Editor's Note:

As China's new-energy industries rise to global prominence, US officials have started a smear campaign based on false "overcapacity" claims. The rise of China's new-energy industries is due to innovation, rather than subsidies, and is beneficial for the world, instead of posing threats to other countries. To illustrate this, the Global Times is publishing a multi-part series under the theme of "New Energy, New Opportunities." This story focuses on how the Chinese electric vehicles (EV) industry draws its competitiveness from competition, debunking the groundless narrative that the Chinese EV industry's strengths came from government subsidies.
While the US has kept hyping up "overcapacity" in China's new-energy vehicle (NEV) industry to smear the latter's technology edge in new energy production, many Chinese NEV companies are actively promoting globalization with an increasingly open attitude to provide high-quality and clean cars to global consumers, and moving to share development dividends with their global partners.

During recent years, a growing number of Chinese NEV makers and battery manufacturers such as BYD and CATL are investing in setting up plants overseas including the ASEAN, Europe, Middle East and South America. By extending their reach through overseas establishments and joint ventures, China's NEV sector has become a source of growth and catalyst for job creation globally, reinforcing the resilience of the global supply chain.

Industry analysts note that Chinese NEV companies aspire to seek win-win cooperation and mutual benefit in the process of their going global, and they attach importance to contributing to the economic and social development of the countries where they have businesses. With technological innovation and quality developed through competition in the global market, Chinese NEV makers continue to make greater contributions to global green transition and technological advance.

Rapid industry growth

Chinese NEV companies are flocking to Thailand after the pandemic came to an end and have played a vital part in the Thai government's strategy to boost up foreign investment as a way to speed up domestic economic growth, Xu Genluo, vice president of Thailand-based Amata Corp, told the Global Times on Wednesday.

Reflecting China's NEV manufacturing advantages, at least 10 Chinese NEV brands have come to Thailand to invest during the past two years, Xu said. He said Chinese companies have brought along good posts in technical, sales and management for local Thais.

The arrival of Chinese EV companies has contributed to the realization of the Thai government's ambition to scale up the country's domestic industrial and value chain, restructure its industrial capacity, and fulfil its climate and emission control goals, Xu said, noting that the Thai government has awarded global companies, including Chinese NEV companies, with favorable policies.

As Thailand has a long automotive heritage and world-class manufacturing capability, Chinese leading NEV maker BYD has chosen the Southeast Asian country to build its first passenger car plant outside China. With BYD's advantages in whole industrial chain and its owning core technologies, the company would contribute to the popularity of NEVs in Thailand.

Chinese lithium-ion battery giant CATL announced a decision in 2022 to invest 7.34 billion euros ($7.9 billion) to build a 100 GWh battery plant in Debrecen of east Hungary, its second battery plant in Europe.

Investment will generate substantial tax revenues, create new jobs, and become a new driver for local economy, CATL said. It said the project will attract both upstream and downstream partners across the electric vehicle value chain to Hungary, injecting vitality into the country's sustainable development.

In February this year, the company signed a cooperation agreement with a Vocational Training Center in the city in order to train prepared and highly motivated professionals.

As some Chinese NEV players have consolidated their lead in electric vehicle and battery technologies, more global auto giants are seeking cooperation with leading Chinese automakers to learn their know-how.

In February, German carmaker Volkswagen agreed to carry out a strategic technical collaboration project with Chinese automaker XPeng to develop two intelligent connected vehicle models.

Stellantis, a multinational auto company headquartered in Amsterdam, also announced in October 2023 a plan to invest 1.5 billion euros to acquire approximately 20 percent of China's EV start-up Leapmotor, underlining the competitiveness of China's EV manufacturing.

"Overcapacity should indicate an imbalance between demand and supply, but it is often misused. If we look at the global demand for clean new energy, we actually have an under-capacity," Claudio Celani, economic editor of news magazine Executive Intelligence Review, told the Global Times in a recent interview.

