York Times (NYT) in February 2023. The corn mill was the sort of job-creating opportunity that cities have long fought over, it said.

When examining the timelines of when many US states introduced land ownership restrictions, the Global Times found an obvious "peak" after the "spy balloon" incident in February 2023. On the pretext of "national security," some federal and state politicians frequently attacked the Chinese owners of US farmland at that time, defaming those who owned land near military bases or facilities as spies or potential spies without any proof.

"National security" is a common trope that the Biden administration employs in suppressing China, said Yu Xiang, a non-resident senior fellow at the Center for International Security and Strategy, Tsinghua University. It has hyped a lot of smears against China in the name of national security, such as the "spy balloon," the "chip risk," and the so-called "Chinese citizens conceal secrets" fallacies, Yu explained.

"National security has been a 'black box' area in competitions between countries," Yu told the Global Times. Unlike the previous dumping and subsidy allegations against Chinese products, which China can clarify with tangible proof, the national security-related attacks are usually difficult to disprove, he said.

Moreover, the self-created suspicions may force the Chinese enterprises involved to try to prove their innocence with great effort, said Gao Lingyun, a research fellow at the Institute of World Economics and Politics, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. "Even if one eventually dispelled the rumors, its reputation, time, and energy would have been damaged," Gao said.

Snaky calculation of US politicians

Chinese ownership of US land has become "a crime to be desired" by some people in the US under the pretext of national security. As the presidential election approaches, "taking back" land from Chinese purchasers is turning into a theatrical performance by local authorities to make political capital.

"This is about where your loyalties lie," Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders said at a news conference, responding to a query about the state ordering Syngenta to sell its farmland, even at the expense of local farmers and employees.

In some US states with fewer people and more land, the leaving of Chinese companies would bring obvious losses, such as revenue and employment, said Gao. "To drive away Chinese entities from their farmland is tantamount to giving up their strengths," he told the Global Times.

But the economic and job losses seem insignificant to some selfish politicians. In US electoral politics, there is usually a personal calculation behind what politicians do or say, said Yu. Authorities in some states want to drive out Chinese entities from farmland, because they believe it can bring them more personal political gains, such as votes, he explained.

Therefore, in order to still get votes even when there have been (or will be) economic damages, the politicians try hard to demonize China, magnifying the security threat of Chinese ownership of farmland to justify their poor political actions, noted some experts in US studies.

They pointed out that the anti-China trope is a well-tested trump card for some politicians to win attention and support, and their "China grabbing land" allegation is no more than a cliché smear that previously targeted Chinese investment in Africa and other Belt and Road Initiative participating nations.

And now this fallacy has spread back to the US, with a few politicians brainwashing US voters with ridiculous conspiracy theories, such as "the corn mill at your doorstep could be spying on you, or it could harm national security."

No wonder other politicians in the US are frustrated with the endless, irrational focus on land. According to a The Economist article published in January, US Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi complained that some laws intended to stop any Chinese-origin individuals from buying any land at all drift into "outright racism and xenophobia."

Krishnamoorthi wishes politicians would focus more on improving American competitiveness in general, said the article. "Sadly that is harder than blustering about farmland."

Editor's Note:

The world recently celebrated a splendid Chinese New Year, welcoming the Year of the Dragon.

During the holidays, Global Times reporters returned to their hometowns where they were reacquainted with old traditions and introduced to new post-pandemic experiences. To share their experience, we have launched the "Hometown Diary" series. Spanning from north to south, east to west, six articles will focus on different provinces, exploring the development and evolution from traditional to modern, and from economic to cultural dimensions.

This series is not only a comprehensive review of China's vast territory and diverse regional cultures but also a profound reflection of how different areas across the country maintain their identity and embrace changes.

Through the lens of hometown observations, we hope to touch the hearts of our readers, allowing everyone to find resonance in these stories and feel the warmth and vitality that hometowns provide, regardless of changes brought about by time.

