In mid-December, Beijing was covered in heavy snow, while about 2,300 kilometers away, Hanoi remained a tropical summer. A visit brought the two places closer, and displayed a highlight moment in the China-Vietnam relationship.

Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and Chinese president, paid a state visit to Vietnam from December 12 to 13, at the invitation of the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee Nguyen Phu Trong and State President of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam Vo Van Thuong.

Nearly 40 cooperation documents between China and Vietnam are on display at the premises of the CPV Central Committee. When visiting the premises, Xi said with delight - our cooperation is fruitful and dazzling.

For the people

As Xi emphasized during his phone talk with Nguyen Phu Trong in January 2020, the significance of expanding China-Vietnam cooperation lies in making people from both countries gain a greater sense of achievement and happiness.

From Xi's signed article titled "Building a China-Vietnam Community with a Shared Future That Carries Strategic Significance And Writing Together a New Chapter in Our Modernization Drive," published on December 12 by the Vietnamese Nhan Dan Newspaper, to Xi's speech at a meeting with representatives of young Chinese and Vietnamese people who have contributed to the China-Vietnam friendship the following day, at which one example was mentioned twice - Vietnam's first urban light rail project, the Cat Linh-Ha Dong metro line, built by a Chinese company.

Luong Thi Hai Van, a Vietnamese vice professor at the Guangxi University for Nationalities, told the Global Times that her friends in Hanoi are so happy with the convenience brought by the metro line. "Hanoi is the capital city of Vietnam with a dense population and traffic jams during peak hours. But now the traffic jams have been greatly eased. This is a 'revolution' for the people living in Hanoi," Luong said.

The metro line, constructed by a Chinese company, is a landmark project that connects the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) with Vietnam's "Two Corridors, One Economic Circle" strategy. The line is approximately 13 kilometers long with 12 stations. The entire journey takes only 23 minutes by metro train, which is nearly 1 hour faster than traveling by car and 20 minutes faster than traveling by motorcycle. The line has already served nearly 20 million passenger trips so far, making travel in Hanoi more convenient.
Du Bin, deputy chief engineer of the Chinese construction enterprise China Railway Sixth Group's overseas branch and project manager of the Cat Linh-Ha Dong metro line, told the Global Times that one of the most impressive memories during the project construction was the scene when the first locomotive arrived at the construction site. The installation of the large locomotive lasted until 3 am in the light rain, yet the streets were still filled with people who came to watch. Some said they were eagerly looking toward to a ride on Vietnam's own light rail metro.

Nowadays, "the metro has become a popular spot in Hanoi's urban development and a favorite place for people to take trendy photos," Du said.

There are many other similar examples. In 1997, the China State Construction Engineering Corporation (CSCEC) undertook the construction task of the Nguyen Van Linh Parkway - a highway that stretches from Ho Chi Minh City further south to the southern part of Vietnam, with a total 12 lanes and length of 17.8 kilometers. Before the highway was built, the construction site was almost entirely marshland and the highway had to cross 10 rivers. The time given to the contractors was fairly short.

For a time, it was considered mission impossible. But now, the highway, which literally spans 10 rivers with its widest part being 120 meters, is operational.

Lu Yen, a Chinese-Vietnamese employee of the CSCEC, told the Global Times that a good transportation infrastructure brings prosperity to a region. Nguyen Van Linh Parkway and the surrounding auxiliary roads have successfully connected seven districts, and the entire road is surrounded by greenery.

Lu said before the construction, the road was only a 6-meter-wide dual carriageway, with small shops and scattered tin houses on both sides, making the already congested road even more difficult to navigate. Now, the Ho Chi Minh City Medical University Hospital, Ton Duc Thang University, as well as business zones, and shopping malls like ViVo City, Parkson, have settled around the parkway, greatly improving the lives of local residents.

Lu passes by Nguyen Van Linh Parkway every day on her way to work. "Looking at the projects that I participated in, looking at the towering buildings and the supporting facilities around them, I feel that not only have the roads been widened, but also has our space for happiness," she said.

Opportunities for future

In 2015 and 2017, Xi visited Vietnam twice as the general secretary of the CPC Central Committee and the Chinese president. Similar to the most recent visit, Xi attended a wreath laying ceremony at the Ho Chi Minh mausoleum, Hanoi, in both previous visits.

