Editor's Note:

China's modernization has been an epic journey over past decades. Under the leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC), China has become an attractive destination for many foreigners. Many such expats in the country have fulfilled their career aspirations, while some have found love and started families in China.

Why do they choose to live in China? How do expats in China view and interpret China's achievements and persistence as measured from various perspectives? The Global Times interviewed multiple international residents in China from all walks of life, some of whom have made tangible contributions to China's development, to learn about their understanding of the essence of Chinese culture, and gain an insight into how far China has advanced in its pursuit of development and rejuvenation over the last decade.

When a reporter from the Global Times first met Jake Lee Pinnick at his office at the foot of the Wudang Mountains in Shiyan city, Central China's Hubei Province, she was surprised by the American's fluent Putonghua tinged with a distinct Hubei accent and his traditional Chinese aesthetic.

Dressed in a dark blue Taoist with a black cloth bag and several long bags containing dongxiao and chiba - two kinds of traditional vertical Chinese bamboo flutes - Pinnick said that wherever he goes, he is always clad in a Taoist uniform and carries along a dongxiao for practice.

In 2010, Pinnick moved all the way to Wudang from the US when he was just 20 years old. Since then, he has formed a deep connection with Wudang, martial arts, and traditional Chinese culture.

In over a decade living in Wudang, not only did he become one of the many foreign disciples of Wudang martial arts, but also worked as a foreign teacher of Wudang martial arts and ambassador of traditional Chinese culture and Taoism. In total, he has taught over 500 in-person and thousands of online students around the world, and has over 600 thousand followers across all of his Chinese social media accounts.

He told the Global Times that Wudang has now become a second home, where he found himself, his family, his life, and life-long career. Martial arts and traditional Chinese culture, he said, are where his "lifetime passion" settled, and that martial arts and maintaining a peaceful mind are practices worth pursuing.

Destiny with Wudang

Having grown up in the 1990s in Kewanee, Illinois, a period of time when Chinese martial arts-themed movies were popular overseas, young Pinnick was attracted by martial arts moves in movies such as The Karate Kid, which paved the way for his decision years later to move to China to formally train in Chinese martial arts. 

In 2010, Pinnick, then a college student contemplating the true purpose and meaning of life, was attracted by a video on YouTube in which a Chinese martial arts master was performing martial arts in Yuxu Palace at the foot of the Wudang Mountains. He later decided to temporarily suspend his studies and move to China, finding the master and learning martial arts. 

"I thought that no matter what kind of job or lifestyle I want to have, firstly I need to be healthy and have a long healthy life. I thought that learning martial arts is really a great practice that will keep me healthy into old age, and it's also something that will challenge me," Pinnick recalled to the Global Times.

In Wudang, he found his Shifu (master) - Yuan Xiugang and started a five-year-long traditional martial arts training program, which was also Yuan's first ever five-year traditional martial arts training program open to international students.

Now Pinnick is a 16th generation disciple of the Zhang Sanfeng Lineage of Wudang martial arts under his tutelage, a 15th generation disciple. Zhang Sanfeng was a legendary Taoist priest who is believed to have been the founder of tai chi in ancient China's Song Dynasty (960-1279). 

However, to be a Zhang Sanfeng disciple is not an easy task. Pinnick said that the first six months were the hardest time in his learning process. He had to train for eight or nine hours a day, six days a week, no matter the weather. With no prior martial arts experience, he not only had to overcome the challenges of physical flexibility, but also needed to adapt to the Chinese diet.

Apart from learning martial arts, to be a qualified disciple, Pinnick also learned tai chi, qigong, meditation, and Taoist music and philosophy, as these practices and wealth of knowledge were also parts of the training, but were more about self-cultivation and self-control.

He said that martial arts have guided him out of his confusion regarding the direction that life takes, also helped him to better understand himself and how to care his families and community.

Charm of Chinese philosophy

After graduation, Pinnick chose to stay in Wudang and became a foreign teacher of martial arts, helping his master to teach trainees at the school. He also helped run the English language website of the school, answering questions from global martial arts enthusiasts.

He said that he has returned to the US for short stints, but even during his stay in his home country, he maintained a Chinese lifestyle and kept learning and practicing martial arts every day. After feeling that there were still lots of things he had not learned about Taoism and Chinese culture, he chose to return to China in 2018.

Currently, he teaches practitioners from all over the world online. After the pandemic, he is expected to have more in-person classes for students who come to Wudang. Over the last several years, it is roughly estimated that he has enrolled more than 500 foreign students and thousands of online overseas students, according to media.

After more than 10 years of study and living in Wudang, Pinnick is very familiar with the landscape and ancient architecture of the Wudang Mountains, such as the Nanyan Palace. He is also married to a Chinese woman, and the couple have a beautiful daughter. 

As a martial arts disciple Wudang martial arts and culture, he said that promoting Wudang martial arts and culture is his inescapable mission and responsibility.

With the help of his wife Cao Lingling, Pinnick has recorded many short videos about his daily life and that of his family, which includes practicing martial arts, teaching his students, and playing the dongxiao, posting them on both Chinese and foreign social media platforms. Now he has over 600 thousand followers across all his social media accounts, attracting many foreign martial arts enthusiasts and traditional Chinese cultural learners.

He told the Global Times that martial arts and dongxiao are the best ways for him to calm down and get closer to Taoism no matter where he is. Therefore, wherever he goes, he will always take the dongxiao with him.

