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Tens of thousands of people crowded a culture and tourism area close to the Yangtze River in Wuhu, Anhui province, for an outdoor concert on Saturday night.

After the concert ended at around 9:30 pm, the night seemed to have just begun in Wuhu Old Town Block.

“After the free concert, many in the audience went to nearby restaurants and bars to continue enjoying the cheerful night,” said Cheng Pei, executive for activity planning at Huangshan Culture and Tourism, the company that runs the block.

Since late May or early June, with the easing of epidemic prevention and control measures, many local restaurants have extended their opening hours to 2 am.

In the neighboring city of Xuancheng, local authorities are considering holding similar activities regularly over the next three months.

After an inspection visit to a downtown street on June 19, the city’s Party chief and mayor led dozens of officials to a local barbecue restaurant for a casual dinner.

Kong Xiaohong, Party chief of Xuancheng, has asked local officials to attach greater importance to consumption in order to help boost the economy.

About 60 percent of Chinese consumption activities happen at night, while supermarket sales from 6 pm to 10 pm account for more than half of the day’s revenue, according to the Chinese Cities’ Night Economy Influence Report 2019 by Tencent.

Such visits by top local officials to boost consumption have also happened in other cities across the country.

The Party chief of Henan province’s Xinzheng city and deputy Party chief of the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region’s Guilin city, led local officials to restaurants for dinner on the nights of June 7 and June 15.

Xuancheng statistics bureau’s data show sales revenue for the local catering sector declined by 10 percent in the first four months from the same period last year.

“Since May, the sector has been recovering steadily, though the latest performance still fell behind the same period before 2020,” said Shang Jianping, an official from the Xuancheng’s bureau of commerce.

Bai Ming, an expert with the Ministry of Commerce, said officials’ public support for the night economy showed that the fight against COVID-19 had been successful, so residents will consume more, according to a recent report by China News Service.

“Their visits would push related departments and officials to think about new measures to boost the sector,” Shang said.

His bureau organized a meeting on Friday that included local government departments and business owners, to prepare multiple support policies for the night economy.

For example, the local authorities are relaxing parking restrictions to make it easier for consumers to park.

As long as they do not affect traffic and safety, more street vendors would also be permitted, said Shang.

In late May, Shandong province required local tourism spots to offer no less than a 50 percent discount for entry tickets on workdays, support local catering shops during extended hours and provide more temporary streetside parking spaces.

Reporters learned that sixteen key projects with a total investment of 10.088 billion yuan in Wanzhi District have been signed recently, covering such fields as aerospace, home appliances for healthy living, intelligent equipment manufacturing, information technology, culture and education, and green food. The projects are of outstanding leadership, innovation and growth.

Since the beginning of this year, Wanzhi District has given more priority to leading characteristic industries and attracting large and strong investment, and accelerated the conversion and aggregation of factor resources into high-quality projects. More than 100 projects have been signed, including 40 projects of more than 100 million yuan, 7 projects of more than 2 billion yuan and 2 projects of 5 billion yuan.  

 Translated by Yuan Mengwen from Foreign Affairs Office of Wuhu Municipal People’s Government

On June 16, Wuhu Municipal Government signed a strategic cooperation framework agreement with China Railway NO.4 Engineering Group. Ningbo, Deputy Secretary of CPC Wuhu Municipal Committee and Mayor; Liu Bo, secretary of CPC Committee and chairman of China Railway NO.4 Engineering Group; Zhang Dong, Yao Kai and Wang Zhipeng attended the signing ceremony.

According to the agreement, China Railway NO.4 Engineering Group will give full play to the advantages of the whole industrial chain and promote the concentration of relevant resources to Wuhu. The two sides will cooperate in supporting industries such as infrastructure construction, high-end equipment manufacturing, innovation and research base, orderly promote the establishment of advanced manufacturing and strategic emerging industries in Wuhu, and contribute to the high-quality development and quality construction of Wuhu. The two sides will also establish a system of regular high-level visits, meetings and consultations, actively implement cooperation and constantly push forward the development of bilateral strategic cooperative relations.

It is understood that China Railway NO.4 Engineering Group is the “benchmark” member of the world’s top 500 enterprises – China Railway Corporation Limited. It has successively undertaken the construction of major infrastructure projects such as Qinghai-Tibet Railway, Beijing-Shanghai High-speed Railway, Wuhu-Anqing section of The Expressway along the River, and Wuhu Yangtze River Bridge. In 2021, it ranks the first among the top 50 construction enterprises in Anhui Province.