"The memory of those fiery and exciting years of our two peoples is kept alive," Xi said on December 13, when recalling the times when the two countries were fighting for national independence and liberation, adding that "today, we remain firmly committed to our shared aspiration forged in the early days and are pursuing win-win cooperation."

During the visit in November 2017, Xi attended the inauguration and handover ceremony of Vietnam-China Friendship Palace and the inauguration ceremony of the Hanoi China Culture Center, then shook hands and extended warm greetings with the present Chinese and Vietnamese guests, encouraging them to make positive contributions toward strengthening friendly exchanges and cooperation between the two countries.

"When Xi visited Vietnam in 2015, he gave a speech to Chinese-funded institutions, overseas Chinese, and students. I attended the event," Miao Renlai, president of the Chinese Business Association Ho Chi Minh City Branch, told Global Times. Miao recalled that Xi's voice was magnetic and pleasant.

"Xi spoke to us like a parent - friendly, approachable, and inspiring… He introduced the development of bilateral cooperation between China and Vietnam, which encouraged us and boosted our confidence in developing our businesses and careers in Vietnam," Miao said.

In 2017, when Xi visited Vietnam for the second time, Miao also made a special trip to Hanoi from Ho Chi Minh City to welcome Xi and hence experienced the warm welcoming atmosphere both at the airport and along the way from the airport to the hotel where Xi stayed.

Miao told the Global Times that Xi's visit not only brought new opportunities to him, but a breakthrough in entire bilateral trade between China and Vietnam. Looking back at the past achievements of the China-Vietnam cooperation, its breadth and depth are remarkable. China has been Vietnam's largest trading partner for consecutive years, and Vietnam is China's largest trading partner in the ASEAN and fourth-largest trading partner globally. From about $100 billion in bilateral trade volume in 2017 to a total two-way trade turnover of $175.57 billion in 2022, the trade volume has almost doubled in recent years.

There are some eye-catching figures: In the first 10 months of this year, the number of China-invested projects in Vietnam ranked first among all foreign investment projects in the country, with the investment amount increasing by 98 percent year-on-year. China is Vietnam's largest fruit and vegetable export market with a turnover of $2.75 billion, up 160 percent over the same period in 2022 and accounting for 65 percent of the country's total fruit and vegetable export turnover.

The most remarkable achievement during Xi's latest visit was the joint announcement of a new positioning for the two parties and two countries, which is to build a China-Vietnam community with a shared future that carries strategic significance.

"Vietnam, China sign 36 agreement documents for cooperation," read a headline by the VnExpress. Experts said, compared with previous high-level visits, the achievements reached during the latest visit are the most extensive in terms of coverage, the largest in terms of quantity, and the deepest in terms of cooperation.

Detailed cooperative plans are listed in the joint statement. Even in terms of the South China Sea, where controversies and disputes exist, there are specific promotions of cooperation.

For instance, the two sides agreed to continue effective joint patrols on the Beibu Gulf and military ships' mutual visits as well as deepen exchange and cooperation mechanisms between the naval and coast guard forces. They also agreed to study the establishment of methods for resolving civil and border trade disputes, and promote legal and judicial cooperation between localities that share the borderline in appropriate forms.

Other future-oriented plans include effectively deploying an economic-trade cooperation zone, focusing on intensifying investment cooperation in such fields as agriculture, infrastructure, energy, the digital economy, and green development, and promoting standard-gauge railway connectivity across the bilateral border while studying and promoting the building of Lao Cai-Hanoi-Hai Phong standard-gauge railway route.

"I have always looked forward to the day when I can take a Chinese high-speed train home. Now, I feel that this hope is not far away," Miao said.
Increased happiness index

Ten years ago, Xi proposed the four-point principle of "amity, sincerity, mutual benefit, and inclusiveness" in developing neighborhood diplomacy, and clarifying the direction of how "neighbors who cannot be moved" can coexist. Ten years later, fruitful results have been achieved. China has established a bilateral community with a shared future with a growing number of neighboring countries.

