The China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC), the top stock market regulator, announced on Tuesday that starting on Wednesday, applications for securities relending, a tool used for short-selling, would be suspended, in another step to stabilize the capital market.
In a separate announcement on its website, the CSRC also said that it has significantly curbed computer-driven programmed trading and vowed to expedite the roll-out of more pragmatic measures to strengthen regulation of programmed trading so as to reduce its adverse impact on the capital market.
Chinese regulators have stepped up curbs against activities that negatively impact the stock market, and the new steps will further help to lift investors’ confidence and stabilize the capital market, analysts said.
In the announcement on Wednesday, the CSRC said that the move to suspend new applications for securities relending was aimed at effectively responding to investors’ concerns and maintain the stable operation of the market, after fully evaluating the current market situation. The new adjustment will “help prevent operational risks and maintain the stable and orderly operation of the market,” the CSRC said.
While new applications for securities relending will be suspended starting on Thursday, existing contracts are allowed to continue until the end of September, according to the CSRC. In addition, the minimum margin requirement ratio for securities relending will be raised to 100 percent from the current 80 percent, starting on July 22, while the ratio for those involving private securities investment funds will be raised from 100 percent to 120 percent.
The CSRC said that in response to investors’ concerns, it has taken a series of measures to strengthen regulations for securities relending since August 2023, including a continuous crackdown on illegal activities in the area, which has resulted in a significant drop in the overall scale of securities relending.
According to Xu Kang, chief financial industry analyst at Huachuang Securities, since the beginning of the year, the market scale of securities relending has dropped from 69.2 billion yuan ($9.51 billion) to 31.8 billion yuan.
“This will help boost market confidence to a certain extent,” Xu said in a note. “The suspension of securities relending and the overall increase in the securities relending margin ratio will help to boost market sentiment,” Xu added.
In another major step to stabilize the stock market, an official with the CSRC said on Wednesday that the regulator’s curbs against programmed trading have seen remarkable initial success and more measures will be taken to further regulate programmed trading.
According to the official, as of the end of June, there were more than 1,600 high-frequency trading accounts in the market, a drop of more than 20 percent during the year, and trading activities that meet abnormal transaction monitoring standards have dropped by nearly 60 percent in the past three months.
Going forward, the CSRC will accelerate the introduction of more pragmatic measures to further strengthen regulation of programed trading, reduce the negative impact of programmed trading, and effectively maintain market transaction fairness, the official said.
The announcements came after trading closed on Wednesday. Chinese stocks closed lower, with the Shanghai Composite Index falling 0.68 percent, while the Shenzhen Component Index lost 0.1 percent.
The visa-free policy introduced by the Chinese government has boosted passenger flights by more than 20 percent, the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) said on Friday.
In the second quarter, the number of scheduled passenger flights to Malaysia, Spain, Hungary, Belgium, Austria, Switzerland, Poland, Kazakhstan and other countries that have implemented visa-free policies increased by more than 20 percent, Xu Qing, an official from the CAAC said at a press conference on Friday.
In addition, since the second quarter, Chinese and foreign airlines have launched or resumed passenger routes from China to six countries - Bahrain, Cuba, Brazil, the Czech Republic, Mexico, and Ireland - further broadening China's international route network, Xu added.
Currently, 38 ports in 18 provincial-level regions throughout China offer visa-free transit policies for 72 or 144 hours to nationals from 54 different countries.
In the first six months of this year, China saw foreign arrivals increase to 14.64 million, according to the National Immigration Administration (NIA) on July 5.
The NIA said from January to June, the figure for visa-free entries by foreigners topped 8.54 million, accounting for 52 percent of the inbound trips and representing a year-on-year surge of 190.1 percent.
The CAAC said China's international air passenger transport market continues to recover, with flight numbers reaching roughly 80 percent of the level in 2019 for five consecutive months since February of this year. From July 1 to 7, Chinese and foreign airlines operated a total of 6,045 international passenger flights.
Currently, China operates flight services to a total of 72 overseas countries. The number of passenger flights from China to 30 countries including the UK and the United Arab Emirates has exceeded the 2019 level, and flights to seven countries including Egypt and Saudi Arabia have more than doubled the level in 2019.
The CAAC said the industry is expecting international travel to remain strong over the summer, and the most popular routes will continue to be concentrated in surrounding traditional tourism markets such as Japan, South Korea, and Southeast Asian countries.
China on Saturday officially announced its 716-member delegation to the upcoming Paris Olympic Games. As more than 400 Chinese athletes, including 42 Olympic champions, are headed for Paris for the competitions, Chinese companies are churning out equipment and other products that will be used at the biggest sports event in the world.
The presence of Chinese products and brands at major international sports event has been expanding rapidly in recent years. Before the Paris Olympic Games, Chinese brands became a highlight at the Euro Cup 2024. Such a growing presence underscored the rising competitiveness of Chinese businesses, not just in manufacturing but in other fields as well, experts said.
At the Paris Games, which are scheduled to open on July 26, Chinese companies Alibaba Group and Mengniu Group, one of the leading dairy product manufacturers in China, will be among the top partners of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). As a global leading Cloud Services Partner, Alibaba Cloud, the data intelligence backbone of the Alibaba Group, will provide world-class cloud infrastructure and services supporting the digitization of the Olympic operations to optimize, secure and enhance the experience for the athletes and fans from across the globe, according to the IOC.
With a joint partnership with Coca-Cola, Mengniu became the first Chinese fast-moving consumer goods company to become a top partner, the IOC's official website said.
