Chinese athletes Liu Hao and Ji Bowen captured the gold medal in the men's canoe double 500m at the Paris Olympics on Thursday.
China last won this event at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, when Meng Guangliang and Yang Wenjun successfully defended their title. Sixteen years later, Liu and Ji have once again brought glory to China, breaking the Olympic record.
The pair advanced to the semifinals with a time of 1:37.40 in the heats, setting a new Olympic record for the event. They then secured their spot in the final as the top team from the semifinals.
In the final, Liu and Ji dominated the race, leading from start to finish to clinch the gold medal with a commanding performance.
Liu, who won silver in both the men's 1000m double sculls and single sculls at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, came to Paris with the goal of completing his medal collection with a gold. After the 2021 National Games in Shaanxi Province, Liu partnered with the younger Ji, as the Paris Olympics saw a shift from the 1000m to the 500m distance in the men's double sculls.
Despite the changes, the 30-year-old Liu quickly adapted, forming a strong partnership with Ji. Liu described Ji as fast and noted that he soon became a role model.
"I feel responsible for keeping the team's morale high. I can't let the energy drop, especially during long training sessions," Liu said.
Ji also spoke about their partnership: "We first met in 2019 at a competition. I thought I was fast, but compared to Liu, I was far behind. I see him as a role model and strive to meet his standard."
Their hard work paid off when they secured their Olympic spot with a second-place finish at the 2023 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships. Their gold medal in Paris now stands as a testament to their dedication and teamwork.
Fujian Maritime Safety Administration and Donghai Rescue Bureau, both under the Chinese Ministry of Transport, jointly conducted maritime patrol and law enforcement operations in the Taiwan Straits from Saturday to Sunday, with a total duration of 30.5 hours and a total cruising distance of 413 nautical miles.
Experts said the operation has enhanced the Chinese mainland's maritime management agency's control over maritime traffic and emergency rescue capabilities in the Taiwan Straits. Previously, maritime departments from the mainland had already achieved regular law enforcement patrols in the waters near Kinmen, and now this "regularization" has been further extended, they noted.
The operation was jointly carried out by a patrol flotilla consisting of three vessels, China Central Television (CCTV) reported.
The primary tasks of the operation involved patrolling the waters of the Taiwan Straits, examining coastal shipping routes, anchorages, offshore construction sites, high-risk collision zones for commercial and fishing vessels, busy traffic areas, accident-prone zones, Taiwan Shoal, and other waterways, according to the report.
Additionally, tasks include investigating and addressing maritime traffic violations, upholding navigational regulations, inspecting shipping routes in the central Taiwan Straits, organizing and controlling traffic, conducting spot checks on passing vessels, and inspecting on-site the implementation of emergency search and rescue plans.
The operation also involves inspecting and verifying navigational aids in the Taiwan Straits, confirming ship identification code details on-site, testing communication capabilities over land and sea, and ensuring the orderly conduct of radio communications on the water. Since the fishing ban in the southeastern coast of China was lifted on Friday, a large number of fishing vessels entered the Taiwan Straits, increasing the risk of collisions between commercial and fishing vessels, CCTV said.
The operation reached within two nautical miles east of the middle of the Taiwan Straits, and the southernmost point reached the Taiwan Shoal, covering an area that was wider than in previous years, Yuyuan Tantian, a social media account affiliated with state broadcaster CCTV, said in a post on WeChat on Sunday.
Due to geographical reasons, the Taiwan Straits has relatively large winds and waves, making it prone to accidents. The operation served to protect the safety of navigation for ships passing by, and also to demonstrate the mainland's jurisdiction over the relevant waters of the Taiwan Straits, an expert who requested anonymity told the Global Times on Sunday.
With an interval of less than a month, China's aircraft carrier Shandong reportedly launched its second far seas drill of the year on Monday, with experts on Tuesday highlighting the carrier's increasing comprehensive combat capabilities.