Light was shed upon the principle again on December 13 in Hanoi. During his speech at the meeting with representatives of young Chinese and Vietnamese people, Xi stressed: "What we are pursuing is not modernization just for China itself… We are ready to share more of the benefits of Chinese modernization with our neighbors… And we should pursue our respective paths to socialism and deliver the gains of industrialization and modernization to more people of our two countries."

An example can be found in the Chinese-Vietnamese employee of the CSCEC Lu's story. She said the CSCEC not only provides job opportunities for the locals, but also carries out training programs to help improve local workers' technical skills. "When we have more stable income, improved infrastructure, and a better living environment, our happiness index is increased."

According to Miao, when Chinese enterprises go abroad, they must prioritize localization of the companies - not only recruiting local talent, but cultivating local people to take up management positions. "Our business associations often talk to the Chinese-funded enterprises and remind them to comply with local laws, regulations, religious culture, and customs; to live and work in harmony with Vietnamese citizens for mutual benefit," Miao said, adding that China is not developing on its own, but developing together with everyone. "In this way, people from other countries will respect us more and when every Chinese person is respected aboard, that means China's genuine rise," Miao stressed.

"China and Vietnam are connected by mountains and rivers," goes the song "Vietnam-China," a classic Vietnamese song about the traditional friendship between the two countries. It carries the message - neighbors wish each other well; just as loved ones do to each other.

China-Vietnam relations are a microcosm of China's interaction with the world. "Our two Parties are both Marxist parties that bear in mind the overall interests of the world, and our two countries are both responsible members of the international community. And both of us should play a major role in advancing human progress," Xi expressed his wishes during his speech at the meering with the representatives of young Chinese and Vietnamese people.

It is widely believed that the construction of a China-Vietnam community with a shared future will become a new starting point for the development of bilateral ties. This will not only help people of the two countries to live a better life together, but also bring more positive energy to the Asia-Pacific region and the world.

Businesses and experts see more potential in economic and trade ties between China and New Zealand as bilateral relations get stronger, highlighted by the ongoing visit of Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi to the island nation this week.

As the two countries deepen cooperation in traditional sectors like dairy and aquatic products, industry insiders and experts said that there are burgeoning areas such as tourism, the green economy and digital economy where their complementarity can further be leveraged.

The comments came as the two countries marked the 10th anniversary of the establishment of a comprehensive strategic partnership.

New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Wellington on Monday.

During the meeting, Wang noted that since the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and New Zealand, the countries had set numerous records of "firsts," driving bilateral relations to the forefront of China's relations with developed countries, according to the website of China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

China is happy to see New Zealand's continued participation in the Belt and Road Initiative cooperation, and looks forward to working with New Zealand to explore the new growth areas of cooperation such as science and technology, green and innovation while strengthening the cooperation in traditional fields, Wang said.

The Chinese economy enjoys both a solid foundation and a broad space for growth, which will continue to inject more impetus into the world economy and bring new opportunities to New Zealand, the Chinese foreign minister said.

At the meeting, Luxon also expressed his expectations for deepening cooperation in various sectors including economic and trade issues, education, tourism, agriculture and technology.

Wang is the highest-ranking Chinese politician visiting the country since he went there in 2017.

The visit has drawn wide attention, with businesses seeing even brighter prospects for bilateral economic and trade ties, the core of the bilateral relationship, experts and industry insiders told the Global Times.

The relationship between China and New Zealand has consistently been at the forefront of China's ties with developed Western countries, creating numerous milestones, Chen Hong, director of the New Zealand Studies Centre at East China Normal University, told the Global Times on Monday.

Economic and trade relations serve as the cornerstone of bilateral ties, with New Zealand products such as beef, lamb, dairy items and seafood gaining increasing popularity among Chinese consumers. Economic and trade relations have been robust and mutually beneficial, with China's value-for-money products also appealing to New Zealand consumers.

In addition to traditional sectors, both countries have vast potential for cooperation in the fields of the green and blue economies, as well as in the realm of the digital economy, Chen Hong said.

The strong China-New Zealand relationship also serves as a model, particularly for Australia, to learn from, especially after the downturn in China-Australia relations during the previous Morrison government, said Chen Hong.

Among various bilateral exchanges, tourism has been an important factor, with greater potential for growth.