 Translated by Yuan Mengwen from Foreign Affairs Office of Wuhu Municipal People’s Government

BAGHDAD, June 4 (Xinhua) — The Iraqi-Chinese Friendship Association on Saturday held an event here to celebrate China’s traditional Dragon Boat Festival, as part of its efforts to promote cultural exchanges between the two countries.

Attended by Chinese Ambassador to Iraq Cui Wei as well as representatives of Chinese companies based in Iraq and the Iraqi government, the event included a show of Iraqi folk costumes and traditional Iraqi songs, and a presentation about the making of Zongzi, a traditional Chinese delicacy wrapped in bamboo or reed leaves for celebrating the festival.

“We wanted to convey the feeling of love and the Chinese folklore to the Iraqi people, and at the same time we conveyed Iraqi folklore to the Chinese people (in Baghdad),” Haider al-Rubeiy, head of the Iraqi-Chinese Friendship Association, told Xinhua during the celebration.

Al-Rubeiy also expressed his expectation that Iraqi public universities will make Chinese language learning available due to the importance of the Chinese language.

Wang Lizihao, an employee of the Shanghai Electric Group Co., LTD Iraq Branch, volunteered to teach Iraqis how to make zongzi during the event. “When I participated in the Dragon Boat Festival in Iraq, which is located thousands of miles away from my country, I felt warm,” he told Xinhua.

“I want the Iraqi people to understand what the Dragon Boat Festival is, why they eat Zongzi at the Dragon Boat Festival, and how to make it,” said Sajjad al-Qazaz, a young member of the friendship association, who works as a Chinese language teacher.

“I think we should increase cultural exchange activities so that more Iraqis can understand Chinese traditional culture, which is a great culture,” he said, noting the friendship between Iraq and China has a long and deep history.

On June 9th, the General Office of the State Council issued an announcement to inspect and encourage localities that made remarkable achievements in the implementation of relevant major policies and measures in 2021. It is learned that Wuhu was named and announced by the State Council in three achievements, receiving a great encouragement.

According to the contents of the announcement, Wuhu made three outstanding achievements in implementing relevant major policies and measures in 2021. First, Wuhu has made contributions to building China into a manufacturer of quality. Second, Wuhu has made effective progress in the protection of cultivated land and the economical and intensive use of land. Now, the city has a low proportion of idle land and a huge demand of land use. Third, great efforts have been made to adjust and transform the old industrial bases, and prominent achievements have been seen in supporting the transformation of traditional industries and promoting industrial transformation and upgrading.

To further promote the implementation of major decisions and plans of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council, fully stimulate and mobilize the enthusiasm, initiative and creativity of all localities to take responsibilities and start businesses, according to the Notice of the General Office of the State Council on Further Strengthening Inspection and Incentives under the New Situation, combined with the State Council’s accountability inspections, special inspection, Internet plus model of inspection and daily inspection of departments, with the approval of the State Council, 199 localities that achieved remarkable progress in 2021, such as winning the three critical battles against major risks, poverty, and pollution, deepening the reform of “streamlining administration and delegating power, improving regulation, and upgrading services”, optimizing the business environment, promoting innovation-driven development, expanding domestic demand, implementing the rural revitalization strategy, and safeguarding and improving people’s livelihood, will be inspected and encouraged, and 30 incentive and supporting measures will be taken accordingly.

 Translated by Wang Mengxiao from Foreign Affairs Office of Wuhu Municipal People’s Government

JIUQUAN, June 4 (Xinhua) — China’s Tiangong space station, designed to be a versatile space lab, is capable of accommodating 25 experiment cabinets for scientific exploration, announced the China Manned Space Agency on Saturday.

“Each cabinet is a small-sized lab in space, capable of supporting single subject or interdisciplinary research in space science experiments,” said Lin Xiqiang, deputy director of the agency, at a press conference.

During the construction phase of the space station, nearly 100 experimental research projects have been planned, Lin said.

China is set to launch the Shenzhou-14 crewed spacecraft on Sunday from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, sending three astronauts to its space station combination for a six-month mission.

The Shenzhou-14 mission marks the final phase of construction for the Tiangong space station. The Wentian lab module will be launched in July, and the Mengtian lab module will be launched in October.