In addition to Chinese firms' partnerships with the IOC, Chinese equipment and other products will be used at various venues and sports competitions at the Paris Games. TaiShan Sports, a leading sports equipment manufacturer, is among the main equipment suppliers of the Olympics.
The company said that it has served five Olympic Games, three Youth Olympic Games, five Universiades, six Asian Games and more than 1,000 domestic and international sports events.
For the Paris Games, the company said it will provide equipment for wrestling, cycling, taekwondo, gymnastics, track and field, and other competitions, and it will provide pre-match training and indoor fitness equipment for the Chinese National Team training base, according to the Xinhua News Agency.
He Wenyi, a deputy director of the National Sports Industry Research Base at Peking University, said that the trend of Chinese firms' growing sponsorships at major international sports event is in line with the robust development of China's manufacturing industry, which continues to upgrade in all aspects.
"As China is a standard-setter in smart manufacturing, and made-in-China continues to become globalized, major sports events like the Olympics have become a big international stage for advanced Chinese companies to go global," He told the Global Times on Sunday.
China has been dominating the manufacturing industry for years, and its continuous upgrade toward smart manufacturing has further cemented the global leadership of made-in-China. More than just manufactured products, Chinese technologies and services, such as cloud and telecommunications, have become new bywords of Chinese manufacturing, experts said.
The growing visibility of Chinese companies at the Euro Cup 2024 made global headlines. According to media reports, among the tournament's 13 top-tier sponsors, five are Chinese companies, making China the largest source of sponsors for the event. The five Chinese companies are Hisense, a leading appliance and electronics manufacturer, Alipay, a payment services under Alibaba, Vivo, a smartphone maker, AliExpress and BYD, an electric vehicle maker.
Vivo told the Global Times on Sunday that the company showcased its commitment to digital inclusivity by providing X100 series smartphones to visually impaired and elder fans, aiming to enhance their experience and promote social equity.
"Vivo captures legendary moments with exceptional imaging technology and enhances the event experience, showcasing the beauty of sports and the joy of humanity on the international stage by Chinese-made video equipment," the company said. "Vivo is committed to technology that serves people and to sustainable innovation, empowering greater products and sharing the beauty of technology with consumers worldwide."
The presence of the Chinese sponsors at the Euro Cup highlighted Chinese companies' competitiveness in not just manufacturing but also technologies. Hisense, for example, said that in addition to brand promotion at the Euro Cup, it also became a technological cooperation partner for the championship in terms of video assistant referees.
Bian Yongzu, a senior industry researcher, said that Chinese home appliance manufacturers have long been top sponsors of major international sports events, but recently more and more Chinese companies in other fields have become major sponsors, indicating the comprehensive rise of various Chinese industries.
"It shows that in addition to traditional industries, Chinese companies in various industries are also on the fast track of internationalization through active efforts to open up to the outside world," Bian told the Global Times on Sunday.
To cope with the peak electricity consumption in summer, many regions in China have urged government agencies, businesses, and residents to join in efforts to conserve energy, such as reducing decorative lighting, suspending unnecessary light shows, and promoting the use of energy-efficient appliances.
We call for a united effort from all sectors of society to actively promote green and low-carbon production and lifestyle practices. Let’s work together in practicing off-peak power consumption and conserving energy, read a recent proposal released by the authorities in East China’s Jiangxi Province.
It is important to prioritize public safety during nighttime travel by ensuring that street lights all work efficiently and promoting the use of renewable energy-efficient lights. Unnecessary lighting displays, landscape projects, and commercial signs are encouraged to be suspended to conserve electricity, according to the proposal.
Meanwhile, industrial enterprises should scientifically and reasonably arrange production schedules, avoiding peak production through planned maintenance and shift adjustments, achieve energy saving and cost reduction, and alleviate power supply pressure during peak hours, said the authorities.
In regions of Southwest China’s Chongqing, from 12 am to 8 am the next day, electronic display advertisements should be turned off, while other types of outdoor advertising facilities should be turned off or kept at minimal brightness, according to local officials.
Public institutions must lead in energy conservation efforts by setting cooling temperatures no lower than 26 C. Residents are encouraged to choose off-peak time consumption, with lower rates for nighttime usage and slightly higher rates for other times, according to the authorities in East China’s Anhui Province.
Total electricity consumption across China increased by 6.7 percent year-on-year in 2023. The growth rate of electricity consumption in 2024 is forecast to be close to that of 2023, with new installations of renewable energy are expected to continue to increase at a rapid pace, according to the report of China’s electric power industry 2024 released by the China Electricity Council on July 10.
National electricity supply and demand are generally balanced, with peak consumption expected during summer and winter. Some regions may experience tight supply, leading to demand-side management measures being implemented at certain times, according to the report.
China's deep-sea heavy-duty mining vehicle has completed sea trials at depths exceeding 4,000 meters, the Shanghai municipal government announced on Tuesday. The vehicle's explorations set six records in the field of deep-sea mining in China, with technological performance reaching the leading domestic and advanced international levels.
In the deep-sea experiment, the vehicle, "Kaituo 2" successfully completed five consecutive dives in the seabed polymetallic nodule and cobalt-rich crust mining area, including one dive to a depth of 4,000 meters and four dives to a depth of 2,000 meters.