The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force spotted the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy's aircraft carrier Shandong, a Type 055 guided missile destroyer, a Type 052D guided missile destroyer and a Type 054A guided missile frigate sailing in the West Pacific waters to the south of Miyako Island on Monday, with the Shandong having hosted takeoff and landing operations of fighter jets and helicopters, Japan's Ministry of Defense Joint Staff said in a press release late on Monday.
It marks the aircraft carrier Shandong's second far seas exercise beyond the first island chain this year, observers said.
The first drill took place in the same region from July 9 to 18, according to the Japanese Defense Ministry. The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force lost track of the Shandong on July 16, and from July 9 to 15 and July 17 to 18, it counted a total of about 420 aircraft sorties hosted by the PLA Navy carrier.
Fu Qianshao, a Chinese military aviation expert, told the Global Times on Tuesday that the Shandong's drills demonstrate a significant increase in its training intensity, which greatly enhances the aircraft carrier's comprehensive combat capabilities.
Launching a second drill less than a month after the first shows that the aircraft carrier is able to conduct consecutive missions in short intervals, and displays a high level of maintenance capability, observers said.
The West Pacific waters where the Shandong is conducting drill is of strategic significance, analysts said. The area is located in the Philippine Sea to the east of the island of Taiwan, to the northeast of the Philippines, to the south of Japan and to the northwest of Guam.
During the PLA's previous large-scale joint drills around the island of Taiwan, Chinese mainland experts stressed that this area can seal the island off while blocking external reinforcements. During the Shandong's last far seas drills in July amid recent China-Philippines tensions, foreign analysts claimed that the Chinese carrier aimed to deter the Philippines.
Responding to a media query about the Shandong's drill near the Philippines in July, Senior Colonel Zhang Xiaogang, a spokesperson at China's Ministry of National Defense, said on July 12 that the carrier's far seas combat drill was an annual routine arrangement that does not aim at any specific target.
"The PLA Navy will regularly hold similar drills so as to continuously enhance the carrier group's systematic combat capabilities," Zhang said.
China supports Iran in defending its sovereignty, security and national dignity in accordance with the law, and supports the Iranian side in its efforts to maintain regional peace and stability, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Sunday during a call with Iranian Acting Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri Kani, adding that China is ready to maintain close communication with the Iranian side.
The two sides focused their exchange of views on the situation in the Middle East, according to a statement released by the Chinese Foreign Ministry on Sunday. Bagheri introduced the position of the Iranian side on the assassination of Hamas leader and its views on the regional situation, stressing that the Iranian side will resolutely defend its national sovereignty, security and territorial integrity, and at the same time is committed to maintaining security and stability in the region.
Bagheri also thanked China for its impartial stance on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and expects China to play a greater role in easing the situation and promoting security in the Middle East.
Wang said that China has always upheld justice in Middle East affairs and supported all parties in safeguarding their legitimate rights and interests, especially in supporting the restoration of the legitimate national rights of the Palestinians.
China firmly opposes and strongly condemns the act of assassination and considers it a serious violation of the basic norms of international relations, a grave infringement on Iran's sovereignty, security and dignity, and a direct undermining of the cease-fire negotiation process in Gaza, as well as an impact on regional peace and stability.
It is imperative that the international community form a joint effort to urge all parties to the conflict to effectively implement the relevant UN Security Council resolutions and create conditions for a comprehensive and permanent cease-fire in Gaza as soon as possible, Wang added.
Iran is a regional country with important influence, and China and Iran are comprehensive strategic partners, Wang said. China has always promoted China-Iran relations from a strategic and long-term perspective, and is willing to work with the new Iranian government to continue to firmly support each other on issues of mutual core interests, steadily promote practical cooperation in various fields, unswervingly promote the healthy development of relations between the two countries, and continue to add new connotations to the China-Iran comprehensive strategic partnership.
