"On both sides of the Taiwan Straits, we share the same roots. It's important we don't forget about that amid distractions," Taiwan youths said on Saturday as former chairperson of the Kuomintang (KMT) Party Ma Ying-jeou is paying a visit to the Chinese mainland for a second consecutive year, which according to analysts, suggests an elevation from tracing personal roots to the collective ancestors.
On Saturday, Ma led a delegation of young people from Taiwan to visit the world-renowned iconic Terracotta Warriors in Xi'an, Northwest China's Shaanxi Province, where he expressed keen interest not only in the evolution of weapons, but also the shape of different arms.
Discovered in 1974, the army of Terracotta Warriors was built by Emperor Qinshihuang of the Qin Dynasty (221 BC-207 BC), who unified China for the first time.
Upon China's Tomb-Sweeping Day, or Qingming Festival, the former KMT leader on Thursday participated in a public worship ceremony of China's legendary ancestor Huangdi, or the Yellow Emperor. While on Friday, he paid tribute at the home of his ancestors, the Ma Yuan Temple, to commemorate the patriotic spirit of his ancestor Ma Yuan, who gave his life for the country.
Taiwan compatriots studying and working in the Chinese mainland, especially the younger generations, are paying close attention to Ma's destination choices for his mainland trip.
Lee Wei-kuo, chairman of the Taipei-based Chinese Youth Trade Development Association, told the Global Times on Saturday that by participating in the Qingming Festival traditions and worshiping the ancestors, Ma conveyed a clear message that people from both sides of the Taiwan Straits are all descendants of the same bloodline, and share the same roots and culture.
KMT has had a tradition of honoring the Yellow Emperor during the early days. However, today, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities in the island stopped this tradition due to their promotion of ''Taiwan independence,'' Wang Jianmin, a senior cross-Straits expert at Minnan Normal University in Fujian, told the Global Times on Saturday.
Political figures within the KMT like Ma, who has a strong sense of Chinese nationalism, have always emphasized the inheritance of Chinese culture and the confidence of the Chinese nation, thus placing great importance on ancestral worship, Wang said.
Ma's participation in the activities of Qingming Festival this time holds significant meaning for Taiwan regional society, and the youth community, boosting the mutual understanding of history and traditions between the two sides, Wang noted.
From Ma's family ancestral worship visit to the mainland last year to this year's worship of the common ancestors of the Chinese people, there has been a transition and elevation from the personal to the collective, analysts stressed.
If last year's visit was an ice-breaking trip, this year's visit is a peaceful journey made against the backdrop of tense cross-Straits relations, Wang said.
Besides the birthplaces of Chinese culture, Ma and the delegation also visited Shenzhen in South China's Guangdong Province, with a focus on witnessing mainland's technological advancement. This includes a number of high-tech enterprises, including Chinese leading drone manufacturer DJI, technology conglomerate Tencent and new energy vehicle giant BYD.
Lee, who is also head of Sichuan Welove Technology Development Co, believes that the Shenzhen leg of the trip will allow more Taiwan youths to witness the tremendous changes in mainland's development and the achievements of reform and opening-up, thus encouraging more people-to-people exchanges.
Ma's trip conveys these Taiwan youths' direct and emotional understanding of the mainland and their knowledge of Chinese history to more people in the island, Wang noted.
From Sunday, the delegation is scheduled to visit the political, economic and cultural center - Beijing.
According to Wang, it is expected that Ma and his delegation will express their hopes for the development of cross-Straits relations and the openness of cooperation and exchanges between the two sides, which can play a positive role in easing the tension under the current complex and severe situation.
However, Ma's visit to the mainland cannot fundamentally change the current difficulties in cross-Straits relations, analysts stressed. "We need to have an objective understanding of the development of cross-Straits relations. This requires long-term efforts from all sectors," Wang said.
The timing of Ma's visit to the mainland coincided with Chair of the American Institute in Taiwan Laura Rosenberger's Taiwan visit, but the two trips are expected to have the opposite effect. Also, while Ma kicked off his trip to the mainland, the DPP engaged in provocative actions, including fire drills in Kinmen.
The US unilaterally establishing outer limits of continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles from the coast is a typical act of unilateralism and hegemonism,a spokesperson for Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Tuesday.
Wang Wenbin said that the delimitation rules of the continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles from the coast were set in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), not customary international law. The US is not a state party to UNCLOS and has no right to claim extended continental shelf based on UNCLOS or review its extended continental shelf outer limits through the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf.
The US' unilateral claim is illegal, null and void. It seriously violates international law, encroaches on the international seabed which is the common heritage of mankind, undermines the overall interests of the international community and will not be recognized by the international community, Wang noted.
It once again reveals the hegemonism and utilitarianism that define the thinking and behavior of the US and its selective approach to international law, the spokesperson stressed.
According to the US Department of State in its announcement in late 2023, the US ECS area is approximately one million square kilometers spread across seven regions. This maritime zone holds many resources including corals, crabs and vital habitats for marine life.
Even though the US State Department cites UNCLOS provisions in its announcement, Washington has never signed or ratified the Convention following its adoption by the UN in 1982.
Russia has also voiced objection to US unilateral claims. Citing Grigory Karasin, head of the foreign affairs committee of Russia's upper house of parliament, Sputnik said that "Unilateral expansion of borders in the Arctic is unacceptable and can only lead to increased tension. It is necessary, first of all, to prove the geological affiliation of these territories, just as Russia did."
Netizens in Hong Kong hailed the decision of US-funded Radio Free Asia (RFA) to shut down its Hong Kong office, calling it "another example of the color revolution failing in Hong Kong," which also shows that this anti-China agency has a guilty conscience and has fled in panic.
RFA on Friday announced it had shut down its Hong Kong office, citing concerns about staff safety, following the implementation of the locally-drafted national security legislation under Article 23 of the Basic Law, local media RTHK reported.
In a statement, RFA said it no longer had full-time staff in Hong Kong and had ceased operations of its physical office, the media report said.
In response to media inquiries, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government declined to comment on the operational decisions of individual organizations, RTHK said.
However, a HKSAR spokesperson said the government expressed strong disapproval of and condemned any scaremongering or smearing remarks made about the new national security legislation.
Both the HKSAR government and Secretary for Security Chris Tang have criticized US news outlets. including the Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg and the New York Times for attacking Article 23.
Many netizens in Hong Kong welcomed the RFA decision to exit Hong Kong. "It should have shut down long ago. Good riddance without farewell," a netizen said.
Another netizen said RFA is "the US government's tool, and its job is to subvert China, and [it's afraid] being even half a step slow would result in being put into jail."
Willy Fu, a law professor who is also the director of the Chinese Association of Hong Kong & Macao Studies, told the Global Times on Sunday that RFA prioritizes its political stance over journalistic ethics, violating the professional code of journalists.
"It has repeatedly smeared the legislation of the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance and issued withdrawal [from Hong Kong] statements, acting with a guilty conscience, making alarmist statements, inciting public sentiment and creating panic. Its malicious intentions are blatantly obvious," Fu said, noting that it is fundamentally a disgrace to the journalism industry and must be strongly condemned.