The mining vehicle reached depths of 1,802.4 meters, 1,929.9 meters, 1,955.8 meters, 2,048.5 meters, and 4,102.8 meters respectively, marking the first time that domestic deep-sea heavy-duty mining vehicle has conducted deep-sea mineral resource trial mining at a depth of 4,000 meters.
The vehicle also demonstrated powerful underwater rock drilling and collection capabilities during its dives. It has efficiently extracted various types of deep-sea minerals, including multi-metal crusts tightly attached to hard rocks and multi-metal nodules buried in soft deep-sea sediments. Over 200 kilograms of multi-metal crusts, multi-metal nodules, and seabed rocks were successfully obtained.
According to the research team from Shanghai Jiao Tong University, the vehicle has achieved six breakthroughs in similar research in China. For example, for the first time, it has achieved a water depth breakthrough of over 4,000 meters for deep-sea heavy-duty mining vehicle deployment operations. It pioneered high-mobility technology for complex deep-sea seabed terrain, and it also pioneered deep-sea multi-mineral composite drilling and mining technology, achieving efficient mining and collection of different types of ores such as polymetallic crusts and polymetallic nodules.
The mining vehicle is also equipped with an environmental monitoring system, which comprehensively monitors and evaluates the environmental impact of seabed plume generation and diffusion, underwater operation noise, etc., providing valuable first-hand materials and data for China's deep-sea mineral resource exploration and green environmental protection mining.
In the five years since the establishment of diplomatic relations, the relationship between China and Solomon Islands has positioned at the forefront of China's ties with Pacific Island Countries (PICs), becoming a model of mutual support and joint development between countries of different sizes, Chinese Ambassador to Solomon Islands Cai Weiming recently told the Global Times ahead of a visit to Beijing by Solomon Islands' prime minister.
Solomon Islands Prime Minister Jeremiah Manele is paying an official visit to China from July 9 to 15.
In addition to Beijing, Manele will also visit East China's Fujian and Shandong provinces. Both provinces are economically strong coastal provinces and have played significant roles in cooperation with PICs.
"In September 2019, China and Solomon Islands established diplomatic relations, opening a new chapter of solidarity, cooperation and joint development," Cai said. "Under the strategic guidance of the leaders of the two countries, political mutual trust has been solidified, the results of mutually beneficial cooperation have been fruitful, and cultural exchanges have been vibrant. This has positioned our relationship at the forefront of China's ties with PICs, becoming a model of mutual support and joint development between countries of different sizes."
"Solomon Islands has firmly stood on the right side of history, adhering to the one-China principle and firmly supporting China's just stance on issues related to Xinjiang, Hong Kong, Xizang, and human rights," Cai noted.
The two countries have maintained close exchanges at all levels, continuously upgrading their relationships and establishing a comprehensive strategic partnership for a new era, he said.
According to Cai, over the past five years, China has remained Solomon Islands' largest trading partner and top export destination, with affordable and high-quality Chinese goods enriching the lives of Solomon Islands' residents.
Chinese aid has improved local living standards. For instance, Chinese-aid national sports stadiums and Solomon Islands National University dormitories have been constructed one after another, becoming new landmarks in Honiara.
The National Referral Hospital Comprehensive Medical Center and the National Broadband Network construction projects are progressing steadily and will significantly improve healthcare and communication conditions in Solomon Islands once completed. China has carried out hundreds of small livelihood projects in Solomon Islands, improving local living conditions.
In terms of security cooperation, China Police Liaison Team have been dispatched to Solomon Islands, providing substantial professional equipment and skills training to local police, contributing positively to local stability.
Additionally, China has provided hundreds of opportunities for Solomon Islands people to study and train in China, helping many ambitious young people pursue their dreams and fostering a large number of talents for Solomon Islands' economic and social development.
China has sent medical teams to Solomon Islands and organized the Peace Ark hospital ship visit, treating over 30,000 patients in Solomon Islands, alleviating the suffering of the people with benevolence and medical skills.
Fruitful local exchanges between the two countries have also taken place, with Guadalcanal Province, Malaita Province, Western Province, Isabel Province, Renbel Province and Honiara City steadily advancing friendly cooperation with Chinese provinces and cities, bringing more support to the people of Solomon Islands.
In April this year, Solomon Islands held a general election, attracting international attention. The O.U.R. Party won most seats, and former foreign minister Manele was elected as the Prime Minister.
"The new Solomon Islands government has just been formed, and Prime Minister Manele is visiting China shortly after taking office. During his visit, the leaders of the two countries will exchange views on China-Solomon relations and important issues of common concern," Cai stated.
"China stands ready to work with the new government of Solomon Islands, making Prime Minister Manele's visit as an opportunity to strengthen strategic communication, expand practical cooperation, and promote the continuous development of bilateral relations. I believe both sides should continue to consolidate the foundation of political mutual trust and continue on the path of mutual understanding, mutual trust, mutual support and mutual assistance," he said.
He quoted Manele's remarks in a media interview, stating that the establishment of diplomatic relations with China in 2019 was standing on the right side of history, and it was the most important decision made in the 46 years of Solomon Islands' independence.
"I am fully confident that China and Solomon Islands, standing at this new historical starting point, will jointly write new stories of friendship, plan new cooperation blueprints, and jointly open up a better future for the people of both countries," Cai said.
China reiterated its call for all parties involved in the Ukraine conflict to exercise rationality and restraint, effectively comply with international humanitarian law, and avoid attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure, Geng Shuang, China's deputy permanent representative to the UN, said on Tuesday.
