China's 41st Antarctic expedition team departed on a nearly seven-month mission to Antarctica on Friday, according to the Ministry of Natural Resources. During this time, researchers will work on building supporting infrastructure for the Qinling Station in Antarctica, study the effects of climate change on the Antarctic ecosystem, and engage in international research and logistical collaboration.
This also marks the first time scientists from Hong Kong have been selected to join the national Antarctic expedition team. It not only reflects the country's recognition of Hong Kong's polar research efforts but also highlights Hong Kong's potential to play an active role in the nation's scientific research and development tasks, marking a milestone for the region, Hong Kong's Chief Secretary for Administration Eric Chan Kwok-ki said on Friday.
During the mission, the expedition team will finalize the installation and interior work finishing the primary building structure at Qinling Station. The team will also, for the first time, conduct an overwintering research mission in Antarctica.
A primary scientific goal of the expedition is to investigate the impact of climate change on the Antarctic ecosystem. Using the research vessels Xuelong and Xuelong 2, the team will conduct comprehensive monitoring in key regions, including Prydz Bay in East Antarctica, the Cosmonauts Sea, the Ross Sea, the Amundsen Sea, and the surrounding waters of the Antarctic Peninsula.
The surveys will cover key areas such as biological ecosystems, aquatic environments, sedimentary conditions, atmospheric conditions, and pollutant distribution. Additional studies on ecosystem health, coastal marine environments, and soil conditions will also be carried out at China's Kunlun, Taishan, Zhongshan, and Great Wall stations to deepen understanding of Antarctica's role in global climate change.
The expedition will also expand international cooperation across scientific research and logistical support. Through initiatives such as the Circumpolar Action Plan, the team will pursue joint research on critical frontiers in Antarctic science.
Key collaborative projects include an aerial survey of the Enderby Land region with Norwegian and Australian partners to examine ice, ocean, and bedrock interactions, which are essential for accurately assessing the ice sheet's mass balance and stability.
Furthermore, China will continue to strengthen bilateral and multilateral logistical partnerships with the US, the UK, Australia, Italy, South Korea, Russia, and Chile.
The team is composed of over 500 members from more than 80 domestic organizations, and supported by three ships. Xuelong and Xuelong 2, departing from Guangzhou, South China's Guangdong Province, will primarily handle scientific research, personnel transportation, and logistical resupply, while the Yong Sheng cargo vessel, departing from Zhangjiagang, East China's Jiangsu Province, will transport essential construction materials for Qinling Station's infrastructure.
The expedition is expected to return to China in May 2025.
This year commemorates the 40th anniversary of the start of China's polar expeditions. Over the past four decades, China has continuously strengthened its comprehensive capabilities in polar expedition and actively cooperated with relevant countries, and has made significant contributions toward understanding, protecting, and utilizing polar resources.
China's 40th Antarctic expedition successfully concluded on April 10, with the Xuelong returning to port in Qingdao, Shandong Province. The mission yielded significant results, such as completing an aerial scientific survey of the ice sheet margins of Queen Maud Land and Enderby Land, as part of a major international polar cooperation project.
In a so-called "most concerted" move against sanction circumvention aimed at intensifying pressure on Russia, the US Treasury and State departments have imposed sanctions on entities and individuals from over a dozen countries.
Experts said that the latest move comes as the US government is caught in a dilemma as it has lost control over the Russia-Ukraine conflict. However, the new curbs are unlikely to have a substantial impact on Moscow's military capabilities, they said.
The US Treasury and State departments imposed sanctions on nearly 400 entities and people from over a dozen countries in fresh action against Russia, Reuters reported on Wednesday, citing a US official who described the action as the "most concerted" push against third-country evasion.
"The Biden administration is trying to further isolate Russia through intensifying sanctions, but it is caught in a dilemma on the issue as the situation on the battlefield is spiraling out of US control," Lü Xiang, a research fellow at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Thursday.