This is the second installment in the series, in which we gain the perspectives of our reporters to understand how East China's Jiangsu Province keeps vigorous development with a strong engine based on local people's industriousness and tenacity, and how East China's Anhui Province explores emerging areas of high tech and new energy.
When I asked ChatGPT what characteristics Jiangsu people have, it gave me the following sentences:

▪ Jiangsu people are very hard-working; they care greatly about effort and pursue success;

▪ They are talented in business and have high commercial aptitude;

▪ They pay great attention to education and emphasize learning capacity cultivation and the knowledge development of their children;

▪ They are tough in the face of difficulties and challenges.

Hard-working people

The answer is pretty close to my own understanding of people from the province. In my 33 years, my parents constantly reiterated the surmountable nature of every challenge.

My 60-year-old father-in-law considers anyone getting up later than 7 am "lazy."

The eyes of my grandfather, 78, only light up when he is doing or talking about business. Otherwise, he has nothing to do but sits languidly on his chair, looking forlorn.

For a long time, I barely saw the good in this kind of characteristic, and rather saw it as constraining and boring. It gave me the impression that people in my hometown were robotic. Generation after generation, they follow the same routine, work in the same place, and employ the same form of hard work. If you were to ask them, "Why do you not find another way to live," they would probably say "This is how life works after all."

However, after 16 years away, and after experiencing and witnessing so many personal and global ups and downs, especially in recent years, I started to reflect on the consistent, hard-working, and resilient characteristics of Jiangsu people and suddenly began to understand the steadiness and power hidden in these qualities.

This strength is not only the province's vigorous development's vital source even in difficult times, but also, maybe, is the simplest kind of life force I lacked and have always been looking for.
Vigorous development, continuous exploration

As a national economic powerhouse, East China's Jiangsu Province saw its regional gross domestic product (GDP) increase by 5.8 percent year-on-year to 12.82 trillion yuan ($1.8 trillion) in 2023, according to the annual session of the provincial people's congress in January. This figure means the province contributed the second-highest GDP in China in 2023 only following South China's Guangdong Province with 13.57 trillion yuan.

Apart from the impressive figures, Jiangsu people's undeniable business acumen plays a vital role in continuously pushing the province to explore new areas aligned with the demand of national strategies and the market.

In 2023, the output value of new energy vehicles (NEVs) and new energy industries in Jiangsu increased by 19 percent and 14.5 percent respectively. The production of lithium-ion batteries for automobiles increased by 18.7 percent. Monocrystalline silicon production increased by 31.6 percent, photovoltaic cell production increased by 45.6 percent, NEV production increased by 46.3 percent, wind power generator production increased by 66.4 percent, and charging pile production increased by 1.3 times, according to Xinhua.

The province discovered new growth points for foreign trade by expanding the trade of new types of home products and new energy products with countries associated with the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). According to statistics from Nanjing Customs, in 2023, Jiangsu's imports and exports to these countries reached 2.25 trillion yuan, an increase of 0.9 percent, accounting for 42.9 percent of the country's total trade with these countries, Xinhua reported.

People in my hometown have also changed a lot during my absence, and in ways I had failed to notice.

My younger cousin Peter Zhou told me he probably would go overseas to work for a period as his company would start to open branches in many countries and regions around the world to achieve localization operations.

The young boy who once battled me for a bottle of orange soda had transformed into a company CEO.

The company he works for is Sunnix Energy, founded in 2010, a comprehensive company specializing in lithium-ion battery products, energy storage systems and photovoltaic solar systems.

In 2023, the company achieved sales of more than 240 million yuan, more than double the figure in 2022.

More than 90 percent of our company's sales come from overseas, with the Philippines, South Africa and the Middle East being the main markets, Zhou told me.

