On the morning of May 5, Chinese President Xi Jinping left Beijing by special plane for state visits to France, Serbia, and Hungary, at the invitation of French President Emmanuel Macron, Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić, Hungarian President Tamás Sulyok, and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. Accompanying President Xi on the visit were his wife Peng Liyuan, Cai Qi, member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Director of the General Office of the CPC Central Committee, and Wang Yi, member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Minister of Foreign Affairs.
General Secretary Xi Jinping has emphasized that we must protect the ecological environment as we protect our own eyes, treat it as we treat life, jointly build the foundation of ecological civilization, and jointly follow the path of green development. Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, our country has unswervingly pursued a path of ecological priority and green development, continuously making new strides in building a beautiful China. It's a beautiful time of year, with flowers heavy in Jinjiang City. The 2024 Chengdu World Horticultural Expo has officially opened. In this super garden covering 3,633 mu, the total land area of the six main buildings accounts for less than 2%, while water systems and green spaces account for more than 90%, with most of the original terrain and landforms preserved. The preserved forest next to the main buildings features over 100 types of indigenous trees and green plants from Chengdu. The World Horticultural Exhibition is a grand event in the field of floriculture and horticulture, integrating cultural and technological achievements. Since the 18th CPC National Congress, China has hosted five World Horticultural Expos. Five years ago, at the opening ceremony of the Beijing World Horticultural Expo, General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized jointly building the foundation of ecological civilization and jointly following the path of green development, proposing five principles: pursuing harmony between man and nature, pursuing prosperous green development, pursuing a love for nature, pursuing a spirit of scientific governance, and pursuing joint cooperation to address challenges. Today, at the foot of the Great Wall, by the Guishui River, the 2019 Beijing World Horticultural Expo site, Beijing Expo Park, has transformed into a comprehensive tourist resort, receiving a cumulative 2.84 million visitors over three years. To expand urban green ecological spaces, Beijing continues to explore the potential for urban greening, with newly built pocket parks and small green spaces becoming places for surrounding residents to get close to nature. Today, China's green footprint continues to expand, becoming the main force in global "greening." China's preserved area of artificial forests has reached 1.314 billion mu, ranking first in the world, making it the country with the fastest and largest growth in forest resources globally. Since the beginning of this century, approximately one-quarter of the world's newly added greening area has come from China, taking the lead in achieving zero growth in land degradation worldwide. Today, China, with its own path of green development, provides feasible and replicable lessons for global ecological governance. The "Three-North Shelterbelt Program" has been designated by the United Nations Environment Programme as a global desert "eco-economic demonstration zone," and the constructors of the Saihanba Forest Farm and Zhejiang's "Thousands of Villages Demonstration, Ten Thousands of Villages Renovation" project have successively won the United Nations "Champions of the Earth Award." This year, to further promote green development and build a beautiful China, our country will increase efforts in ecosystem protection, continue to implement major projects for important ecosystem protection and restoration, and launch a number of national key research and development and "challenge-based" scientific research projects. This year, our country will deeply advance the "Three-North" project's tough battle, with a national plan to complete 100 million mu of land greening tasks. This year, our country is actively promoting the construction of pilot zones for a beautiful China, continuing to fight the battle against pollution, actively promoting the green and low-carbon transformation of development methods, and continuously improving the diversity, stability, and sustainability of ecosystems.