In Africa, some of its 1.4 billion people currently lack access to a power grid. Most of them are located in Sub-Saharan Africa, in countries which, even if they want to, have neither the financial nor physical means to satisfy that demand. It is obvious that the technology must be brought in from countries like China and other industrial nations, Celani said.

Celani attributed China's competitive advantage in NEV and other industrial products to two main factors, namely technological progress and economy of scale.

Globally competitive

"Across the world, only China has mastered core NEV technologies. The entry of Chinese NEV makers to overseas markets will not only drive investment and create jobs but also help these countries rapidly build up their NEV production capacity and gain international competitiveness after a while," Zhang Xiang, director of the Digital Automotive International Cooperation Research Center of the World Digital Economy Forum, told the Global Times.

Compared with traditional automobile powerhouses, China's development of NEVs was relatively early and therefore has already achieved a degree of technological accumulation.

"As a result, China-made NEVs are internationally competitive with lower production costs and good performance, which make them popular in overseas markets," Zhang said.

The US' "overcapacity" narrative cannot impede the ongoing transformation and upgrade momentum of China's traditional industries, Zhang said, noting that China's new energy products will play an increasingly important role in driving the global low-carbon transition.

China's vehicle market got off to a good start in the first quarter of 2024, with production and sales both exceeding 6.6 million units, according to the latest data released by the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers. The market share of NEVs remained above 30 percent in the first three months, official data showed.

Chinese President Xi Jinping returned to Beijing on Saturday morning after wrapping up state visits to France, Serbia and Hungary. Wang Yi, a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and foreign minister, referred to Xi's Europe trip as a journey to carry forward friendship, enhance mutual trust, boost confidence and chart the course for the future during a press briefing.

Over the course of five days and six nights, the president visited three countries and four regions, participating in more than 30 events that seamlessly coupled bilateral and multilateral engagements, covering political, economic, and cultural activities. The trip includes formal state events as well as informal interactions, Wang said. 

He noted that during Xi's state visit to France, the Chinese president proposed to uphold independence and jointly prevent a new Cold War or bloc confrontation; adhere to mutual understanding and jointly promote harmonious coexistence ; commit to proceeding from a long-term perspective to jointly push for an equal and orderly multipolar world; and uphold mutual benefit while jointly opposing "de-coupling."

The heads of state of China and France reached a number of areas of consensuses on further developing bilateral relations, agreeing  to consolidate the strategic stability of bilateral ties, tapping into the broad potential of mutually beneficial cooperation, accelerate people-to-people exchanges, and build greater consensus on global cooperation, Wang added.

The two sides issued four joint statements on the situation in the Middle East, artificial intelligence and global governance, biodiversity and oceans, and agricultural exchanges and cooperation, as well as signed nearly 20 cooperation agreements.

During the visit to Serbia, President Xi and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic agreed to form  a China-Serbia community with a shared future in the new era, and Xi also announced China's initial practical measures to support the building of the community.

Noting the decision marks a breakthrough in the building of a community with a shared future in Europe, Wang said it will surely become a new milestone in the history of China-Serbia relations and help the two countries speed up their respective modernization process.

During the visit to Hungary, Xi expressed willingness to take the opportunity to establish a China-Hungary all-weather comprehensive strategic partnership for the new era to inject new and strong impetus into bilateral cooperation, and Hungary is welcomed to be China's companion on its path to Chinese modernization.

China is willing to work with Hungary to take Xi's visit as an opportunity to write new story of China-Hungary all-weather comprehensive strategic partnership for the new era, and open a new chapter of mutually beneficial cooperation in a Golden Voyage.

In a trilateral meeting in Paris with French President Emmanuel Macron and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Xi said there is neither geopolitical conflict nor fundamental conflict of interests between China and the EU.

Xi pointed out that this relationship does not target any third party, nor should it be dependent on or dictated by any third party, and that China and the EU should continue to see each other as partners, and remain committed to dialogue and cooperation.

In response to the so-called "China's overcapacity" narrative, Xi noted that China's new energy enterprises have not only enriched global supply and alleviated the pressure of global inflation, but also contributed significantly to global climate response and green transition.

