During the three-day visit of the Maldivian Foreign Minister, Abdulla Khaleel, to India, some Indian media outlets linked China-Maldives cooperation, which is unrelated to the visit, to Maldives-India relations. Experts say this is an outdated mindset of the Indian media to exert pressure on South Asian countries.
NDTV, an Indian media outlet, said that the ties between India and the Maldives came under severe strain after Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu took charge of the top office in November 2023.
India may not hold a dominant position globally, but in the South Asian region, India views itself as a leader, Long Xingchun, a professor from the School of International Relations at Sichuan International Studies University, told the Global Times on Friday.
The Tribune India publishing an article titled "Maldives minister in Delhi as FTA with China kicks in" on Friday.
Qian Feng, director of the research department at the National Strategy Institute at Tsinghua University, told the Global Times that the Indian media's tendency to conflate unrelated issues indicates their intent to pressure South Asian countries. They often engage in sensationalism in an attempt to coerce these nations into yielding to their pressure, thereby pursuing their own interests, Qian noted.
Indian media inherently view South Asia as their sphere of influence, seeking to exclude other major powers in the region, Qian said.
Long said the Indian media's concerns lack basis, noting that China refrains from pressuring South Asian countries to take sides and instead promotes regional collaboration among these neighboring nations, including India. Furthermore, China has proposed the philosophy of trilateral cooperation, demonstrating confidence, inclusivity, and a focus on practical partnerships, according to Long.
China will always support the Maldives' effort to protect its sovereignty and independence, territorial integrity and national dignity, and support the Maldives' search for a development path that suits the country's reality, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said during his meeting with Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu on September 23, 2024.
It is the wish of China to carry forward its traditional friendship with Maldives and march alongside Maldives at the forefront of the endeavor to build a community with a shared future for mankind, Wang added.
A deep sinkhole appeared in the kitchen of Hu Yuzhen, an elderly woman in Xiangping Village, Fuquan, Southwest China's Guizhou Province, recently. Sinkhole disasters in the village have severely disrupted residents' lives and caused significant property damage. Emergency relocation and post-disaster reconstruction efforts have been launched by local authorities, according to Hongxing News.
Since August 2022, the village has experienced frequent sinkhole disasters, with 32 sinkholes recorded so far, some as deep as three meters. According to geological experts from Guizhou Province, geological experts have attributed the sinkholes to the fragile karst topography in the region.
This has been exacerbated by prolonged groundwater extraction by nearby coal mines, causing a significant drop in the water table, which destabilized the surface layer and triggered the formation of sinkholes.
The villagers' lives have been significantly disrupted. Local springs have dried up, making traditional rice farming nearly impossible, and many families have experienced severe damage to their farmland and homes.
In May, the Fuquan Natural Resources Bureau designated Xiangping village as a high-risk geological disaster zone, affecting 85 households and causing economic losses estimated at 15 million yuan ($2.05 million). Experts identified both natural and human-induced factors as contributors.
Hu and other affected villagers were temporarily relocated to a previously abandoned school. Evacuation routes and warning signs have been installed in certain areas for safety.
Representatives of the relevant coal mines committed to supporting recovery efforts and considering the engagement of third-party investigators to examine the disaster's causes further.
To ensure the safety and livelihood of the villagers, the government proposed three resettlement options, including local reconstruction, guaranteed housing, or financial compensation. The construction of new houses is being expedited.