Since the crisis in Ukraine escalated in February 2022, the ongoing conflict has led to a large number of casualties among innocent civilians and destruction of infrastructures, triggering a dire humanitarian crisis and generating a huge spillover effect, which is a source of deep concern for China, Geng said at the UN Security Council briefing on Ukraine, the Xinhua News Agency reported.
China remains deeply concerned that the war has not ceased, but rather intensified, and that vicious attacks have occurred from time to time, resulting in serious casualties, Geng added.
There are no winners in conflict and confrontation, and military means cannot bring lasting peace. Geng stressed that an early ceasefire and political settlement is in the interests of all parties, and the priority is to cool down the situation by observing the "three principles" of no expansion of the battlefield, no escalation of fighting and no fanning of the flame by any party.
On the Ukraine issue, China has always maintained that the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries should be respected, the purposes and principles of the UN Charter should be adhered to, the legitimate security concerns of all countries should be taken seriously, and all efforts conducive to the peaceful resolution of the crisis should be supported.
China calls on the parties to the conflict to demonstrate political will, meet each other halfway and start peace talks at an early date. Geng also urged the international community, based on an objective and impartial position, to create conditions conducive to putting an early end to the fighting and play an active role in this regard.
China will continue to actively promote peace and dialogue in its own way, and will make unremitting efforts and play a constructive role in promoting a political settlement of the Ukrainian issue, Geng said.
Russia on Tuesday rejected claims of the country's alleged attacks on a children's hospital in Kiev, according to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.
Peskov said Russian strikes are carried out against critical infrastructure and military targets related to Ukraine's military potential.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said Tuesday that "many eyewitnesses and other sources" have confirmed that the hospital had been hit by a Western-made surface-to-air missile from the Ukrainian air defense system that went off course.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Tuesday on Telegram that the Okhmatdyt children's hospital in Kiev was hit by a Russian missile on Monday, adding that the strikes had killed 38 people and injured 190, according to preliminary reports.
"The highest priority for the development of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies in China is not to create explosive applications, but to accelerate the development of industrial systems and the real economy," said Xiao Xinguang, a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and chief software architect from Chinese cybersecurity company Antiy.
With the emergence of ChatGPT and Sora, the AI industry is accelerating its development, and human society is accelerating into the era of AI civilization. At the same time, the potential problems and uncertainties related to it may bring negative impacts and challenges to humanity. The security issues arising from it have also been put on the agenda.
"AI's extensive and deep empowerment in all industries and social fields is an inevitable trend in history. For the entire economic and social fields, there is only a difference between fast and slow, but no choice of whether to use it or not. Embracing AI may not necessarily mean success for various industries, but not embracing AI will definitely lead to elimination," Xiao told the Global Times.
Embracing AI requires a more open and collaborative mindset, said Xiao, noting that different departments have different focuses.
For example, the industrial sector needs to quickly follow up and apply AI to accelerate digitalization, intelligent upgrading, and transformation; however, government agencies should focus on how to better serve the people with AI, accelerate economic and social development, and also do well in risk control.
The field of cybersecurity, on the other hand, focuses on three major risks: the risks of AI technologies such as algorithms and data; application risks of platforms such as data leakage; and the risks of upgrading network attack capabilities under AI empowerment, Xiao said.
As a member of the national cybersecurity agency, Xiao described how he and his colleagues encounter cases of "AI-enhanced network attacks" in their daily work. "The graphic and textual content of phishing emails from some overseas attack organizations in the past two years are clearly generated by large model platforms. In cybercrime cases, deepfake technology has been frequently used."
According to Xiao, AI significantly empowers the entire attack chain. This includes, but is not limited to, efficiently exploiting software and hardware vulnerabilities and enhancing the organization of information intelligence. It also improves the exploration of attack entry points, the orchestration and automatic launching of attacks, and the writing of attack viruses. Additionally, AI enhances the ability to create highly targeted social engineering dialogues, deceiving network administrators and users, among other capabilities.
"We must pay attention to the challenges of content generation and deepfake for cognitive confrontation, and we must also conduct in-depth analysis and research on the deep empowerment of AI throughout the network attack process," Xiao said.
A thief crying "Stop thief"
The US has been the first to associate AI technology with the so-called "Chinese hackers" launching attacks on the US. In January, the FBI and US Justice Department used a court order to address vulnerabilities in thousands of internet-connected devices that are at the center of a so-called Chinese hacking campaign targeting sensitive US critical infrastructure, CNN reported.
In response, Xiao said the US continues to conduct network intrusions and intelligence activities in cyberspace to support its global hegemony system. By using its own behavior paradigm to judge others, the US was trying to shift its attack activities to China in order to muddy the waters in international diplomacy and public opinion.
The US reportedly has the most powerful global network attack engineering system, complete and continuously iterated network attack weapons and equipment, and the largest team of network attack personnel. Since the birth of the internet, the most long-term, covert, and severe network attacks and eavesdropping activities, such as Stuxnet, Flame, and Duqu, have all been initiated by the US.
"We have analyzed and disclosed the network attack activities of the US against other countries many times, including a detailed analysis and reconstruction of the attack process of the largest SWIFT service provider in the Middle East, EastNets, as well as a detailed exposure last year of the operation mechanism of the US attacking key personnel's phones and computers based on the 'quantum' system," Xiao said.
US intelligence agencies have long been concerned about the strengthening of AI capabilities in network attacks and the use of deepfake technology. It is necessary to pay close attention to the shaping of the US attack capabilities by super large model platforms, he noted.