During the "May Day" holiday, various regions launched a series of colorful activities, with people visiting scenic spots, enjoying delicious food, and having a joyful time. Popular scenic areas like the Shanghai Bund welcomed a large influx of visitors, with the Bund waterfront area cumulatively receiving over 1.8 million tourists. Along the Yellow River in Lanzhou, Gansu, tourists flocked, visiting Zhongshan Bridge and riding sheepskin rafts, experiencing the rich Yellow River culture. At Qinghai Lake, surrounded by snow-capped mountains, tourists took photos, documenting the beautiful scenery, and could also take a small train deep into the salt lake. During the "May Day" holiday, various tourist attractions saw high popularity. This year's "May Day" holiday in Beijing, the city's parks received over 9 million visitors, and the peony exhibition at Chaoyang Tianzi International Peony Garden offered diverse choices for tourists. At the Terracotta Army scenic area in Xi'an, Shaanxi, over 250,000 visitors came to experience the shock of this world wonder during the holiday. In places like Fujian Tulou, Heilongjiang Wudalianchi, and Yunnan Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, tourists strolled along ancient paths and enjoyed the mountains and waters at leisure. At the Three Gorges Dam scenic area in Yichang, Hubei, tens of thousands of tourists visit daily to enjoy the beauty of natural and cultural landscapes. During the "May Day" holiday, Gangdong 5th Street in Dalian, Liaoning, was bustling. Standing on the street, one could photograph large ships passing through buildings, attracting many tourists to check in. To help people better capture the "big ship and high-rise in the same frame," the local traffic department coordinated to appropriately slow down ferries and set up a dedicated photography area. This "May Day" saw a rich variety of cultural and tourism activities, allowing citizens and tourists to enjoy a happy holiday. In Jiaozuo, Henan, a variety of special rural delicacies allowed tourists to feast. In Baoding, Hebei, tourists formed teams to cycle and check in at distinctive villages, enjoying the pastoral scenery. The ancient city of Yanzhou in Jiande, Zhejiang, received over 210,000 visitors during the holiday, with people making and tasting local intangible cultural heritage foods and watching Yanzhou Shrimp Lantern performances, enjoying themselves immensely. The holiday nights were equally exciting. A fireworks show sparkled over Zhuzhou, Hunan. In Huangshan, Anhui, and Beichuan, Sichuan, tourists lingered amidst wonderful music and joyful dances.
During the holiday, China's consumer market was vibrant, with new scenarios constantly emerging and new business formats accelerating their integration, effectively unleashing the consumption potential of both urban and rural areas. During the holiday, major shopping malls welcomed a peak in customer traffic, with offline consumption buzzing. Shanghai launched over 1,000 promotional activities around the "May 5th Shopping Festival," covering digital consumption, bulk consumption, service consumption, and other fields. Over the five-day holiday, the city's online and offline consumption reached 53 billion yuan. Beijing kicked off the 2024 International Twin City Consumption Festival. During the "May Day" holiday, key monitored department stores, supermarkets, specialty stores, catering, and e-commerce businesses across the city achieved sales of 4.99 billion yuan. Nanchang, Jiangxi, issued consumption vouchers totaling 60 million yuan, with over 3,000 enterprises and merchants participating, driving consumption of over 1.5 billion yuan. Not only did urban commercial districts see increased vitality, but the vast county-level markets are also becoming new engines of consumption growth. Data from travel platforms shows that during the "May Day" holiday, accommodation and ticket orders in county-level areas significantly increased, with gourmet tours, niche destinations, and trendy new ways of playing becoming new consumption trends for the holiday. Zhuxi, Hubei, created an immersive opera culture block, with comprehensive income from farm stays, homestays, etc., reaching 350 million yuan. In Dingtao District, Heze, Shandong, acres of blooming flowers are attracting visitors. Flower viewing in the fields and online flower purchases are hot, with sales of unique flower products doubling. This "May Day" holiday, various consumption formats such as business, culture, tourism, and sports accelerated integration, expanding consumption space and extending consumption chains. Henan's Drama Fantasy City theme park integrated leisure check-ins, movie watching and exhibitions, and traditional intangible cultural heritage into a three-dimensional new consumption space, with comprehensive income increasing by nearly 40% during the holiday compared to the previous year. From south to north, from cities to rural areas, consumption scenarios during the holiday developed with cross-sector integration, and new consumption continued to expand, continuously stimulating new consumption动力, reflecting the strong resilience and potential of China's consumer market.