"If the US chooses to withdraw from the engagement, it will be another embarrassing moment exposing its incompetence, similar to the withdrawal from Afghanistan; but if it continues to escalate its involvement, the Ukraine crisis could drag the US down a bottomless pit where Washington can neither financially nor politically meet the growing needs," Lü said.
According to Reuters, countries affected by the curbs include Russia, China, India, United Arab Emirates, Turkey, Thailand, Malaysia and Switzerland. The sanctions targeted dozens of companies from China and India, marking the largest collective action against entities from these countries to date, the report said.
To what extent can the US weaken Russia through these curbs? Lü said that non-US supply chains have emerged. Many American and European companies are also seeking to 'de-Americanize' their operations to strengthen other trade relations, as using US technology can subject them to unreasonable US restrictions.
In terms of the US move's impact on Russian military capabilities, the expert believes the sanctions are rather ineffective, as Russia has an independent weapon system and does not need to rely on other countries.
China has accelerated efforts to expand medical insurance coverage for assisted reproductive technology services, with more than 20 provincial-level regions officially including these services in their medical insurance coverage, as part of a series of measures to encourage fertility and support long-term balanced population development.
The provincial-level regions, including South China's Guangdong Province and Northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, have officially made announcements to begin implementing the relevant policies from October this year.
For instance, a total of 13 therapeutic assisted reproductive medical services, including "sperm selection treatment" and "egg retrieval surgery," have been included in the medical insurance coverage in Southwest China's Chongqing. The policy will come into effect on January 1, 2025, according to the Chongqing healthcare security authority.
Taking the data from a hospital from Guangdong as an example, the prices for most assisted reproductive technology services decreased after the relevant services were included into the medical insurance coverage. The cost of artificial insemination has fallen by around 50 percent, while fees for procedures like embryo transfer have seen an average decline of over 15 percent, according to the Guangdong healthcare security authority.
More couples are facing the challenges of infertility in modern society due to multiple factors such as a fast-paced lifestyle, and delayed marriage and childbearing age, Jiang Quanbao, a professor from the Institute for Population and Development Studies at Xi'an Jiaotong University, told the Global Times on Tuesday.
China has introduced the supportive measures aimed at "promoting long-term balanced population development," including medical insurance coverage for assisted reproduction technologies to assist families facing challenges in having children, to alleviate the economic burden they face, said Jiang.
China on Monday introduced a series of new birth support policies. Among the policies, assisted reproductive technology services will be added to the list of services that qualify for medical insurance reimbursement, according to a government document.
Since July 2023, some regions such as Beijing and South China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region have gradually included the relevant assisted reproductive technology services in their medical insurance reimbursement. Soon after, other regions actively followed suit, according to National Healthcare Security Administration.
Currently, there are still a few provincial-level regions that have not officially included assisted reproductive technology in their medical insurance including Northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Southwest China's Guizhou Province and North China's Tianjin.
Some of them, such as Heilongjiang and Tianjin, have published relevant drafts for public consultation and have completed the process of soliciting opinions from the public, according to the local healthcare security authorities.
The air vibrated with palpable energy as over 1,000 pilgrims from Taiwan converged on Meizhou Island in Putian, East China's Fujian Province on October 24. Their vibrant silk banners fluttered in the wind as they came to worship Mazu, the revered Chinese sea goddess.
This has been a regular scene on Meizhou Island this year.
"Every pilgrimage to Mazu is a journey home," Taiwan pilgrims who make repeated trips to Meizhou Island told the Global Times. They say these journeys are more than just religious activities; they are also a testament to the shared ancestral roots that bridge the two sides of the Taiwan Straits.
"Walking the route alongside my fellow pilgrims deepened my understanding of our shared origins," said Hsieh Mei-hui, a devout follower of Mazu from a temple in Hsinchu, Taiwan. "It's a connection that transcends words." She shared this experience with the Global Times after participating in a mid-October ceremony alongside nearly a thousand other Taiwan devotees.