Jason Chen, head of the New Zealand-China Travel Exchange Association, who also owns a travel agency in New Zealand, told the Global Times on Monday that he has good expectations for the high-level government meetings during the visit of China's foreign minister in terms of a possible boost for the tourism industry in the island country.

The year 2019 was the China-New Zealand Year of Tourism, with outbound travel from China to New Zealand reaching 587,700 in terms of arrivals. However, due to the pandemic, the number of tourists traveling to New Zealand has significantly decreased, Jason Chen said.
While there has been a recovery in terms of the number of Chinese tourists visiting New Zealand, it has not recovered to the pre-pandemic level.

"With high-level visits, we expect to boost the development of the tourism industry in both China and New Zealand. Booming tourism will help further revive the New Zealand tourism industry and boost its economy," Jason Chen said.

At the same time, the tourism industry insider said that as the bilateral relationship gets closer, the New Zealand government will consider introducing short-term visa-free policies for Chinese tourists, making it more convenient for more Chinese people to visit the island country for sightseeing and tourism.

In the dairy sector, business potential is strong. In a statement previously sent to the Global Times, Teh-han Chow, CEO of Fonterra's greater China division, said that the China market is incredibly dynamic and a strong driver of international trade and investment.

China's emphasis on openness creates opportunities for businesses to engage in mutually beneficial partnerships, expand market access, and contribute to economic growth, Chow said.

Bilateral relations have seen a positive trend, with important meetings and interactions at both the government and business levels taking place, following the visit of then New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins to China in June 2023, charting a good course for bilateral relations.

Both countries marked many "firsts" in their bilateral relations. China is New Zealand's largest trading partner. New Zealand was the first Western country to support China's accession to the World Trade Organization and the first Western country to decide to join the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank.

In March 2017, New Zealand became the first Western developed country to sign a cooperation agreement with China on the Belt and Road Initiative.

Based on mutual respect and equality, the relationship between China and New Zealand has maintained steady momentum since the establishment of diplomatic ties, yielding many fruitful outcomes, Chen Hong said.

New Zealand's economic development has also directly benefited from closer ties with China, including a free trade agreement. China's ongoing consumption upgrade continues to inject new impetus into the island country's economic recovery in the post-pandemic era, Chen Hong said.

China’s foreign trade in Jan-Feb hit record high, up 8.7% y-o-y

Police in Meigu county in Liangshan, Sichuan, recently received a report from the School of Ecology and Nature Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, which said that a black-necked crane with a tracker for scientific research had remained in a static status for an extended period. The institute asked for an investigation into the condition of the migratory bird. 

The police immediately formed a task force to investigate into the incident in the outskirts of a sparsely populated hamlet. 

After extensive investigations and visits, the police finally tracked down the suspect surnamed Jike. 

Jike confessed under interrogation that he illegally captured and killed the rare species of the endangered wildlife animal black-necked crane. 

According to Jike, he happened to see the big bird resting on the river bank on his way home and the idea of catching and eating the bid just occurred to him. A thought that he soon followed up on.  

According to the judicial appraisal results by a forestry judicial appraisal center in Sichuan, the bird killed by the suspect was a black-necked crane, which is one of China’s national first-class key protected animals. The tracking device tied to the bird’s foot and the serial number show that the black-necked crane was exactly the one that was used for ecological study of migration of the crane by the college institute. 

Jike has been placed under criminal detention by the police for the suspicion of the crime of endangering precious and endangered wildlife animal. The case is currently under further investigation. 

According to media reports, the black-necked crane is the only species of crane endemic to China and is among the 15 crane species that currently exist in the world. It is also the only crane species in the world that grows and breeds on plateaus, earning it the titles of “plateau fairy” and “plateau divine bird.”

China’s top legislature passed regulation on February 24, 2020 to strictly ban the illegal wildlife trade and eliminate bad habits of eating wild animals in China to safeguard people’s health and livelihoods. 

According to China’s Criminal Law, anyone who illegally captures, kills, transports, purchases or sells national protected, precious, endangered wildlife and their products, shall be sentenced to imprisonment for up to five years or faced with criminal detention, along with a fine. 

In cases of serious circumstances, the punishment may be extended to 5-10 years of imprisonment, along with a fine. In particularly severe cases, the sentence may be more than 10 years of imprisonment, along with a fine or confiscation of property and assets. 