Funded by the US government, RFA has always been thoroughly pro-US and anti-China, with extremely biased wording and reporting focus. It has long used the guise of "freedom of the press," aiming to oppose China and harm Hong Kong, Jacky Ko Chung-kit, a 45-year-old Hong Kong online opinion leader, told the Global Times on Sunday.
"The fact that it has managed to survive until now is indeed a 'miracle,' and as the saying goes, 'An old woman hurries only when something is amiss.' If it is not a 'US proxy,' why the rush to leave after the enactment of the ordinance," Ko asked.
In fact, this indirectly proves again the necessity and deterrent power of the law. Moreover, before withdrawing from Hong Kong, the media outlet still collaborated with the US to smear the law one more time, thoroughly proving itself to be just a political tool of the US, with no credibility to speak of, he said.
In 1994, the US Congress passed the International Broadcasting Act with the so-called aim of promoting the flow of information and ideas and furthering the goals of US foreign policy. In 1996, RFA was established, targeting the Chinese mainland as its primary focus, according to open data and statistics.
For the past 28 years, RFA has never ceased its fabrication, attack and smear campaign against China. With the US intensifying its strategy to contain China, it has become even more aggressive.
For example, regarding the violent incident on August 31, 2019 amid the riots in Hong Kong, RFA slandered the Hong Kong police, claiming the "police Special Tactical Squad stormed into the MTR Prince Edward station, attacking anyone they saw" and described it as "a riot and terrorist attack led by the police," according to local media reports.
On November 13, 2019, when a violent incident occurred at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, RFA beautified the rioters' acts of damaging the campus and creating violent weapons, instead calling it a "university defense battle."
From July to December 2022, the HKSAR government requested Google remove content inciting hatred among young children. RFA, however, quoted "commentaries" expressing concerns that the HKSAR government might use the incident as an excuse to "shut down the internet" and "restrict the freedom of speech and information of Hongkongers."
With the closure of its physical office in Hong Kong, observers said this "fake news creator" is finally ending its 28-year-long rumor-mongering era in Hong Kong, which is absolutely beneficial to the city.
China's top legislator Zhao Leji on Thursday reaffirmed China's commitment to continuously opening its market to the world. He said that Chinese modernization through high-quality development will inject strong impetus into the global economy during a keynote speech at the opening ceremony of the Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) Annual Conference 2024.
At the BFA opening plenary session in Boao, South China's Hainan Province, regional and world leaders, including Kazakhstan's President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, commended China's critical role and great contribution to global peace and development in Asia and around the world through its high-quality development and various global initiatives.
The BFA kicked off on Tuesday, one day after the China Development Forum (CDF) concluded in Beijing. Both the BFA and the CDF drew several regional and global leaders, multinational executives and academics. This year's BFA and CDF carried extra significance, as Chinese officials, through dozens of meetings, clearly mapped out the path for high-quality development and opening-up, which has obviously boosted confidence among the participants, experts said.
China opportunities
"China is advancing Chinese modernization on all fronts with high-quality development, which will inject strong impetus into the world economy, and provide more opportunities for the development of all countries, especially our neighbors in Asia," Zhao, chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, China's top legislature, said at the opening plenary of the BFA on Thursday.
Noting a series of Chinese efforts to foster innovation-led, open and green development, Zhao said that China's door to the world will never close, but will only open wider, while inviting countries and businesses around the world to invest in China.
"Investing in China is investing in the future. All countries are sincerely welcome to board the express train of China's development and join hands to work for a global modernization featuring peaceful development, mutually beneficial cooperation and prosperity for all," Zhao said, as he urged all parties to reinforce confidence and join hands to build a community with a shared future for mankind, and create a better future for Asia and the world at large amid serious and complicated global challenges.
This message of China's commitment to high-quality development and high-standard opening-up has been reiterated by Chinese officials at both the CDF, which drew more than 100 international guests, including dozens of global CEOs, and the BFA, which has brought about 2,000 participants, including heads of states, from more than 60 countries. The message has also resonated well with many participants.
At the opening plenary of the BFA Annual Conference on Thursday morning, several regional and world leaders commended China's approach of openness, peace and development, while also rejecting protectionism and unilateralism.
"Indeed, we meet today against a backdrop of unprecedented global uncertainty, fueled by geopolitical turbulence and economic upheaval," Tokayev said at the opening session, noting that while challenges lie ahead, Asia is well positioned to continue driving global growth and development in the years to come.
"In this regard, the Boao Forum has emerged as an embodiment of the Asian innovative approach to achieving universal economic progress. It has also established itself as a prominent symbol of China's commitment toward global development," the Kazakh president said.
Based in China, the BFA has become a premium platform for discussions on regional and global affairs since its inception over two decades ago. And the forum continues to gain popularity and prominence, as more countries are participating in the BFA Annual Conference and more countries and regions join in the platform.
This year, Nauru, a Pacific Island country, participated in the BFA Annual Conference for the first time, Nauruan President David Adeang said in remarks at the opening plenary session in Boao.
"I am honored to be here to share our perspectives as a Pacific, small island, developing state. We are grateful for this forum, for providing this critical platform to address the pressing challenges that confront the Asia-Pacific region and the world," said Adeang, who has been in China for a state visit after the two countries recently established diplomatic ties.
"Nauru has recently established bilateral relations with China to recognize and support wholeheartedly the one-China principle. This partnership puts Nauru on the right side of its history and benefits both our nations and fosters mutual respect developments and prosperity," Adeang said. He noted that China's vision for promoting economic globalization and creating new prospects for growth and development is vital for small countries such as Nauru.
Boosting confidence
Such sentiments toward China's contributions to regional and global development have been echoed by other participants throughout the BFA Annual Conference in Boao, showing that China's clear signal of continuous development and opening-up has boosted confidence among government officials, business executives and academia.
"What really stood out at this year's CDF and the BFA is that China clearly laid out its path for high-quality development and cooperation with the rest of the world. This has drawn great enthusiasm among foreign guests in our discussions," Wang Yiwei, a professor at the School of International Relations at Renmin University of China, who attended both the CDF in Beijing and the BFA in Boao, told the Global Times on Thursday. "There have been some noises claiming that China talks a lot about opening-up, but hasn't done enough. However, this time China has shown concrete steps."
In recent months, China has taken a slew of measures to further open its market to the world. It has waived visa requirements for citizens of many countries in Asia and Europe, boosting people-to-people exchanges. This year's Government Work Report said that China will lift all restrictions on foreign investment in the manufacturing sector. It has released a nationwide negative list for the services sector, which further expanded access for foreign businesses. It has also issued a 24-point action plan to improve business environment and attract foreign investment.
Despite China's concrete opening-up measures, Western media outlets, in their relentless campaign to smear the Chinese economy, have been painting a picture of deteriorating environment in China for foreign businesses. But over the past week or so at both the CDF and the BFA, senior Chinese officials' back-to-back meetings with multinational business executives put on a vivid display of China's openness, in contrast to some Western governments' rising protectionism and hostility toward foreign businesses.
Some foreign experts attending the BFA also said that China's business environment has improved and the country has become more attractive for global businesses.