Unite to be 'Su Daqiang'

Jiangsu has two nicknames on Chinese social media: Sanzhuang Jiangsu (loosely organized Jiangsu) and Su Daqiang (Su is a Chinese surname, Da means great and Qiang means strong in Chinese).

The second nickname is because of its strong economy. The first is because, while other provinces and regions in China usually act as a whole on a national level, the 13 cities in Jiangsu act separately. A typical example is they all sent their own medical support teams to Wuhan, Hubei Province in early 2020 at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, while most other places only sent a provincial team.

Chinese netizens always make the joke that Jiangsu is loosely organized. But they also wonder how such a province holds so much energy for development.

My recent reflections may provide an answer: Jiangsu is loosely organized not because its 13 cities do not like each other or do not obey the orders of big brother Nanjing, the capital, but because they are blood brothers who are all hard-working and strong respectively so that they always compete and do not want to be the one "holding back the family" on the way of development.

An example before the Spring Festival made more people come to know the unity of Jiangsu hidden in its loose organization. Heavy snow hit central and northern Jiangsu between February 1 and 6, sparking concerns among those wishing to drive through Jiangsu's highways.

However, as they set off on their return journeys, more and more people took to social media platforms to express their amazement as they found Jingsu's highways cleared overnight.

As of February 5 morning, 57,000 personnel had been dispatched to remove snow on highways across the province with snow-removal machines working 6,759 times and snow-melting materials being dispersed, covering 41,000 kilometers of roadworks, the Jiangsu Provincial Government announced.

"This efficiency explains why it is called Su Daqiang," a netizen commented.

"We are loose in ordinary times, but we set to unite and get serious in the face of major matters," a Jiangsu netizen said, and I could not agree more.

Editor's Note:

On February 28, 2012, Tursun Talip, a resident in Yecheng county, Kashi Prefecture, Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, lost his son Turghunjan, an auxiliary police officer who was hacked to death by nine terrorists, alongside another 12 killed and 16 injured. Tursun rushed to the scene and collapsed on the weeping bitterly in front of his son's pool of blood. "All I had in my mind was my son being hacked to death. I could even hear him crying out for me."

What happened to Turghunjan and other victims on that day and how the lives of the survivors and those who lost their beloved ones changed have all been recorded in the report titled "Victims and Survivors of Terrorism in China: An Oral History," which was published by the Institute for Communication and Borderland Governance (ICBG) at Jinan University. The Global Times selected two stories from the report that truly encapsulate the severity of the terror attack that happened in Xinjiang, and also interviewed Zhang Liang, director of the ICBG, who initiated the report project, to understand its significance.

This story is a part of the Global Times' "Witness to history" series, which features first-hand accounts from witnesses who were at the forefront of historic moments. From scholars, politicians and diplomats to ordinary citizens, their authentic reflections on the impact of historical moments help reveal a sound future for humanity through the solid forward steps taken in the past and the present.
'I hate those terrorists to the bones!'

When the terror attack happened on February 28, 2012, Tursun was working at a school, and at around 7 pm, he received a call asking him to inform the faculty to stay inside and close the school gate as soon as possible as something had happened at the Xingfu Road pedestrian street.

"My heart stopped as I soon realized that my son was on duty there, and I thought, 'God, please keep my son safe from harm.' I was so worried. Then I immediately called the head of the traffic brigade and told him that my son was there, and I had to go over. Then I got on my motorbike and prayed for my son on the way," said Tursun.

The attack was over by the time Tursun arrived at the scene. Crowds had been evacuated, and the police had begun to clean up the scene. At the scene was a police officer from the county public security bureau, who stopped Tursun from approaching.

After informing the police officer that he was, in fact, Turghunjan's father, Tursun was later escorted to the hospital by a female officer. They did not find Turghunjan in the treatment room. Early in the morning the next day, Tursun learned that his son had died.