Xi stressed that whether viewed from the perspective of comparative advantage or global market demand, there is no such thing as "overcapacity."

On the Ukraine crisis, Xi clarified that China did not create the Ukraine crisis, nor is it a party to it, but rather, China has been working vigorously to facilitate talks for peace  since the conflict first broke out.

China has the sincerity, positive actions and principled position, and China does not accept any remarks or actions that use the crisis to discredit China and incite a new Cold War.

During Xi's visit to France, China and France agreed to treat the Paris Olympic Games as an opportunity to advocate for a global ceasefire and cessation of hostilities during the Games, to speak out for the peaceful settlement of hotspot issues, and to contribute to the construction of a world of lasting peace and universal security.

On the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, Xi said China supports the convening of a more broad-based, more authoritative and more effective international peace conference as soon as possible to promote the comprehensive, just and lasting settlement of the Palestinian question at an early date. 

This visit further solidified the positive aspects of the China-EU relations, Cui Hongjian, a professor with the Academy of Regional and Global Governance with Beijing Foreign Studies University, told the Global Times on Saturday.

Cui noted the depth of exchanges between Chinese leaders and leaders of European countries is beyond expectations, for example, they touched on tricky issues related to overcapacity, adding that  a China-France joint statement was released on the situation in the Middle East. 

Strategic balance and stability between China and Europe would strengthen the fundamental stability of the global landscape, Cui said.

China's first "AI cheating" case in video games was publicly adjudicated on Monday at Yujiang District People's Court in Yingtan, East China's Jiangxi Province. The defendant was sentenced to three years in prison with a five-year probation, for profiting via illegally invading and controlling a computer system which disrupted video game's operation. 

The defendant, surnamed Wang, was found to have profited by creating and selling AI plug-in programs. He collaborated with others including Wan and Zhang in 2022 to develop plug-in programs. Upon completion, Wang utilized agents including Chen and Zhang for selling the programs, thereby making a profit from the sale of "AI cheating" gift card passwords. In total, Wang illegally obtained over 6.29 million yuan ($890,000), out of which he paid 840,000 yuan to Wan for development expenses and over 420,000 yuan to Zhang for production expenses.

According to police, the so-called game cheating refers to the use of third-party software to program game modifiers with specific functions. It mainly enhances the skills of game characters by tampering with the normal settings and rules of the game, allowing the characters to exhibit abilities beyond the usual limits. It is a form of cheating program that fundamentally disrupts a computer system.

In Wang's case, he was found to have used an "AI cheating" program to access visual data from multiple games without authorization, modified mouse data instructions processed in video games, and introduced features such as "auto-aim" and "automatic shooting," thereby disrupting the normal gaming environment. The program source code was founded to intercept mouse data instructions, calculate and analyze these instructions, and send the calculated results back to the computer's USB port, enabling automatic movement and clicking of the computer mouse pointer.

Wang was sentenced to three years in prison with a five-year probation and issued a fine. Confiscation of illegally obtained proceeds and tools used in the crime were forfeited and turned over to the state treasury. Any remaining personal illegal gains not yet confiscated will continue to be pursued. Following the verdict, Wang complied with the judgment and decided not to appeal.

According to Criminal Law of the People's Republic of China, providing specialized programs or tools for invading or illegally controlling computer information systems, or knowingly providing such programs or tools for others engaged in such illegal activities, constitutes the crime of providing programs or tools for invading or illegally controlling computer information systems when the circumstances are serious.

The court made the aforementioned judgment as Wang's provision of specialized programs or tools for invading or illegally controlling computer information systems, leading to substantial profits, committed a crime, and his confession and voluntary admission of guilt and the return of illegally obtained proceeds warranted a lighter punishment. 

Xi replies to letter from steelworkers in Serbia's Smederevo.

Three provinces - Central China's Hubei, Hunan and East China's Jiangxi - are expected to experience heavy flooding during this year's flood season and are key flood control areas in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, according to State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters. 

