On May 22, President Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory message to To Lam on his assumption of office as President of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. Xi Jinping noted that China and Vietnam are friendly socialist neighbors connected by mountains and rivers. Last year, I paid a state visit to Vietnam and jointly announced with General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong the building of a China-Vietnam community with a shared future that carries strategic significance, opening a new chapter in the relationship between the two parties and two countries. I am pleased to see that various departments and localities in both countries are accelerating the promotion of the China-Vietnam community with a shared future, achieving positive progress. I attach great importance to the development of China-Vietnam relations and am willing to work with Comrade President to maintain strategic communication and lead the building of a China-Vietnam community with a shared future to go deeper and more solid, bringing more benefits to the people of both countries.
On May 22, President Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory letter to the opening of the 14th China-U.S. Tourism High-Level Dialogue. Xi Jinping pointed out that this year marks the 45th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the United States. The foundation of China-U.S. relations is laid by the people, the door to China-U.S. relations is opened by the people, the story of China-U.S. relations is written by the people, and the future of China-U.S. relations will surely be created by the people of both countries. Xi Jinping emphasized that tourism is an important bridge for exchanges and mutual understanding between the people of China and the United States. We warmly welcome American tourists to travel to China, make Chinese friends, experience Chinese culture, and visit beautiful landscapes, personally feeling a real China. It is hoped that all sectors of both countries will take this high-level dialogue as an opportunity to engage in in-depth exchanges, build consensus, and take active actions to promote personnel exchanges through tourism cooperation, continue China-U.S. friendship through cultural exchanges, and help turn the "San Francisco Vision" into reality. The 14th China-U.S. Tourism High-Level Dialogue opened on the same day in Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, with the theme of "Tourism Promotes China-U.S. Cultural and People-to-People Exchanges," co-hosted by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of China, the People's Government of Shaanxi Province, the U.S. Department of Commerce, and Brand USA.
General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized the need to plan and advance ecological environmental protection in the new journey with a higher standing, broader vision, and greater efforts, writing a new chapter in ecological civilization construction in the new era. To implement the General Secretary's instructions, various regions have firmly established and practiced the concept that lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets, adhering to the integrated protection and systematic governance of mountains, rivers, forests, fields, lakes, grasslands, and sand, fostering the green foundation for high-quality development, and comprehensively promoting the modernization of harmonious coexistence between humanity and nature through the construction of a beautiful China. In the summer, people at Saihanba Mechanized Forest Farm are busy planting trees. This year, the forest farm plans to cultivate 5 million high-quality seedlings and create 20,000 acres of mixed forests. Today, the forest coverage rate of Saihanba has reached 82%, and the total value of forest resources is approximately 23.12 billion yuan. Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, General Secretary Xi Jinping has attached great importance to ecological civilization construction, traveling across the country, from north to south, from the Great Wall to beyond, observing mountains, rivers, forests, fields, grasslands, and sand, promoting the rooting of ecological civilization concepts. In 2021, during his inspection of Saihanba Mechanized Forest Farm, General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized the need to inherit the Saihanba spirit and deeply understand and implement the concept of ecological civilization. Building a beautiful China by fostering a green foundation. Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, China has cumulatively completed 1.68 billion mu of land greening, with forest coverage increasing from 21.63% to 24.02%. The area of artificial forests in China has reached 1.314 billion mu, ranking first in the world. To build a beautiful China, this summer, various regions are seizing the opportunity to expand, promote, and protect green spaces. In the Xishui Forest Farm in the hinterland of Xiaoxing'an Mountains, afforestation, degraded forest restoration, and seedling breeding are being carried out intensively. This year, Heilongjiang Province plans to complete 1 million mu of afforestation. In the Taklamakan Desert in Xinjiang, large bulldozers are standardizing the leveling of sand dunes. This year, Xinjiang plans to plant 1.2 million mu of trees and manage 4.5 million mu of desertification in four key areas, including the Taklamakan Desert and the Gurbantunggut Desert. To build a beautiful China, various regions are accelerating the integrated governance of mountains, rivers, forests, fields, lakes, grasslands, and sand. Jiangsu is pushing forward the battle against pollution in Taihu Lake, implementing comprehensive governance of industrial pollution, domestic sewage, and agricultural non-point source pollution, striving for the average water quality of the entire Taihu Lake to reach Class III by 2025; Shanxi is reinforcing embankments and conducting ecological restoration of salt lakes to restore the salt lake ecosystem; Guangxi is accelerating marine ecological restoration, doing well in mangrove replanting and restoration. By 2025, the entire region plans to create 1,000 hectares of mangroves and restore over 3,500 hectares of mangroves. To build a beautiful China, various regions are accelerating the green and low-carbon transformation of development methods. Zhejiang is actively building a green, low-carbon, and circular industrial system, promoting the construction of green manufacturing and service systems, and has cumulatively established 21 green parks; Hubei is increasing efforts to cultivate green factories, striving to cultivate another 150 national-level green factories by 2027; In Kubuqi, Inner Mongolia, a new energy base with a total installed capacity of 13 gigawatts is under intensive construction. Once completed, the base can generate 25.74 billion kilowatt-hours of clean electricity annually; In Lingwu, Ningxia, a 2 million kilowatt composite photovoltaic base supporting the Ling-Shao DC transmission line is also under construction, with the project expected to achieve full-capacity grid connection in 2024. Persist tirelessly, work diligently for a long time. In the new journey, China's green foundation continues to grow, and green well-being continues to improve, with bluer skies, greener lands, clearer waters, and a more colorful landscape of a beautiful China rapidly being painted.