Today (May 5) marks the last day of the "May Day" holiday, and transportation departments are taking multiple measures to fully cope with the peak return travel flow. Data shows that several travel indicators during the "May Day" holiday set new highs. Preliminary statistics indicate that from May 1 to May 5, the total cross-regional movement of people across society is expected to be approximately 1.36 billion person-times, with an average of over 270 million person-times per day, an increase of 24.1% compared to the same period in 2019. Today, transportation departments are experiencing the peak of holiday return travel, with national railways expected to send 18.65 million passengers. On May 1, national railways sent 20.69 million passengers, setting a new historical high for a single day. In terms of civil aviation, today, national civil aviation is expected to transport 2.18 million passengers. For roads, today, the non-commercial small passenger vehicle travel volume on expressways and ordinary national and provincial roads is expected to be approximately 185 million person-times. During the "May Day" holiday, self-driving travel accounted for over 80% of total road travel nationwide, and the net inflow of passengers to third- and fourth-tier cities significantly increased. Affected by the holiday return, the traffic flow on expressways entering cities entered peak hours from 4 p.m. The Ministry of Transport reminds that the policy of free passage on toll roads for seven-seater and below small passenger vehicles during the "May Day" holiday ends at 24:00 tonight.
During this "May Day" holiday, enjoying the pleasure of reading at libraries and distinctive bookstores became a vacation choice for many people. Readers spent a fulfilling and wonderful "May Day" holiday immersed in the fragrance of books. At Beijing Books Building, over 7,000 people came to buy and read books every day during the "May Day" holiday. At 8 a.m., outside the National Library, readers from all over the country had already formed long queues. According to statistics, the National Library received nearly 150,000 visitors during the "May Day" holiday. People could not only enjoy the pleasure of wandering in the sea of books at the National Library but also visit the special exhibitions in the museum to appreciate the magnificent Chinese culture. From May 1 to May 4, Tianjin Library received 39,000 readers, a 26% increase year-on-year, and loaned 20,000 books and periodicals. In a bookstore in Qujiang, Xi'an, a variety of activities such as poetry recitation competitions and reading sharing sessions attracted many tourists and local citizens. In recent years, various regions have adapted to local conditions and continuously created "small yet beautiful" and diverse new public cultural spaces. In Wenzhou, Zhejiang, 156 urban reading rooms each have a unique theme, allowing citizens to find a reading space within a 15-minute walk, making reading holidays at their doorstep a new choice. In Weihai, Shandong, 46 urban reading rooms have distinct characteristics. Here, there are children reading with their parents, as well as students preparing for exams without slacking off during the holiday. Everyone, by common consent, added a touch of scholarly atmosphere to their holiday through reading. Taking culture as a unique foundation for development, a new model of driving the cultural tourism industry through bookstores has emerged. This "May Day" holiday, in Qingxi Village, Yiyang City, Hunan Province, various distinctive rural bookstores launched "May Day" themed book exhibitions and "Qingxi Village Book Fragrance Tour" activities, attracting literature enthusiasts from all over the country to experience the great changes in the mountain countryside of the new era amidst the scent of books and the beauty of mountains and rivers.
In our series report "Building Modernization, Drawing a New Blueprint: Youth Blossoming in Struggle," we introduce Li Chunyan, Secretary of the Party General Branch of Emei Village, Bobai County, Yulin City, Guangxi. During this "May Day" holiday, several dairy buffaloes in the Emei Village cooperative gave birth one after another, and Li Chunyan, who had been constantly concerned, kept checking on them. Li Chunyan, born in the 1990s, joined the army after graduating from high school. In 2015, after eight years of military service, she returned to her hometown of Bobai County. Seeing that the longans grown by her fellow villagers were of good quality but sold at low prices, she and a friend decided to start a business, changing the traditional manual processing methods used by scattered households. Through mechanized drying, standardized production, and exquisite packaging, they quickly established the "Hakka Longan" brand. In five years, she has driven 60 administrative villages in the area to process dried longan, and Li Chunyan has become a well-known leader in achieving prosperity. In 2020, she was elected as the Party Branch Secretary of Emei Village in Bobai County. Thus, Li Chunyan returned to Emei Village, taking over the "baton" of rural revitalization. For rural areas to revitalize, industries must revitalize. Through in-depth visits and research and consulting experts in various fields, Li Chunyan decided to expand the existing waxberry cultivation in the village and also establish a dairy buffalo farm. However, at that time, the village's transportation and electricity systems were not perfect, making road repair and electricity upgrading urgent priorities. Over the past four years, Li Chunyan has led her fellow villagers to raise funds and establish several industrial cooperatives. The number of dairy buffaloes has grown from 50 to over 200, bringing 20,000 to 50,000 yuan in annual income to buffalo farmers. In addition to animal husbandry, Li Chunyan has also focused on Bobai County's distinctive traditional industry - rush weaving. Various rush-woven household items and artworks made by the elderly and women in the village are now sold domestically and internationally. Now, with the national rural revitalization strategy, the village has built bridges, paved roads, dug canals, and constructed cultural and recreational squares. Li Chunyan also plans to establish a tourism cooperative to create a star-rated rural tourist attraction.