As a response measure to recent heavy downpours, the command center led an on-site inspection team to examine local flood-relief efforts. "The three provinces' flood control and drought relief system still have some weak links, flood control and drought relief situation remains complicated and severe," according to the team.

Led by Vice Minister of Water Resources Chen Min, the team visited key sections of the Yangtze River and its important tributaries in Hubei, Hunan, and Jiangxi between April 23 and 27. 

The team also examined local flood preparation at reservoirs, ongoing river-related projects, hydrological monitoring stations, pre-flood preparations in flood-prone areas, and readiness in flood storage and detention areas, according to a statement released by Ministry of Emergency Management on Monday.

Additionally, in an effort to monitor local governments' efforts and responsibilities in flood-relief, including whether hidden risks in flood season are plugged and readiness in stockpiling of flood prevention materials, the headquarters dispatched covert expert teams. 

Amidst a recent wave of heavy downpours in central and southern part of China, Guangdong Province railway authorities decided to suspend the operation of 62 trains on Beijing-Guangzhou line from Monday to Wednesday, several high-speed train services will also experience delays as well.  

The National Meteorological Center (NMC) continued to issue yellow warnings for heavy rain and severe convection weather on Monday morning.

It is expected that from 14:00 on Monday to 14:00 on Tuesday, there will be heavy rain in central and northern Chongqing, eastern Guizhou, most of regions south of the Yangtze River, central and northern South China, the NMC said.

Among them, there will be heavy rain between 100 and 200 millimeters in southern Hunan, central Jiangxi, northwestern Fujian, northeastern Guangxi and northern Guangdong. 

During the period, the NMC said that heavy rainfall would sweep central and northern parts of Hunan, including Changsha, and many parts of Hunan would encounter strong convection weather. In Changsha, capital city of Hunan, a wave of wind and rain swept many parts of the city Monday noon, with visibility decreased significantly, as if night had fallen.  

Parts of central and southern Hunan, Jiangxi, southwestern Fujian, central and eastern Guizhou, northeastern Guangxi, and central-northern Guangdong are expected to experience thunderstorms with fresh gale or above level, or hail. In some areas, it will experience whole gale or storm. 

In Guangdong, according to the monitoring and forecast of meteorological and hydrological departments, heavy rainfall will continue in the province in the next few days. Local departments also warned of subsequent geological disasters. 

Chinese President Xi Jinping met with visiting US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday in Beijing. Xi said China is willing to cooperate with the US, but cooperation should be a two-way street.

China is happy to see a confident, open, prosperous and thriving US, and hopes the US can also look at China's development in a positive light, Xi said.

"This is a fundamental issue that must be addressed, just like the first button of a shirt that must be put right, in order for the China-US relationship to truly stabilize, improve and move forward," Xi said.

China is willing to cooperate with the US, but cooperation should be a two-way street, Xi noted. "China is not afraid of competition, but competition should be about common progress, not a zero-sum game."

Xi said China is committed to non-alignment, and the US should not form small circles, adding that both sides can have their own friends and partners and should refrain from targeting, opposing or damaging each other.

The diplomatic teams of the two sides also reached five points of consensus on Friday including to maintain high-level exchange and contact at all levels, continue military exchanges and further advance cooperation between China and the US in drug prohibition, climate change, and artificial intelligence.

Some Chinese experts said President Xi's meeting with Blinken can be described as a top-level reception, and the US should realize the inaccuracies, biases, and misconceptions prevalent in America's foreign policy toward China.

This also helps the West to view China more accurately and assists China in gaining a more accurate understanding of US policy toward China and its overall foreign policy, experts said.

For a certain period of time, China has been concerned with the US' approach of "saying nice things while continuing harmful actions," Diao Daming, a professor at the Renmin University of China in Beijing, told the Global Times on Friday.

The US should adhere to its words with actions, ensuring promises lead to results, and not say one thing while doing another, and the trust should be the foundation to protect mutual interests and foster the development of the bilateral relations, Diao said.