She noted that a short documentary uploaded to her temple's website of her fellow devotees on pilgrimage, resonated deeply with other devotees in Taiwan, garnering tens of thousands of views in just a few days. With over 16 million Mazu devotees representing about two-thirds of the island's population, the Mazu faith has become a cultural bedrock for many, according to the Guangming Daily. Despite deliberate obstruction by the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities, their pilgrimage to the Chinese mainland feels like a homecoming - a long-awaited need, according to several interviewees from Taiwan reached by the Global Times.
"We are all descendants of Mazu, and always hope to see our siblings frequently," Wu Chin-chan, president of an association for promoting Mazu culture in Taiwan, told the Global Times.
Experts emphasized that this shared religious faith is not a political tool but a cultural treasure cherished through generations. It provides spiritual solace and fosters understanding, trust, and peaceful development between both sides of the Taiwan Straits in people-to-people exchanges. Deep-rooted connection
"These events are deeply moving," said Hsieh, recalling the thunderous drums and booming firecrackers that reverberated throughout the Mazu Ancestral Temple ground during her second pilgrimage to Meizhou Island.
"Seeing people from both sides of Taiwan Straits coming together with such sincerity to participate in the rituals and offer their prayers… it's incredibly powerful," she said.
Mazu is a deified young woman named Lin Mo believed to have lived in the 10th century on Meizhou Island. Her legend speaks of compassion and kindness. Revered as the guardian of maritime safety for centuries, she embodies a shared cultural heritage, with over 300 million devotees worldwide, Xinhua reported.
Mazu belief and customs were inscribed on UNESCO's Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2009.
According to Zhang Liming, media director at the Meizhou Mazu Ancestral Temple in Fujian, this year's pilgrimage witnessed over 1,000 people from more than 100 temples across Taiwan travelling to Meizhou Island, where the goddess was born. The temple is the most important Mazu religious center.
"The worship ceremony showcased a beautiful fusion of cultural traditions from both sides of the Straits. We had Taiwan's unique parade performance during which people perform Mazu's divine warriors, alongside the Chinese mainland's Dragon Dance and Yingge teams. Those teams' performance styles are different, but everyone felt a sense of familiarity with each other, which is the most concrete and true embodiment of the deep-rooted connection across the Taiwan Straits," Zhang said.
Liao Cheng-yang, chair of the management committee for a temple in Taiwan, emphasized the significance of visiting the Meizhou Mazu Ancestral Temple and tracing their roots back to the Chinese mainland.
"For us, it's a pilgrimage to the very heart of our shared cultural heritage, tracing back the origins of Mazu belief and its influence on our lives," Liao told the Global Times.
Statistics reveal that over 2,000 Mazu temples across the island of Taiwan have roots in the Chinese mainland, according to the Guangming Daily. Notably, the first procession of the golden statue of Mazu from Meizhou Island to Taiwan was in 1997.
"On social media, there are countless groups dedicated to Mazu. Many netizens expressed a strong desire to visit the mainland, especially the Meizhou Island," Hsieh said.
As a dance teacher who often travels to the mainland for cultural and artistic exchanges, Hsieh pointed out that in recent years, the promotion of traditional culture, including Mazu culture, in the Chinese mainland has grown impressively.
For instance, in recent years, research on Mazu culture has flourished across various academic disciplines, including anthropology, communication studies, religious studies, sociology, economics, and art studies. Institutions such as the Mazu culture research association in Fujian have been established. DPP's political anxiety
Liao has made over 30 pilgrimages to Meizhou Island in 36 years, participating in worship ceremonies at the Mazu Ancestral Temple.
While talking about the Mazu parade in October, Liao noted that he followed the parade to more places, and gained a more profound understanding of Meizhou Island and the Chinese mainland.
This time, Wu said he specially brought his eldest son to Meizhou Island to participate in the activity. He hoped that more young people like his son could have the influence of good traditional Chinese culture. He lamented how the DPP's relentless "de-Sinification" agenda has alienated many young people from Mazu culture.