From "green-skinned trains" to "Fuxing Hao" high-speed trains, China's rail transit has continuously broken through, which is inseparable from the meticulous research and extreme challenges undertaken by artisans. Today (May 5), we will introduce Sun Jingnan, a master craftsman who has overcome the difficult problem of high-strength aluminum alloy welding. This is a special physical examination. The large component being X-rayed is a crucial part connecting high-speed train carriages to the bogie at the bottom. This 10-centimeter weld must withstand hundreds of tons of pulling force during train operation, and its quality directly affects the safety of train travel. X-ray detection is one of the most stringent methods for inspecting weld quality, and the results show that the weld reached the highest standard for aluminum alloy welding. The high-speed train carriages produced at Sun Jingnan's factory are all made of aluminum alloy. This material reduces train weight and energy consumption, but it is prone to producing pores and cracks during welding, making high-strength aluminum alloy welding a persistent industry challenge. What defines a "craftsman"? In Sun Jingnan's mind, it is being "meticulous" about oneself in a professional field. From picking up a welding torch at the age of 19, she painstakingly practiced various welding techniques, from flat welding and horizontal welding to vertical welding and overhead welding, developing solid fundamental skills. In tackling the industry challenge of high-strength aluminum alloy welding, Sun Jingnan approached it with the precision of embroidery, meticulously adjusting the current and groove angle repeatedly, even paying attention to surrounding air pollution and removing tiny impurities. At the same time, she self-studied engineering mechanics, materials science, and industrial electronics, finally taking half a year to overcome the problem of high-strength aluminum alloy welding, becoming one of the first aluminum alloy welding experts in China's rail transit field. For over 30 years, from "green-skinned trains" to "Fuxing Hao," Sun Jingnan's welding skills have continuously improved, with numerous technical breakthroughs and nearly a hundred innovative inventions accompanying the continuous breakthroughs in China's rail transit. Sun Jingnan has trained over 600 apprentices, and the welding robot in front of her is her newly graduated "apprentice." Dual-wire welding and multi-position rotation on this intelligent production line mean that the eight robotic arms work with several times the efficiency of manual labor.
The 135th Canton Fair concluded today (May 5). This fair saw over 29,000 offline exhibiting companies and more than 246,000 overseas buyers from 215 countries and regions attending offline, a 24.5% increase from the previous session. The exhibition featured a concentrated display of high-end, intelligent, green, and low-carbon products such as intelligent bionic hands and autonomous navigation transport equipment. Over 5,500 national high-tech enterprises, manufacturing single-champion enterprises, and "little giant" enterprises specializing in niche sectors were present, an increase of 20% from the last session. As of May 4, the on-site export transaction value at this Canton Fair reached 24.7 billion US dollars, a 10.7% increase from the previous session.