Since the beginning of this year, China Railway has promoted the construction of key railway projects with high quality. Fixed asset investment continued to grow in the first four months, and the modern railway infrastructure system is accelerating its development, effectively meeting passenger travel demands and stimulating consumption vitality. Data shows that from January to April this year, national railway fixed asset investment reached 184.9 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 10.5%. A number of key projects under construction in the "14th Five-Year Plan" have achieved phased results. The capacity expansion and renovation project of the Xinjiang section of the Ge-Ku Railway has progressed smoothly, the Lanzhou-Wuwei section of the Lan-Zhang High-Speed Railway has started joint commissioning and testing, and the Chizhou-Huangshan High-Speed Railway has officially opened for operation. Adapting to the trend of continued economic recovery, national railways have increased transportation capacity. From January to April, the average daily number of passenger trains operated was 10,483, a year-on-year increase of 13.8%. In addition to meeting the concentrated travel demands of domestic passengers during New Year's Day, the Spring Festival, and Qingming Festival holidays, cross-border passenger trains were added. The Hohhot-Ulaanbaatar international passenger train resumed operation, and the number of cross-border passengers sent by the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong High-Speed Railway increased by 106.3% year-on-year. From January to April, national railways transported 1.37 billion passengers, a year-on-year increase of 22.9%, with passenger flow continuing to grow steadily, effectively stimulating market consumption vitality.
The reporter learned from the China Machinery Industry Federation that in April, the added value of the five major national economic sectors primarily involved in China's machinery industry maintained year-on-year growth, and the growth rates all accelerated to varying degrees compared to March. From January to April this year, various industries, including general equipment manufacturing, special equipment manufacturing, automobile manufacturing, and electrical machinery and equipment manufacturing, all showed different degrees of growth. Among them, the added value of the automobile manufacturing industry increased by 11.3% year-on-year, significantly higher than other industries. In addition, among the 122 key machinery products monitored, the cumulative output of 56% of the products achieved year-on-year growth from January to April. The China Machinery Industry Federation stated that with the active promotion of large-scale equipment renewal and consumer goods trade-in action plans by central and local governments, market demand for machinery products will continue to improve, and the industry's operation will further stabilize and improve.
The Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, and the National Financial Regulatory Administration recently jointly issued a notice, stating that starting this year, the policy of full cost insurance and planting income insurance for the three major grain crops (paddy rice, wheat, and corn) will be fully implemented nationwide. Full cost insurance covers the total agricultural production costs, including material costs, land costs, and labor costs; planting income insurance reflects agricultural product prices and yields, covering agricultural planting income. The insurance coverage for both types of insurance will generally not exceed 80% of the corresponding product's output value. The notice stipulates that for insurance premium subsidies, on the basis of provincial financial premium subsidies being no less than 25%, the central government will subsidize 45% for central and western regions and the northeastern region, and 35% for the eastern region.
The 20th China (Shenzhen) International Cultural Industries Fair is about to open, and all preparatory work is now complete. At the Shenzhen World Exhibition & Convention Center, reporters observed staff meticulously checking the details of various exhibition booths, preparing for the opening. The main venue of this year's Cultural Industries Fair has eight exhibition halls, covering an area of 160,000 square meters. Over 120,000 cultural products will be displayed, and more than 4,000 cultural industry investment and financing projects will be exhibited and traded on site.
A spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council stated in a press conference on May 21 that the May 20 speech by the leader of the Taiwan region was full of hostility and provocation, lies and deceit, and a more radical and adventurous "Taiwan independence" stance. It brazenly propagated fallacies of separation such as "sovereign independence," "the two sides of the strait are not subordinate to each other," and "self-determination by Taiwan residents," desperately seeking external support and attempting to promote the "internationalization of the Taiwan issue," continuing to "rely on external forces for independence" and "seek independence by force." It can be described as a complete "Taiwan independence confession." This fully demonstrates that he is a betrayer of the mainstream public opinion on the island and a destroyer of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and the region. The spokesperson said that in his speech, the leader of the Taiwan region deliberately packaged and concealed his true intentions by claiming that "the Republic of China Taiwan is a sovereign independent country," "the Republic of China and the People's Republic of China are not subordinate to each other," and Taiwan is "the name of our country." This is selling the "two states theory" and engaging in "Taiwan independence rectification of names," indicating that he could not wait to reveal his true "Taiwan independence" colors immediately after taking office, with an extremely rampant attitude and more radical propositions. It must be pointed out that Taiwan has belonged to China since ancient times, with clear historical context and legal facts. Both the mainland and Taiwan belong to one China, and Taiwan is part of China. This is the true status quo of the Taiwan Strait. The leader of the Taiwan region not only failed to answer the fundamental question of the nature of cross-strait relations but also attempted to change the nature of cross-strait relations, which is a serious provocation to the one-China principle. The spokesperson emphasized that no matter what he says or how he says it, it cannot change the status and fact that Taiwan is a part of China, cannot change the basic pattern and development direction of cross-strait relations, cannot change the common desire of compatriots on both sides of the strait to get closer and closer, and even less can it stop the historical trend that the motherland will eventually be unified. The complete reunification of the motherland must be realized, and it will surely be realized.
Taiwan regional leader Lai Ching-te's "May 20" speech caused an uproar on the island. Taiwan society is generally disappointed and highly worried, believing that his remarks, mainly based on "resisting China for independence," seriously jeopardize the peaceful prospects of cross-strait relations and may make the situation in the Taiwan Strait more complex and severe. People from all walks of life in Taiwan also stated that Lai Ching-te does not recognize the "1992 Consensus," and his remarks seriously challenge the one-China principle, which is very worrying. The Democratic Progressive Party's route over the past eight years has already led to tension in the Taiwan Strait, and Lai Ching-te's speech completely disregarded the public opinion on the island hoping for a relaxation of cross-strait relations, causing extreme disappointment in society. Many people also worry that after "May 20," not only will cross-strait relations be difficult to thaw, but the Taiwan Strait crisis may escalate further.
2024 National SME Service Month to be held in June. The reporter learned from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology that the 2024 National SME Service Month will be held in June. The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology will guide SME authorities and service agencies at all levels to carry out 34 service activities, including market expansion, talent recruitment and training, and digital empowerment, for key groups such as technology-based and innovative SMEs, to resolve the pain points and difficulties in SME operations. China to launch pilot projects for county-level urban waste classification. The reporter learned today (May 22) from the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development that currently, the coverage rate of waste classification in residential communities in cities at or above the prefecture level in China has reached 92.6%. Next, the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development will select 15 county-level cities to carry out pilot projects for county-level urban waste classification, striving to explore simple and feasible waste classification models for county-level cities in different regions within two years. Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region's foreign trade import and export value exceeds 1.6 trillion yuan in the first four months of this year. The reporter learned from Beijing Customs that in the first four months of this year, the total value of foreign trade import and export in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region reached 1.69 trillion yuan, a record high for the same period, a year-on-year increase of 5.2%, accounting for 12.3% of the national total import and export value. Beijing continues to play a leading role, with its regional foreign trade accounting for 72.6% of the total foreign trade of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei. Multiple measures facilitate international cruise ship port calls and supplies in China. The reporter learned from a policy briefing held by the State Council Information Office today (May 22) that the "Regulations on International Cruise Ships Calling at Ports of the People's Republic of China for Supply" will come into effect on June 1 this year, clarifying the supply channels and regulatory norms for various materials such as medicines, medical devices, and duty-free tobacco products, and proposing multiple customs clearance facilitation measures to encourage international cruise ships to call at Chinese ports for supply. "Silk Road Maritime" opens multimodal transport channel to GCC countries. Today (May 22), "Silk Road Maritime" smart containers loaded with auto parts were loaded onto a ship and set off from Xiamen towards Saudi Arabia. This marks the regular operation of the first multimodal transport channel of "Silk Road Maritime" to GCC countries. The new channel can save 1,400 yuan in freight per TEU, reducing total