China has completed the acceptance of the deepwater jacket structure Haiji-2 and Asia's first cylindrical floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) facility, Haikui No.1, cctv.com reported on Tuesday, citing information from China National Offshore Oil Corp, the largest offshore oil and gas producer in China. The completion of China's first deepwater oil field secondary development project represents a major breakthrough in the nation's independent construction capabilities of all types of deepwater oil and gas equipment. Experts noted that this approach strengthens China's deepwater drilling technology and promotes the efficient development of deepwater oil and gas fields. "The secondary development upgrades aging oil fields that are nearing their extraction limits, significantly boosting efficiency through new technologies," Zhang Yi, CEO of iiMedia Research Institute, told the Global Times on Tuesday. Zhang added that this is essential for strengthening China's deepwater oil field development capabilities, as advancements in maritime technology pave the way for future offshore oil field exploitation. Zhang noted that global deep-sea energy development remains limited, with most extraction occurring on land, particularly in the Middle East. "Given the significant technological and infrastructure demands of deep-sea projects, this breakthrough not only enables oil and gas extraction within China's territorial waters but also creates opportunities to export relevant technology and equipment," Zhang said. The Haikui No. 1 is a self-developed cylindrical FPSO facility from China. It is installed in the sea area of the Liuhua Oilfield in the Pearl River Mouth Basin, located more than 320 meters deep and about 240 kilometers southeast of Shenzhen, South China's Guangdong Province. The Haiji-2, acting as a "foundation" supporting fixed offshore oil and gas platforms where seabed conditions are challenging, can provide support for pipelines and subsea structures of an offshore platform. The jacket is a globally used marine oil and gas development type of equipment. For instance, Haiji-2 is equipped with advanced automation systems, including a robotic arm that enables "one-click operations" across various tasks, significantly enhancing the efficiency and stability of deepwater drilling. Both Haiji-2 and Haikui No.1 are serving China's first deepwater oil field, the Liuhua 11-1 offshore field. On August 9, Haiji-2 was officially drilled. It was the first time that China exploited oil and gas through a fixed platform in waters with a depth of more than 300 meters.
Over 700 years ago, Italian traveler Marco Polo journeyed through China, documenting his experiences and introducing the splendor of ancient China to Europe in his book. Fast forward to the present day, when people discover China through online videos. With China's visa-free policies and the introduction of 144-hour visa-free transit, a wave of international YouTubers and vloggers has flocked to China.
After exploring gateway cities, where they gain initial insights into China's modern cityscapes and rich cultural heritage, these YouTubers and vloggers soon turn their attention to localized regions, delving into frontier areas, revolutionary sites, and public infrastructure to find the answers to the questions: "What is modern China like, why is it the way it is, and how does it function?" Through their cameras, they present a real, friendly, and vibrant China to the world. They are affectionately referred to by the Chinese as the "Marco Polos" in the New Era.
Therefore, the Global Times presented this Marco Polo Trilogy. This is the second installment, sharing experiences and thoughts of some international travelers who had been to "red tourism" sites, which are characterized by patriotic or revolutionary themes. Videos of their visits became a vivid window to the global audience to take a closer look at the history and achievements of China and the Communist Party of China (CPC).
Canadian travel content creator Kourosh Kamyabi enters a historic building after walking down the old streets in downtown Shanghai. In the beginning, he doesn't know this building is to some extent the "founding site" of the CPC.
In a video he later shared on YouTube, Kamyabi says "I was just walking around, and I saw massive lineups to come into this area, and I walked in, and I saw a museum."
"I'm not sure what this is. Give me a moment," he opens Google Translate. "Ah… It says this is the site of the First National Congress of the Communist Party of China."
"That's cool!"
Unplanned encounters
Kamyabi is among the surging number of international tourists who recently visited China thanks to the loosened entry policy. With some 20,000 subscribers on YouTube, he has uploaded several travel vlogs of himself visiting Chinese cities like Shanghai and Chongqing under the screen name "KSquared."
One vlog titled "I went to a Communist Museum in China" showed Kamyabi's unplanned trip to the Memorial of the First National Congress of the CPC in Shanghai - hailed as the CPC's "birthplace," becoming one of his most popular vlogs that has gained 127,000 views thus far.
Similarly, Nepalese tourist Nagendra Bhujel and his wife Ananda Kala Rai did not put the memorial on their Shanghai journey schedule in advance. At first, they entered the memorial only to get out of the rain, after they had just finished a visit to the Jade Buddha Temple nearby.
Bhujel is not a professional travel vlogger but works in the insurance industry. His 13-minute YouTube vlog about their visit to the memorial, not elaborately edited though, shows the pictures and video clips of almost every corner of the memorial in detail.
Many of his audiences left comments thanking him for sharing. "Super beautiful," wrote a YouTube user. "Vanguard of the people…Long live CPC," wrote another.
Bhujel said he made and shared this vlog online because he himself supports the communist mentality. "I wanted to show this to others," he told the Global Times. "I felt proud to be a supporter of the communist ideology. In Nepal, Chairman Mao is very well respected." Amazing achievements
However, for many Western tourists like Kamyabi, what is showcased at the memorial is quite unfamiliar to them.