In addition to China's continuous opening-up, China's clear path to pursuing innovation-led and green development has also drawn great interest from foreign officials, business leaders and academics at both the CDF and the BFA. "As China made the path clear for innovation and green transition, they are very interested," Wang said.
"China has shown the world how to build renewable energy assets at scale, it has shown us how to drive down the cost of renewable energy, and… it must show us how to use them," Andrew Forrest, chairman and founder of Australian iron ore giant Fortescue Metals Group (FMG), said at the BFA on Thursday, according to a transcript FMG sent to the Global Times.
Forrest enthusiastically called for cooperation among Asian countries to protect the environment and tackle climate change. "Once again, Asia, we can be the example, we can be the proof of what a peaceful, pollution free world must follow," he said, adding that fostering cooperation to improve the standard of living for everyone is what the BFA stands for.
In response to the first case under the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance in Hong Kong, in which an activist known as "Captain America 2.0" was denied an early release since the enactment of the local national security law in line with Article 23, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Chief Executive John Lee said on Tuesday that it's standard practice not to grant sentence reductions to individuals convicted of endangering national security.
Ma Chun-man, an anti-government activist also known as "Captain America 2.0," has become the first national security prisoner denied an early release on Tuesday, according to local media reports. He was earlier sentenced to five years in prison for inciting secession, with his "good behavior" leading to a reduced sentence. Local media reported that Ma was due for early release on Tuesday from Tong Fuk Correctional Institution.
Since the enactment of the ordinance, the territory's Prison Rules have also been amended to include that if a prisoner serves a sentence in respect of the prisoner's conviction of an offense endangering national security, the prisoner must not be granted remission unless the Commissioner of Correctional Services is satisfied that an early release of the prisoner will not be contrary to the interests of national security.
These rules specify that prisoners convicted of an offense endangering national security must have the Commissioner of Correctional Services' endorsement that their release "would not be contrary to national security" to qualify for a reduction in sentence for good behavior, Lee told a press conference on Tuesday in response to the case.
He also pointed out that it is standard practice not to grant sentence reductions to individuals convicted of endangering national security.
Hong Kong Correctional Services was quoted as saying in local media reports on Tuesday that the ordinance has made amendments to the Post-Release Supervision of Prisoners Ordinance and Post-Release Supervision of Prisoners Regulation.
If a prisoner is serving a sentence for being convicted of crimes endangering national security, their case cannot be referred to the Post-Release Supervision Board for consideration unless the Commissioner of Correctional Services is convinced that their early release would not be detrimental to national security.
The regulations apply to all prisoners currently serving sentences for crimes that have been judged to endanger national security, regardless of whether their sentences were imposed before, on the day of, or after the amendments came into effect, the Correctional Services said.
It also noted that the Commissioner of Correctional Services, acting under the authority granted by the law, will strictly adhere to all relevant legal provisions, taking into account the actual circumstances and all relevant factors of each case, including the statements of incarcerated individuals, to ensure that all cases are handled fairly.
Lee also urged everyone not to engage in any behaviors or activities that endanger national security, as such actions generally do not result in a reduced sentence. Therefore, one should not test the law, he said.
Ma, who usually held the superhero's shield in the protests, is accused of advocating for "Hong Kong's independence" by shouting slogans and promoting such secessionist views during interviews with the media at 20 public events.
Generally, cases involving national security are considered serious crimes that cause significant social harm. If it cannot be ensured that the individuals involved no longer pose a threat to national security, reducing their sentences could cause great harm to society, Louis Chen, a member of the Election Committee and general secretary of the Hong Kong Legal Exchange Foundation, told the Global Times on Tuesday.
"It is an international norm that national security cases usually do not receive sentence reductions. Not reducing sentences is the norm, and reduction is the exception," he said.
In a separate case, Hong Kong's top court unanimously dismissed the appeal by a 26-year-old university student in 2023 after he sought to reduce his five-year sentence for pleading guilty to breaching the national security law in a landmark ruling. The court ruled that the minimum penalty of five years for those committing serious offenses as stipulated by the security law is mandatory, according to local media reports.
After the implementation of Article 23 legislation, criteria have become stricter, reducing the possibility of sentence reduction, Willy Fu, director of the Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macao Studies and vice-president of the Hong Kong Basic Law Education Association, told the Global Times on Tuesday.
This approach aligns with the spirit of the rule of law, highlighting that sentencing has a deterrent and punitive effect, which effectively prevents and punishes actions and activities that compromise national security, firmly safeguarding national security and the prosperity and stability of Hong Kong, Fu said. "It is constitutional, legal, sensible, and reasonable, and deserves the support of the general public," he noted.
The primary enforcement target under the Article 23 legislation is absconders endangering the national security who fled overseas, a Hong Kong official said.
The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Chief Executive John Lee signed the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance passed by the Legislative Council (LegCo) on Friday night, signifying that the HKSAR has fulfilled its constitutional responsibility as stipulated in the Article 23 of the Basic Law.
The long overdue local security law includes nine parts, covering offences and punishments such as treason, state secrets and espionage, sabotage endangering national security, external interference endangering national security and organization engaging in activities endangering national security.
Within the charges and penalties detailed within the ordinance, treason and insurrection carry the harshest punishments, with the maximum penalty being life in prison.
The ordinance will bring safety to society. With safety comes stability, with stability comes prosperity, Lee said as he signed into the law.
The CE also noted that a safe and stable environment is crucial to the success of businesses and enterprises, without which the private sector might suffer financial losses, and their investments and operations could be sabotaged or come under attack. Therefore, a safe and stable environment will make Hong Kong an attractive place for enterprises and investments.
The Hong Kong public warmly welcomed the ordinance, which is expected to play an important complimentary role with the National Security Law (NSL) for Hong Kong, putting an end to chaotic and social turmoil driven by both local political movement and external interference.
"Security brings prosperity," the Hong Kong Police Force (HKPF) said in a social media post on Saturday morning. The national security department of the HKPF wrote that following the law coming into force, the department will fulfill its responsibilities such as collecting and analyzing intelligence related to national security, deploying, coordinating and advancing measures and actions to maintain national security and investigating criminal cases that endanger national security.
Some local lawmakers and district councilors also shared their excitement as some said they have been waiting for this moment for a long time.
"After the HKSAR had paid a heavy price for lacking the national security protection in the past, now we can focus on pushing forward the city's economic development under the full protection [of this law] now," a local district council member Hung Kam-in told the Global Times on Saturday.
Junior Police Officers' Association chairman Lam Chi-wai, who had witnessed the bumpy road that the Article 23 legislation had gone through over the past decades, told the Global Times on Saturday that in 2003, when Article 23 was first submitted for review by the LegCo, that he was part of the Wan Chai Police District's special task force and personally witnessed the large-scale protest against it and the eventual withdrawal of the bill.
"Since then, Hong Kong has embarked on a tumultuous path, with anti-government protests escalating day by day," he said, noting that in 2019, some used the anti-extradition bill protests as a pretext for unleashing widespread violence and destruction across Hong Kong, leading Hong Kong through an indelible catastrophe.
In a society where residents have deeply reflected upon their pain, the long-awaited Article 23 legislation was finally completed after 26 years, Lam said, noting that it has become a security barrier for Hong Kong, protecting it from national security threats.