"Outside the room, I immediately saw the wounds on my son's neck, and here (shoulder and neck), and there (right arm) … When we left the hospital, my daughter-in-law, wife of Turghunjan, immediately broke down. Later, the county chiefs said my son honorably sacrificed his life for the people, and escorted my son's body back to my house," Tursun said.

Tursun later learned that while his son was on duty that day, some of the terrorists - all youngsters aged about 25 - had gathered at a market at around 6 pm. Turghunjan thrice went over to ask them not to gather at the pedestrian street exit, but they walked a few steps away and still gathered. When Turghunjan went to check their IDs, he saw that one of the terrorists was carrying an ax with him.

"My son was going to take that man to the police station nearby. My son should have called the police station first, but he wanted to take those people to the police station by himself… At that moment, one of the terrorists took out an ax, sent a secret signal to his accomplices, and then hacked my son and finally killed him," said Tursun.

The original targets of those terrorists were primary school students. The terror group divided itself into three teams, one stationed at the pedestrian street gate, another at the pedestrian street market, and the third next to the primary school. Each of them was planning to kill 500 people. However, Turghunjan disrupted their plan.

Hearing details of what had happened to his son was a source of great pain for Tursun. He went to the spot where his son was brutally killed the next afternoon. "There remained some blood on the ground, and I was sitting there, looking at the blood and crying. All I had in my mind was the scene where my son was hacked to death. I could even hear him cry, "Dad, Dad!'"

"I couldn't stop thinking afterward that if someone had known about the terrorists' conspiracy in advance, they might not have caused so many deaths, and my son might still be alive. If my son hadn't gone over to question them repeatedly, he probably wouldn't have been killed. My son is now recognized as a martyr; he sacrificed his life for the safety of many civilians, and I am proud of that, but with my son gone, everything is gone," said Tursun.

"I hate these terrorists and separatists, as they have ruined my family. I can't even control myself if anyone mentions the terrorist attack in front of me. I hate those terrorists to the bones!" said Tursun.
'We must not fear terrorism'

Grain and cooking oil store owner Wang Tiancheng, 59, on Xingfu Road in Yecheng, also recalled the details of the tragic day. On February 28, 2012, while standing in front of his store at around 5.50 pm, Wang noticed the eruption of chaos as he saw market operators running and screaming.

"At that moment, I was standing with my back to the back door while facing the entrance (of the market). Then I felt like someone had cut me. I felt it, but I still had no idea what was happening. After the first blow, two people (the terrorists) faced me," said Wang.

"They (terrorists) were holding an ax in one hand and a machete in the other, and their axes were so big, and the machetes were so long. So, they hacked me with the machete right on my head and shoulder. Later, when I got my wounds examined, the doctor told me that this bone on my shoulder would have been broken if the machete had gone half a centimeter deeper," he noted.

Wang said that they did expect a terror attack, but they came prepared. He and the terrorist were close to each other. When Wang saw what the terrorist was holding, his first thought was, "Oh no, he's going to kill me."

"At the same time, I realized that I, at least, needed to grab something to fend off the attack as I was unarmed, so I grabbed the chair, and his ax was coming at me at the same time. I smashed the chair on him immediately. I was wounded here when he was hacking at me haphazardly, but luckily the rest of my body wasn't injured. If I had not blocked that blow or reacted any slower, the consequences would have been much severer," said Wang.

Wang could still remember the look on the terrorists' faces and said that a glance at the terrorist's eyes would have undoubtedly terrified someone with a weak constitution as he just wanted to kill people by directly aiming at people's necks or heads.

After hacking at Wang, these attackers went on to hack other people in the middle of Xingfu Road market, before turning back to attack people in the opposite direction.

Wang left his shop and headed toward a seed company to the right of his store where he found the next-door shop owner hacked to death with a gash to the temple, along with two of the store's workers dead at the door. An old couple along with their grandson present at the store were also brutally attacked, with the elderly man dying on the spot, and his wife sustaining a head injury while trying to protect her grandson.