"I don't know anything about it myself. We're not taught about this history where I'm from in Canada," Kamyabi says in his vlog.
He noted that, a lot of Chinese history is not really taught to young Canadians, "because they have their own history to show, and other histories they choose to teach and what not to."
In this 19-minute vlog, Kamyabi invites the audience to "learn along the way" together with him, to know about "the founding days and founding fathers of the CPC."
He focuses his camera on almost every section of the memorial's exhibition hall showing the CPC's history, from the unequal treaties between the old feudal Chinese government and the West, the early spread of Marxism in China, and the representative pioneers of the CPC, to the numerous efforts and fights by the Party did for the peace, the stability of the country, and the prosperity of its people.
"I love the fact that there was a museum there for me to learn about what went on, and all that stuff was very interesting to me. To see where China was, [and] where it is now," Kamyabi said to the Global Times. "It's a big improvement. It's an amazing achievement."
More overseas tourists are actively adding "red tourism" sites like the memorial to their China travel lists. YouTuber Jack and Paige, for instance, spent time at the memorial and its souvenir shop while on tour at the surrounding historical blocks of Xintiandi.
For many visitors, the "birthplace" of the CPC is never the political propaganda site that some may have assumed it to be, but is an interesting place to learn more about the history and spirit of one of the world's largest ruling parties in a friendly and relaxed way.
The number of foreign visitors to the memorial has seen a significant increase in recent years, particularly this year, said a member of staff at the memorial surnamed Chen.
The memorial once conducted a survey on its foreign visitors, asking what part of the memorial impressed them the most. "Through the statistics, we found that they were mostly impressed by the [patriotism-themed] paintings and sculptures at the memorial, and a video presenting the First National Congress of the CPC with live-action and the naked eye 3D technologies was very impressive as well," said Chen.
The memorial is making more efforts to better serve its international visitors.
According to Chen, all the exhibits on display have English translations, and most of the videos being broadcast at the memorial have English subtitles. The memorial also has more than 160 audio guide equipment pieces that support seven foreign languages: English, French, Russian, Spanish, Arabic, German, and Japanese.
"This year, with the growing number of foreign visitors, we released the English version of the memorial's guide brochure," Chen said. "We also improved payment services at our souvenir shop and the memorial-branded cafe."
Remarkable narratives
Under Kamyabi's travel vlog about the memorial, many YouTube users recommended that he visit more "red tourism" destinations across China feature the country's histories of revolution and fighting against Japanese aggression, such as the Exhibition Hall of Evidences of Crime Committed by Unit 731 of the Japanese Imperial Army, and the Memorial Hall of the Victims in the Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders.
In recent months, videos about visiting destinations that share modern and contemporary Chinese history, especially the memorials that reflect the dark history of fascist Japan's invasion of China, are increasing.
In these videos, international tourists visit the memorials from the first-person perspective, showing global audiences a period of resistance against Japanese invaders full of blood and tears.
Earlier this year, 35-year-old Ryan Shane Palmer from New Zealand visited the Memorial Hall of the Victims of the Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders in Nanjing, East China's Jiangsu Province.
Palmer made a video of this visit and uploaded it to YouTube, sharing the photos in the memorial hall that unveil the extremely cruel and inhumane behaviors of Japanese invaders during the appalling massacre.
"I can imagine immense terror and fear," Palmer says to the camera. Palmer told the Global Times that during his time at the university, he focused on Japanese imperialism and its devastating impact on China and Southeast Asia. He was interested in learning more about the massacre in Nanjing, and the operations of Unit 731 in Harbin in Northeast China's Heilongjiang Province. Unit 731 was a top-secret biological and chemical warfare research base established in Harbin in 1935, which did numerous notorious human experiments on Chinese people during the war.
Palmer has also been to the Exhibition Hall of Evidences of Crime Committed by Unit 731 of the Japanese Imperial Army on a snowy day. "Experiments conducted here were perhaps the worst, or at least among the worst, in human history," he commented in a video he uploaded to YouTube about this visit.
Some Chinese users commented under the video, expressing their thanks to Palmer for showing fascist Japan's war crimes. "Thank you for making this video about Unit 731," one user wrote. "Most of [the foreigners] don't know what [the] Japanese did in China during WWII because their history books didn't cover this part," wrote another.