After the ordinance takes effect, Secretary for Security of Hong Kong, Chris Tang Ping-keung, stated that fugitives would be the primary enforcement target under the new legislation, and an assessment will be conducted as soon as possible to determine whether to implement the restrictions on fugitives contained within the law.
The ordinance specifies that the government can impose multiple restrictions on absconders, including canceling their HKSAR passports and suspension of qualification to practice, and providing available funds or dealing with funds related to absconders is also considered illegal.
When asked whether the new ordinance restrictions on absconders would be immediately applied to former Legislative Council members like rioter Ted Hui Chi-fung and other fugitives who have fled overseas, Tang stated that this group would be a primary enforcement target.
However, the timing of enforcement and the number of individuals targeted will be assessed as soon as possible, the official noted.
The HKPF has previously issued arrest warrants for 14 Hong Kong fugitives who have fled overseas, including Hui, Nathan Law and Agnes Chow, which had played infamous roles in instigating anti-government protests and echoing the external force in interfering in Hong Kong affairs.
In explaining the urgency of legislating the ordinance, Tang said on Saturday that some countries have been smearing Hong Kong and even intensifying their intelligence efforts, so that the national security risk remains high.
Paul Lam Ting-kwok, Secretary for Justice, also said on Saturday that criticisms from countries such as Australia, the UK, and the US on the Article 23 legislation are all too similar, lacking novelty and substance, and some are even taken out of context.
The UK has an unclear definition of national secrets and Australia's laws on foreign interference are overly broad, Lam said, noting that if Hong Kong's legal provisions are considered vague, as some Western countries said, the provisions of these countries are "extremely vague."
"The highest priority for the development of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies in China is not to create explosive applications, but to accelerate the development of industrial systems and the real economy," said Xiao Xinguang, a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and chief software architect from Chinese cybersecurity company Antiy.
With the emergence of ChatGPT and Sora, the AI industry is accelerating its development, and human society is accelerating into the era of AI civilization. At the same time, the potential problems and uncertainties related to it may bring negative impacts and challenges to humanity. The security issues arising from it have also been put on the agenda.
"AI's extensive and deep empowerment in all industries and social fields is an inevitable trend in history. For the entire economic and social fields, there is only a difference between fast and slow, but no choice of whether to use it or not. Embracing AI may not necessarily mean success for various industries, but not embracing AI will definitely lead to elimination," Xiao told the Global Times.
Embracing AI requires a more open and collaborative mindset, said Xiao, noting that different departments have different focuses.
For example, the industrial sector needs to quickly follow up and apply AI to accelerate digitalization, intelligent upgrading, and transformation; however, government agencies should focus on how to better serve the people with AI, accelerate economic and social development, and also do well in risk control.
The field of cybersecurity, on the other hand, focuses on three major risks: the risks of AI technologies such as algorithms and data; application risks of platforms such as data leakage; and the risks of upgrading network attack capabilities under AI empowerment, Xiao said.
As a member of the national cybersecurity agency, Xiao described how he and his colleagues encounter cases of "AI-enhanced network attacks" in their daily work. "The graphic and textual content of phishing emails from some overseas attack organizations in the past two years are clearly generated by large model platforms. In cybercrime cases, deepfake technology has been frequently used."
According to Xiao, AI significantly empowers the entire attack chain. This includes, but is not limited to, efficiently exploiting software and hardware vulnerabilities and enhancing the organization of information intelligence. It also improves the exploration of attack entry points, the orchestration and automatic launching of attacks, and the writing of attack viruses. Additionally, AI enhances the ability to create highly targeted social engineering dialogues, deceiving network administrators and users, among other capabilities.
"We must pay attention to the challenges of content generation and deepfake for cognitive confrontation, and we must also conduct in-depth analysis and research on the deep empowerment of AI throughout the network attack process," Xiao said.
A thief crying "Stop thief"
The US has been the first to associate AI technology with the so-called "Chinese hackers" launching attacks on the US. In January, the FBI and US Justice Department used a court order to address vulnerabilities in thousands of internet-connected devices that are at the center of a so-called Chinese hacking campaign targeting sensitive US critical infrastructure, CNN reported.
In response, Xiao said the US continues to conduct network intrusions and intelligence activities in cyberspace to support its global hegemony system. By using its own behavior paradigm to judge others, the US was trying to shift its attack activities to China in order to muddy the waters in international diplomacy and public opinion.
The US reportedly has the most powerful global network attack engineering system, complete and continuously iterated network attack weapons and equipment, and the largest team of network attack personnel. Since the birth of the internet, the most long-term, covert, and severe network attacks and eavesdropping activities, such as Stuxnet, Flame, and Duqu, have all been initiated by the US.
"We have analyzed and disclosed the network attack activities of the US against other countries many times, including a detailed analysis and reconstruction of the attack process of the largest SWIFT service provider in the Middle East, EastNets, as well as a detailed exposure last year of the operation mechanism of the US attacking key personnel's phones and computers based on the 'quantum' system," Xiao said.
US intelligence agencies have long been concerned about the strengthening of AI capabilities in network attacks and the use of deepfake technology. It is necessary to pay close attention to the shaping of the US attack capabilities by super large model platforms, he noted.
Different paths
While smearing China for using AI technology for hacking attacks, the US is also actively downplaying China's AI technology development. In a report by CNBC on January 9, FBI Director Christopher Wray was quoted as saying "18 of the 20 most successful AI companies in the world are American." He then turned his focus to China, claiming that "You can bet your bottom dollar that foreign adversaries, especially the Chinese, are actively targeting that innovation, that intellectual property."
Xiao said that due to historical advantages and geopolitical factors, as well as long-term global dividends, the US has established a leading position in the global technology and industry. In order to solidify this leading advantage, the US government and capital groups have formed an inertia to suppress followers, especially by creating a false perception: "Whenever other countries show certain advantages in some fields, it must be the result of stealing American achievements." This is an extremely arrogant and deceptive rhetoric, Xiao said.
China's academic achievements in AI technologies have surged in recent years, with the number of top AI scholars ranking second globally. Universities and industries such as Tsinghua University and Harbin Institute of Technology have published high-level academic achievements in various subfields of AI. At the same time, scientific and technological development from basic theory to engineering implementation and application often follows a "convergence" path, so there will be a certain similarity in the basic path of technological innovation. Respecting the contributions of pioneers does not mean accepting that the first to develop can permanently monopolize, Xiao explained.
"The US has obtained more global dividends, gathered top talent resources worldwide, and naturally established a first-mover advantage in many fields; however, countries with strong self-development intentions, such as China, will also determine key development areas based on their own characteristics, relying on effective government organization, benign competition in the industry, and the diligence and unity of the people to make progress," Xiao stressed.
This cybersecurity expert believes China and the US will have certain differences in the development path of AI technologies. Information technology is the US' advantageous field, and through large-scale capital investment, it has established a large-scale intensive innovation model based on information complexes, forming a new strategic competitive capability. This system operates similarly to OpenAI+ChatGPT. The related experience is highly worthy of reference but difficult to completely imitate.