Preliminary investigation shows the separation of carriages accident along the Changping Line of Beijing subway on Thursday evening was due to the snowy weather, which affected the train's braking system, resulting in a rear-end collision with the front train, Beijing transportation authorities said on Friday.

Around 11:00 pm on Thursday, the personnel transfer was completed, and the on-site disposal work basically finished. A total of 515 people were sent to the hospital for examination, and 102 people were found to have suffered fractures, with no fatalities, the authorities said on Friday.

According to the authorities' announcement, the accident occurred as a result of the slippery tracks caused by the snowy weather. The preceding train had to make an emergency brake to stop. Unfortunately, the following train was situated in a downhill section, making it difficult to effectively brake due to the snowy conditions.

Beijing transportation authority apologized for the inconvenience, fright, and injuries caused to the passengers in this accident, and vowed to do a good job in carrying out post-accident work and conduct a comprehensive investigation to improve extreme weather operation and emergency response to ensure the safety of operations.

It was at 6:57 pm on Thursday, when a rear-end collision occurred in the section between Xi’erqi to Life Science Park stations of the Changping Line. The municipal government officials immediately went to the scene and set up a working group for on-site accident disposal. The relevant departments including transportation, firefighting, health, public security and emergency response responded quickly and made efforts for rescue, according to the authorities.

As of 6 am on Friday, 423 people have been discharged from hospital, 25 people are under observation, and 67 people are receiving hospital treatment, the authorities said.

On Friday, Beijing Subway apologized again over the incident, while putting in place measures to reduce inconvenience for passengers.

Currently, the Beijing municipal government has established an investigation team for the Changping Line accident, which will further investigate the cause of the accident, evaluate the emergency response, and learn lessons from the accident, effectively carrying out rectification measures.

The Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Emergency Management on Tuesday have urgently allocated 200 million yuan ($28 million) in disaster relief funds to northwest China’s Gansu and Qinghai provinces. This funding will support local earthquake relief efforts and ensure the safety of people's lives and property, minimizing the impact and losses caused by the disaster, China Media Group (CMG) reported.

China is stepping up rescue and relief efforts to ensure the safety of people's lives and property after a 6.2-magnitude earthquake shook Jishishan County in northwest China's Gansu Province at midnight Monday.

The State Council has sent a working group to the stricken regions to help guide relief work. Gansu and Qinghai provinces have organized relief support with immediate allocation of relief supplies such as camps and folding beds to impacted areas.

Relief supplies were immediately redeployed from nearby areas, with supplies gradually arriving to impacted communities, China’s National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) told a press conference on Tuesday.

The NDRC has activated emergency response mechanism to ensure energy, electricity, and essential supplies. Efforts are being made to repair damaged power facilities and provide emergency power supply. Food and material reserves are being allocated for disaster relief, a spokesperson from the NDRC said.

The first shipment of 46,100 emergency relief supplies from central and provincial level have been dispatched to the disaster-stricken areas, including cotton tents, quilts, mattresses, folding beds, cotton shoes, and stoves, according to Gansu provincial grain and material reserve bureau. The bureau has also obtained 15 tons of flour for emergency supply in Jishishan.

The State Council's earthquake relief headquarters and the Ministry of Emergency Management have upgraded the national earthquake emergency response to Level II.

At present, the earthquake has led 105 deaths in Gansu and 11 deaths in Qinghai, with damaging basic infrastructure such as water, electricity, transportation, and communications, Xinhua News Agency reported.

Rescue and relief efforts are progressing in an orderly manner, including hazard inspections, evacuation and resettlement of residents, and repair of damaged facilities, China Media Group reported.

The Chengdu FISU World University Games concluded on Tuesday as the hosts, the Chinese delegation, finished with 103 gold, 40 silver and 35 bronze medals to sit at the top of the medal table, setting a new record for the best results for China at a FISU Games.

The world-leading Chinese university swimming team has been the biggest contributor for China's medal haul at the Games, as the Chinese swimmers totaled 18 gold and two bronze medals.

Besides the big stars such as multiple-time gold medalists Qin Haiyang, Zhang Yufei and Li Bingjie, names such as five-time National Para Games gold medalist Peng Huidi, who faces a lasting hearing issue, also took the stage.