Visiting destinations like these is sort of exploring the darker aspects of history, said Palmer.
"However, as demonstrated by the resilience, strength, and camaraderie of the Chinese people during this period, these events also highlight the remarkable beauty of the human spirit in the face of extreme adversity," he told the Global Times.
"The narratives of love and compassion demonstrated by the Chinese people during one of the country's darkest periods are truly remarkable," he added.
The anti-terror body under the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) on Friday outlined practical cooperation for the next steps in fighting the "three forces" of terrorism, separatism and extremism in Beijing. The result was part of the 42nd regular meeting of the Council of the SCO Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (SCO-RATS) hosted by China and held in Beijing on Friday.
In addition, the meeting also conducted research on the implementation of the relevant resolutions from the SCO Astana Summit regarding the improvement of mechanisms to address security threats and challenges.
It approved the annual work plan of the RATS Executive Committee and related special cooperation plans, the Global Times learnt from China's Ministry of Public Security (MPS).
The outline of future cooperation within the anti-terror body of the SCO will enhance the member states' capabilities and interoperability in joint anti-terrorism operations, Cui Heng, a lecturer at the training base for the China National Institute for SCO International Exchange and Judicial Cooperation, told the Global Times.
Terrorist threats in recent years have seen a resurgence, with a concert hall terrorist attack in Moscow in March and terror attacks in Iran being two recent prominent events, Cui said.
Terrorist activities often spill over to other countries and flow around the globe. As the SCO expands, enhanced capabilities in tackling more threats from terrorism are needed, the expert said.
Representatives from the authorities of the SCO member states attended the meeting, along with the Director of the Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure Executive Committee, Ruslan Mirzaev. The SCO-RATS is headquartered in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
Cui told the Global Times that the meeting was held against the backdrop of the reform of the SCO-RATS, which has been a priority task since China took over the rotating presidency of the SCO.
Representatives of SCO-RATS praised China's recent efforts in organizing a series of counter-terrorism activities during its chairmanship of the SCO, the Global Times learned. It helps consolidate the SCO's law enforcement and security cooperation mechanism, enhance the level of practical cooperation, and deepen mutually beneficial cooperative relationships, they said.
The SCO member states recently conducted the Anti-terrorism Interaction-2024 joint exercise in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. Photos released showed soldiers and police officers fully armed with assault rifles, pistols and riot shields launching an assault, some via armored and all-terrain vehicles and some via helicopter, with aerial drones and robot dogs also deployed in the exercise.
Cyber counter-terrorism training courses that were held in China have touched on sharing experiences in smart counter-terrorism, security maintenance in open crowded places and large-scale events, telecom network fraud, cross-border gambling, as well as cybersecurity, the Global Times learnt from sources.
The Zhongyuan Festival, an occasion to pray for safety and express filial piety, falls on the 15th day of the seventh month of the lunar calendar. It happens to fall on Sunday this year. Also known as the Ghost Festival, the Zhongyuan Festival is a significant event recognized in various East Asian cultures, particularly in Chinese communities. In ancient China, people commemorate the ancestors with food offerings, burning incense and releasing water lanterns.
The Zhongyuan Festival comprises three main elements: worshiping the spirits of the ancestors, religious activities and performances celebrating life. Even though this festival has been influenced by Taoist and Buddhist thought, the origin of Zhongyuan Festival bears a deep Confucian imprint.
It is likely that the festival originated from an ancient ancestor worship tradition. Up until the Wei (220-265), Jin (265-420), and Northern and Southern dynasties (386-589), the ancient rituals we now recognize as Zhongyuan and the Obon Festival were influenced by the growing presence of Buddhism and Taoism. These ancient customs honor and celebrate the lives of deceased family members and friends. Additionally, ancestor worship during this period became closely associated with enjoying seasonal autumn foods.
In ancient China, people started to harvest crops in the seventh month of the lunar year. A common ritual of the time was that of offering the newly harvested grains, fruits and vegetables to the ancestors.
This was also an occasion to get together with relatives, friends and neighbors, which remains a custom in a number of Chinese provinces.
The word "Obon" means to save the soul from distress. During the Tang Dynasty (618-907), the Ullambana Festival was introduced to Japan along with Buddhism and was later called Obon, or Bon. On this day, dead ancestors are believed to return to their living families, so people prepare for the reunion with the performance of Bon Odori, or a Bon dance, to welcome the spirits and pay homage to their sacrifices.