Additionally, he is also interested in classic Chinese texts such as the Tao Te Ching. In Pinnick's office, the Global Times reporter saw at least four versions of the Tao Te Ching, some with pinyin inscriptions on them. Pinnick said that he is exploring ways to explain these texts using simple language for foreign learners so as to let more people around the world experience the charm of Chinese philosophy.

"For me, Wudang is just like my second home. I came to Wudang from a completely different world, but I do feel like I have found myself here, and found my family and life here. To this day, everything in my life is centered around Wudang," Pinnick said.

"I have the pleasure of living here and continue my journey. It has been a great experience that I wouldn't trade for anything," he said.

In the future, Pinnick said he wants to open a martial arts school in China or in the US, to teach more people around the world about real martial arts and traditional Chinese culture, and to be a bridge between cultures.

The Argentine Consulate General in Hong Kong held the Argentina National Day Reception, on July 19. Argentine Ambassador to China Sabino Vaca Narvaja delivered a speech at the ceremony in which he said, "I looked forward to keeping close relations with the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong and Macao, and jointly boosting global development in the next 50 years."

Narvaja said that Argentina could further explore changes between the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong and Macao in the areas of trade, investment, infrastructure, mineral resources, as well as culture, tourism and sports based on the current bilateral relations between China and Argentina and prospects for future cooperation. 

During Argentine President Alberto Fernandez's visit to China in February 2022 with the occasion of commemorating the 15th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries, China and Argentina signed a memorandum of understanding on the Belt and Road Initiative.

"Argentina and Hong Kong have strong economic complementarities, and Hong Kong has played an important bridging role in the cooperative relationship between China and Argentina," Consul General of Argentina in Hong Kong Gonzalo Javier Sabate said.

Representatives from Hong Kong's performing arts community attending the reception hoped that more Argentine artists would participate in projects featuring Hong Kong's diverse society and culture in the future.

Editor's Note:

The Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway (HSR), a landmark project under the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), is undergoing intensive joint commissioning and testing, paving the way for commercial operations scheduled to begin soon this year. 

Chinese Premier Li Qiang aboard a bullet train during a trial run on Wednesday during his official trip to the ASEAN summit in Indonesia from September 5 to 7, Reuters reported.

The Jakarta-Bandung HSR is the first high-speed railway line in Indonesia and Southeast Asia, connecting Indonesia's most densely populated areas.

As the Jakarta-Bandung high-speed railway line is set to open, Global Times reporters Hu Yuwei and Zhao Juecheng (GT) interviewed the Chinese Ambassador to Indonesia Lu Kang (Lu), who is also a former spokesperson of Chinese Foreign Ministry.

Lu believed that the Jakarta-Bandung HSR will bring tangible benefits to Indonesia, while expecting the project to become a new growth point and create a high-speed railway economic corridor. He argued that the consensus reached by the heads of China and Indonesia further illuminates the direction to be taken and injects strong momentum into future relations. China supports Indonesia's chairmanship of ASEAN and is willing to deepen comprehensive strategic partnerships with ASEAN members.

GT: What changes will the Jakarta-Bandung HSR bring to Indonesia? What are local people's expectations?

Lu: The opening of the Jakarta-Bandung HSR will bring many tangible benefits to Indonesia such as more efficient travel conditions. The travel time from Jakarta to Bandung will be reduced from three and a half hour to just 40 minutes, effectively alleviating commuting traffic pressure between the two cities.

In the long run, the project will further boost investment and create employment opportunities for the people, and drive commercial development and tourism along the route. It may even become a new growth point, accelerating the formation of a high-speed railway economic corridor.

On June 22, I was invited to take a trial ride on the train together with Indonesia's Coordinator for Cooperation with China and Coordinating Minister of Maritime Affairs and Investment Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, Transport Minister Budi Karya Sumadi, West Java Governor Ridwan Kamil, and president of railway operator China State Railway Group Liu Zhenfang. During the trial ride, the train reached a speed of over 355 kilometers per hour, surpassing the current fastest commercial speed of any high-speed railway in the world, which amazed our Indonesian friends and earned praise for Chinese-made high-speed railway technology.

On that day, I also noticed that many locals were watching the train along the way. I was told that Indonesian people take videos of the passing trains along the high-speed railway every day, which reflects their high expectations for the project.

GT: The construction of the Jakarta-Bandung HSR marks the first all-round implementation of Chinese high-speed railway technology abroad, from the whole system and all of its elements, to the whole industrial chain. Does it mean a big step for China's high-speed railway manufacturing going global?

Lu: The Jakarta-Bandung HSR vividly embodies the concept of "extensive consultation, joint contribution, and shared benefits" under the BRI framework and has important reference significance for us to carry out other similar projects. 

The successful completion of the Jakarta-Bandung HSR directly proves that Chinese manufacturing technology is mature, efficient, internationally standardized, adaptable to local environments, and actively integrated into the development plans of the host country. This will greatly facilitate China's manufacturing going global and inspire developing countries to have confidence in pursuing development paths that suit their own national conditions.

GT: According to your observations how has the BRI benefited livelihoods and brought tangible benefits to the Indonesian people? 

Lu: Taking infrastructure connectivity as an example, since the proposal of the BRI, China and Indonesia have cooperated to build a number of high-quality projects, covering areas such as power plants, roads and bridges, dams, and telecommunication networks, making positive contributions to Indonesia's passion to become a traffic hub. 