China welcomes the active participation of the Iranian side in the activities hosted by China as the rotating chair of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, with a view to strengthen this new type of international organization, Wang said.
China is ready to strengthen cooperation with the Iranian side within the framework of the BRICS mechanism, further enhance the voice and influence of the Global South and promote the development of international governance in a more just and rational direction.
Bagheri said that the Iranian side is willing to strengthen coordination with the Chinese side on international and regional affairs and give the relationship a richer strategic connotation.
China on Friday initiated dispute settlement proceedings against the EU's provisional anti-subsidy measures against Chinese electric vehicles (EVs) at the WTO to safeguard the interests of its EV industry's development and global green transition cooperation, China's Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) said on Friday.
Experts said that the move suggests that China has legitimately resorted to the multilateral mechanism to address the China-EU dispute over provisional tariffs on China-made electric cars. Mediation through the WTO could lead to some new changes in discussion mechanisms within the bloc, they noted.
Industry insiders also urged the EU to face up to healthy competition with China in the EV sector and ramp up green cooperation, in order to maintain the stable development of bilateral economic and trade ties as well as jointly address climate change.
According to the MOFCOM official website, the ministry noted that the findings in the EU's preliminary ruling lack factual and legal basis, seriously violate WTO rules, and jeopardize the overall situation of global cooperation in addressing climate change.
We urge the EU to immediately rectify its wrong practices and jointly safeguard China-EU economic and trade cooperation and the stability of the EV industry and supply chains, said the ministry.
"The MOFCOM's move is a legitimate response by China to the EU's investigation and subsequent decision to impose provisional tariffs on Chinese EVs against WTO rules. It also shows that China uses the multilateral platform to resolve bilateral trade disputes, which will help keep the bilateral economic and trade relations on track," Jian Junbo, deputy director of the Center for China-Europe Relations at Fudan University's Institute of International Studies, told the Global Times on Friday.
Jian noted that China is taking diversified approaches to addressing the issue, in order to avoid bringing things to an impasse.
"Mediation through the WTO indicates China's desire to resolve the dispute started by the EU through talks and minimize its harm to car companies in both countries, as the cooperation between Chinese and European carmakers has become inextricably intertwined," Zhang Xiang, secretary general of the International Intelligent Vehicle Engineering Association, told the Global Times on Friday.
China's move comes after a Financial Times report on Monday said that Valdis Dombrovskis, the European commissioner for trade, said EU member states are likely to support the imposition of proposed tariffs on Chinese EVs in November.
Experts noted that Dombrovskis' remarks also sent a signal that the EU is encountering some difficulties in pressuring certain members to formulate a united supporting stance on additional tariffs on Chinese EVs, as the interests of some member countries, such as major auto producer Germany, and Hungary, which is a major recipient of Chinese investment including from BYD, apparently stand in contrast to EU tariff hikes.
"The MOFCOM's action may have some impact on the EU's consideration on whether to impose the proposed tariff rates in November. Taking the issue to the multilateral platform for mediation may stimulate different ideas among different EU member states, which may lead to new mechanisms for discussion within the bloc," Jian said.
Cui Dongshu, secretary-general of the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA), said that the EU's unreasonable tariff measures against China's EVs are mainly aimed at curbing the development of Chinese electric carmakers in the EU, so as to protect its backward industry, which has subjected Chinese EV enterprises to unfair treatment.
The EU is coming under increasing pressure from the US government and has rolled out policies to curb the development of China's new-energy vehicle industry. However, the EU should know that scrapping the provisional tariffs is of great benefit to China-Europe trade cooperation, Zhang noted.
"The entry of Chinese EVs into the European market can help further accelerate the electrification process of the auto industry in Europe and make its industrial layout more optimized. At least Chinese EVs give European consumers more choice," said Cui.
"The EU should see that trade protectionism does not help competition in Europe's auto industry, and win-win cooperation is the right way to go," Jian noted.