During the meeting, Blinken said during his visit, he found that Americans from various sectors in China also hoped to see an improvement in bilateral relations.

The US is not seeking a "new Cold War," does not aim to change China's system, does not seek to contain China's development, and does not intend to oppose China through alliances, nor does it intend to enter into conflict with China, the US diplomat said.

The US adheres to the one-China policy and hopes to maintain communication with China, seriously implement the San Francisco consensus reached between the two leaders, seek further cooperation, avoid misunderstandings and miscalculations, responsibly manage differences, and promote stable development in the bilateral relations, Blinken said during the meeting, according to a readout released by China's Foreign Ministry.

The latest communication can also be described as a process of mutual reassurance, Li Haidong, a professor from the China Foreign Affairs University, told the Global Times on Friday.

"In the new environment, China and the US need to ensure the establishment of a stable, coordinated, mutually beneficial, equal, and cooperative relationship. Both sides have this willingness, and our actions are very clear, but the US has not kept pace," the expert said.

Therefore, we emphasize that this reassurance process should be pragmatically advanced, enabling China-US relations to withstand various turbulences and endure the impacts of international situations, which is also very important, Li added.

Although the consensus between the two sides on effectively managing their relationship seems to have been largely reached throughout the latest high-level interactions between China and the US, some experts are concerned whether the US can guarantee that it will effectively manage differences and expanding cooperation through action, especially when Biden are currently in the midst of elections.

"If the US is unable to follow the consensus and fulfill its promises, and even further seeks to contain China due to election politics, encircle China, tarnish China's image, and interfere in China's internal affairs, it is very likely to have a negative impact on the future trajectory of China-US relations," Diao said.

The US' negative moves, such as arms sales to Taiwan, the attempted ban of TikTok, and the smear campaign targeting China's human rights and governance in Xinjiang, have been ongoing. Therefore, if the relationship between the two sides is to overcome uncertainty, the main source of uncertainty still lies with the US, Li said.

The overall trend in the bilateral relations this year may also be stable, but there are significant risks. These risks primarily stem from the strong domestic political constraints on the White House in handling issues related to China policy, the expert noted.

Chinese President Xi Jinping, in a congratulatory letter to the first China-Latin American and Caribbean States Space Cooperation Forum on Wednesday, highlighted that China is ready to work with Latin American and Caribbean countries to build a high-level space cooperation partnership, promote space technology to better benefit both peoples, and continue to promote the building of a community of China and the Latin American and Caribbean countries with a shared future.

The event, co-hosted by the China National Space Administration (CNSA) and Hubei provincial government, took place in Wuhan, Hubei Province on Wednesday. The forum holds great significance in inspiring space scientific innovation, deepening international space cooperation, and showcasing the high level of political trust between China and the Latin American, Caribbean countries.

Noting that this year marks the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the China-CELAC (Community of Latin American and Caribbean States) Forum jointly announced by the leaders of the two sides, Xi said that China and Latin American and Caribbean countries have seen prosperous development over the past decade in their cooperation in various fields within the framework of the China-CELAC Forum to usher in a new era featuring equality, mutual benefit, innovation, openness and tangible benefits for the people, the Xinhua News Agency reported.

China is ready to work with Latin American and Caribbean countries to build a high-level space cooperation partnership, promote space technology to better benefit both peoples, and continue to promote the building of a community of China and Latin American and Caribbean countries with a shared future, Xi said.

Only with high-level political trust can the two sides carry out cooperation in the space domain, as it involves large amount sensitive areas in national defense technology, Pan Deng, director of the Latin American and Caribbean Region Law Center of the China University of Political Science and Law, told the Global Times on Wednesday.

Pan said that China has mastered a full range of mature space technology, from launching spacecraft, satellite in-orbit operations to applications on the ground, while countries in the Latin America and Caribbean region have the unique geographical advantage of their location in the Earth's western and southern hemisphere, which is crucial for monitoring and tracking space activities as well as their growing need for space power building such as launching commercial satellites.