Currently, China has experienced a phenomenon of "one factory one model, a thousand-model battle with each other" in the development of general large models, which has brought about some resource waste and ineffective investment, affecting the aggregation of production factors. However, we should not be overly anxious. We are one of the few countries with all the elements to build a super large-scale general artificial intelligence platform. Our "formation" will be optimized and adjusted as we develop, Xiao said.
He noted that, at the same time, China has the most complete industrial system and a very solid foundation in the real economy. There is still a lot of room for improvement in automation, unmanned operation and intelligence. Our real industries cannot wait for the maturity of super large-scale general model platforms but must quickly gain AI empowerment and then iterate and improve. Therefore, the focus of China's AI development is still to accelerate the transition of the industrial system to new quality productivity and gain more benefits in the real industry.
Industrial development the highest priority
On February 12, NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang said at the World Government Summit in Dubai that every country needs to own the production of their own intelligence to codify its culture while utilizing its economic potential.
In response, Xiao said that the development model of AI is highly related to the national industrial characteristics.
In the context of the hollowing out of industry due to profit-driven capital within the US, relying on information giants, capital power and rapid aggregation of talent, the best choice for the US is to establish a large-scale intensive innovation model in the field of large model platforms to form a new strategic competitive capability. On the other hand, China's overall industrial scale, completeness of the industrial system, and substantial real economy are globally leading. We have rich AI integration points and potential points in the industry and real economy, providing ample space for local innovation, he said.
However, China also needs to move from a fragmented small production model to an intensive large production model for AI platform construction. The country should gradually guide the formation of a super-scale general AI platform in terms of high-quality data sources, large-scale computing infrastructure, operational ecology, and organizational methods, supporting the industrial ecosystem, which is important for developing new quality productivity and strengthening national strategic security capabilities, Xiao noted.
Xiao added that it is also significant for building a community with shared future in cyberspace. The US government's suppression of China's high-tech industry development through a "small yard and high fence" strategy and the use of the so-called "table and menu theory" to force other countries to take sides is evident.
Especially in the field of AI, it has used a series of measures such as talent bans, access restrictions and hardware bans. In terms of AI platforms and applications, it forces other countries to make choices, which will inevitably lead to a camp-style rift in the development of artificial intelligence technology, causing a major division. This makes it even more necessary for the development of China's AI technologies to have an internationalist perspective, according to Xiao.
The development of China's universal large-scale model platform can not only provide empowering assistance for the economic development of other countries, but also help third world countries build their own sovereign artificial intelligence infrastructure, helping them break free from dependence on Western countries in modernization development. Peace-loving and progressive countries should work together to bring a new digital infrastructure system to a more equal world, Xiao noted.
Facing the rapid development of AI technologies, reducing the risk of AI proliferation is a challenge facing all governments. By 2023, the US had already signed the first executive order on AI regulation, which requires "companies developing any foundation model that poses a serious risk to national security, national economic security, or national public health and safety must notify the federal government when training the model."
Due to the significant security risks and uncertainties of AI technology, strengthening the management and guidance of technological capabilities and platforms is an important function and responsibility of governments around the world, Xiao sated.
Chinese authorities have already formulated an interim regulation on the management of generative AI services. Currently, China has a certain foundation for the management mechanism of AI technologies and platforms, but it still needs continuous adjustment and improvement. "We need to achieve better, faster, and safer growth and development, and development itself is the greatest security," Xiao said.
Kathy Peng never imagined that her birthplace in Southwest China's Yunnan Province would be a production region for Scotch whisky.
Kathy, a seasoned world traveler with a discerning palate for international delicacies, now resides in Sanlitun, Beijing's cosmopolitan heart. With the Spring Festival, or Chinese Lunar New Year, approaching, as every Chinese person would, she took to the internet, curating an array of goods for her family's festive celebration.
To her astonishment, she discovered that what were once exotic imported foods have now found a home across China - Caviar from Southwest China's Sichuan Province has supplanted the Baltic delicacy, while goose liver, a luxurious staple in French cuisine, can be bought from Anhui Province in central China; South American prawns are sourced from the arid yet latitudinally similar Gansu Province in Northwest China; Matcha, Japan's signature flavor, now hails from Southwest China's Guizhou Province.
"Discovering the world's flavors right at our doorstep in China is like opening a treasure chest in your own backyard," Kathy told the Global Times. "Before you know it, China has become a treasure trove of hidden global delicacies."
China's vastness is a marvel, spanning broad latitudes north to south and longitudes east to west. From the chilly conifer forests of the Northeast to the tropical azure waters of South China Sea, from the expansive deserts of the Northwest to the mountainous highlands of the Southwest... China nourishes a world of produce within its diverse terrains and climates.
As technology advances, even the toughest barriers to agricultural innovation are being broken down, allowing foreign crops to take root and thrive on Chinese soil, becoming powerful tools in the revitalization of rural areas.
The "No. 1 central document" released in January mentions that to effectively promote the revitalization of rural areas, it is necessary to adhere to the principles of boosting agriculture through industry, quality, and green practices. This involves advancing the coordinated development of agricultural production and both primary and deeper processing to enhance value conversion locally and regionally. Additionally, the document advocates for the development of online sales networks for rural specialty products.
On the Chinese internet, netizens have launched an "agricultural census" campaign, uncovering previously unknown local specialties from their hometowns and directly participating in the process of rural revitalization.
Discovery of treasures
This winter, Harbin, the capital of Northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, did not just freeze the rivers; it set the internet ablaze as the season's first viral city. It is like discovering a secret level in a video game: Who knew cranberries were not just a Thanksgiving relic but actually grown right here in China as well?
This revelation was just the tip of the iceberg, leading to a treasure trove of hidden gems being unearthed.
On January 30, Taobao, one of the largest e-commerce platforms in China, rolled out the red carpet for the unsung heroes of the culinary world with its "Taobao Hidden Local Specialties Report," featuring goose liver from Lu'an city, Anhui, and matcha from Tongren of Guizhou, followed by Wagyu beef from Qiqihar in Heilongjiang, and macadamia nuts (known in China as Hawaii nuts) from Lincang, Yunnan.
In Yunnan, alongside Lincang macadamia nuts, matutake cookies, Baoshan coffee, and Honghe blueberries have also gradually caught the public eye. Among them, the Tengchong dried cockroach is the most peculiar.
Dried cockroaches, due to their unique medicinal value, have become a new booming industry in Tengchong city. There are nearly a hundred stores on Taobao in Yunnan alone selling dried American cockroaches or cockroach powder, as well as products made from American cockroach as the main ingredient, like face soaps and masks.
The farthest inland northwest region has also astounded many netizens with its large-scale seafood farming properties for specialties such as Shaanxi's hairy crabs, Qinghai's rainbow trout, and Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region's iceberg snow crabs and cold-water fish.
The Hidden Local Specialties Report is not just a shopping list; it is a call to adventure for foodies and a geography puzzle that actually tastes good. With local versions of global delicacies popping up faster than mushrooms after rain, it is clear: China's menu, which is already huge and rich, has gotten an even bigger upgrade.