A series of iconic projects have been completed, such as the Suramadu Bridge, the longest sea-crossing bridge in Southeast Asia, the Tayan Bridge, the longest corbeled stone-arch bridge in Indonesia, and the Jatigede Dam, the second-largest dam in Indonesia, bringing convenience to the local populations.

Chinese-funded enterprises in Indonesia have not only provided a large number of job opportunities for the locals but also contributed to the development of local livelihoods through knowledge and technology sharing. Taking the Jakarta-Bandung HSR as an example, over 75 percent of the services and procurement for the project are sourced locally in Indonesia, significantly boosting the local supply chain and employment. It is estimated that the project will create 30,000 job opportunities in Indonesia.

GT: Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Indonesian President Joko Widodo On July 27 in Chengdu when Widodo visited China. How do you evaluate the achievements of President Widodo's visit to China this time? 

Lu: This is the third face-to-face meeting between the two heads of state within a year, which reflects the high level and special nature of China-Indonesia relations. As President Xi said, on the path to national modernization and rejuvenation, China and Indonesia share highly aligned visions and present opportunities for each other's development, are like-minded companions, and good partners. 

This further clears the direction and injects strong momentum into the future friendship between China and Indonesia. After the meeting, the two leaders witnessed the signing of multiple bilateral cooperation agreements, including agricultural product exports to China, health cooperation, joint research and development, as well as the construction of the new Indonesian capital and the "Two Countries, Twin Parks" project, achieving significant practical results.

GT: This year marks the 10th anniversary of the BRI and the comprehensive strategic partnership between China and Indonesia. We have noticed that President Widodo's "Global Maritime Fulcrum (GMF)" strategy resonates with China's 21st Century Maritime Silk Road initiative. How do you envision future cooperation between China and Indonesia with synergy of strategies?

Lu: In November 2022, Chinese President Xi and Indonesian President Widodo reached an important consensus on building a community of shared future between China and Indonesia. They agreed to take the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the comprehensive strategic partnership between China and Indonesia in 2023 as an opportunity to create a new pattern of high-level cooperation. 

The two sides signed a cooperation plan under the framework of aligning the BRI with the GMF concept, and significant progress has been made in its implementation. The Jakarta-Bandung HSR is one of the flagship projects.

In July this year, the two heads of state met again in Chengdu and reached an important consensus on deepening strategic cooperation between China and Indonesia. 

We will take the 10th anniversary of the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries and the first year of the China-Indonesia community of shared future as a chance to promote deeper and higher-level strategic cooperation between the two sides, injecting more certainty and positive energy into the region and the world.

GT: How do you evaluate the current level of cooperation between China and Indonesia in the fields of economy, trade, and investment? What suggestions do you have for further enhancing bilateral economic and trade cooperation?

Lu: In recent years, with the comprehensive integration of the BRI and Indonesia's GMF, China-Indonesia economic and trade cooperation has achieved fruitful results. China has been Indonesia's largest trading partner for 10 consecutive years. In 2022, the bilateral trade volume between China and Indonesia reached $149.1 billion, a year-on-year increase of 20.16 percent. Investment cooperation is also a highlight of the two countries' economic and trade cooperation. In 2022, the Chinese mainland's investment in Indonesia reached $8.2 billion, a year-on-year increase of 156.25 percent, maintaining its position as the second-largest foreign investor in Indonesia.

According to the consensus reached by both sides earlier this year, China is willing to further expand the importation of Indonesian bulk commodities and high-quality agricultural and fishery products according to market demand. 

The Chinese government encourages its enterprises to invest in Indonesia and expand cooperation in infrastructure, green development, the digital economy, healthcare, and other fields. We aim to create highlights in maritime cooperation and promote the resumption of fisheries cooperation.

GT: In the current tense geopolitical situation, ASEAN members have become objects of competition for major powers. Indonesia is the key member of the ASEAN. How can China-Indonesia cooperation better deal with geopolitics challenges and achieve long-term stability?

Lu: This year marks the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries and the 20th anniversary of China's accession to the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia. As President Xi once said, the Asia-Pacific is no one's backyard and should not become an arena for big power contests and no attempt to wage a new cold war will ever be allowed by the people or by our times. This is the inevitable requirement for maintaining peace, stability, and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific region and the common wishes of people in the ASEAN and other countries.

One important reason why the ASEAN can maintain its central position in the regional architecture is its long-standing commitment to independence, non-alignment, and neutrality. The ASEAN has repeatedly stated that it will adhere to openness, inclusiveness, dialogue, and cooperation, and focus on economic development without aligning with or targeting any party.

In the process of achieving national modernization and rejuvenation, China and Indonesia have highly compatible ideas that present mutually beneficial development opportunities. They are like-minded partners and good companions. 

China supports Indonesia's role as the rotating chair of the ASEAN this year and is willing to deepen comprehensive strategic partnerships with ASEAN countries, including Indonesia, and jointly create a positive energy.

GT: Shortly after taking office as Chinese Ambassador to Indonesia in 2022, you opened a Twitter account. Do you have any interesting or memorable stories to share with us about your interactions with locals on social media? 

Lu: Since opening my Twitter account over a year ago, I have been able to interact closely with Indonesian and global netizens through this platform, and I am deeply impressed by their interest in China. 

A friend once told me that the Indonesian people seem less interested in politics, but the content I shared on Twitter about President Xi's activities and the interpretation of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era have received widespread and positive responses. 