Therefore, cooperation between China and Latin America in the field of space not only helps enhance the technological innovation capabilities of both sides but also promotes social and economic development. Such cooperation, based on high-level political trust, commercial collaboration, and equal partnership, holds significant and far-reaching implications for enhancing China-Latin America relations, upgrading cooperation, fostering innovative development, and promoting building of a community of China and Latin American and Caribbean countries with a shared future, he said.

Xi, in the letter, also said that China and Latin American and Caribbean countries have yielded fruitful results in space cooperation in recent years, including new progress in the fields of remote sensing satellites, communication satellites and the deep space station network, which has played an important role in promoting scientific and technological progress, strengthening regional connectivity and improving people's well-being.

Working together for over three decades, China and Brazil have developed six satellites under the China-Brazil Earth Resources Satellite program (CBERS) so far, with the first successful launch in 1999. China helped launch Earth-observing satellites for Venezuela over the years, and helped Bolivia launch the country's first telecom satellite in 2013.
Capacity building for all

Wednesday marked the 2024 Space Day of China with delegates from over 50 countries' aerospace agencies, international organizations, foreign embassies and consulates in China, and research institutions attending the main event in Wuhan.

China designated April 24 as the Space Day of China in 2016 to mark the launch of its first space satellite "Dongfanghong-1" to space on April 24, 1970. According to statistics obtained by the Global Times from the organizers, a series of nearly 500 space-themed activities is being held by relevant departments, universities and associations across the country on April 24 this year.

China revealed on Wednesday more details of international cooperation in its lunar probe programs.

The International Lunar Research Station (ILRS,) a lunar program currently led by the CNSA and Russia's Roscosmos, has added Nicaragua, the Asia-Pacific Space Cooperation Organization (APSCO), and the Arab Union for Astronomy and Space Science as collaborating countries and organizations.

The CNSA announced Wednesday that China will cooperate with these three parties in various aspects such as engineering implementation, operation and application of the ILRS program. According to the CNSA's ILRS Partnership Guidelines, the ILRS aims for peaceful use, equality and mutual benefit, and common development.

Through joint construction with multiple countries, the ILRS will establish a comprehensive scientific experiment facility on the lunar surface and in lunar orbit, capable of long-term autonomous operation, short-term human involvement, with expandability and maintainability, the Global Times learned from the CNSA on Wednesday.

Aisha Jagirani, director general of the Department of External Relations and Legal Affairs at APSCO, told the Global Times on Wednesday that China's space program is quite impressive compared with other countries that have been working in the development of the technology for so many years. China, in a small time frame period, has done a lot, and most of the work is indigenous and totally done inside China. That is incredible, Jagirani said.

Commenting on APSCO's official joining of the ILRS program, Jagirani hailed that China now brings opportunities to other countries in the Asia-Pacific region, particularly developing countries that do not have much experience in the kind of technology or that cannot work independently.

"So through the platform, the countries have the opportunity to learn about space exploration, what research is involved, what technicalities are involved. We [APSCO] have an agreement with China on the ILRS and that provides an opportunity to the member states including small emerging countries to learn about the dynamics of a space exploration.

"That is something extremely impressive. These kind of opportunities cannot be found anywhere else," she said.

Jagirani elaborated that "the basic idea of joining the ILRS is capacity building, because we understand that not all countries in the Asia-Pacific region have ambitions to send [a] man on the moon, nor maybe have ambition or that much financial capability available to do moon exploration. But through this platform of ILRS, member states could have the capacity building opportunity, and they're working together to get involved in the work to find out how the whole program is being developed, what research areas are available, when the lunar samples will be brought back to Earth, and how these samples are being researched.

"So it's a great opportunity to focus on training, education and capacity building of the member state so that in future, when they aim to go for space exploration, they already have experience accordingly," she said.

China also announced on Wednesday the Chang'e-7 mission is scheduled to launch around 2026, aiming to survey the lunar south pole's surface environment, lunar soil water ice, and volatile components. It will conduct high-precision exploration and research on lunar topography, composition, and structure.