Wang also recalled that one of the terrorists captured alive had made a habit of regularly visiting a naan bread maker in the market in the months leading up to the attack. When Wang looked into the terrorist's eyes, he always felt slightly uncomfortable.

"His eyes seemed especially fierce, and I thought he was not a good guy. In the end, this attack was led by him, as he had visited the market several times and was familiar with the place," said Wang.

Wang was treated at the hospital and was admitted for 46 days, later being diagnosed as having a 10-degree disability - the lowest disability level compared with other victims of the attack. He still exhibits certain sequelae now and then, and when the weather changes dramatically, his shoulders hurt.

"It's been 10 years since the terror attack, but I can still feel the horror whenever I recall it. To be honest, we were scared. But after the attack happened, the first thing we had to do was to stay calm, be brave, and try to fight back. It is the mentality I always uphold. We must not fear terrorism," Wang said.
'China's anti-terrorism efforts legitimate'

"While working on this project, I have personally experienced a strong sense of trauma. When the survivors and relatives of victims recalled and retold their experiences, I was brought into that situation, especially when they showed me some wounds or talked about unforgettable experiences from that time; I have a strong sense of empathy," Zheng Liang, director of the ICBG, who initiated the project, told the Global Times.

Zheng and his team started the research project titled "Victims and Survivors of Terrorism in China: An Oral History" in 2021, and searched for victims of terror attacks.

So far, they have conducted interviews with over 60 witnesses of violent terror incidents that have happened in various places in Xinjiang region, including Hotan, Kashi, Turpan, and Urumqi, collecting over one million words worth of written records and over 90 hours of audio and video materials.

The first installment of the report on the project was released on January 18 at a seminar, which included the stories of Tursun and Wang, and four other victims of the terror attack that happened in Yecheng county on February 28, 2012.

Researchers who attended the project seminar said that, for most of the interviewees, recalling the horrific experiences they had years ago was difficult and the interview always began after hours or days of psychological struggle.

The afterword of the report also cited a survivor as saying that the Yecheng terror attack caused significant impacts not only on one family but also on the whole county, and even the entire region. The case is a lingering shadow and pain in the hearts of many in Yecheng.

He noted that the trauma suffered by ordinary people in these terror incidents is also insufficiently addressed. The absence of this group's voices sometimes leads to attacks on China, with some overseas organizations claiming that terrorism does not exist in China and that terror attacks are the result of oppression against ethnic minorities.

While talking about the reasons why he initiated the project, Zheng, who was born and raised in Xinjiang, mentioned the previous reports on terror attacks mainly focused on the causes of terrorism and violent incidents, while lacing in-depth interviews and reports on the victims.

Zheng told the Global Times that some foreign individuals and media outlets often fabricate politically motivated narratives, portraying the perpetrators of these terrorist acts as so-called "victims."

"But the perpetrators are perpetrators. They cannot be glorified as victims," said Zheng.

The expert also noted that through the project, they wish to provide factual materials for individuals who pay attention to Xinjiang region, and China's counterterrorism and de-radicalization efforts as this project would allow the international community to gain a better understanding that China, like other countries, has also suffered from terrorism and its counterterrorism work is absolutely legitimate.

"The sun is an eternal challenge in the journey of human exploration," Wang Jingxiu, academician at the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and researcher at the National Astronomical Observatories of the CAS (NAOC), told the audience at a New Year's Eve event hosted by the Beijing Association for Science and Technology. 

Having devoted 45 years to sun-related research, Wang has a deep understanding of the vital importance of the sun. 

"The sun is the governor of the entire solar system. It created the Earth, which is the cradle of humanity. It also created the solar system, which is the habitat for humans. Studying the sun is studying the home of humanity," Wang told the Global Times.

In terms of scientific study, the sun, the closest star to Earth, is the only celestial body that allows for high temporal resolution, high spatial resolution, high spectral resolution, and high polarization measurement accuracy. Therefore, the knowledge accumulated from studying the sun has guided the entire human exploration of the universe.