He Yongqian, a spokesperson from MOFCOM, said in July that the ministry hopes the EU will face the fact that the competitive advantages of Chinese EVs do not come from subsidies, that China-EU industrial cooperation in the auto sector is beneficial for shared development, and that the EU's industry opposes trade protectionist measures. "We hope the EU will make reasonable, objective decisions that are truly based on facts and rules," He noted.
Despite rising protectionist pressure from some Western countries, China's NEV sector saw a good performance in its sales and exports in July.
Retail sales of NEVs rose 36.9 percent year-on-year to 878,000 units in July, according to statistics released by the CPCA on Thursday. China's domestic sales of new-energy passenger cars surpassed those of gasoline-powered cars for the first time that month, showcasing the resilient growth momentum of the NEV industry and strongly refuting allegations of so-called overcapacity.
In July, China's NEV exports reached 92,000 units, up 1.3 percent year-on-year. Tesla exported 27,890 China-made NEVs in the same month, a significant increase from the June figure of 11,746, which highlighted the strength of China's NEV supply chain and its role in enhancing the global competitiveness of foreign brands.
The US Department of Commerce has launched anti-dumping and countervailing investigations into certain tungsten shot sourced from China, according the website of China Trade Remedies Information on Thursday, in the latest example of Washington's intensifying protectionism.
The investigations were initiated Wednesday at the request of Tungsten Parts Wyoming Inc, and the US International Trade Commission (ITC) is expected to make preliminary determinations by August 26, the US Department of Commerce said in an announcement.
In 2023, China exported more than 5.9 million kilograms of tungsten shot to the US, worth about $10.88 million, according to the announcement.
According to a post by US-based law firm Harris Sliwoski LLP, Tungsten Parts Wyoming Inc only began production in 2023, and instead of arguing that the Chinese imports have injured or threaten to injure them, the petitioner is asking ITC and the US Department of Commerce to find that the establishment of the US industry has been "materially retarded" by "unfair" Chinese imports.
This is only one of the latest anti-dumping or countervailing probes the US has launched against Chinese products.
On Monday, the US Department of Commerce announced anti-dumping tariffs between 21.77 percent and 218.15 percent on more than a dozen Chinese companies for exports of glass wine bottles to the US. The preliminary ruling followed an anti-dumping investigation into glass wine bottles from China, Chile and Mexico, according to the China Trade Remedies Information website.
While these cases are relatively small compared to the US' arbitrary tariffs and even outright bans against Chinese products, they reflect Washington's relentless protectionism, which continues to threat not just trade with China but global trade as a whole.
Highlighting growing concern over the impact of the US' growing protectionism, some companies are reportedly bringing orders forward over concerns of growing trade tension.
Citing Vincent Clerc, chief executive of AP Møller-Maersk, the world's second-largest container shipping company, the Financial Times reported on Wednesday that retailers and manufacturers are bringing orders forward amid fears of intensifying trade tensions between China and the US, which could further disrupt global supply chains.
Meanwhile, the US government's arbitrary tariffs levies on a range of Chinese products have encountered strong opposition within the US, due to the massive costs the tariffs inflict on US companies.
The US Trade Representative's Office announced on July 30 that some of the US' hefty additional tariffs imposed on a long list of Chinese products, including electric vehicles and batteries, computer chips and medical products, will be delayed by at least two weeks.
Many US businesses and executives have criticized the move, including Elon Musk who said that "neither Tesla nor I asked for these tariffs." Experts said that the firm opposition from US businesses may be behind the US' government's delay of the tariffs.
Summertime scorching heat has made indoor ice and snow activities a popular choice for the public in China.
China-based online tourism platforms witnessed a surge in user searches and bookings. Industry observers say the trend indicates how an economic recovery is reshaping consumer spending habits.