China's Chang'e-7 mission has selected six international payloads to carry onboard, based on scientific objectives and engineering feasibility, from seven countries and international agencies including Egypt/Bahrain, Italy, Russia, Switzerland, Thailand and the International Lunar Observatory Association.

The Chang'e-7 lander will carry a laser retroreflector array developed by the National Institute for Nuclear Physics in Italy's Frascati National Laboratory to support high-precision measurements on the lunar surface and orbit navigation for orbiters, a lunar dust and electric field detector developed by the Russian Space Research Institute to study the lunar exosphere's dust and plasma environment near the lunar surface, and a lunar astronomical observation telescope developed by the International Lunar Observatory Association to conduct lunar-based observations of the Milky Way, Earth, and the panoramic sky.

The orbiter will carry a lunar material hyperspectral imager jointly developed by the Egyptian Space Agency and the Bahrain National Space Science Agency for analyzing and identifying lunar material and environment, a dual-channel Earth radiation spectrometer developed by the Davos Physical Meteorological Observatory in Switzerland (World Radiation Center) and Shenzhen University for monitoring changes in the Earth's climate system radiation balance from the moon for the first time, and a space weather global monitoring sensor developed by the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research, and Innovation of Thailand and the National Astronomical Research Institute of Thailand for early warnings of disturbances caused by solar storms and cosmic radiation.

Xi exchanges congratulations with Gabonese Transitional President Nguema over 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties

China is expected to experience a surge in outbound tourism during the upcoming May Day holidays, as data from major online travel agencies show a rise in tour bookings. Experts said that the growth can be attributed to factors such as visa-free policies and rising demand for travel.

The travel popularity for the upcoming May Day holidays is steadily increasing compared to 2023, with a more significant growth in outbound and inbound travel bookings. Unlike the short-distance trips during the Qingming Festival, medium and long-distance travel will be the focus during the May Day holidays, according to a report sent to the Global Times by online travel agency Trip.com Group.

According to the report, the search popularity for domestic hotels and flights has slightly increased compared to 2023, while the search popularity for outbound flights has significantly increased by 56 percent year-on-year.

Based on the travel agencies' data, the tour bookings' surge can be credited to various factors such as enhanced people-to-people exchanges between nations, the implementation of visa-free policies, a surge in demand for outbound travel, as well as the ongoing enhancement of transportation and destination facilities, Wu Liyun, a professor of China Academy of Culture and Tourism of Beijing International Studies University, told the Global Times on Wednesday. 

Wu said that thanks to the facilitation of visas and the increase in aviation capacity, the Chinese inbound and outbound tourism market is expected to experience rapid growth in 2024, driving the global tourism market to recover. The China Tourism Academy predicted in February that the number of outbound travels could reach 130 million in 2024.

In terms of outbound tourism, popular destinations include Japan, Thailand, South Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, the US and Indonesia. Meanwhile, the travel bookings to countries and regions along the Belt and Road Initiative such as Saudi Arabia and Qatar have seen a higher year-on-year growth rate, said the Trip.com report. 

Also, the international cruise packages departing from Shanghai and Xiamen, East China's Fujian Province, for the upcoming May Day holidays have almost sold out, according to the report.

Meanwhile, more tourists from small and medium-sized cities are starting to plan outbound trips, with destinations in East Asia and Southeast Asia still being the first choice for many travelers going abroad, according to a report sent to the Global Times by Tongcheng Travel on Wednesday.

The five-day holidays are enough to plan for a relatively long-distance trip either abroad or within the country. "I plan to travel to the South Korea or other regions," a Shanghai resident surnamed Liu told the Global Times on Wednesday.

The Trip.com report also indicated that, in terms of inbound tourism, during the May Day holidays, the number of inbound tourism bookings increased by 130 percent compared to 2023. The main inbound countries include Japan, the US, South Korea and Canada, while the popular domestic destinations for foreign tourists include Shanghai, Beijing and Guangzhou.