According to Lin, the experiment cabinets installed on Wentian can support experiments on life and ecology, biotechnology, and varying-gravity science research.

They can also be used in the response mechanism research on the growth, development, heredity and aging of plants, animals and microorganisms, as well as the research on closed ecosystems.

Astronauts can conduct multi-level biological experiments on molecules, cells, tissues and organs in Wentian by using diverse online detection methods, such as by visible light, fluorescence or microscopic imaging.

Wentian can also provide a variable gravity simulation environment to support the comparative study of the biological growth mechanism in different gravity conditions.

The Mengtian lab module will mainly support microgravity research, with experiment cabinets for the study of physics of fluids, material science, combustion science and basic physics. It also has cabinets for space technology experiments, Lin said.

Meanwhile, a space-based cold atomic clock system will be established in Mengtian.

Consisting of a hydrogen clock, a rubidium clock and an optical clock, the cold atomic clocks will form the most precise time and frequency system in space. It will serve the gravitational redshift research, measurement of fine structure constants, and other applications.

After the space station is put into normal operation, large-scale scientific research will also be carried out to promote breakthroughs in major cutting-edge scientific fields, such as the dark matter and dark energy, galaxy formation and evolution, nature of materials and life, variation law of human’s response in space, as well as the sustainable development of Earth, Lin said.

They are expected to accumulate profound sci-tech experience for China to carry out further manned space exploration, he added.

Another science and technology industrial base showed in Wuhu High-tech Industrial Development Zone. On the morning of June 6th, the foundation laying ceremony was held for Wuhu San Yan Industrial Port Project, a key project with investment exceeding RMB 1 billion introduced by the High-tech Industrial Development Zone, marking the official launch of the project.

Wuhu San Yan Industrial Port is a project officially signed by San Yan Group and Wuhu High-tech Industrial Development Zone at the end of last year. The project plans to build a science and technology industrial base integrating single-storey and multi-storey factory buildings and a high-rise comprehensive building, which can be customized according to the actual production needs of enterprises from the aspects of floor height, load, electricity demand, elevator bearing capacity, area size, etc., so as to be “tailor-made” for enterprises.

Lin Ping, CEO of San Yan Holding Group, said that Wuhu High-tech Industrial Development Zone has a sound business environment, a high degree of marketization and active factors of innovation, and it is very sensible to choose Wuhu and invest in the High-tech Industrial Development Zone. He also introduced that the project aims to build an important demonstration industrial park in the Yangtze River Delta, especially in Anhui. The park will gather innovative resources of high-tech industries with the focus on “gathering corporate headquarters and attracting innovative R&D institutions”, equipped with five service platforms, such as finance, science and technology, human resources, law and intelligent management, so as to create a better environment for enterprises to settle down in the park in the future.

It is learned that San Yan Holding Group is a comprehensive large-scale enterprise integrating planning, design, development and construction, investment attraction, incubation and operation of industrial parks. At present, nearly 30 projects have been built and are under construction in China.

 Translated by Wang Mengxiao from Foreign Affairs Office of Wuhu Municipal People’s Government

A farmer plows a rice paddy while egrets forage in Lianjiang county, Fujian province, on May 29. The province has been sparing no efforts to boost the eco-transformation of the region through systematic protection and restoration of forests, wetlands, grasslands and croplands.

Xi stresses society must work toward ecological civilization, beautiful world

President Xi Jinping has called for the whole of society to engage in action to promote and practice the philosophy of ecological civilization, as China endeavors to achieve a comprehensive green transition toward a clean and beautiful world.

The natural environment provides the very foundation for human survival and development, and having a sound natural environment is the common wish of people of all countries, Xi said in a congratulatory letter to a national celebration event on Sunday marking World Environment Day.

Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China in 2012, China has emphasized that the strategy of building an ecological civilization is vitally important to the sustainable development of the Chinese nation, said Xi, who is also general secretary of the CPC Central Committee.

The country has made concrete steps toward building a beautiful China, he said, adding that “historical, transformative and comprehensive” changes have been achieved.

With the intensified endeavor to promote a comprehensive green transition of economic and social development, China will devote more efforts to pollution control, ecological conservation and tackling of climate change to build a beautiful China and to help build a clean and beautiful world, Xi said.

World Environment Day, observed each year on June 5, was also designated a national environment day for China in 2014 when the National People’s Congress, the country’s top legislature, adopted an amendment to the Environmental Protection Law.