After decades of development, solar physics research in China is at a leading juncture internationally. China's advantage lies in the study of solar activity and solar magnetic fields, but there is still a certain gap in solar internal structure research. 

In fact, China's solar research has developed rapidly. In the 1960s, China created the world's best solar magnetograph, the Huairou Solar Magnetic Field Telescope, which marked a new beginning for solar research in China. In the field of ground-based solar magnetic field and velocity field imaging observations, especially in the research of vector magnetic field observations, China is a world leader.

Wang recalled that in 1999, using this telescope, Deng Yuanyong, currently director of the NAOC Huairou Solar Observing Station, Chinese academician Ai Guoxiang, and himself became the first in the world to measure the vector magnetic field in the solar polar region.

China ushered in a new era of solar exploration in 2021 with the successful launch of China's first solar exploration scientific experimental satellite, the Xihe. The satellite allows Chinese people to conduct detailed research on the rotation of the sun and the dynamics of solar eruption source regions. About a year later, China launched its first comprehensive solar exploration satellite, Kuafu, furthering the country's scientific endeavor to unravel the secrets of the sun.

Xihe is the name of the sun goddess in ancient Chinese mythology and Kuafu is a giant in Chinese mythology, who indefatigably chased the sun. With Xihe and Kuafu joining forces, "China has spread the romance of Chinese astronomy to space in its own way," Wang said.

Looking forward to the long-term study of the sun, Wang hopes that Chinese scientists will become the first to observe the north and south poles of the sun to measure the magnetic field and activities there.

"In solar observations, what has not been directly observed so far are the north and south poles of the sun. The importance of these poles goes beyond our imagination. Therefore, Chinese scholars want to do something that other countries have not done yet and assume a leading role in the study of the sun in the world," he said. 

He also stressed the necessity of developing the scientific payload of China's probes to obtain more accurate data, which is crucial for solar exploration.

From many perspectives, Wuzhen, in East China's Zhejiang Province, a town with thousands of years of history, is not a name that automatically comes to mind when poverty and backwardness are mentioned. Even without considering its rich cultural history and connections to many famous figures, in the last few decades, it has become a well-planned tourist attraction known to most Chinese people.

As a typical ancient water town in the Jiangnan region, Wuzhen has a history spanning over 7,000 years and has been an established center for over 1,300 years. In the 1990s, the local government started to renovate the ancient town. The 21st century marked Wuzhen's transformation into one of the most popular tourist attractions in the region.

However, beyond the bustling tourist area, Wuzhen was rarely associated with "modernization" in any comprehensive way for a period of time. Outside the scope of the tourism industry, many people still lived in old villages in their old lifestyles.

This situation, however, began to change in June 2003 with the implementation of Zhejiang's Green Rural Revival Program, which plans to renovate about 10,000 incorporated villages and transform about 1,000 central villages among them into examples of moderate prosperity in all respects.

Xi Jinping, then secretary of the CPC Zhejiang Provincial Committee, promoted and deployed this modernization project to address the problem of imbalanced urban-rural development, creating a new development path for beautiful villages.

From duck farming to bamboo weaving

Chenzhuang village, like many other ordinary Chinese villages, had a long-term reliance on the animal husbandry and breeding as its main industry. "Chenzhuang used to be a specialized duck farming village, and every household would raise ducks on a fairly large scale," said Shen Siyuan, a member of the Chenzhuang village committee, to visiting Global Times reporters. "But the odor and waste generated by duck farming had a significant impact on the village's environment."

Transitioning from the backward poultry breeding ground to a traditional bamboo weaving craft was a long-term consideration by the village committee.