China's Central government official Xia Baolong kicked off a high-profile opening ceremony of an event in Hong Kong Special Administration Region (HKSAR) marking the 10th anniversary of a holistic approach to national security on Monday when the city celebrated the first National Security Education Day after legislation of Article 23.

Xia, head of the Hong Kong and Macao Work Office of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council, highlighted Hong Kong as the best destination in the world for business, making money and realizing dreams with the national security guarantee firmly in place.

Xia made the remarks via video link, according to the Commissioner's Office of China's Foreign Ministry in the HKSAR.

Xia stated that the unanimous passage of the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance by the Hong Kong Legislative Council on March 23 is a milestone event that has a profound influence on Hong Kong's transition from governance to prosperity and long-term stability.

After the completion of the legislation of Article 23 of the Basic Law, it is believed that investors have cast their votes of confidence in Hong Kong with real investments. This shows that Hong Kong remains the best place in the world in terms of business environment, Xia said.

While stressing that "one country, two systems" is Hong Kong's greatest strength, the Chinese senior official said that Hong Kong's role as an important bridge and window connecting the mainland and the world will become more prominent, emphasizing that the central government fully supports Hong Kong's transition from governance to prosperity, with "more measures to support and benefit Hong Kong to follow."

Hong Kong's prosperity "cannot be talked down by a few articles, noises or jeers," and Hong Kong's development cannot be obstructed by mere obstacles, Xia said.

HKSAR Chief Executive John Lee also addressed the ceremony, asking the city to be vigilant of acts and activities endangering national security.

Hostile forces will continue to attack Hong Kong for political gain, just like a virus that will not disappear simply because Hong Kong has been vaccinated. Hong Kong cannot "forget the pain once the wound heals" and must take preventive measures, Lee said.

Calling the legislation of Article 23 "an efficient vaccine" to safeguard national security, Lee urged that work that lies ahead be improved including better clarifying and interpretating the provision concerning the legislation, strengthening intelligence collection and analysis capabilities to guard against espionage and infiltration and sabotage by foreign forces, and promoting national security education, patriotism education, and Chinese cultural education.

Separately, several attendees of the ceremony reached by the Global Times on Monday expressed their confidence toward the future prosperity of Hong Kong.

Willy Fu, a law professor who is also director of the Chinese Association of Hong Kong & Macao Studies, told the Global Times on Monday that the holistic approach to national security is of great significance steering the "patriots governing Hong Kong" in the right direction, and opening a new chapter in the practice of "one country, two systems" and the development of Hong Kong.

Willy Fu noted that as long as the principle of "patriots governing Hong Kong" is firmly implemented and the path of democratic development in line with the reality of Hong Kong is steadily followed, it will certainly provide solid political support for the governance and prosperity of Hong Kong.

Hong Kong lawmaker Elizabeth Quat Pui-fan, who also attended the ceremony, believes that after the completion of Article 23 legislation, Hong Kong should focus on striving to improve the economy, seeking development and protecting people's livelihood. It should also refute those who smear Hong Kong with the fact that Hong Kong continues to be brilliant.

Elizabeth Quat added that with the ever-changing international situation and hostile forces eyeing us, the risk of jeopardizing national security still exists. She urged the city to stay alert to any uneasy factors and risks, to ensure that riots like those in 2019 are not repeated and to provide a solid guarantee for prosperity.

Louis Chen, a member of the Election Committee and general secretary of the Hong Kong Legal Exchange Foundation, told the Global Times that "as a personal experience of Hong Kong's transformation from chaos to governance and from governance to prosperity, I feel that the security conditions in Hong Kong today have not come easily, and I will be better able to contribute to Hong Kong's development in my own field in the future."

Also, on occasion of celebrating the National Security Education Day on Monday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said at a regular press briefing that under the guidance of the holistic approach to national security, China's sovereignty, security and development interests have been comprehensively safeguarded, and the overall social situation has maintained long-term stability. China has become one of the most secure and safest countries in the world.