The Zhongyuan Festival is celebrated in different ways across China.
The sixth century classic "Family Instructions," a collection of teachings and advice on family life, ethics and moral conduct written by Yan Zhitui, a notable Confucian scholar of the Northern and Southern Dynasties period (386-589), reminds future generations to honor the Obon Festival, to repay their parents for their kindness and express filial piety.
After the sixth century, Taoism also named the 15th day of July "Festival of Zhongyuan." According to the Taoist philosophy, three basic elements make up everything in the world - heaven, earth and water, and these elements are worshiped on January 15, July 15 and October 15 respectively in the lunar calendar.
Taoists also believe that on this day, the King of Hell frees the spirits of the deceased from the lower realm of the underworld, while Buddhists take it as a day to ease suffering and honor the elderly.
In the Tang Dynasty, officials were granted one to three days of leave to celebrate the Zhongyuan Festival. While since the Northern Song (960-1127), the festival became more about folk customs.
Days before the Zhongyuan Festival, people start preparing paper paste offerings for the worship ritual. On the festival, vegetarian food is put on the offering table in the morning. Many families take time to visit the graves of their ancestors, offering food and incense. This act of remembrance emphasizes respect and the ongoing connection between the living and the dead. Additionally, the government holds a public memorial meeting to pay tribute to the soldiers who died on the front line.
In the evening, after a traditional ceremony, people enjoy watching performances that reflect beloved aspects of local folklore or walk through the night market. Later many gather around a lake, a river or some other water body and release floating water lanterns, also called lotus lanterns, usually made by pasting paper into a lotus shape. A lamp or candle is placed inside it and represents the concept of "yang" (the world of the living), and the lanterns are left floating on the water, which represents the opposite concept of yin (the underworld).
In some regions, traditional performances are also staged in open areas as entertainment for wandering spirits.
The festival is often celebrated at night, when ghosts are believed to be more active.
Finally, according to ancient Chinese customs, some activities that should be avoided during the Zhongyuan Festival. For instance, many people avoid swimming or traveling during this time due to the belief that spirits might cause misfortune.
No matter where you are in China, you can always witness some form of Zhongyuan Festival celebrations and marvel at its centuries-old integration of beliefs and customs derived from Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism and folk traditions.
In commemoration of the National Day of Mexican Cinema 2024, the Embassy of Mexico in China will screen Cronos, a movie directed by Oscar-winning director Guillermo del Toro at the Beijing Yuan Museum on August 31.
In 1536, during the Inquisition, an alchemist builds a mysterious and sophisticated device named Cronos to provide eternal life to the owner in Veracruz, Mexico.
In the present day, antiques dealer Jesus Gris finds Cronos hidden inside an ancient statue while cleaning it with his granddaughter Aurora.
He accidentally triggers the device and soon his wife Mercedes and he note that he has a younger appearance.
Out of the blue, the stranger Angel de la Guardia visits Gris' shop and buys the old statue. On the next day, Gris finds his shop trashed and Angel's card on the floor.
He pays a visit to Angel who introduces him to the eccentric millionaire De la Guardia that explains the healing power and the eternal life bestowed by Cronos.
Angel is sent by De la Guardia to hunt down Gris to get Cronos no matter the costs.
Chushu, the 14th of the 24 solar terms of the traditional Chinese calendar, fell on Thursday. Meaning the "end of heat," the term gives hope to people in areas suffering from intense summer temperatures. After Chushu, the climate starts to become dry and temperatures change drastically. This can lead to sore throats and dryness, making it essential to take measures to prevent pharyngitis.
Chushu begins when the sun reaches 150 degrees of ecliptic longitude. By this time, the hottest days of the year, known as Sanfu or dog days, are either ending or are winding down.
Ancient Chinese people divided the Chushu period into three pentads: in the first pentad, eagles, treated as a type of sacrificial bird, were hunted and displayed as sacrificial offering before being served as dishes; the second pentad saw plants beginning to wither; while the third marked the maturation of grains.
During the period of Chushu, the northeast and northwest regions of China start to cool down, while the Jianghuai area might experience heavy rainfall.
After Chushu, the cooling effect is noticeable especially in the morning and evening, with each rain bringing a little more relief from the summer heat.