The Central South University student, who had to rely on a visual confirmation at the start of the race, compared to her opponents who dive into the pool after hearing the starting horn, is a slow starter in every race. 

However, she had successfully improved her result in the 1,500 meters freestyle by a stunning 32.3 seconds. 

Beyond the outstanding performances delivered by the Chinese delegation, which consisted of a total of 411 athletes participating in all 18 events, the tournament has a lot of memorable moments. 

Communication, understanding

FISU Acting President Leonz Eder said Tuesday that Chengdu has really made all dreams come true as he reviews the Games. 

"What we have witnessed here in Chengdu is state of the art. It's the best we can have. It's really fantastic for the athletes, for the spectators, for everybody," he told reporters. "There's nothing to complain about."

FISU Secretary-General Eric Saintrond believes that hosting the Chengdu Universiade has helped foster China's global image as many young people come to visit the city.

"What you see and hear is different from what people tell you," Saintrond said. "Many people have never been to Chengdu and to China."

As for the impact of the FISU Games on the youth, Acting President Eder affirmed that the Games showcased the importance of communication, understanding, and learning from different cultures. 

He asserted that fostering open dialogue and embracing diverse viewpoints is key to creating a better world.

"In some parts of the world, people stopped talking to each other, but the young generation, they don't know these borders, these frontiers," Eder told the Global Times.

"They talk to each other, they learn their own stories, they tell their own stories, they start to communicate, and these are the students, because the students, they speak different languages, and they have no shy to meet other people, and this is really what we believe is needed to make a better world," Eder said of the young people of the world.

"Don't think that your opinion is the only one in the world. We have so many different opinions, different cultures, based on different histories, not one is better than the other, but go and talk to each other, learn from each other, and this is the basic for creating a better world."

Showcasing Chinese culture

The Chengdu FISU Games, the first international multi-sport tournament held in West China, have also become a platform for athletes worldwide to learn about the diverse Chinese culture.

The cultural fair is among the most popular destinations for athletes every night after their competitions. 

"One of the pillars of FISU is education, culture, and sport. We do not just organize sport event. For us it is important to show the young people to give the opportunity to discover the culture, the richness of every place where we are going," Eder said. 

Saintrond highlighted that after the two postponements of the originally scheduled 2021 event, the Universiade was able to provide more opportunities to students to learn about China. 

Saintrond said China hosting an open Universiade, rather than in a closed loop like Tokyo Olympics and Beijing 2022 due to COVID-19, is of much significance.

"It was not only to open the [Games] Village and allow the people to go out of the Village. It is to open the door to the Chinese culture. That has been extremely important for students," he said. "The sports competition is one thing, but the people have to meet each other, have to make friends to get to learn the culture and the history of other nations." 

As Chengdu moves forward to host future sports events, such as the 2025 World Games, venues and facilities as well as the volunteers and staff for the FISU Games are likely to be involved again.

"These facilities will be used not only for university students, but also for the citizens of Chengdu and the province," Eder said. 

"With these fantastic facilities, you can host future games, whether it's world championships or the World Games .... It's important to use all these venues."

Local favorite Zhang Zhizhen beat Japan's Yosuke Watanuki 6-4, 7-6(7) at the Hangzhou Asian Games on Saturday to capture China's first men's singles gold medal in nearly three decades.

Pan Bing won the men's title for China at 1990 and 1994 Asian Games.

Another Chinese player Wu Yibing, silver medalist at Jakarta 2018, suffered an early exit after a shock third-round defeat on Tuesday.

The head coach of China's speed skating team said that she has been trying to instill a champion mentality among the young athletes, as the team held an open training session at the Capital Skating Oval in Beijing on Monday.

The team has been gearing up for the 2023-2024 ISU Speed Skating World Cup, an international tournament consisting of six events. The season begins on Friday in Obihiro, Japan and will end on February 4 in Quebec City, Canada. The skater with the most points in a given distance at the end of the series is the World Cup winner in that distance.

Chinese skaters will leave for Japan on Tuesday for the first leg of the world cup series and they are excited to make their mark in the second leg which will take place at Beijing's National Speed Skating Oval, or "Ice Ribbon," from November 17-19.