In the comments section, many Indonesian netizens have expressed their appreciation, saying that Indonesians like to cooperate with China for development and that cooperation with China is friendly trade, not a command. 

Such enthusiastic feedback was unexpected but reasonable. China's wisdom and solutions have made it possible to solve more global issues and inject new energy into global development.

Editor's Note:

On September 10, tropical storm Daniel - an intense Mediterranean hurricane or "medicane" - made landfall in Libya, causing severe flooding in coastal areas resulting in extensive damage. The city of Derna, which was the hardest hit, has seen at least 20 percent of its infrastructure completely destroyed, and a large number of residents have been swept away by flood waters. On Monday, the Chinese government announced that it would provide 30 million yuan ($ 4.1 million) in emergency humanitarian aid to Libya to assist in the rescue efforts. 

Western media outlets have been closely following the severe flooding in the North African nation, but many attributed it to climate change and the internal political turmoil in the country. However, experts have pointed out that such summations fail to recognize the real "culprit" behind the internal division and turmoil in Libya - Western forces, led by the US. 

Twelve years ago, Western countries conducted a so-called "humanitarian intervention" in Libya, and left the wounds inflicted on the Libyan people. The resultant scars from the conflict have once again been laid bare for the world to see by the hurricane. 

A forgotten city

After making landfall in Libya on September 10, tropical storm Daniel, with fierce winds and sudden heavy rain, caused heavy flash flooding in several northeastern areas of the country, with the coastal city of Derna hardest hit. 

The Libyan National Agency for Bridges and Roads said on Monday that 70 percent of infrastructure in the flood-hit areas in eastern Libya was damaged. In addition, 50 percent of the roads in the region were also damaged, with alternative routes opened in disaster areas to allow traffic flow. The storm has, so far, claimed at least 5,500 lives with another 10,000 reported missing, official statistics showed. 

Johr Ali, a Libyan reporter, told the BBC that people in Derna are living through "doomsday." Ali said that his entire families had been washed away by the powerful flood waters. He also told the BBC that a friend found his "nephew dead in the street, thrown away by water from his rooftop."

The havoc currently being witnessed in Libya today is in stark contrast to what a Global Times reporter saw in the country more than a decade ago. When the Global Times reporter was in Libya in 2010 and reported on the "Pentapolis of Ancient Greek Colonies" in the Cyrenaica region in the east of the country, Derna was an important stop. Derna was founded over 2,000 years ago and is situated against the backdrop of the Green Mountains, stretching over 100 kilometers along the coast, facing the Mediterranean Sea. Under Roman rule, it served as a populous and religious center in the Cyrenaica region. In modern times, Derna has cemented its place as one of the wealthiest areas in the North Africa.

Due to its unique location at the intersection of the Green Mountains, the sea, and the Sahara Desert, Derna's climate is warm and humid. Following the winding mountain road for dozens of kilometers, a spectacular view of Derna, which looks like a "delta" is revealed, when viewed from the top of the mountain road. 

Upon entering the city of Derna, the clean streets and well-planned buildings added a layer of orderly beauty to the city. From the perspective of urban governance, Derna's level of city management surpassed that of the largest eastern city of Benghazi during the era of former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi.

However, the city which was the seat of an ancient civilization was unable to withstand the test of the recent brutal natural disaster. The report published by Yale Climate Connections pointed out that the floods in Libya are a climate and infrastructure catastrophe.

It stated that the catastrophe in Libya is the seventh weather-related disaster to kill at least 500 Africans since 2022, an astonishing 23 percent of Africa's 30 deadliest weather-related disasters since 1900 have occurred in the last two years. This ominous figure could well be a harbinger of the future, as higher levels of vulnerability, a growing population, and more extreme weather events from climate change cause an increase in the occurrence of deadly disasters.

"Libya has been beset by chaos since forces backed by the West's NATO military alliance overthrew long-serving ruler Col Muammar Gaddafi in October 2011," read the BBC report.

"Since the fall of Gaddafi, Libya has been split between two rival governments and mired in conflict between numerous different militias," it said.

Analysts pointed out that due to the political split in Libya, local officials have little interest in taking care of infrastructure in the country. Derna is now a forgotten ancient city.

The UN-backed Government of National Unity, led by Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah, governs the western capital city of Tripoli in Libya. In eastern Libya, including the regions which were most impacted by the floods, a rival administration called the House of Representatives holds power. Additionally, it has control over numerous southern areas, primarily consisting of uninhabited desert, according to media reports.

Local official said that the two dams that burst in a storm had been cracked since 1998. Gaddafi's regime once entrusted repair work of the dam to a Turkish company, but the company did not start the work until 2010 due to payment issues. The project halted less than five months after the revolution that led to 

Gaddafi's downfall, reported the Straits Times. 

According to the report, while every year a budget has been allocated to repair the two dams, "none of the successive governments since 2011 have undertaken the work."

Culpability for the disaster

Analysts pointed out that the West failed to acknowledge culpability for the Libyan disaster. More insidiously, Western powers have tried to spread the narrative that Libyans, or even Arabs and Africans, are inherently incapable of properly running their own affairs.

In the last decade of the Gaddafi regime, the country's economy was robust, while the government increased direct investment into its citizenry with the introduction of foreign investment, the construction of free or cheap housing, and creation of dynamic solutions to unemployment and the housing needs of the country's youth.