logistics costs by nearly 25%. China-Laos Railway operates over 50,000 passenger trains. The reporter learned today (May 22) from China Railway Kunming Group that as of May 21, the China-Laos Railway has cumulatively operated 50,187 passenger trains, transporting over 34.05 million passengers. Currently, the railway department has achieved "one map per day" for China-Laos railway operations based on dynamic analysis of passenger ticket pre-sales and standby ticket big data, improving capacity supply. Group standard "Technical Requirements for Electric Vertical Take-off and Landing Aircraft Landing Fields" released. The China Civil Airports Association today (May 22) released the group standard "Technical Requirements for Electric Vertical Take-off and Landing Aircraft Landing Fields." This is currently China's first technical standard for the construction of landing points specifically for electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft, including drones and flying cars. The standard clearly explains the site selection, obstacle limitation, and structural design of landing points. Zhangzhou LNG Receiving Terminal officially put into operation. The reporter learned today (May 22) from PipeChina that the Zhangzhou LNG Receiving Terminal, a key project for national gas storage capacity construction, has officially been put into operation. The receiving terminal has three 160,000 cubic meter LNG storage tanks, capable of external output of 18 million cubic meters of natural gas per day. It is expected to supply over 3 million tons of LNG annually to Fujian, Jiangxi, Hunan, and other provinces, equivalent to approximately 4.2 billion cubic meters of natural gas, meeting the annual usage needs of 13 million households. Chinese research team breaks micro-scale drive bottleneck, develops "insect" robot. A research team from Beihang University has made a new breakthrough in micro-power technology after 15 years, developing a bionic "insect" robot that achieves untethered controllable crawling at a tiny size of 2 centimeters. The "insect" robot uses electromagnetic vibration for propulsion, with its front limbs capable of vibrating 200 times per second, enabling it to move forward and turn. It is understood that the successful development of micro-power technology is expected to promote the development and application of micro-robots, assisting in post-disaster search and rescue, facility damage detection, and other fields. "Nanyue Window" unveiled, CMG Guangdong series media actions launched. China Media Group (CMG) High-Quality Development "Nanyue Window" was officially unveiled in Guangzhou yesterday (May 21). As CMG's first program production base with a focus on high-quality development, "Nanyue Window" will launch a series of high-quality programs and key projects, build a brand matrix, and help construct a new development paradigm. The "2024 Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Consumption Season" and other CMG Guangdong series media actions were launched simultaneously. Large-scale ecological documentary "Chinese White Dolphin" premieres tonight. The large-scale ecological documentary "Chinese White Dolphin," co-produced by China Media Group and other organizations, will premiere tonight (May 22) on CMG CCTV Science and Education Channel. The film comprehensively records the living environment, growth trajectory, and reproduction process of Chinese white dolphins, telling the story of harmonious coexistence between humans and nature in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. Population and number of North China Leopards gradually recover in China. In recent years, with China's continuous increase in ecological environmental protection efforts, the population of North China leopards has gradually recovered, with stable populations in Shanxi, Shaanxi, Gansu, Ningxia, and other places. At the same time, according to monitoring, the habitat of the North China leopard population also shows a trend of outward expansion, with new images of North China leopards being discovered in many places.
Governments, dignitaries, and international figures from many countries have recently continued to speak out, reaffirming adherence to the One-China principle, compliance with United Nations General Assembly Resolution 2758, and opposition to any form of "Taiwan independence" secession and external interference in China's internal affairs. Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev stated that Kazakhstan unswervingly adheres to the One-China principle, and this position will never change. Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev stated that the Taiwan regional election is China's internal affair, and other countries have no right to interfere or dictate. Uzbekistan's firm adherence to the One-China principle will never waver. Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro stated that there is only one China in the world, and only one China in the international system with the United Nations at its core. This is an indisputable fact, and any attempt to undermine the One-China principle is doomed to fail. Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema stated that the Zambian government will firmly uphold the One-China principle, which is the unshakable political foundation of the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership between Zambia and China. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated that on the Taiwan issue, Russia supports China's national reunification, and this position is very clear. The Nauru government issued a statement, reaffirming its firm adherence to the One-China principle. The statement said that Nauru recognizes that there is only one China in the world, and the Government of the People's Republic of China is the sole legal government representing all of China. Nauru opposes "Taiwan independence" and external interference in China's internal affairs. Serbian Foreign Minister Marko Đurić stated that on the Taiwan issue, Serbia has only one policy, which is the inviolable sovereignty and territorial integrity of friendly and brotherly China. Serbia believes that how to resolve issues such as Taiwan is China's own business. Vietnamese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Pham Thu Hang said that Vietnam firmly adheres to the One-China principle, Taiwan is an inseparable part of Chinese territory, and maintaining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait plays an important role in the region and the world.