Break through limitations
The "agricultural census" campaign has brought to light some fascinating facts about agriculture in China. For instance, it revealed that Heilongjiang has the largest cranberry plantation in Asia, Gansu produces South American prawns, and Anhui boasts the largest goose foie gras production base in China. These lesser-known facts have quickly spread through the internet, spotlighting some hidden champions in the agricultural sector.
In particular, the unexpected popularity of the city of Harbin has allowed many visitors from Southern China to experience northeastern-style hospitality. In a sign of gratitude, a total of 189 tons of freshly picked sugar tangerines from South China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region were sent to Heilongjiang, and in return, Fuyuan city in Heilongjiang, the easternmost city in the Chinese mainland, gifted 100,000 cartons of locally produced cranberries to Guangxi. These exchanges of love between China's north and south have introduced countless people to this small northeastern city and its unique fruits.
"Cranberry sales have suddenly skyrocketed this winter, with over 500 orders sold on January 7 and over 1,000 orders sold on January 8," said Dang Linguang, the manager of the Ganfuyuan flagship store on Taobao, during a media interview.
According to data from Taobao, on January 10, searches for cranberries on the platform increased by 958 percent compared to the same period in 2023.
Dang noted that cranberries mainly grow between 40 and 50 degrees in north latitude, and the environmental requirements of the growth area are extremely harsh. For a long time in the past, cranberries in China were mostly wild, and it was hard to achieve large-scale cultivation.
Before 2010, China's cranberry products were mainly dependent on imports. In 2014, Fuyuan successfully introduced cranberry cultivation from the US.
Fuyuan shares the same latitude as the main cranberry-producing areas worldwide and has a similar natural environment. After overcoming various planting technical difficulties, cranberries are finally cultivated on a systematic scale in the eastern polar land on the mainland.
Currently, the cranberry cultivation area in Fuyuan has expanded to 4,200 mu (280 hectares), making it the largest cranberry cultivation base in Asia. This not only breaks the US monopoly, which accounts for nearly 98 percent of global cranberry production, but also fills the gap in the market with domestically grown Chinese cranberries.
In 2023, Fuyuan's cranberry production reached a record high of 3,000 tons, accounting for 40 percent of Asia's cranberry production, and is expected to net sales of nearly 100 million yuan for fruit farmers.
"The development and transformation of China's agricultural production mode has given many agricultural products unique competitive advantages," Li Guoxiang, a research fellow at the Rural Development Institute of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times.
Li pointed out that in the past, China's agricultural production was relatively slow due to the reliance on regional resource endowments. "However, in recent years, the modernization of agriculture in China has greatly freed agricultural production from the constraints of natural conditions. As a result, the types of industries in different regions have become more diverse, and many new local specialties have emerged," he said.
Thanks to technological innovation, raising shrimp in the mountains is no longer a novelty in Gansu Province. Several years ago, cities like Baiyin, Wuwei, and Zhangye in Gansu began exploring the introduction of specialty aquaculture industries such as South America white shrimp, crabs, and rainbow trout. Since 2018, Jingtai county in Baiyin has been experimenting with the cultivation of South American shrimp in saline-alkali water.
According to Jingtai county's fisheries technology extension service center, Baiyin has continuously made breakthroughs in the cultivation technology of South America white shrimp. In 2023, heating facilities were used to extend the shrimp's growth period, making South America white shrimp more competitive in the market.
At present, rural industries across China have gradually established a sound industrial development system and formed a sense of integrated development of upstream and downstream industries, Li said.
"Although some of these characteristic industries are imported from outside, Chinese farmers combine their own characteristics and break regional planting barriers by relying on science and technology, and become a typical example of the rise of new agricultural innovation," he noted.
Facilitate rural revitalization
In recent years, the potential of local specialties in promoting rural revitalization has been unleashed and once obscure local products are now emerging as powerful forces in transforming rural economies.
A search on popular Chinese e-commerce websites for local specialties yields tens of thousands of results, covering vast regions from the north to the south, and the east to the west. People can receive most of them within three days after placing an order. For some products that are not easily stored, cold-chain transportation is used to guarantee their freshness.
When Global Times reporters visited many rural areas in the country, they also learned from local officials and industry insiders that those local specialties have become an important financial source for locals and helped create employment opportunities as there is a strong need for skilled workers to produce, process, and market them.
Analysts pointed out that this also helps retain talent within the rural community. By the end of 2022, about 12.20 million people had returned to their hometowns to start businesses, according to official data. Among them, many chose the new agriculture industry.
By focusing on the production of local specialties, farmers are empowered to tap into niche markets and command higher prices for their products. This not only improves their income but also enhances their livelihoods, enabling them to invest in better farming practices and technologies, experts said.
However, with the changes in globalization and market demand, the local specialty industry faces new opportunities and challenges. On one hand, globalization has opened up new markets and expanded the reach of local specialties beyond regional boundaries. On the other hand, it also exposes local producers to competition from competent global players.
To overcome these challenges, local specialty producers need to focus on product differentiation, quality assurance, and effective marketing strategies to maintain their competitive edge, experts pointed out.
Meanwhile, there is also a growing environmental protection concern and the sustainable use of resources which are important for the long-term development of this industry.
"Local specialty producers should adopt eco-friendly production methods, minimize waste generation, and promote biodiversity conservation. Additionally, they should work closely with local communities and stakeholders to ensure that the development of this industry does not harm the ecological balance of the region. By prioritizing sustainability, the local specialty industry can thrive while preserving the natural resources that make these products unique," Li said.
Houthi rebels in Yemen said, on Monday, that they attacked a US ship in the Gulf of Aden after US launched airstrikes on Houthis. The situation in the Red Sea has grown increasingly tense in recent weeks, showing the spillover effect of the ongoing conflict in the Gaza Strip. What will possibly happen next? Is it possible for a larger conflict to happen in the Middle East? How will new tensions affect the ongoing Palestine-Israel conflict? Global Times reporters Xie Wenting and Bai Yunyi (GT) spoke with Yezid Sayigh (Sayigh), a senior fellow at the Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center, on these and other pertinent issues.
GT: The US has launched another airstrike on Houthis in Yemen on Friday. How do you predict the future development of the situation in the Middle East? How do you assess the possibility of the eruption of a larger conflict that will involve more parties?
Sayigh: The fact that the US is taking direct military action crosses a certain threshold. So far, the US has taken a deterrent posture against Iran and Hezbollah, and so on. But it hasn't taken on a major direct combat role. The situation in which they get involved in Yemen, with air attacks on the Houthis, is going to be more complicated.
The Houthis are in a much stronger position than forces like the Syrian militias or even Iraqi militias in some respects. Their impact on Red Sea shipping is potentially more major for the US to get directly involved militarily.
The question then is, what happens next? If the Houthis retaliate and hit back, does the US then escalate its move? How far will they go? Already, the US is increasing the risk of direct confrontation with Iran. If the Houthis are not deterred and continue their attacks, will the US threaten Iran or escalate military action against the Houthis? Both options are highly risky and undesirable.
I think the risk of a wider war is obviously increasing. However, at the same time, I think that the key parties will not go beyond a certain point into direct confrontation. At the same time, they have already started what we call an escalation spiral.