Li Yan, the head coach, told the Global Times that she expects more young players will make breakthroughs in the new season.

"We've been working hard to improve the overall strength of the team in the past year. We want to develop the champion mindset within our team in practice and competition," said Li.

The team is led by Gao Tingyu, who broke the Olympic record to win the men's 500m in the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games. It was also China's first gold medal in men's speed skating in the Winter Olympic Games. 

In addition to the short distance, China has made up ground in the medium- and long-distance races. In the 2023-24 season, four Chinese skaters have qualified for each of the women's 500m, 1000m, 1500m, 3000m and 5000m events. In the men's 500m, 1000m and 1500m, four skaters have also secured their spots respectively. 

Meanwhile, two skaters will compete in the men's 5,000m and 10,000m, the events for which China failed to qualify in the Beijing Winter Olympic Games. 

"We have realized our primary goals of having more male skaters participating in international long-distance events and improving women's long-distance results. Our objective is to forge ahead and change the status quo and we will take it one step at a time," Li noted. "We are also enhancing the athletes' capability of competing in multiple events, which is a trend of speed skating development."

Foreign coaches Jan Bos from the Netherlands and Alexander Rumyantsev from Russia also joined the team to help the skaters.

Li Qishi, who took her first world cup victory in 2014, told the Global Times after training that the participation of more young skaters has given fresh impetus to the team. 

"I think this is good for the development of speed skating in China. With more young skaters to compete in international events, there will be opportunities to create better results," said Li, adding that she has improved her starting recently. 

Young skater Liu Bin told the Global Times that Gao has set a good example of self-discipline and he will try to find his feet in the coming event. 

The world cup in Beijing is the first major international tournament held at the "Ice Ribbon" since the Beijing Winter Olympic Games. 

As one of the legacies of Beijing 2022, the "Ice Ribbon" has opened to the public after the Games.  

"I look forward to our skaters achieving better results on the home ice and we're excited to revisit the fast and furious atmosphere created by the cutting-edge venue," Li said. 

Taking advantage of the legacy of Beijing 2022, more international winter sports events have come to China and provided young skaters with opportunities to progress. 

The ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final will take place in Beijing from December 7 to 10. Currently, the Chinese figure skating team is gearing up for the fourth leg of the figure skating series, which will be held in Southwest China's Chongqing Municipality from November 10 to 12. 

Meanwhile, the third leg of the 2023-24 ISU Short Track Speed Skating World Cup will take place in Beijing from December 8 to 10. China's short track speed skaters wrapped up the first two legs with four golds, one silver and one bronze. 

Olympic champion Su Yiming will take part in the second leg of the 2023/2024 FIS Freestyle Skiing and Snowboard Big Air World Cup, which will be held at Shougang Big Air in Beijing from November 30 to December 2.

The 2024 Four Continents Figure Skating Championships will take place in Shanghai from January 30 to February 4, 2024.

The COP28 Presidency has co-hosted the second Global Dialogue series with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Abu Dhabi, gathering policymakers, representatives, and experts from 140 governments, as well as participants from the private sector.

The Global Dialogue, held in Abu Dhabi Global Market from 15-17 October, is the largest UNFCCC mandated event held in the emirate to date, and focused on accelerating the energy transition and decarbonization of the transportation sector.

Those attending, including COP28 Chief Executive Officer Adnan Z Amin, drove technical alignment and produced a report that will help jumpstart upcoming discussions at Pre-COP from 30-31 October, where up to 100 ministers will discuss key priorities in Abu Dhabi for COP28.

Attendees agreed that decarbonizing the transportation system will make a significant contribution to a just and equitable energy transition, and will boost economic diversification by creating green jobs and invigorating industries in developing countries.

Solutions discussed for decarbonizing transportation included the deployment and shift to collective and non-motorized transportation models, energy and resource efficiency in the transportation sector, vehicle electrification, and the adoption of low- or zero-carbon fuels.

A sustainable transport sector is central to our shared success in keeping 1.5°C within reach,” Mr. Amin said at the event. According to the IPCC’s sixth assessment report, the transport sector emits 8.7Gt per year, representing roughly 23 percent of global emissions, he said, so “transport would need an accelerated electrification and associated deployment of charging infrastructure in the coming decades.”