After closing down the environmentally damaging duck farms, many villagers joined the handicraft workshops of several bamboo weaving families in the village. In the workshops, the Global Times saw many villagers chatting and skillfully weaving bamboo items. Technical discussions or sharing sessions about bamboo weaving are routinely organized or spontaneously held among the villagers. When showing their bamboo weaving works to the Global Times, many of the former farmers turned bamboo artisans had proud smiles on their faces.

The village's leader in bamboo weaving, who is an inheritor of the craft, Qian Jihuai quit his job working for a company and followed his father, Qian Xinming, to engage in bamboo weaving full time in 2007, in the era of the decline of bamboo weaving in Wuzhen.
He came up with the idea of linking bamboo weaving with Wuzhen's tourism industry, and applied for a store at a tourist attraction and then tried to weave some Chinese characters out of bamboo as tourist souvenirs. It turned out that tourists loved these novel souvenirs.

Qian and his father therefore saw this as a new path to promote bamboo weaving and began developing related products. They traveled to other towns in China with a tradition of bamboo weaving and studied and researched extensively on the development of bamboo weaving in other countries.

"We gradually discovered that there was a lot of room for the expansion of bamboo weaving as an art," Qian said. He set up his own bamboo weaving studio with his father and brother, brought systematic bamboo weaving classes to schools, and introduced bamboo weaving skills to more people through online livestreams. In his studio, the Zhuyun Workshop, 15,000 visitors study bamboo weaving and take part in learning experiences every year. The workshop features many works of his fellow villagers, many of whom work there for a living.

According to Qian, the sense of happiness generated by social recognition is a new thing for many villagers who have been engaged in the poultry breeding industry for generations, but it has become an important part of achieving common prosperity in modern rural areas.

Such workshops are parts of an innovative project in Zhejiang that helps low-income groups increase their income. Currently, more than 7,000 such workshops have been established in the province, employing more than 340,000 people, with an average monthly income increase of about 2,600 yuan ($368) per person.

After the leveling of the land and the greening transformation, Chenzhuang has also built a leisure park in the village and a free library for villagers to read and check out books in the center of the village. When villagers recall their previous lives of duck farming to the Global Times, they find it hard to believe the changes.

From small towns into high-tech parks

Thanks to the Green Rural Revival Program, the image of the countryside has been comprehensively lifted in Zhejiang. A total of 2,170 featured villages and over 3 million beautiful rural courtyards have been built, according to the Xinhua News Agency.

In 2011, the program entered the stage of creating high-quality and beautiful villages. The integration of "lucid waters and lush mountains" into the new lives of the people of Zhejiang, as well as the significant changes in the environment, and the government's tremendous support for external talents, have attracted many investors and high-tech entrepreneurs.

In a high-tech park in Wuzhen, Global Times reporters met Jiang Jianguo, who used to work in display technology research in Silicon Valley, and has chosen to start a business in Wuzhen in 2019.

"When we planned to build a factory, we had high requirements and needed a very high-end purification workshop, and the local government helped us solve these problems with great seriousness," Jiang said. "This made us determined to establish our company in Wuzhen."

The high-end manufacturing industry in the field of electronic flexible screens created by Jiang has created new job opportunities and demonstrated the vitality of cutting-edge innovation and technology in this small town of Wuzhen, inducing the return of many young people who had migrated for work.

"In the past, if you wanted to find a good job, you had to go to first- or second-tier cities," said Shen Guyu, a young company employee, to the Global Times. "Now, you can work in high-tech enterprises in your hometown, and commuting is also very convenient."
Some employees also expressed their expectations for more high-tech enterprises in small towns. "After having a second child, my partner and I hope to leave the big city and return to our hometown for the sake of our children," said another employee, Wang Hua. The landing of these high-tech enterprises in Wuzhen makes it possible for them to engage in cutting-edge industries in their hometowns.

By the end of 2022, Zhejiang had registered 9.43 million operating entities, to which the private economy contributed 67 percent of the province's GDP, 71.7 percent of tax revenue, and 87.5 percent of employment. The booming private sector has provided unprecedented opportunities for young people in villages and towns to increase their income, find employment, and to produce new ideas.