But the US is in a very risky situation, and it increasingly looks as though it is entering the war on the side of Israel as well. None of this is helpful for their strategic position, and none of this is helpful for the Biden administration. President Biden is starting the election year while possibly starting a new war in the Middle East. Every American president so far for the last 30 years has launched a war in the Middle East: George Bush Senior, Bill Clinton, George Bush Junior, and Obama in different ways. Trump also engaged to some extent. Now we have Biden risking yet another American war in the Middle East after having pulled out of Afghanistan.
I think all of this is politically very damaging for the US. But right now, the situation in the Red Sea is partly because Biden decided to support Israel in a certain way by signaling military support - both direct military assistance to Israel and by deploying his naval fleets in the Mediterranean. He has already, in a way, signaled military deterrence that encouraged Iran to use military deterrence. Biden, in a way, started this escalation spiral from the beginning with his immediate deployment of military assets to the Mediterranean.
GT: What kind of incident would be a trigger point for a direct confrontation between the US and Iran? How do you assess the likelihood of such confrontation happening?
Sayigh: I think that the direct use of more technologically advanced missiles by the Houthis against US navy ships in the Red Sea could be perceived by the US as a qualitative shift. This could lead the US to realize that bombing more Houthi targets is pointless unless it engages in large-scale bombings, but this is problematic. Alternatively, it may choose to directly threaten Iran, which is also problematic.
It is difficult to say whether such a confrontation is likely or not. On one side, Biden has embarked on a path which, in order to maintain credibility, he must continue on a course that raises the risk of confrontation. I think because we're now talking about Red Sea shipping and the threat to global trade, which the US government has basically said it's going to protect, it's harder for Biden to retreat.
GT: How long do you think the current situation of disrupted shipping in the Red Sea will last? Is it possible for the US to assert de facto control over the Red Sea under the pretext of counterterrorism?
Sayigh: The US cannot afford, in terms of their strategic credibility, to allow the Houthis to continue this nonstop for much longer. But how can the US stop it? This is a more difficult question. They would have to militarily punish the Houthis enough for them to say the pain is too great and they must stop. But the Houthis can probably take a lot of damage before they stop.
It is interesting to think back to the 1980s when Iraq and Iran engaged in attacks on shipping in the Gulf in an attempt to disrupt each other's oil shipments and coerce one another into ending the war. Later the US intervened and deployed a substantial naval presence.
Are we looking at the same scenario today? Maybe. But let's remember that in the 1980s, the shipping war lasted for a very long time. It involved a major US deployment, and it wasn't easy to stop. So, I think it's a difficult challenge for them today. They're fighting the Houthis, who of course, are much weaker than Iran and Iraq. But in a way, they're also a difficult target because they're a poor army already. It's not like you're attacking a country that has a lot to lose. There aren't many high-value targets that can be struck if the US attacks the airport, oil refineries, or oil tankers, for example. The US is causing misery for one of the poorest nations on earth, where 80 percent of people depend on food supplied by the United Nations. What is the US going to do? Is it going to increase the food crisis, energy crisis, and poverty crisis of a country that is already devastated by war?
The options are all very bad, and lack obvious military solutions. The risk for the US is that Biden will have to increase airstrikes from 10 to 20, and then to 40. This escalation appears to be the start of a new US war in the Middle East, which poses a significant problem for a president who is facing elections this year. The costs to start a war in the Middle East are too high.
GT: Considering the recent developments in the Middle East, how long do you think the conflict between Israel and Hamas will continue, and in which direction is it likely to evolve?
Sayigh: All I anticipate for Israel and Palestine is that the Israeli combat in Gaza will continue for many more months to come. For now, there is no meaningful Western pressure on Israel to change its strategy. The Western response, which disregarded international humanitarian law and the rules of war, also signifies a moment of change in world history. The liberal order that the West claims to protect and uphold since 1945 has been abandoned by the West itself.
But I think that Western governments won't change their policy. This is because the US is going through a presidential election, and no president in the US is going to confront Israel in an election year. I believe this remains the case.
I think the one thing that is happening right now, which is really interesting, is the South Africa's genocide case against Israel in the International Criminal Court. This is a significant diplomatic act. It won't force Israel to stop what it's doing, but if the court issues any kind of ruling against Israel, I think that will be very significant for public opinion.
The bottom line is, I think, Israel will continue its military operations, and as long as Western governments allow this, the fighting will continue and the damage to Western credibility in the rest of the world will continue.
The end of the year and the start of a new one is a time for reflection and anticipation. Throughout 2023, the Chinese society has undergone various developments and changes, behind which manifests the exploration and practice of Chinese path to modernization.
In light of this, the Global Times is launching a series that elaborates on this unique path through the stories of ordinary people's New Year wishes. These wishes serve as a window to the changes in and achievements of Chinese society as Chinese modernization has brought Chinese people more concrete consensus, a more vibrant countryside, more imaginative innovation, more balanced education, a more dignified old age with stronger security, and a more confident civilization. This shows that Chinese modernization is the prerequisite and driving force for the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.
This is the third installment in the "Wish List" series, sharing the story of a group of secondary school students in Foshan, South China's Guangdong Province, who made a wish to "let taikonauts enjoy fresh fish soup in space." With their yearning for the vast universe, and their pride in China's scientific and technological progress, they have planted exploratory seeds in their hearts to embark on a journey to the sea of stars, through continuous scientific experiments that attempt to turn their creative ideas into reality. Their ambitious dream displays a country with more imaginative innovation propelled by Chinese modernization. Li Shiyi often has a dream that is both fantastic and real. In the dream, her fish "fly" in the zero-gravity environment of space.
Nearly every day after school, the 17-year-old would go to the lab and check on the school of marlins in their artificial incubators, watching them swim nimbly in the sand and water, or lie quietly on the transparent walls of the incubators.
She often imagined that one day, instead of being placed in the school lab, the incubator would be sent to China's Tiangong Space Station. At an altitude of 400,000 meters above the earth, the carefully raised marlins would eventually appear on Taikonauts' dinner table.
Li has taken the first step toward fulfilling her dream. At the First International Space Science and Scientific Payload Competition (ISSSP) in May this year, Li and four other students shared their project of "experimental study on the cultivation of multiple generations of marlin in the space station," and won the bronze prize.
According to the ISSSP organizers, some of the winning projects selected through the competition will be recommended as candidates for a flight to the Tiangong Space Station, the International Space Station, and other scientific satellites.
"We are looking forward to seeing our experimental project would be adopted," Li told the Global Times with excitement. "I really hope that our taikonauts will enjoy fresh fish soup in China's space station." 'Send marlins to China's space station'
The first ISSSP, organized by the Beijing Institute of Technology, the Chinese Institute of Electronics, the International Academy of Astronautics, the China Space Foundation, and the Chinese Society of Astronautics, was the first-ever international space competition in China to gather and cultivate global talents and projects in space science and payload technology. It attracted students of all ages, and many participating teams submitted innovative experimental project ideas.
Li is a student at the Dali Senior High School (Dali) in Foshan. To select candidates for the ISSSP, in September 2022, when a new semester had just started, the school issued a space knowledge questionnaire to the freshmen, so as to discover the students' interests and their related knowledge in the field.