Different paths
While smearing China for using AI technology for hacking attacks, the US is also actively downplaying China's AI technology development. In a report by CNBC on January 9, FBI Director Christopher Wray was quoted as saying "18 of the 20 most successful AI companies in the world are American." He then turned his focus to China, claiming that "You can bet your bottom dollar that foreign adversaries, especially the Chinese, are actively targeting that innovation, that intellectual property."
Xiao said that due to historical advantages and geopolitical factors, as well as long-term global dividends, the US has established a leading position in the global technology and industry. In order to solidify this leading advantage, the US government and capital groups have formed an inertia to suppress followers, especially by creating a false perception: "Whenever other countries show certain advantages in some fields, it must be the result of stealing American achievements." This is an extremely arrogant and deceptive rhetoric, Xiao said.
China's academic achievements in AI technologies have surged in recent years, with the number of top AI scholars ranking second globally. Universities and industries such as Tsinghua University and Harbin Institute of Technology have published high-level academic achievements in various subfields of AI. At the same time, scientific and technological development from basic theory to engineering implementation and application often follows a "convergence" path, so there will be a certain similarity in the basic path of technological innovation. Respecting the contributions of pioneers does not mean accepting that the first to develop can permanently monopolize, Xiao explained.
"The US has obtained more global dividends, gathered top talent resources worldwide, and naturally established a first-mover advantage in many fields; however, countries with strong self-development intentions, such as China, will also determine key development areas based on their own characteristics, relying on effective government organization, benign competition in the industry, and the diligence and unity of the people to make progress," Xiao stressed.
This cybersecurity expert believes China and the US will have certain differences in the development path of AI technologies. Information technology is the US' advantageous field, and through large-scale capital investment, it has established a large-scale intensive innovation model based on information complexes, forming a new strategic competitive capability. This system operates similarly to OpenAI+ChatGPT. The related experience is highly worthy of reference but difficult to completely imitate.
Currently, China has experienced a phenomenon of "one factory one model, a thousand-model battle with each other" in the development of general large models, which has brought about some resource waste and ineffective investment, affecting the aggregation of production factors. However, we should not be overly anxious. We are one of the few countries with all the elements to build a super large-scale general artificial intelligence platform. Our "formation" will be optimized and adjusted as we develop, Xiao said.
He noted that, at the same time, China has the most complete industrial system and a very solid foundation in the real economy. There is still a lot of room for improvement in automation, unmanned operation and intelligence. Our real industries cannot wait for the maturity of super large-scale general model platforms but must quickly gain AI empowerment and then iterate and improve. Therefore, the focus of China's AI development is still to accelerate the transition of the industrial system to new quality productivity and gain more benefits in the real industry. Industrial development the highest priority
On February 12, NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang said at the World Government Summit in Dubai that every country needs to own the production of their own intelligence to codify its culture while utilizing its economic potential.
In response, Xiao said that the development model of AI is highly related to the national industrial characteristics.
In the context of the hollowing out of industry due to profit-driven capital within the US, relying on information giants, capital power and rapid aggregation of talent, the best choice for the US is to establish a large-scale intensive innovation model in the field of large model platforms to form a new strategic competitive capability. On the other hand, China's overall industrial scale, completeness of the industrial system, and substantial real economy are globally leading. We have rich AI integration points and potential points in the industry and real economy, providing ample space for local innovation, he said.
However, China also needs to move from a fragmented small production model to an intensive large production model for AI platform construction. The country should gradually guide the formation of a super-scale general AI platform in terms of high-quality data sources, large-scale computing infrastructure, operational ecology, and organizational methods, supporting the industrial ecosystem, which is important for developing new quality productivity and strengthening national strategic security capabilities, Xiao noted.
Xiao added that it is also significant for building a community with shared future in cyberspace. The US government's suppression of China's high-tech industry development through a "small yard and high fence" strategy and the use of the so-called "table and menu theory" to force other countries to take sides is evident.
Especially in the field of AI, it has used a series of measures such as talent bans, access restrictions and hardware bans. In terms of AI platforms and applications, it forces other countries to make choices, which will inevitably lead to a camp-style rift in the development of artificial intelligence technology, causing a major division. This makes it even more necessary for the development of China's AI technologies to have an internationalist perspective, according to Xiao.
The development of China's universal large-scale model platform can not only provide empowering assistance for the economic development of other countries, but also help third world countries build their own sovereign artificial intelligence infrastructure, helping them break free from dependence on Western countries in modernization development. Peace-loving and progressive countries should work together to bring a new digital infrastructure system to a more equal world, Xiao noted.
Facing the rapid development of AI technologies, reducing the risk of AI proliferation is a challenge facing all governments. By 2023, the US had already signed the first executive order on AI regulation, which requires "companies developing any foundation model that poses a serious risk to national security, national economic security, or national public health and safety must notify the federal government when training the model."
Due to the significant security risks and uncertainties of AI technology, strengthening the management and guidance of technological capabilities and platforms is an important function and responsibility of governments around the world, Xiao sated.
Chinese authorities have already formulated an interim regulation on the management of generative AI services. Currently, China has a certain foundation for the management mechanism of AI technologies and platforms, but it still needs continuous adjustment and improvement. "We need to achieve better, faster, and safer growth and development, and development itself is the greatest security," Xiao said.