"[As for] such a serious disaster, its root and initial cause lies in the US force intervention in Libya's internal affairs, which forcibly overthrew the Gaddafi regime. If the Libyan regime was stable, it would certainly not be so passive in its ability to cope with the flooding, resulting in a large number of lives being lost and property swallowed up by the flooding," AlJab Ala, a columnist for the Egyptian newspaper Al-Ahram, told the Global Times.

In 2011, the US and other Western countries intervened militarily in Libya and supported the opposition in overthrowing the Gaddafi regime. Since then, Libya has been plunged into a prolonged civil war, and the multinational intervention has led to the emergence of two mutually hostile regimes in the country, where economic development and the development of people's livelihoods have been neglected, along with infrastructure disrepair.

Libya has the largest proven oil reserves in Africa and its economy has long been dependent on the energy sector. Statistics from the Joint Organizations Data Initiative show that Libya's oil production fell from 1.48 million barrels per day to 290,000 barrels per day in the first weeks of the war and to 22,000 barrels per day in July 2011, at the height of the conflict. In addition, Libya's oil fields and pipelines are located in the jurisdictions of different factions and tribes, and the different regions have fought over their interests and even sabotaged and obstructed each other.

Zhang Chuchu, deputy director of the Centre for Middle Eastern Studies at Fudan University, told the Global Times that in Libya's regime reconstruction, Western powers were committed to the implementation of a Western-style democratic system in the country, fostering a pro-Western government, and that this forced system transplantation not only failed to address the equitable distribution of power but also exacerbated the political struggles and social disparities.

Observers noted that economic and political instability has led to the deterioration of security in Libya. At the civilian level, there have been frequent incidents of armed conflict and other forms of vicious violence; at the State regime level, the remnants of the former regime and different factions within the opposition continue to fight for power and profit. In addition, extremist organizations represented by the Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb have further aggravated social unrest.

In 2014, in the face of the increasingly severe security situation in Libya, Western countries closed their embassies and consulates in Libya in rapid succession and evacuated their countries' nationals. Libya has been in disarray since then, Li Haidong, a professor at the China Foreign Affairs University, told the Global Times.

Mired in catastrophic dilemma

"The claim that Washington or Britain cared about the welfare of ordinary Libyans is disproved by a decade of indifference to their plight-culminating in the current suffering in Derna," remarked Monthly Review, an independent US magazine.

Ironically, when the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) announced a mere $1 million in initial humanitarian assistance to Libya shortly after the floods hit, online public opinion criticized the US for being "miserly" in its assistance by focusing only on destruction and not on construction.

Zhang told the Global Times that the US and its led West, in addition to directly and forcefully changing Libya's original political and security order, triggering subsequent turmoil, its ability to shape Libya's new order continues to decline. 

Regional competition, however, continues to intensify, placing Libya at a marked disadvantage when measured against its neighbors. Although there has been some progress in Libya's political process, such as the signing of ceasefire agreements, the organizing of talks, and holding of elections, under the active mediation of the United Nations and multiple countries, the country still faces significant challenges. 

Zhang believes that Libya's politics, economy, and society have long been mired in a catastrophic dilemma, in which the ideological separation that exists between the East and the West is now tenuous. 

"If the eastern and western factions in Libya continue to have the ability and willingness to maintain their own operations under external influence, it will be difficult to discuss national construction and social integration. Therefore, the way forward for Libya lies in simultaneous improvements in both internal and external environments, ultimately leading to an inclusive power structure," she said.

As the Russia-Ukraine war drags on, the Western public has been told that this or that wonder weapon system will turn the tide of the conflict. This has included Javelins, HIMARS, Leopards, Storm Shadow, Bradleys, F-16s, and now depleted uranium munitions, none of which has fundamentally changed the tide of the conflict.

After the slow progress of Kiev's counteroffensive this summer, it is immediately apparent that high-tech equipment is not ruling the day but logistics and supply chains. It is not about who has the shiniest toys but who has the most troops, tanks and artillery and can deploy them quickly. On that front, Russia clearly dwarfs Ukraine, which is a much smaller country. Due to the fact that the West is evidently not going to join in this conflict directly, and there is growing resentment from the Western public against military aid to Kiev, people are wondering if the two sides will reach a peaceful settlement.

We are constantly told, however, that the latter possibility is somehow wrong or immoral because it will fundamentally grant Russia a victory. Well, morals aside, the reality clearly shows that Moscow is achieving its military objectives. Winning on the battlefield naturally translates to a more favorable negotiating position, and believing otherwise is to live in a realm of make-believe. 

Some people idealistically (or opportunistically) believe that the West should support Ukraine's futile fight against a far superior military power, even though that support will not challenge the eventual outcome and will lead to more death and destruction. Others believe death and destruction are undesirable outcomes; thus, Western leaders should pivot to a negotiations-first approach. The former view dominates the news media while the latter has gained a huge following on social media. 

What's also interesting about the difference between these two views and how they've fielded an audience is also about who's backing them. People who hold the latter view are constantly accused - without evidence - of being funded by the Russian government or, as some US intelligence reports suggest, unwitting assets. Meanwhile, a recent analysis by the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft found that think tanks funded by defense industry ？contractors are cited 85 percent of the time in Ukraine-related content - and media outlets rarely cite these conflicts of interest. 

So, which of these viewpoints is compromised? I believe it's safe to say the latter. And that's important because we need to understand the dynamic here: The media is quite literally operating as a paid advertiser for defense contractors. Not only do some outlets consistently peddle that some particular line of products will turn the tide of battle (they will not), but they also cite compromised experts that push a line conducive to selling more defense products. Rinse and repeat.