As of the end of July, online searches for skiing events on Trip.com, a China-based online travel platform, shot up by 89 percent month-to-month. Indoor skiing-related booking rose by 70 percent month-on-month, while ticket orders for related attractions increased by 41 percent month-on-month, a representative from Trip.com told the Global Times on Wednesday.
Another China-based e-commerce platform Meituan told the Global Times that searches for "indoor ski resorts" increased by 161 percent year-on-year during the first two weeks of July, while ski bookings rose by about 25 percent month-on-month.
Preparing for the 2024-2025 ski season, Chunqiu Travel Agency announced a presale on July 24, and the sales exceeded one million yuan ($139,250) within two hours, the agency said.
During this year's summer holidays, "off-season skiing" has become a popular pastime for people in southern China to beat the summer heat.
Ticket sales in Window of the World-Alps Ice and Snow World from Shenzhen, South China's Guangdong Province, also China's first indoor ski resort, increased four to five times in July from June, and orders for indoor ice and snow activities have also risen significantly, a manager from the Window of the World-Alps Ice and Snow World told the Global Times on Wednesday.
He said that numerous tourists from Hong Kong had come for indoor skiing, and they mentioned that summer indoor skiing helped them practice their basic skills, preparing them for outdoor skiing in winter.
"From early July, we have received over 1,000 indoor skiing visitors on week day, with numbers rising to between 2,000 and 3,000 on weekends. In contrast, daily visitors from March to May were only few hundreds," Bai Yupeng, the foreman From Window of the World-Alps Ice and Snow World told the Global Times on Wednesday.
The growing demand for indoor ice and snow sports has prompted businessmen in southern China to invest in related projects, insiders told the Global Times.
Shanghai Yaoxue Ice and Snow Word announced on July 26 about its completion and noted that the tickets will be available starting August 8 on the official WeChat mini-program, and from midnight on August 9 on the Trip.com.
Four-hour tickets are priced at between 420 yuan ($58.49) and 780 yuan, while four-hour free-play are priced at between 220 yuan to 400 yuan, according to information sent from Trip.com to the Global Times on Wednesday.
In recent years, the popularity of the Winter Olympics and winter sporting events has boosted the development of summer indoor ice and snow sports, Yang Yong, the director of the Department of Tourism Management in the East China Normal University told the Global Times on Wednesday.
"Previously, sightseeing was the dominant summertime activity, but now tourism-induced consumption has expanded significantly," Yang added, noting that the diversification of tourism consumption is an inevitable trend.
China's private Caixin Service Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) rose to 52.1 in July, up 0.9 points from June, reflecting faster expansion in the services sector, according to data released on Monday.
A reading above 50 indicates expansion, while a reading beneath 50 points to contraction.
The services industry is experiencing a rapid increase in new orders, leading to a rise in employment. This has resulted in a resurgence of optimism among enterprises, according to the Caixin survey.
According to the sub-index, the expansion speed of both supply and demand in the services sector accelerated in July, with both sub-indexes rebounding into the expansion zone.
The employment situation in the services sector also improved in July to the highest level since September 2023. Surveyed companies said they have increased manpower, mainly to cope with new businesses.
Business optimism also rebounded in the month, with companies in the services sector hoping for improvements in market conditions and business development to drive growth in their operations.
The Caixin Service PMI reading followed the Caixin Manufacturing PMI, which dropped to 49.8 in July, down 2 points from a month earlier.
China's official manufacturing PMI came in at 49.4 in July, slightly down 0.1 point from June, according to data from the National Bureau of Statistics. The business activity index for the services sector dropped by 0.2 points to 50.0 in July.
Wang Zhe, a senior economist at Caixin, said in a statement on Monday that the business climate in the services sector improved in July, while the manufacturing sector remained under pressure.
In order to boost market confidence and address insufficient domestic demand, it is crucial to implement policy stimulus measures and ensure that existing policies are effectively in place, Wang said.