Experts suggest that consuming less spicy and stimulating food, eating more vitamin-rich fresh vegetables and fruits, avoiding to stay up late and exercising appropriately are all valid ways to boost the body's immunity during Chushu.
Folk customs include adding duck to one's diet as duck is believed to be particularly nutritious after mid-July of the lunar calendar. Having duck is believed to replenish yin and benefit the blood, cooling down the body and strengthening the spleen at the same time.
Suanmeitang, or sour plum drink, is highly recommended to combat dryness. In North China, the drink is mostly made of hawthorn, while in the south of the Yangtze River, dried dark plum is used.
This solar term coincides with the harvest season. Ancient farmers worshiped the Land God, praying for good weather and a bumper harvest.
In coastal areas, Chushu also signals the start of the fishing season. Since 1998, China has celebrated the Fishing Festival, acknowledging its rich fishing culture. More and more people are aware of respecting oceans by celebrating this festival. This festival marks the end of the fishing moratorium in the East China Sea. The coastal areas of Zhejiang Province celebrate new fishing season and diners to enjoy a wide variety of seafood.
Yin Jifu is a senior engineer with the National Engineering Research Center of Dredging Technology and Equipment under the state-owned construction giant China Communications Construction Company (CCCC).
Yin, whole holds a doctorate degree, has been working hard.
"The recently concluded third plenary session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China filled me with great confidence. The reform-centric resolution of the plenum led me to believe that now it is the right time to do big things," Yin told the Global Times.
According to a resolution adopted at the plenum, the country vowed to foster new quality productive forces, advance modern engineering technology, and establish mechanisms to ensure increased funding for future industry innovation, while enhancing the institutions and mechanisms for promoting the development of the marine economy.
For Yin, all these matters hold special significance. Spurred by top-down policy incentives and driven by a sense of urgency, he feels that there are many big things to do.
"For instance, to extract valuable metals from under the wild ocean waves could have huge implications for the lifeline of the nation's emerging new industries, and that's where our expertise can be of great use," Yin told the Global Times.
According to his estimation, each electric vehicle consumes 10 times the amount of rare metals as used by an internal combustion engine vehicle, so endeavoring to seek marine technology breakthroughs could power the country's future development.
Yin is not alone. The resolution adopted at latest CPC plenum has sparked renewed vigor in the hearts of those in the nation's marine engineering sector, from scientists in the lab to frontline workers on oil rigs and vessels at sea.
Marine engineering
Behind the story of Yin and many others is China's rapidly developing marine engineering sector - one of the fastest growing industries in the world.
After years of accumulating strengths and heavy investment devoted to solving tech bottlenecks, China's marine engineering sector has enjoyed meteoric development during recent years.
The nation has successfully rolled out its domestically manufactured large cruise vessel, large liquefied natural gas ship, the world's largest-capacity offshore wind turbine and a series of floating facilities used in offshore oil and gas exploration.
Marking one of the latest achievements, on August 12, a production facility in Qingdao, East China's Shandong Province under China National Offshore Oil Corporation completed and handed over the 17,000-ton, 24-story-building-high Marjan oil and gas collection and transportation platform - China's heaviest offshore oil and gas platform destined for overseas markets - to its clients from Saudi Arabia.
In the first six months of the year, China's marine economy expanded steadily, outperforming national GDP growth. The sector's gross output reached 4.9 trillion yuan ($678.55 billion), up 5.6 percent year-on-year, state broadcaster China Central Television reported on July 31, citing data from the Ministry of Natural Resources.
Notably, the growth rate of the marine economy was 0.6 percentage points higher than that of the overall economy from January to June.
Significantly, marine equipment manufacturing has witnessed a marked rebound, the ministry said, with multiple sizable deals clinched in the second quarter.
The new orders of marine engineering projects increased by 205 percent year-on-year, while the value of holding orders rose by 11.6 percent.
In the meantime, the country's shipbuilding capacity, marine traffic and cargo throughput all improved, with the foreign trade value of vessels and offshore wind turbine and parts increasing by 87.3 percent and 32.6 percent year-on-year, respectively, according to the ministry.
Analysts noted that the emerging marine engineering sector is set to make up a larger share of China's economy, as the sector has greater growth potential, featuring the use of new technologies.