Observers point to a deep-seated political anxiety toward Mazu worship among Taiwan separatist groups. In recent years, DPP authorities have consistently obstructed attempts by some Taiwan civic groups to invite the Mazu statue from Meizhou Island for a pilgrimage to Taiwan. They cite bureaucratic hurdles such as failing to meet the criteria of "necessity," "urgency," and "irreplaceability" for cross-Straits exchanges they set to justify these rejections, according to Xinhua.
To add fuel to the fire, the DPP also claimed that those believers are paid by the mainland for visits and religious exchanges, Reuters reported.
Sheng Jiuyuan, director of the Center for Taiwan Studies at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, told the Global Times that Mazu culture transcends regional and political boundaries, deeply resonating with people on both sides of the Straits.
It serves as a cultural bridge that fosters peace and stability, enhancing cultural identity recognition among compatriots. It is deeply ingrained in the hearts of peoples on both sides of the Straits, Sheng stressed.
"However, the authentic voices of the Taiwan people seem to have vanished from the news media controlled by the DPP," Wu lamented.
"Taiwan pilgrims come to Meizhou Island at their own expense," he stressed. "Mainland hosts welcome us with open arms, inviting us to share meals and engage in heartfelt conversations, where we swap stories about Mazu and other shared deities, learning about each other's local customs and traditions. These exchanges are as warm and familiar as a family reunion, filled with genuine human connection. Such sincerity deserves better than to be sullied by the taint of political maneuvering by the DPP," he said. Ambassadors of communication
After concluding a pilgrimage to Meizhou Island with roughly 30 Taiwan temple representatives, Wu's travels took him to Quanzhou and Xiamen in Fujian, where he visited various other deities. His itinerary also included a stop at the Guan Yu Temples.
Wu noted that the cultural connections between the people on both sides extend beyond Mazu; figures such as Guan Yu, an ancient Chinese general in the Three Kingdoms period (220-280 AD); Chen Jinggu, divine protector of women and children originated in Fuzhou prefecture; and the Yan Emperor and Yellow Emperor, two legendary ancestors of the Chinese nation, have also forged strong links.
On May 15, approximately 1,200 people from Taiwan visited the Yan Emperor Mausoleum in Gaoping, North China's Shanxi Province, to pay homage to their ancestors. This time, the visitors included not only devotees but also a specially organized youth group to participate in the ceremony, allowing young friends to experience the ancestral worship of the Yan Emperor. The activities included offerings to the Yan Emperor, interactions between youth from both sides across the Straits, social gatherings for women from both sides, and visits and discussions for Taiwanese businesses and enterprises.
Experts say that these "deities" not only protect the peace of the region but are also widely recognized as "ambassadors of communication" across the Straits. They represent the fundamental aspirations of people on both sides regarding home and nation.
Regardless of how the political landscape evolves, compatriots on both sides will continue to uphold these cultural ties, illuminating the path to peaceful reunification and serving as a source of strength for resolving differences, enhancing understanding, and advancing together, the expert noted.
As Liao shared photos from the Mazu pilgrimage with the Global Times, he specifically sent one of himself gazing out at the Meizhou Island harbor with his back to the camera.
With travel from Fujian to islands of Kinmen, an island located off the coast of Fujian Province, and Matsu, a small island attached to Taiwan but close to the Chinese mainland, now resumed, Liao expressed his hope that Mazu would one day again embark on a vessel from Meizhou Island, through the waves of the Taiwan Straits, to witness the history and friendship between the two sides.
US President Joe Biden's new national security memorandum, which directs national security agencies to leverage AI in competition with rivals, underscores the US' hegemonic act of securing a dominant position in this sector. However, Chinese experts cautioned that a broad interpretation of national security will potentially hamper global AI industrial cooperation and be used to stigmatize other countries.
Biden issued a national security memo on artificial intelligence on Thursday, entitling the Pentagon and US intelligence agencies to more quickly embrace and deploy artificial intelligence as a matter of national security, VOA reported.