Stimulating consumption is a key focus for maintaining stable growth in the second half of the year. Two main directions to consider are increasing personal incomes through various channels and expanding services consumption, Wu Chaoming, a deputy head of the Chasing Research Institute, told the Global Times.
"We anticipate that policies supporting sectors including culture and tourism, elderly care, childcare and domestic services will be strengthened, and there is the potential for increased government spending on public services consumption," Wu said.
China will work hard to further develop consumer services to support high-quality economic development and meet people's demand for personalized, diversified and quality services, according to a guideline made public on Saturday, the Xinhua News Agency reported.
The US Congress has found a new method to save US manufacturing: making the lineage of the US flag pure. This has turned the flag into a focal point for trade protectionism. However, this idea of using a "pure-blood" US flag will not necessarily revive US manufacturing, nor can it enhance American patriotism; instead, it only exposes the illusions and weakness of US nationalism and highlights the ugly side of US politicians.
According to US media reports, the All-American Flag Act has been passed by Congress, requiring the federal government to purchase only American flags that have been completely manufactured in the US. Advocates of the measure argue that in 2017, the US imported some 10 million American flags, and 99.5 percent of them came from China. It's time for US flags to originate in the country they represent, said the sponsors of the proposal.
If the flag must originate from the US, should other symbols of the US, such as statuettes of the Statue of Liberty, also be manufactured domestically? The extremism of US trade protectionism has reached the level of nonsense. What's next? Will American lawmakers hype up China's "overcapacity of flags," or will they require that every stitch on the Stars and Stripes be hand-sewn by "pure-blood" Americans?
Supporters of the proposal said the change is more than just symbolic - they believe it will support US jobs and manufacturers. Politicians have a rosy view: They believe they can revive US manufacturing while simultaneously running a patriotic education campaign. However, in 2015 the value of US flag imports was only $4.4 million, according to federal data. Rather than enacting substantial economic policies to truly revive US manufacturing, politicians are wasting energy on a matter worth only a few million dollars. This is clearly not a fundamental solution to US' manufacturing problems but merely a façade project.
"This is a typical case of the US' pursuit of 'decoupling' with China in a form of psychological warfare and political grandstanding," Shen Yi, a professor at Fudan University, told the Global Times. Some US politicians, lacking an understanding of the practical issues involved in producing flags, such as labor and production costs, blindly manipulate politics for political gain based solely on their imaginations.
In the face of numerous crises such as domestic social division and political polarization, the US Congress chooses to prioritize the issue of the flag. The reason is simple: Some politicians lack the ability to address truly important matters but need to appear capable, so they focus on high-profile topics related to "national symbols" to gain political influence. As some netizens sarcastically pointed out, there are many significant events occurring in the world, yet the US chooses to spend time on trivial matters.
The proposal reflects US politicians' concerns about US manufacturing being overshadowed by "Made in China" products. They seem obsessed with bringing manufacturing back to the US. The All-American Flag Act is just the tip of the iceberg of the US' dual strategy: closing doors to Chinese imports while attempting to promote domestic factory development through reindustrialization.
However, what the US is doing is essentially an upgraded version of protectionism and a generalization of national and economic security concepts, aimed at keeping industries and jobs in the US. Ironically, this may backfire. The All-American Flag Act risks causing US consumers to incur additional costs for purchasing flags, as the US may not be able to produce goods as cheaply and efficiently as China.
The US has always positioned itself as an advocate of free trade, but now it seems that the core principle of US-style free trade is "American interest first." After all, not even the flag can be bought from the global market - this is truly a joke on globalization.
Currently, the bill is awaiting President Joe Biden's signature to become law. In the future, when the "pure-blood American flag" rises high, what people may see behind it is not the so-called symbol of identity, resolve and values as one people, but rather US nationalism and political anxiety. When US' dignity and values are so fragile that they need to be ensured by the place of origin of the flag they wave, it in itself reflects the decline of the US empire.