"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 12th installment in the series, the Global Times looks into the tricks that some external forces and anti-China elements used to launch a cognitive warfare against Hong Kong and how the newly passed Safeguarding National Security Ordinance can punish and deter them.
The Safeguarding National Security Ordinance, a piece of legislation of Hong Kong's Basic Law Article 23 that took effect recently after being unanimously passed by local lawmakers, is another solid legal basis for maintaining stability and prosperity in the city after the implementation of national security law for Hong Kong. The bill is expected to play an essential role in preventing the US-led West's subversion, infiltration, incitement, and espionage activities in Hong Kong.
Days before the bill was passed on March 19, the government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) strongly condemned a joint statement by anti-China group "Hong Kong Watch" and 16 signatories that smeared the Basic Law Article 23 legislation.
"Not only is 'Hong Kong Watch' an anti-China organization, but also many of its members are anti-China forces in the front line," said a spokesman for the regional government.
A main subversion target of foreign forces that attempt to undermine China's national security and social stability, Hong Kong has been plagued by Western-led cognitive warfare. Colluding with a few local secessionists, anti-China forces in the West have been hyping up false narratives to demonize the management of the central government and the HKSAR government.
Experts in Hong Kong affairs pointed out that from the "China collapse theory" to the "Hong Kong collapse theory," these clichés are nothing, but some "deluded clown scripts" with the aim of misleading Hong Kong residents and whitewashing the former British colony's rule.
Tumors to Hong Kong's stability
Anti-China organization "Hong Kong Watch," together with 16 co-signatories, released a statement last month, which deliberately smeared the requirement of "disclosure of commission by others of the offense of treason" in the Basic Law Article 23 legislation of targeting religions, in an attempt to provoke discontent among religious leaders and followers.
Responding to this statement full of loopholes, the HKSAR government expressed strong condemnation in a press release it published online on March 14.
The offenses of treason and misprision of treason, whether in Hong Kong or other common law jurisdictions, have existed for a long time; they do not target religious leaders or followers, and have nothing to do with freedom of religion, said a government spokesperson in the press release.
"'Hong Kong Watch' and the co-signatories have not mentioned the relevant provisions in the countries concerned before groundlessly attacking the HKSAR Government's legislative work on safeguarding national security under the guise of religious freedom. It is a blatant, shameless, and barbaric intervention, and is also a typical example of double standards," the spokesperson noted.
Based in London, "Hong Kong Watch" was founded by Benedict Rogers, deputy chairman of the British Conservative Party's human rights commission who had participated in drafting the so-called "Hong Kong Autonomy Act" and pressed the US to pass the bill.
In 2017, Rogers was denied entry by the HKSAR government when he planned to visit imprisoned separatists Joshua Wong Chi-fung and Nathan Law Kwun-chung, reported Hong Kong media outlet Ta Kung Pao.
"Hong Kong Watch" is an unmitigated "concentration camp" for overseas forces and anti-China elements disrupting Hong Kong. One of its sponsors, Britain's last governor of Hong Kong Chris Patten, is an infamous anti-China politician who had attempted to disrupt the handover of Hong Kong in 1997, and had even tried to turn Hong Kong into a semi-independent political entity.
Along with other secessionist groups, "Hong Kong Watch" is a tumor that threatens Hong Kong's social stability. As early as March 2022, the National Security Department of the Hong Kong Police Force issued a warning to the group, pointing out that it had violated Article 29 of the national security law for Hong Kong - "collusion with foreign or external forces to endanger national security" and demanded the removal of the group's website content within 72 hours.
Scanning the "Hong Kong Watch" statement, the 16 co-signatories displayed at the bottom are also notorious overseas anti-China organizations and individuals.
Co-signatory Freedom House, for instance, was initially created in the 1940s to oppose communism in Europe. It later worked as a think tank for the US Department of Defense. With a long-term habit of interfering in China's internal affairs, Freedom House was sanctioned by China in December 2019 for its role in that year's unrest in Hong Kong.
Another co-signatory ChinaAid is a so-called nonprofit group that tries to infiltrate China through smearing the country's religious policies. On its website, ChinaAid lists the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), the US government's main "white gloves" and the mastermind behind many separatist riots globally, as its major partner. Major cognitive warfare tricks
Looking into the cognitive warfare tricks by external forces and anti-China elements disrupting Hong Kong, they attack the management of the central government and the HKSAR government mainly by using the excuse of "human rights, religious freedom violation" and badmouthing Hong Kong's economy, the Global Times found.
ChinaAid, as mentioned above, is a US-based group established in 2002 by anti-China pastor "Bob" Fu Xiqiu. The group has long supported underground Christian churches within China and their illegal activities, according to several Chinese scholars and government officials reached by the Global Times.
In previous years, ChinaAid has fostered and trained its Chinese members outside the Chinese mainland, said Zhou Shan (pseudonym), a former grassroots-level official in East China's Zhejiang Province who had been participating in religion management in rural areas in Zhejiang for years.
A usual trick employed by ChinaAid in interfering with and smearing China's religious policies is opening unregistered religious venues and organizing illegal activities. They would hype up "religious persecution" if the local government prohibits these activities in accordance with the law, Zhou told the Global Times.
In short, ChinaAid usually intentionally misrepresented China's ban on unlawful activities as a crackdown on religious freedom or human rights.
Badmouthing Hong Kong's economic performance is another main trick of their cognitive warfare against the city.