The memo pushes hard on the use of AI, including bringing in more overseas workers with AI expertise, setting up facilities to accelerate US research and securing the AI supply chain against foreign meddling, according to Politico.
Treating the emerging technology as a key arena for global competition, the US seeks to maintain its development by establishing specific barriers that will help it retain a dominant technological advantage in the sector, Li Baiyang, an associate professor of intelligence studies with Nanjing University, told the Global Times.
Meanwhile, as countries compete to excel in AI security governance, the US is working to set rules for utilizing this technology and encouraging other nations to follow suit, with the goal of gaining international influence in AI security governance, Li said.
As China's AI sector booms, the US government has become acutely aware of the competitive pressure exerted by its biggest rival.
VOA said the memo seeks to "prevent the country from falling victim to AI tools wielded by adversaries like China," while Politico states that it "creates new policies to compete with China."
Experts stated that China will not interfere with other countries' internal strategic decisions, but cautioned that the memo could be used as a tool to obstruct global AI cooperation and to stigmatize other nations.
President Biden also directed agencies to help US firms protect AI technology from foreign spies. The White House statement claims "Our competitors want to upend US AI leadership and have employed economic and technological espionage in efforts to steal US technology."
This memorandum makes collection of intelligence on its competitors' operations against the US AI sector a top priority, and directs relevant US government entities to provide AI developers with the timely cybersecurity and counterintelligence information. It also bans agencies from using AI if they "do not align with democratic values."
The US has already begun to implement some of the parameters outlined in the memo, such as applying AI to intelligence collection, while simultaneously urging others not to misuse the technology, a Beijing-based security expert who wished to remain anonymous told the Global Times on Friday.
In this way, Biden and his team believe that explicitly outlining these hidden rules will elevate their moral standing and allow them to point fingers at others and contain their actions, the expert stated.
Li said that further expanding the antenna of national security into AI industrial development will potentially interfere with international cooperation on this cutting-edge technology, including with China, as we are currently seeing an intensifying US crackdown on Chinese products.
The US government will reject collaboration with other countries if they fail to adhere to the rules it sets, which presents a difficult choice for nations that are already falling behind, potentially broadening the technological gap, the anonymous expert added.
While the US further intertwines their intelligence departments with these internet companies, AI users will be compelled to cede and share a great deal of personal information, the expert mentioned above said. "We should recall the alarm we felt when Snowden revealed the extent of the US government's illegal internet surveillance. Now, we should consider how AI technology might be utilized by the US government as a tool for global surveillance."
The memo establishes deadlines for future actions that will extend long beyond Biden's tenure. It remains uncertain how Donald Trump or Kamala Harris will handle the policies if they are elected president, observers said.
Within just 12 hours, China successfully launched 18 communication satellites and a remote sensing satellite into their designated orbits, in two separate missions on Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning. Chinese space watchers view this achievement as a testament to the country's growing expertise in space technology and increasingly strong capabilities of space applications.
China launched the Gaofen-12 05 remote sensing satellite via a Long March-4C carrier rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Northwest China's Gansu Province at 7:45 am on Wednesday.
Earlier, China successfully sent 18 communication satellites for the Qianfan network into their designated orbit via a Long March-6A rocket from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in North China's Shanxi Province on Tuesday at 7:06 pm.
Both the remote sensing satellite and the Long March-4C rocket used in the Wednesday launch were developed by the Shanghai Academy of Spacecraft Technology (SAST), a Chinese space agency and subordinate of the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC), China's primary space contractor.
The Global Times learned from the SAST that the Gaofen-12 05 satellite will be used in a variety of fields including land surveys, urban planning, road network design, crop yield estimation and disaster relief.
Previously known as the G60 network and dubbed the "Chinese version of starlink," the Qianfan network is intended to provide high-speed, secure, and reliable broadband internet services to users around the world. According to its design plan, by the end of 2030, the network will be made up of more than 15, 000 satellites traveling in low-altitude orbits.