Pilot cities for modern business and trade circulation systems will be built in batches. The Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Commerce recently issued a notice announcing that starting this year, the construction of modern business and trade circulation system pilot cities will be carried out in three batches. This includes building a circulation and supply system for daily necessities, improving rural business and trade circulation systems, and refining urban and rural recycled resource recovery systems. The construction period is three years, and the central government will provide fixed subsidies to the pilot cities. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs recently released the 2024 annual leading agricultural varieties and key promotion technologies, including 150 leading agricultural varieties, 150 key promotion technologies, and 10 major leading technologies, of which crop varieties and yield improvement technologies for soybeans, corn, wheat, rapeseed, etc., account for more than 40%. The promotion of leading agricultural varieties and key technologies has been ongoing for 20 years. This year, the China-Europe freight train "Eastern Corridor" surpassed 2,000 train trips. Since the beginning of this year, the cross-border logistics at the Manzhouli, Suifenhe, and Tongjiang railway ports, the "Eastern Corridor" of the China-Europe freight train service, have continuously improved in quality and efficiency. As of May 5, a cumulative total of 2,000 trains have passed through, transporting 210,000 TEUs of goods, representing year-on-year increases of 7% and 6% respectively, setting a new historical high for the same period. The 2024 China International Bicycle Fair opened today. The 2024 China International Bicycle Fair opened today (May 5) in Shanghai, with 1,460 enterprises participating, showcasing the latest products in various bicycle segments and further unleashing consumption potential. China is a major bicycle producer, with its annual trade volume accounting for approximately 60% of the world's bicycle trade. China wins 2024 Uber Cup. On the morning of May 5, in the 2024 Uber Cup final held in Chengdu, the Chinese badminton team defeated Indonesia 3-0, with outstanding performances from Chen Yufei, Chen Qingchen/Jia Yifan, and He Bingjiao, winning the Uber Cup for the 16th time.
People from various sectors in France, Serbia, and Hungary expressed their belief that President Xi Jinping's visit will promote the achievement of more consensus, deepen friendship, and further strengthen bilateral exchanges and mutually beneficial cooperation. Serbian individuals stated that they look forward to the continuous deepening of friendship between Serbia and China and more fruitful cooperation between the two countries. Hungarian individuals expressed that President Xi's visit will push bilateral cooperation to a new level.
The Israeli Defense Forces announced on May 4 that they had struck Hamas rocket launch sites and other targets in the Gaza Strip and killed a commander of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ). Palestinian armed groups claimed to have attacked Israeli soldiers near the "Netzarim Corridor" and in northern Gaza City. According to Israeli media, Hamas stated on May 4 that there was no progress in the ceasefire negotiations with mediators in Egypt, and talks would resume on May 5. World Food Programme officials stated that there is "full-blown famine" in northern Gaza. Cindy McCain, Executive Director of the United Nations World Food Programme, recently stated that "full-blown famine" exists in northern Gaza and is spreading south. She called for the urgent delivery of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip. From May 4 to 5, the 15th Summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation was held in Banjul, the capital of The Gambia. The host, Gambian President Barrow, stated that the conflict in Gaza poses a serious threat to regional stability and global peace and that a ceasefire should be achieved as soon as possible. He called on OIC members to take decisive action to seek a just and lasting solution.
Cuba announces visa-free entry for Chinese citizens. Cuban Minister of Tourism Juan Carlos García announced at the closing ceremony of the 2024 Cuba Tourism Festival on May 4 that Chinese citizens holding ordinary passports will be able to enter Cuba without a visa, effective this month. García also announced that China will be the guest of honor country for the 2025 Cuba Tourism Festival. US services activity contracted in April. Data released by the Institute for Supply Management on May 3 showed that the US services purchasing managers' index fell from 51.4 in March to 49.4 in April, marking the first contraction in US services activity since December 2022. Analysts attributed the contraction in US services activity to factors such as reduced business activity and slower growth in new orders. Perimeter fence of White House complex struck. The US Secret Service issued a statement saying that late on May 4 local time, in Washington D.C., a car traveling at high speed crashed into the outer security fence of the White House complex, and the driver died at the scene. The Secret Service stated that White House security was "not compromised." The related investigation is still ongoing.
As the start of summer arrives, daylight increases, rainfall grows, and all things flourish. In the end of our program, let us appreciate the vibrant colors and vigorous vitality of the vast land during the Beginning of Summer.
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