Tech-driven growth
The third plenum resolution's emphasis on science-technology and innovation and digital technologies has led to a deep resonation with those in the marine engineering sector, whose job's prerequisite is the solid mastery of scientific knowledge and engineering expertise.
Zeng Nannuo, an oil worker at Shenhai Yihao, or Deep Sea No 1, China's first independently developed ultra-deepwater gas field, told the Global Times that the third plenum has injected renewed confidence across the industry, with the emphasis on fully implementing the strategy of invigorating China through science and education, the strategy of developing a high-quality workforce and the innovation-driven development strategy.
The platform, which has recorded an accumulated natural gas output of over 8 billion cubic meters, with its oil output exceeding 800,000 cubic meters as of May 3 this year, incorporates cutting-edge technologies such as 5G wireless telecommunication, digital twins, and Internet of Things technology.
"We will continue to implement innovation-driven development strategy, intensify the efforts in mastering key technologies and core parts, nurture the new quality productive forces in the marine energy sector, and further intensifying the digitalization of oil & gas production," Zeng said.
The emphasis by the resolution on scientific innovation is very heartening, CCCC's Yin said.
"Deep sea and deep earth probes require the pooling of resources from all sides, and the trend, which is already emerging, is expected to accelerate further," Yin said.
As part of a national push to foster scientific breakthroughs and break technological bottlenecks constraining the development of the fast-growing marine industry, a number of Chinese centrally administered state-owned enterprises are setting up a good number of innovation-driven consortiums to converge their scientific strengths.
CCCC led and set up in July a marine engineering innovation consortium, with initial objectives such as mastering technologies for key equipment for large-scale offshore wind farms.
"Now it is time to do big things," Yin said. "I can't say we are going to do zero-to-one sort of deeds, but at least we are aiming to connect the dots between labs and the vast ocean."
Japan's Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) has reportedly looked into the errors made in the preparation work for the test removal of nuclear fuel debris from one of the reactors at the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant after the discovery of a problem led to its suspension.
Observers warned of a more severe pollution leak, saying the lack of transparency in handling dumping nuclear-contaminated wastewater has eroded trust in the Fukushima nuclear power plant, and called for effective transparency. TEPCO has been immersed in public concerns, and surging opposition has continued in the first year since Japan began dumping nuclear-contaminated wastewater.
The plant operator has been preparing to conduct a test retrieval of nuclear fuel debris from one of the plant's reactors that experienced meltdowns in 2011, according to Japanese media outlet NHK.
The debris, a mixture of molten nuclear fuel and parts of the reactor structure, is estimated to weigh around 880 tons, and the task of removal is considered to be the most challenging step in decommissioning the damaged power plant because of extremely high levels of radiation, as reported by NHK.
The suspension was implemented due to a problem discovered with the installation of a removal device, the NHK report said.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said on Friday that the more transparent and open Japan is on the issue, the easier it will be for Japan to alleviate international concerns.
China once again calls on Japan to seriously respond to international and domestic concerns, fulfill its responsibilities and obligations, and offer full cooperation in setting up an independent international monitoring arrangement that remains effective in the long haul, Mao said.
Lü Chao, a research fellow at the Liaoning Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Friday that the test retrieval of nuclear fuel debris has prompted increasing opposition, particularly from Japanese citizens, due to concerns that it could result in a second, more severe pollution leak.
Given the frequent occurrences of accidents at the Fukushima nuclear power plant and public concerns, the lack of transparency in handling the related issues has eroded trust in the plant among both the Japanese public and the international community, Lü said.
The Global Times learnt from Japanese environmental NGO "Don't Contaminate the Oceans Anymore! Citizens' Council" that it will organize a 2024 global action on Saturday to raise voices from Japan and abroad in opposition to the dumping of the nuclear-contaminated wastewater from Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant and advocate for an end to the radioactive water dumping.
"The ocean is the source of all life. We cannot dump radioactive materials into it for human convenience. Moreover, ocean creatures cannot raise their voices. It is only us humans who can raise our voices in opposition!" said a representative from the Japanese NGO.
The NGO noted that during last year's global action in April before Japan officially discharged the contaminated water, they had received nearly 100 photos and powerful messages worldwide from countries including France, Canada, South Korea, Fiji and Solomon Islands against the dumping.