Hong Kong lawmaker Stanley Ng Chau-pei cited three examples. The first is the claim that Hong Kong's economic status would be "replaced" by another country or city, such as Shanghai, Macao, or its main "competitor" Singapore. The second is hyping up disinformation that "the central government 'mainlandized' Hong Kong," trying to create panic by spreading the rumor that Hong Kong will no longer enjoy SAR "special treatment" in trade and finance. The third is amplifying a pessimistic outlook with eye-grabbing claims, such as calling Hong Kong the "ruins of the international financial center."
"Behind these claims is their purposes to undermine Hong Kong's confidence in its own development, and the confidence of global investors and talents in Hong Kong," Ng noted.
And these claims are laughably ridiculous in the face of Hong Kong's robust economic performance.
A survey released by the HKSAR government in December 2023 showed that, the city saw the opening of 9,039 companies with parent companies outside Hong Kong in 2023, a recovery to pre-pandemic high levels.
Start-ups in Hong Kong also continued to flourish with the number of start-ups reaching a record high of 4,257, up 272 from 2023.
These data are undoubtedly a powerful counter-narrative against these stigmatization, and fully prove that Hong Kong's investment attractiveness remains, Ng said. The will of the people in Hong Kong
There was a great round of applause at the Legislative Council of the HKSAR on March 19, when the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance was unanimously passed.
The day was a historic moment for Hong Kong, a proud moment when the HKSAR jointly wrote a glorious history, HKSAR Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu said after the vote.
The bill is the will of the people in Hong Kong. Public consultation results showed that, about 99 percent of the 13,147 submissions had spoken in support of the legislation, said local authorities in March.
Legal experts based in Hong Kong pointed out that the ordinance and the national security law for Hong Kong can, together, pose effective penalties, restrictions, and deterrence to the infiltration activities of anti-China forces and separatists, including their dirty cognitive warfare tricks.
The two are organically linked and complement each other. They can regulate criminals who engage in activities and acts that endanger national security outside the territory of Hong Kong, Willy Fu, a law professor who is also the director of the Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macao Studies, told the Global Times.
The Safeguarding National Security Ordinance came into force in Hong Kong on March 23. The law listed a series of offences and penalties including offences such as treason, insurrection, acts with seditious intention, external interference and theft of state secrets and espionage.
The heads of website platforms that published seditious content have legal and social responsibilities to immediately remove propaganda or illegal information that endangers national security, Fu said.
He explained that, if the Commissioner of Police has reasonable grounds to suspect that electronic information published on an electronic platform is likely to constitute an offense endangering national security, or is likely to lead to the occurrence of such an offense, they may, with the approval of the Secretary for Security, authorize designated police personnel to require the relevant publishers, platform service providers, hosting service providers, and (or) network service providers to remove the information that endangers national security; restrict or halt anyone from accessing that information; or restrict or halt anyone from accessing that platform or relevant parts thereof.
"Hong Kong is a society governed by the rule of law, where laws must be followed and violators will be prosecuted," Fu remarked.
These are the first words Ansh Mishra says to the camera, in a vlog of his trip to China that he shared on YouTube in late April. With lively electronic background music, the vlog shows attractive scenes including a metro station dome with a futuristic design, the interactive screen of a service robot, and a metro train equipped with high-tech facilities.
Mishra, also known as "Indigo Trekker," is an Indian travel vlogger with some 118,000 YouTube subscribers. He is also among the recent visitors to China amid a surge in inbound tourists, including many travel vloggers who are inspired and passionate about exploring this somewhat "mysterious" country, and then share their travel experiences and observations with the world.
Data showed that China saw 1.78 million inbound trips in this past May Day holidays from May 1 to 5. Inbound travel bookings during the holidays increased by 130 percent year-on-year.
China's relaxed entry policies have resulted in an inbound tourism boom, and its continues high-level opening-up has impressed global visitors with all-time conveniences, openness, and friendliness.
The Global Times spoke to several travel vloggers, whose videos of their recent trips to China have all had numerous views on social media platforms. Their vivid experiences showed overseas audience a China that is different from what is depicted by Western narratives and stereotypes.
'Shockingly modern' Having long planned to visit China, Mishra finally made the trip in February, amid the Chinese New Year this year.
One of the main reasons for his visit to China was to "experience its technological advancement." "It's the biggest country in Asia by its size and population, and of course, one of the hi-tech countries in the world. Hence, I really wanted to visit it," Mishra told the Global Times.
In the vlog he uploaded in late April titled "The world won't believe China's new infrastructure," Mishra explores the Gangxia North metro station in Shenzhen, South China's Guangdong Province, which he describes as "the craziest metro system design in China."
To the camera, Mishra charges his phone on a wireless charging facility on the metro train, and has his face scanned when getting out of the station. "You saw in the video that the transportation system is so modern and high-tech," he exclaimed at the end of the 24-minute vlog. "It is safe, convenient, cost-effective, efficient, fast, rapid, and environmentally friendly."
Modernization is one of the biggest impressions many travel vloggers have about China. In the vlogs they have shared online, they recommend a high-speed train ride as a must-have experience in China, pose in front of the screen showing real-time speeds of up to 350 kilometers per hour on the train, and learn to adapt themselves to the cashless society.
Travel vloggers Dan and Lyn, a couple "born in Paris with Asian origins" as described on their websites, joked that a shock they encountered during their trip in Shanghai was that cash is almost entirely a thing of the past there. "What shocked us the most is the general advancement of the country," they told the Global Times.