Today (May 22), a farewell ceremony for the victims of the Iranian helicopter crash, including the late Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and late Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, was held in Tehran. Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei also participated in the mourning event. At the event site in Tehran, large crowds of people came from various places to commemorate President Raisi. In addition to expressing their condolences, they also stated that the Iranian nation and people would work together to overcome the current difficulties. Today, high-level delegations from more than 40 countries visited Tehran to attend the farewell ceremony. UN Headquarters lowers flag to mourn Iranian President Raisi. On May 21, the United Nations Headquarters in New York held a flag-lowering ceremony to mourn the late Iranian President Raisi.
According to the Palestinian news agency, Israeli forces bombed several areas in the northern and southern Gaza Strip on May 21, killing at least 19 people. The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) stated on May 21 that they continued military operations in various locations in the Gaza Strip, including Jabalia and Rafah, attacking approximately 70 targets, including weapons depots and observation posts of Palestinian armed groups. The Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), claimed on May 21 that they attacked Israeli military vehicles and tanks with rockets and mortars in Jabalia and eastern Rafah. In addition, the Palestinian Ministry of Health stated that Israeli forces killed seven Palestinians and injured several others in the West Bank city of Jenin on May 21. Palestinian presidential spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeineh issued a statement on May 21, stating that the United States provides financial and military support to Israel and provides political cover for its crimes. Palestine demands that the U.S. government be held responsible for Israel's dangerous military actions. Three European countries announce recognition of Palestinian State. Today (May 22), Norway, Spain, and Ireland separately announced their recognition of the Palestinian State. This recognition decision will take effect on May 28. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas subsequently issued a statement, expressing high appreciation and welcome for the recognition of the Palestinian State by Norway and the other two countries. Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz stated that in response, he has decided to immediately recall the Israeli ambassadors to Norway, Ireland, and Spain.
May 21 marked the fifth "International Tea Day." On that day, an exhibition titled "Tea and the World: A Collection of Tea Classics" was held at the United Nations Headquarters. Several UN officials and permanent representatives of various countries to the UN attended the opening ceremony of the exhibition. On the same day, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations also held a tea culture-themed event in Rome, Italy. "International Tea Day" was established by the 74th United Nations General Assembly in 2019, marking the first time that tea-producing countries, led by China, successfully promoted the establishment of an international festival in the agricultural field.
Russia begins first stage of non-strategic nuclear forces exercises. The Russian Ministry of Defense announced on May 21 that Russia has begun the first stage of non-strategic nuclear forces exercises. The exercises include the Russian Aerospace Forces practicing equipping aviation weapons such as Kinzhal hypersonic missiles with special warheads and flying into designated patrol areas. The Russian Ministry of Defense said that this exercise is a response to provocative statements and threats from Western officials and aims to test the combat readiness of non-strategic nuclear forces to perform combat missions. Spain announces indefinite recall of ambassador to Argentina. Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares announced on May 21 the indefinite recall of Spain's ambassador to Argentina. Albares stated that this move was due to Argentine President Javier Milei's recent public inappropriate remarks targeting Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and his wife, and his refusal to apologize for them. Milei's words and actions have put the relationship between the two countries "in its most serious state in recent times." Milei's spokesperson responded on the same day that Argentina would not retaliate by recalling its ambassador to Spain, and that the relationship between the two countries would not be affected. Storms sweep multiple Midwestern US states. Storms have recently swept through multiple Midwestern US states. On May 21, Iowa was hit by multiple tornadoes, causing multiple deaths and injuries and extensive damage to homes. Nebraska, Colorado, and other areas experienced severe weather including heavy rain, strong winds, and hail, with flooding occurring in Omaha, Nebraska, and other cities.
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