The establishment of the Qianfan constellation is expected to accelerate development in markets such as mobile innovation, autonomous driving, disaster prevention and reduction, and the Internet of Things, creating significant opportunities for the satellite internet industry, observers said.
The latest two successful launches were hailed by Chinese space watchers as demonstrating China's growing expertise in space technology and increasingly strong capabilities of space applications and this achievement reflects the commitment of China's aerospace workers in upholding the spirit of the "Two bombs, One satellite."
Senior Chinese officials on Friday met with the new UK foreign secretary David Lammy in Beijing, with both sides underscoring the willingness to promote pragmatic and mutually beneficial cooperation, which analysts viewed as a window for repairing and improving relations despite uncertainties.
Lammy's visit, from October 18 to 19, is the first to China by a UK Cabinet minister under the new Labour government.
During his stop in Beijing, Lammy met with Chinese Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang on Friday.
Ding, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, said that China is ready to work with the UK to further develop a more stable and mutually beneficial bilateral relationship from a strategic and long-term perspective and promote the upgrading of pragmatic cooperation in various fields, thus better benefiting the two countries and the two peoples and injecting more momentum into world peace and prosperity.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, also a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, held talks with Lammy on Friday as well.
Wang said that China agrees to fully resume dialogue and cooperation mechanisms in various fields and actively carry out mutually beneficial cooperation in trade, finance, green development, science and technology, health, education and people-to-people exchanges.
Wang said major power competition should not be the backdrop of this era, and China is ready to work with the UK to take openness and cooperation as the main theme, deepen strategic communication, promote practical cooperation and push China-UK relations into a new stage of stable development.
For his part, Lammy mentioned that the UK looks forward to strengthening exchanges and dialogue with China at the top and other levels, expand cooperation in areas such as climate, energy, science, trade and tech.
He noted that the British government is committed to effectively managing differences with China in a coherent, mutually respectful manner that serves the long-term interests of both sides. And the UK and China share extensive common interests and there should be no "iron curtain" between the two countries.
Lammy said the British side honors its commitments on the Taiwan question made at the time of the establishment of diplomatic relations with China and will continue to do so in the long term.
Analysts said that despite Lammy's visit is not enough to mark a full-scale warming of China-UK relations, it could be a preliminary and vital step toward normalization and reviving of ties.
Given the lukewarm or even frosty ties in the past few years, it's unrealistic to expect very concrete or groundbreaking results from Lammy's visit, Cui Hongjian, a professor at the Academy of Regional and Global Governance at Beijing Foreign Studies University, told the Global Times.
However, during this visit, China and the UK have made further progress in restarting the dialogue mechanism, committing to implement the important understandings reached between the leaders of the two countries during their phone call in August, and strengthening economic and trade ties, which will play a positive role in reviving bilateral relations, Cui noted.
According to the official release, Lammy is expected to meet with British business leaders in Shanghai to discuss how economic links with China support growth in the UK, after meeting with senior Chinese officials in Beijing.
"The UK is to take a stable, consistent and pragmatic approach to China, with engagement vital between two global players," said a UK foreign office press release ahead of Lammy and Wang Yi's meeting on Friday.
While the visit is expected rebuild mutual trust and strengthen communication, there is still uncertainty about how dynamic and sustainable Keir Starmer's administration's "pragmatic approach to" China will be, said Cui.
Enough political wisdom is currently required for the Starmer administration to maintain a balance among domestic political forces, and they also need courage to reform and avoid "backing down" on the cooperation and engagement stance due to the negative public opinion atmosphere in the UK toward China, Cui said.
Chinese President Xi Jinping has extended greetings to the elderly on the eve of the country's Seniors' Day, which falls on Friday this year.
Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, expressed the hope that the elderly are well provided for, enjoy their lives, and continue their pursuits.
Xi made the remarks in a letter to representatives of seniors who participate in a national voluntary initiative.