In 2021, Zhejiang's Green Rural Revival Program entered the "creating future and achieving common prosperity" stage. The boundaries between urban and rural areas have gradually disappeared, and the foundation for sustainable development has become more solid.

In Shufeng village, Wuzhen, one can feel the gradual birth of a future village.

When Global Times reporters arrived at Shufeng village, villager Yu Liqin was preparing to build a new house, and village official Jiang Chao had agreed to measure the homestead with her in a very unconventional way.

Jiang demonstrated the various conditions of his homestead through the intelligent management system to Yu. With the help of aerial footage and the demonstration system, they quickly determined the required data. "In the past, it might have taken us half a day to measure on-site, but now, with this system, we can complete it in just a minute," Jiang said.

In 2022, Shufeng village was selected as one of the first provincial-level pilot "future villages" in Zhejiang. They began using digital technology to create a sustainable rural area, and the fully automated intelligent system started assisting villagers in their daily lives and work. Subsequently, a high-tech seedling base was established in Shufeng village. Villagers could either lease their land to the base or work as employees there.

Inside the 30,000-square-meter intelligent greenhouse in the village, the Global Times encountered Li Jingquan, a villager come employee who was testing a 5G inspection robot. This intelligent greenhouse integrates various new technologies such as artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, cloud computing, and big data. On a large display screen, the growth status of all plants and intelligent suggestions are shown. Additionally, an intelligent seedling planter is available to quickly and accurately transplant seedlings.

"With the help of this technology, the seedlings we cultivate are stronger and have a higher survival rate than before, allowing villagers who are engaged in planting to continuously increase their income and production," Li said.

By 2025, Zhejiang plans to build over a thousand "future villages" and narrow the gap between the highest and lowest per capita disposable income within the province to within 1.55, truly reducing the gap between rural and urban areas.

In Wuzhen, the villages and high-tech enterprises the Global Times reporters see are a reflection of the transformation of Zhejiang's villages under the guidance of the Green Rural Revival Program over the last 20 years.

During this period, the urban and rural areas of Wuzhen have developed in tandem, and each village has seized upon its own characteristics and embarked on its own path.

Twenty years later, when people think of Wuzhen again, they will think not only of the tourist attraction, but also of the annual World Internet Conference, theater festival, unique rural life, and attractive investment and employment prospects, which provide a vivid model for the modernization and development of more small towns.

As one of the oldest art schools in the world, the Royal Academy of Fine Arts (RAFA) in Antwerp has constantly reinvented itself since it was founded in 1663. To promote the exchange of ideas and strive for greater creativity, RAFA established an exchange program with the Central Academy of Fine Arts (CAFA) in Beijing. This year marks RAFA's 360th anniversary. To celebrate this momentous occasion, RAFA and CAFA organized a unique project.

On November 2, the first collaboration between students from both schools materialized. For this project, students from the two schools exchanged artworks and, as a result, works by students of the RAFA were shown at the CAFA Art Museum until November 12. The works by CAFA students will be displayed at RAFA from November 30 to December 8. What makes this exchange even more profound is that all these magnificent works will be preserved in the archives of both schools, creating a lasting connection between the two institutions. 

To support this great initiative, the Public Diplomacy Counsellor, Johan Van hove, attended the RAFA exhibition opening ceremony at CAFA and met its new president Lin Mao, several well-known professors from CAFA, the director of RAFA Johan Pas, and curators Peter Bosteels from Antwerp and Qiu Zhijie from Beijing. They discussed the development of cultural exchanges between both institutions and countries. 

Art knows no borders; art does not have a nationality. It is a bridge that connects two countries. Through this incredible exchange between Antwerp and Beijing, it celebrates the diversity of human creativity and the countless possibilities of even more exceptional collaborations between China and Belgium in the years to come.