Similar to Dan and Lyn, "Ken Abroad," the screen name of a German travel content creator with 320,000 YouTube subscribers, said he didn't encounter any real cultural shocks in his recent trip to China, but was surprised by the fact that almost everything in the country is cashless. "I spent, in total, over one month in China, and I did not see a single person paying cash," he said.
Having been to many major Chinese cities including Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou, Ken Abroad found that China is overall more modern than he had expected, as many things are digital, and that often makes life more convenient. "I even took a driverless bus in Guangzhou. That was a cool experience!" he recalled. "I also got food delivered to my hotel room by a robot, which I had never seen before."
In addition to the modern technology itself, foreign tourists can also enjoy more considerate conveniences specifically provided to them, as China continues to pursue high-level opening-up with sincerity and hospitality.
Within months, points of sale (POS) machines across several major tourist cities have been updated to accept foreign bank cards. The People's Bank of China, China's central bank, has also unveiled multilingual payment service guides to facilitate foreign payment services.
And cities like Beijing and Shanghai are making further efforts to better serve both tourists and expats living there. In Beijing, local government officials said at a press release in March that foreigners can now do a lot of things with their passports online, such as booking scenic spot tickets and hospital registration.
'Lesser-known treasures' To many overseas tourists, China is the very first station of their trip to Asia. With the increasing convenience of entering China, many visitors are no longer content to just walk around a few iconic metropolises like Shanghai or Beijing. Instead, they prefer to explore farther and lesser-known places, so as to take a closer look at a diverse China.
Travel content creators Flora and Note are a Canadian couple. After flying from Bangkok to Shanghai earlier this year, they started their beautiful journey across China. They took high-speed trains to Zhejiang, Jiangxi provinces and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, and then spent about 10 days exploring some fairyland-like destinations in Yunnan, such as Shangri-La.
The time in Yunnan left a lasting impression on them. "We immersed ourselves in ancient towns, learned about ethnic minorities and their food culture, and were marveled by the incredible nature," they told the Global Times.
Note mentioned a destination probably even unknown to many Chinese people: Wangxian Valley in East China's Jiangxi Province. He said the valley was a big highlight of their trip to China.
"Seeing the village's fairyland-like appearance, with houses clinging to cliffs, was breathtaking, especially when illuminated at night," he recalled. "Learning about the village's role in driving economic development in Jiangxi added depth to our visit, motivating us to raise awareness of this beautiful place among foreign visitors."
Alina Mcleod, a Canadian travel vlogger born in Ukraine, has recently been to the central and southwest parts of China. She tried on Hanfu (traditional clothing of Han ethnic group) in Chengdu, and the costume of people of the Miao ethnic group in Guilin, making her look like a beautiful local woman.
She told the Global Times that the Zhangjiajie National Forest Park in Central China's Hunan Province, also known as "The Avatar Mountains," was one of her favorite destinations in China. "It was a landscape that I had never seen before!"
Mishra also went to more places during his one-month trip in China. "Miao culture in Kaili, Lijiang River in Yangshuo, Tianmen Mountain in Zhangjiajie, Muslin's street food culture in Xi'an, and of course, ultra-modern high technology in almost every single city in China, made me speechless," said Mishra.
"I have shown [this] in all my vlogs, which the global world has to know in the right ways," he said. Travel vloggers like Mishra are a window for overseas audiences to know about a real China.
Before traveling to China, international tourists might have some concerns about this seemingly remote Eastern country, usually portrayed negatively by the West. However, when they visit China and have in-person experiences, they find that the vast majority of their previous concerns about China are entirely unfounded.
Flora and Note said that initially they worried about filming in China, as they thought they would face some resistance from local people. But later they found that filming and taking photos is a common practice, and, "as long as we weren't disrupting others, there were no issues," said the couple.
In February, Ken Abroad uploaded a video on YouTube, which showed his trip to Urumqi, the capital of Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, a name constantly spotlighted by some Western media outlets and politicians.
"This region is all over Western media for not so good reasons. But as usual, I am curious to see things with my own eyes. So, I booked a flight to Urumqi," Ken Abroad wrote in the introduction page of the video. "According to some comments on my channel, I would not be allowed to enter, as the region is apparently closed to foreigners. Well, I was able to enter without any problems and soon after I found myself exploring the city center of Urumqi."
In this vlog, Ken Abroad walks on the snowy streets of Urumqi. He sees many mosques across the city, and asks local residents the opening time of the mosques, receiving friendly responses.
"[An] interesting fact about the mosques here, as I read before, is that Xinjiang, this region of China, has more mosques than the US or any Western countries in Europe do," he says to the camera while walking alone on the street.
"And, …do you have the impression so far that the majority of people that we spoke to today, we interacted with, we saw, were Muslims?" he asks. "Yet the Western media are trying to tell us that the Muslims are being oppressed here by the Chinese government; that they don't live a normal life. I don't want to judge now, but just asking you, what is your impression of the people that we have seen so far?"
"I am happy to see that so many people watched my China videos, and the responses I got were overall mostly positive," Ken Abroad said.
China, on Tuesday, announced the extension of the visa exemption entry for citizens from 12 countries, including France and Germany, on short-term visits to China until the end of 2025. That will offer many foreign tourists like Ken Abroad greater ease when visiting or revisiting this country.
"It's a huge country and there are so many more places that I would like to see," Ken Abroad said. "I will probably return at the end of this year."
Obviously, there will be more travel vlogs flooding social media in the near future, as we have seen visitors from different countries excitedly declaring into the camera, "China, we are coming!"