The enthusiasm of the students surprised Chen Hongyu, a physics teacher at Dali. He recalled that the school planned to select 10 candidates to form two teams for the ISSSP, and it received more than 200 completed questionnaires.
"Their enthusiasm for the competition was much higher than expected," said Chen, who also served as the leader of Dali's participating teams for the first ISSSP.
Li became one of the candidates. Always curious about the universe, Li said she hoped that by participating in this competition, she would make a small contribution to China's space industry.
Li had seen Shenzhou-13 crew member Wang Yaping introduced experiments on fish and rice cultivation through Tiangong Classroom lectures. The idea of "raising fish in space" jumped into the minds of Li and her teammates.
The team chose "cultivation of marlin in space station" as its experimental project for the competition after discussion. They learned that the marlin can adapt to a variety of environments, and it can be exposed to the surface of water for a long time as long as its body is kept hydrated. Moreover, the marlin is a nutritious and tasty fish, which can meet the nutritional needs of astronauts.
"Currently the taikonauts only eat vacuum-packed food, and that is not fresh enough. Fresh soups would make for a welcome change," Li told the Global Times. "We chose this project in the hope that if our taikonauts want to have soup in the space station, they will be able to enjoy fresh and delicious fish soup."
An experiment of raising fish began. The team spent weeks designing and making the marlin incubator. Under the guidance of Chen and other teachers at the school, it modified the incubator a dozen times, installing several devices including water inlets and outlets, vents, an oxygen balance device, and an automatic feeder.
Although the cultivation was carried out as a "controlled pre-experiment" due to limited conditions, the team still designed many small details that took the space environment into account, such as microgravity and certain ionizing radiation conditions, Chen said.
Considering that marlins may float up in microgravity, they designed a rolling gauze device at the opening of the incubator, "to help the floating marlins return to the water and sand in the incubator," he told the Global Times.
It was a process of constant innovative problem-solving. One day in November 2022, when temperatures in Foshan plummeted, the team found that the marlins in the incubator had frozen to death overnight.
"We were all stunned," Chen recalled. He encouraged the shocked and discouraged team members to start afresh. This time, they took temperature into account, adding a temperature control device to the incubator.
On May 11, the ISSSP final gathered many young students full of imagination, curiosity, and scientific research spirit. Some participants shared their idea of inventing a snake-shaped robot that can detect and repair faults in the space station, and others shared a vision of planting roses in space for possible mutagenesis breeding, which they hoped would result in the production of precious rose essential oil.
As participants in the secondary school group, Li's team presented data and observations from several months of marlin-raising experience, and answered questions raised by on-site experts. One of the experts asked the team what it would do with the leftover fish bones, Li said. "And we answered: that is exactly what our school's next team is going to be looking into - how to handle the household waste in space." 'Turn waste into treasure'
As a national defense and aerospace education demonstration school, Dali attaches great importance to the cultivation of students' scientific and technological innovation abilities and interests, particularly in aerospace knowledge.
After class, the school organizes lectures given by academicians from the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Engineering, and interactive events like aerospace science and technology festivals are hosted, said the school's chemistry teacher Lai Jiajun. "At the festival, students are free to use the experimental materials provided by the school, and make some fun things from their imagination, such as air cannons, water rockets, and 'fire palms,'" Lai introduced.
Lai is leading Dali's three participating teams for the second ISSSP, which he said is in the local trial phase. Dali's three teams submitted experimental project ideas on the cultivations of cucumbers and herbs, and the handling of household waste in the space station. The teams joked that the household waste project is like an "after-sales service" born from the previous marlin project, on how to deal with household waste such as fish bones.
"Space resources are limited. It would be a great idea to recycle these resources and turn household waste into treasure," Lai told the Global Times. He shared that this project's team has done many experiments, and their efforts included putting various food scraps in different boxes for fermentation, observing the resulting liquid or gas, analyzing their composition, and considering the possible values of recycling them.
In the days spent with the team members, Lai said he has fully felt the active thinking of these 16- and 17-year-olds, as well as their abundant enthusiasm for science.
"At the beginning, they thought that technological innovation in a large country in fields like aerospace science is something too big and far away," said Lai. "As they continued to put forward ideas and do experiments under the project, their imagination and enthusiasm for scientific inquiry were stimulated, and they gradually felt that they could really do something for these grand topics." Ambitious journey commenced
"Our journey is the sea of stars!" This is an "advertising slogan" placed in prominent positions by many schools when they promote the ISSSP. It is also a very popular saying among China's Generation Z, and a heroic vision of numerous Chinese people, especially the young, for the Chinese nation for thousands of years to further explore the vast universe.
Behind their vision is China's rapid development of the space industry in recent years. In 2023 alone, China's space exploration has witnessed many highlights, such as the launch of manned spaceship Shenzhou-16, the first crewed mission of the application and development stage of China's first space station Tiangong, the milestone meeting of Shenzhou-14 and Shenzhou-15 taikonauts at the Tiangong, and the meeting of Shenzhou-16 and Shenzhou-17 crews, facilitating a space reunion for China's six taikonauts.
Many scientists and educators shared with the Global Times that China's young generation has more curiosity about scientific topics, a richer knowledge reserve, and a freer imagination. They noted that it is the great scientific and technological progress in various fields of the country in recent years that has given them confidence, enabling them to more actively and positively explore the world of science.
Scientist Yuan Lanfeng, associate research fellow at the Hefei National Research Center of Microscale Material Science, and deputy director of the Department of Science and Technology of Communication and Policy at the University of Science and Technology of China, is also an internet influencer popularizing science to millions of social media followers.
In an article published online in August 2022, Yuan mentioned a sharing session he had with some fifth- and seventh-graders on quantum topics.
Some of the questions the students raised during the session highly impressed Yuan: Since the quantum code cannot be cracked, what would we do if an enemy used the quantum code? The principle of a quantum computer is to use a quantum system to simulate a mathematical problem, so can we use a quantum system to simulate a physical system? Can the Chinese satellite Micius (Mozi) detect dark matter? …
"The children raised the best and deepest questions I've ever heard among their peers," Yuan praised in the article.
He told the Global Times that many of his followers are young people, who not only pay much attention to topics including scientific insight in quantum and nuclear fusion, but also are interested in discussions such as "the status of China's science and technology in the world" and "the science and technology gap between China and the US, or the respective advantages of the two countries."
"It is good to know that the Chinese youth have a strong interest in science," said Yuan. "It reflects China's new generation's better education and greater curiosity about the world, as well as the growing importance of scientific and technological innovation in China's economic, political, and social development."
They have witnessed China's scientific and technological leap in recent years, and have started to plant seeds of "the sea of stars" in their hearts during their in-person practice of trying to gain a deeper understanding of the vast universe.
To explore the cosmos, developing the aerospace industry, and building China into a space power is China's eternal dream. The dream not only provides a solid guarantee for the grand goal of the Chinese path to modernization, but also gives Chinese youth a more imaginative spirit of innovation, and a grander aspiration.
Li shared her New Year's wishes for 2024 with the Global Times. One is to watch the launch of a Chinese spacecraft on site.
"The other wish is that our marlins will 'fly' further with the taikonauts," she smiled. "Maybe in one day, I can become a fellow traveler on the dream journey to the sea of stars."
