China Weekly (Nov.23-29)
1.Xi meets Lee Hsien Loong, calling for enhanced cooperation
Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Senior Minister of Singapore Lee Hsien Loong in Beijing on Tuesday, calling for further synergy of development strategies and enhanced cooperation.
Commending the remarkable achievements Singapore made during Lee's tenure as prime minister, Xi spoke highly of Lee's long-term support for China-Singapore cooperation. The two sides established an all-round high-quality future-oriented partnership last year, setting a strategic course for the development of bilateral ties, Xi said.
Noting that next year will mark the 35th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Singapore, Xi called on the two countries to strengthen high-level exchanges and deepen cooperation in various fields, so as to deliver more benefits to the two peoples and make greater contributions to regional peace and prosperity.
2.China-EU price commitment talks continue, show progress: commerce ministry
China and the European Union (EU) have made progress in their consultations on a price commitment plan for Chinese electric vehicles (EVs), and talks are still ongoing, China's Ministry of Commerce said on Thursday.
The remarks were made by ministry spokesperson, He Yadong, at a press conference. He noted that various sectors in both China and the EU are looking forward to a proper resolution of the EU's anti-subsidy case involving Chinese EVs.
3.China welcomes home the 11th batch of CPV martyrs' remains with highest respect
The 11th batch of remains of Chinese People’s Volunteers (CPV) martyrs who died during the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea returned to China on Thursday as South Korea handed over the remains of 43 martyrs and their belongings. China paid the highest respect to these heroes upon their return.
Escorted by two J-20 fighter jets, a Y-20 PLA Air Force aircraft, also known as Kunpeng, carrying the remains of 43 CPV martyrs who sacrificed their lives during the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea, landed at Shenyang Taoxian International Airport on Thursday.
Shortly after landing, the aircraft was greeted with a water cannon salute, the highest honor in civil aviation.
4.China to extend visa-free stay to 30 days for Australian ordinary passport holders
Visa-free stays in China will be extended to 30 up to 30 days for Australian ordinary passport holders, effective from Nov. 30, 2024 through Dec. 31, 2025, the Chinese Embassy in Australia announced on Monday.
According to the embassy, Australian citizens traveling to China for business, tourism, family visit, transit or exchange purposes will be eligible for visa-free entry policy, as long as their stay does not exceed 30 days.
5.China's FAST telescope identifies over 1,000 pulsars
China's Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Radio Telescope (FAST), the world's largest filled-aperture and most sensitive radio telescope, has identified more than 1,000 new pulsars, the National Astronomical Observatories under the Chinese Academy of Sciences (NAOC) said on Tuesday.
6.2nd China Int'l Supply Chain Expo held in Beijing
The second China International Supply Chain Expo (CISCE), the world's first national-level exhibition focused on supply chains, held in Beijing from Tuesday to Saturday. The expo provides a comprehensive platform for business matchmaking and investment opportunities, fostering collaboration across a diverse range of industries.
7.Chinese poetry master Ye Jiaying dies at 100
Chinese classical poetry doyenne Ye Jiaying died on Sunday at the age of 100, according to Nankai University where she held a teaching post.
Ye dedicated seven decades to the research, teaching and promotion of classical Chinese poetry in China and beyond. She was the teacher of many renowned Chinese literary masters.
Born to a literary family in Beijing in 1924, Ye held teaching posts in American and Canadian universities. Starting in 1979, she returned to the Chinese mainland every year to give lectures on Chinese literature and poetry, and lived in Nankai University during her final decades.
8.Liangzhu Forum held in Hangzhou
Under the theme of "exchanges and mutual learning for a new model of human progress," the Second Liangzhu Forum being held in Hangzhou, the capital of east China's Zhejiang Province, from Monday to Wednesday, has gathered more than 300 Chinese and foreign cultural officials, diplomats, scholars, writers, archaeologists and musicians from more than 60 countries and regions to tap the rich cultural resources of Liangzhu further.
The Liangzhu ruins gained UNESCO World Heritage status in 2019 as a testimony to the existence of Chinese civilization at least 5,000 years ago.
9.World's second largest desert closed by green belt
The final 285-kilometer-long stretch of a green barrier along the southern edge of the Taklimakan Desert has been successfully installed with a rose sapling planted at Yutian County of Hotan Prefecture, northwest China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region on Thursday.
China had built a 2,761-kilometer-long sand-blocking green belt at the edge of the Taklimakan Desert by the end of 2023 utilizing innovative methods, including biological measures, engineering stabilization, and photovoltaic sand management.
10.26th Harbin Ice-Snow World under construction
Construction of the seasonal Harbin Ice-Snow World in the capital of Northeast China's Heilongjiang province began on Wednesday, with ice blocks transported to the park after being stored for over 10 months.
The Harbin Ice-Snow World is a renowned seasonal theme park that enjoys great popularity every winter.
More than 10,000 ice construction workers and nearly 1,000 pieces of mechanical operation equipment will enter the park for the construction process. By mid-December, visitors will be able to enjoy the ice-and-snow park covering 1 million square meters.