This is what is so sinister about modern conflict. When you look at the decades that the West was entrenched in Afghanistan, the current Ukraine quagmire or a potential situation in Taiwan island, it's not about any serious geopolitical strategy or values. It's just about making a handful of companies richer. Worse still is that this is public, taxpayer money going to this cabal - and, to be sure, primarily working-class funds when taken in conjunction with the historic Reagan, Bush and Trump tax cuts, which cut taxes for the wealthy. 

It would be extraordinarily naive to believe that defense contractors and the people they fund have incentives that supersede the profit motive. Instead, these companies profit from death and human suffering, and they're enabled by information laundering operations known as think tanks, which are cited without any scrutiny from journalists who are either lazy or also compromised.

Two years ago this week, the AUKUS pact was announced. When US President Joe Biden, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese stood together in San Diego on March 14, 2023, to announce arrangements for the Australian acquisition of nuclear-powered submarines (SSNs), many Australians were dumbstruck. They were as dumbstruck as they were when the initial announcement was made 18 months earlier by Biden and past prime ministers Boris Johnson and Scott Morrison in the dying stages of a discredited Australian government. Their dismay was shared by many of Australia's neighbors in Asia and the Pacific.  

The plan consists of three stages. The first will involve increased rotational deployment, effectively basing, of US (from this year) and UK (from 2027) SSNs in Australia. The second is the Australian purchase of between three and five US Virginia-class SSNs, commencing in the early 2030s. The third is the design and construction of a new AUKUS-SSN, to be built in the UK and Australia using US weapons systems and a US/UK-built nuclear reactor, to be available in the 2040s and 50s.

The eye-watering projected A$368 billion ($244.06 billion) cost is 10 times greater than Australia's largest previous military acquisition, even without the seemingly inevitable cost blowout. It is, in fact, a greater cost than any other national project in Australia's history. The plan was hatched and developed in secret with a complete absence of democratic process and accountability. There has been no detailed parliamentary examination, no White Paper, and no ministerial statements explaining a rigorous assessment of the comparative risks, benefits and costs of the plan and alternatives, in the context of a long-term comprehensive security plan for the country. Albanese in opposition agreed in less than 24 hours to sign up to the plan hatched by Morrison, his predecessor as prime minister. This was, apparently, essentially for the mundane political imperative not to be wedged and portrayed as weak on national security and the US alliance in the lead-up to a federal election. 

That Labor has embraced and aggressively prosecuted such a fraught, costly and long-term plan hatched by the previous government, rather than let it die a natural death at the end of the 18-month review period, is incomprehensible for many Australians who had hoped for much better from their new government. 

The AUKUS plan takes Australia back to the old racist, colonial and sub-imperial approach of "forward defense" - long-range power projection far beyond Australia's surroundings, as "deputy sheriff" in concert with a white great ally and protector, previously the UK, now the US. Forward defense justified Australia's past involvement in wars in the Korean Peninsula, Malaysia and especially Vietnam. The submarines are to be deployed with conventionally armed Tomahawk cruise missiles and will be technologically dependent on the US.

The strategic implications of the plan are profound. In the context of escalating enmeshment with US military forces and plans, which Australia's Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Richard Marles has characterized as no longer about "interoperability" but "interchangeability," the plan is the flagship for a profound loss of sovereignty and independence by Australia. Former Labor Prime Minister Paul Keating described the AUKUS submarine plan as "the worst international decision by an Australian government since the former Labor leader, Billy Hughes, sought to introduce conscription to augment Australian forces in World War One."  

AUKUS nuclear submarines will lock Australia into US plans to contain and potentially militarily confront China, and (together with missile defense, to which Australia also contributes via the Pine Gap base in central Australia) put at risk China's second-strike nuclear capability. Regional tensions in Northeast and Southeast Asia, the risk of armed conflict, including between nuclear-armed states, notably the US and China, and the potential for such conflict to escalate to nuclear war can only grow. All the available evidence suggests that if the threshold of nuclear weapons use is again crossed, rapid escalation of nuclear war will follow. 

As the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council reaffirmed last year, a nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought. And as G20 leaders just reiterated, "The use or threat of use of nuclear weapons is inadmissible." The survival and health of all humanity and the biosphere demand that nuclear weapons be eliminated. This is the only way to ensure that they are never used under any circumstances. Nothing can justify increasing the danger of nuclear war.

Another negative consequence of the AUKUS SSN plan relates to nuclear nonproliferation and fissile material control. With the planned purchase of second-hand US Virginia-class submarines, Australia will become the first country without nuclear weapons to acquire nuclear-powered submarines. Regrettably, like current and planned US and UK submarines, any Australian SSN will be fueled by highly enriched uranium (HEU), which is directly usable in nuclear weapons. This is entirely avoidable. France and China have fueled their nuclear submarines with low-enriched uranium, which cannot be directly used for nuclear weapons. 

The AUKUS plan will put somewhere between eight and 20 nuclear weapons worth of HEU per submarine on stealthy mobile platforms, the whereabouts of which are designed to be secret over many months at sea, where it is effectively unverifiable. 
This flies in the face of commendable international efforts in recent decades, which the US, UK and Australia contributed to, to end the production of fissile materials and reduce and eliminate the use of HEU. 