This year, on the theme of “Building together a clean and beautiful world”, the celebratory event was held on Sunday in Shenyang, the capital of Liaoning province.

Addressing the opening ceremony, Vice-Premier Han Zheng called for upholding the concept of “a community of life for man and nature” and promoting public awareness so that all Chinese citizens take action to build a beautiful China.

He said continued efforts should be made to address acute environmental problems at people’s doorsteps, and the security of energy, grain supply, the industrial supply chain and people’s normal lives must be ensured when the country endeavors to cut its carbon emissions.

Han underscored the need for global cooperation on green transition and to make the philosophy of ecological civilization and its practices benefit people around the world.

Minister of Ecology and Environment Huang Runqiu said that while forging ahead with the domestic green transition, China will proactively participate in global environmental governance with intensified international cooperation.

Via video link on Sunday, Elizabeth Maruma Mrema, executive secretary of the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity, lauded China’s great efforts and achievements on green transition. She said that China has taken a series of important measures and demonstrated leadership in mainstreaming biodiversity.

“I would like to call upon all to act and act now, as the challenges we face are huge and urgent,” she said. “I also look forward to China’s continued leadership and efforts in addressing environmental issues at various levels.”

Aerial photo taKen on Sept. 26, 2021 shows the view of the Fuligong Greenhouses at Kunming Botanical Garden in Kunming, southwest China’s Yunnan Province. (Xinhua/Jiang Wenyao)

SHENYANG, June 5 (Xinhua) — Chinese President Xi Jinping on Sunday urged efforts to build a beautiful China in which humanity and nature coexist in harmony and contribute more to jointly constructing a clean and beautiful world.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks in a congratulatory letter to the National Event on the Environment Day held in Shenyang, northeast China’s Liaoning Province.

The ecological environment is the foundation for the survival and development of human beings, and maintaining a sound environment is the common aspiration of people of all countries, Xi said.

China has attached fundamental importance to ecological progress and has carried out fundamental, pioneering and long-term work since the 18th National Congress of the CPC, Xi said, stressing that historic, transformative and comprehensive changes have been achieved.

On a new journey of building a modern socialist country, China will maintain the strategic resolve on facilitating ecological progress, promote a comprehensive green transformation of economic and social development, and coordinate efforts on pollution control, ecological protection and climate-change response, Xi said.

Xi called for joint and solid action from the whole of society to protect the environment and leave a beautiful homeland with a blue sky, green land and clear water for future generations.

Han Zheng, Chinese Vice Premier and a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, attended the opening ceremony of the Environment Day event and made a speech.

Han urged efforts to deepen the overall green transformation and promote coordinated progress on environmental protection and economic development.

China will push for carbon peaking and carbon neutrality in a prudent and orderly way and in the process, guarantee the security of energy, industrial and supply chains, and food, as well as people’s normal lives, he said.

Han also stressed joint efforts on global ecological progress and sustainable development to benefit people all over the world.

China has held the national event to celebrate the Environment Day each year since 2017, with this year’s event themed “Work Together to Build a Clean and Beautiful World.”

It is learned that Chery Group sold 55,588 vehicles in April. From January to April, a total of 284,865 vehicles were sold, up 0.9 percent year-on-year, of which 84,993 vehicles were exported, up 12.6 percent year-on-year, creating a new record for export in the same period in history.

In April, the automobile industry was under pressure due to chip shortage and COVID-19 resurgence. According to data from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, the sales volume of automobile industry decreased by 47.6 percent year-on-year in April. At present, about 30% of Chery’s primary suppliers are located in Shanghai, which is under lockdown management. Wuhu, where the group headquarters and the main production base are located, has also experienced “static management” for nearly a week due to the pandemic, and the sales volume of Chery Group in April decreased by 27.6% year-on-year due to factors such as insufficient production capacity.

In the face of challenges, Chery Group actively maintained supply and stabilized production. At the beginning of May, the production capacity returned to about 70% of the normal period. Chery Group has also accelerated the launch of new models of different automobile brands based on the needs of consumers, constantly creating new experiences and new values for them, and minimizing the negative impact brought by the pandemic and unstable supply chain when the sales volume of the automobile industry in April was almost “halved”.

 Translated by Wang Mengxiao from Foreign Affairs Office of Wuhu Municipal People’s Government