Already nuclear nonproliferation and the consistent application of nuclear safeguards are under severe stress in multiple countries. Australia looks set to become the first country to prize open a previously dormant loophole in the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) which envisages the temporary removal of nuclear material from comprehensive safeguards for non-explosive military purposes. It is unlikely to be the last.

It is not too late for democratic, accountable, evidence-based common sense to curtail the fraught AUKUS nuclear submarine plan and avoid the huge opportunity costs for human and environmental security and the grave dangers it fuels. 

The author is a board member and immediate past co-president of International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War and founding chair of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has been facing a headache recently: a constant low approval rating. Japanese media outlet Mainichi Shimbun reported on Monday that the approval rating for Kishida's cabinet stood at 25 percent in a recent nationwide public opinion poll conducted by the newspaper, tying the record low backing his administration saw in December 2022.

A week beforehand, Kishida reshuffled his cabinet and executives of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), with 11 ministers taking on cabinet posts for the first time, while six remain in place. The new cabinet also includes five women among the 19 total positions, which is considered to be a selling point for boosting Kishida's support rate. 
Judging from past, the approval rating for the cabinet often sees an obvious increase after a reshuffle, but the revamp failed to achieve such an effect this time, reflecting structural problems in the Kishida administration.

First, there was no pressing need for a reshuffle of the cabinet. The revamp this time seems to have infused new blood into the cabinet, but there has been no change in key positions, such as chief cabinet secretary, finance minister and minister of economy, trade and industry. Meanwhile, Kishida has retained Toshimitsu Motegi as his ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) secretary general and Taro Aso as vice president, which means that the structure of the regime generally remains unchanged and current policies will continue.

In addition to Tetsuro Nomura, minister of agriculture, forestry and fisheries, who was replaced in the reshuffle due to the controversy over calling the Fukushima nuclear wastewater "contaminated," Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Seiji Kihara was replaced because of alleged scandals. But Kihara was soon appointed to the post of acting secretary-general of the LDP and special advisor to the chairperson of the Policy Research Council. This is just a change from governmental to party post.

Second, the cabinet reshuffle was only intended to complete the distribution of factional interests. After being elected president of the LDP, Kishida proposed that party officials rather than the president should be limited to one term of one year and only up to three consecutive terms. In this way, the LDP is bound to face a reshuffle every year. Kishida kept the positions of Aso and Motegi, but the issue of the appointment of other senior party members is still a very difficult matter for Kishida. Taking into account the balance of the major factions in the LDP, Kishida had to swap the positions of some members of the party and cabinet.

At the same time, the LDP has seen a considerable number of party members who are qualified to enter the cabinet but don't have the chance to because of Shinzo Abe's stable leadership since 2012. This pushed Kishida into the cabinet reshuffle. In other words, it is more of a coordination of the top party and government officials and an adjustment to satisfy the interests of different party factions.

Third, Kishida's reshuffle failed to bring about major policy changes. His nepotism and closed-mindedness are what Japanese public opinion has particularly criticized.
As far as his policies are concerned, Kishida said during his campaign for the leadership that people's voices should be heard; but what we see more in the process of policy formulation and implementation are his subjective assertions. For example, before the nuclear-contaminated wastewater dumping began, although Kishida visited Fukushima to inspect the area, he did not meet with or listen to the voices of the fishing communities in Fukushima Prefecture.

According to public opinion polls conducted by several media outlets, what the Japanese public questions most is Kishida's lack of leadership skills. The cabinet reshuffle did not touch on the essence of the problem, which is the crux of Kishida's low approval rating even after the revamp. Instead of focusing on gaining people's trust, Kishida seems to put his mind toward the distribution of political interests and the balance of power of party factions, so as to lay the foundation for his reelection in next year's LDP leadership election.

Huawei is to hold a high-profile new product launch event on Monday afternoon, which is expected to be the launch of a series of products including Huawei Smart Screen V5 Pro and Huawei MatePad Pro 13.2-inch flagship tablet, according to media reports.

However, insiders told the Global Times that there won’t be too many details of the closely-watched Mate 60 Pro phone series to be unveiled at the event, which has generated buzz among Chinese consumers for weeks after an unexpected debut on August 29, with some hailing the phone as representing a significant chip breakthrough.

The planned launch on Monday has drawn “unprecedented” attention across China, attracting the live broadcast and live-streaming of more than 100 media outlets. On Monday morning, Huawei-related “concept” stocks were active, with many jumping by 10 percent, hitting their daily limit.

Industry observers were anticipating a formal detailing of the phone's specs and in particular the chipsets in the phone, which reportedly utilizes the Kirin 9000S chip, featuring either 7-nm or 5-nm process technology. Huawei has kept tight-lipped about the capabilities of the chip.

On August 29, Huawei surprised the market by kicking off early presales of Mate 60 Pro smartphone series ahead of Apple’s annual big launch event. Since then, Mate 60 Pro has been a big seller across the country.

Consumers have been queuing up to grab a mobile phone outside Huawei’s offline stores.

Monday also marks the two-year return of Meng Wanzhou in 2021. Meng, now a rotating chairperson of Huawei, was arrested by Canadian authorities in December 2018 under the request of the US government.

Some netizens said a stronger Huawei returning to the center stage of global tech innovation may be considered as "a slap in the face" to the US government's ruthless suppression and attack on the leading Chinese tech company, especially as the planned event date marks two years of Meng's safe return from Canada to China.

Looking ahead, Huawei founder and CEO Ren Zhengfei said in a recent interview that US sanctions on Huawei provided both pressure and impetus. “Huawei may encounter more difficulties, but at the same time becomes more prosperous too,” Ren said.

China has released a number of measures to revive domestic tourism and further unleash consumption potential on the first day of the Golden Week holidays on Friday, on which the world’s second-largest economy has witnessed record railway trips, traffic and long queues outside tourist spots.

The series of rules covers a wider range of areas including enhancing high-quality tourism products and services, expanding marine tourism products, optimizing tourism infrastructure investment, increasing international flights, offering convenience for inbound tourism and expanding financing channels for tourist enterprises, according to a report from the Xinhua News Agency, citing a document from the State Council.

The stimulus measures aim to further meet the people’s aspirations for a better life, and leverage the significant role of the tourism industry in advancing economic and social development, the report said.

Stimulus targeting the tourism industry is being launched at a critical time, when Chinese authorities have been ramping up efforts to shore up confidence and stabilize growth as the world’s second-largest economy has seen signs of recovery over the past months. 

Analysts have expected a surge on consumption during the Golden Week holidays, which falls from Friday to October 6, it’s China’s longest public holiday this year.

Traffic is quite busy. On the first day of the eight-day holidays, the national railway network is experiencing its peak passenger flow, with roughly 20.2 million trips are made on this day. A total of 12,508 passenger trains are scheduled to operate, including 1,841 additional trains added to accommodate the surge in passenger demand on the day.

Specifically, the railway network in the Yangtze River Delta region, one of China’s most economically dynamic areas, is expected to see 3.5 million trips on Friday, an increase of 60 percent compared with the same time in 2019. 

In response to the high passenger volume during this travel peak, the railway authorities said they are making every effort to tap into the transportation potential, maximize capacity, and ensure that the travel needs of the passengers are met to the best extent possible.

In terms of commercial aviation, more than 21 million travelers will take flights in the span of eight days, with the aviation meal production workshop is operating 24 hours a day to ensure a sufficient meal supply during the holiday period, according to a report from ThePaper.cn.
The official start of the eight-day holidays goes hand in hand with the peak of tourism season nationwide. Data from travel agencies showed that during this holiday period, the popularity of long-distance travel products, primarily to destinations like Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Southwest China’s Xizang Autonomous Region, and Yunnan Province, have seen a year-on-year increase of over 300 percent. 

Long-distance group tours have become a rising trend, with no decrease in the popularity of major cities, and lesser-known places are also gaining attention. Furthermore, the entertainment industry has seen  “retaliatory growth” this year, with consumers showing a sustained enthusiasm for attending shows. “Traveling  with performances” has become a new trend for holidaymakers.

The film industry has also rebounded. As of 5:50 pm on Friday, the box office for the 2023 National Day holiday season has exceeded 300 million yuan ($41.11 million), according to data from online ticketing platform Maoyan. 

Alibaba’s Cainiao Smart Logistics has strongly refuted Belgian intelligence service VSSE’s recent accusation of engaging in “possible spying or interference activities” at the company’s European logistics center at Belgium’s Liege Airport.

“We strongly deny the allegations based on prior conjecture. Cainiao is in compliance with all laws and regulations where it operates,” the company said in a statement sent to the Global Times on Saturday.

Belgian officials are looking into “risks” involving the presence of China’s e-commerce giant Alibaba at a cargo airport in the city of Liege, Reuters reported on Friday, citing VSSE.

The security service said it was working to “detect and fight against possible spying and/or interference activities carried out by Chinese entities including Alibaba,” Reuters wrote.

Alibaba signed an agreement with the Belgian government in 2018 to establish an e-commerce trade center operated by Cainiao at Liege Airport. In 2021, Cainiao commenced operations at the Liege Digital Logistics Hub, which was its largest smart logistics hub in Europe.

It is not the first time for certain Belgian officials and media outlets hype such groundless accusations. In May 2021, The Chinese Embassy in Belgium refuted similar accusations against Alibaba, noting that such baseless allegations were a replica of the “China threat theory,” which not only misguided the Belgian public but also cast a negative impact on the image and reputation of Chinese businesses and individuals in Belgium.

The Chinese government always requires Chinese enterprises to strictly abide by local laws and regulations when doing business overseas, and will not require Chinese enterprises to engage in activities that violate local laws and regulations, the embassy said in a statement.

“Currently, Europe’s perception of and sentiment towards China have undergone complex changes due to a combination of internal and external factors. Many regular economic cooperation projects between China and Europe are being scrutinized through the lens of so-called security concerns,” Dong Yifan, a research fellow at the Institute of European Studies, China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, told the Global Times.

Against the backdrop, various security and defense departments, including Belgium’s VSSE, are inclined to take the forefront in promoting such issues to underscore their own influence, Dong said.

“Such moves overstretching the concept of national security will undoubtedly create a negative impact on the political atmosphere and public sentiment between China and Europe, subsequently undermining the willingness and confidence of both parties to engage in cooperation,” Dong said.

Cao Zhongming, China’s ambassador to Belgium told the media in January that China retained its position as Belgium’s third-largest trading partner in 2022, while Belgium stood as China’s seventh-largest trading partner within the EU. The accomplishment is noteworthy given the backdrop of a sluggish global economic recovery.

The successful operation of Alibaba's Cainiao Liege Smart Logistics Hub in Belgium has significantly boosted cross-border e-commerce between China and Europe and helped reinforce Belgium’s position as a logistics hub in Europe, Cao said.