Xi Jinping Replies to Kean University President
Recently, Chinese President Xi Jinping replied to Ramon Rebolledo, President of Kean University in the United States, encouraging universities in China and the US to strengthen exchanges and cooperation and contribute to promoting China-US friendship. Xi Jinping stated that in 2006, he witnessed the signing ceremony for the establishment of Wenzhou-Kean University, a China-US cooperation project, at Kean University. Thanks to the joint efforts of both sides, Wenzhou-Kean University has achieved remarkable results and has become a landmark project in China-US educational cooperation, which is gratifying. Xi Jinping pointed out that China-US relations concern the well-being of the two peoples and the future of humanity. Educational exchanges and cooperation help promote mutual understanding and closeness between the two peoples, especially the youth, and are a future-oriented project for the development of China-US relations. Xi Jinping expressed appreciation for Rebolledo's statement in his letter that he would deepen cooperation with Wenzhou-Kean University and encourage American students to come to China for exchanges and studies. He hoped that universities in the two countries would strengthen exchanges and cooperation through various forms to cultivate young envoys who understand both China and the United States, building more bridges for China-US friendship. In his reply, Xi Jinping said he welcomed Rebolledo and other American education professionals to visit China more often, and asked him to convey his greetings to former President Dr. Farahi. In May 2006, with the care and promotion of Xi Jinping, then Secretary of the Zhejiang Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China, Wenzhou University and Kean University officially signed an agreement to jointly establish Wenzhou-Kean University. In 2014, with the approval of the Ministry of Education, Wenzhou-Kean University was formally established. It currently has about 4,500 undergraduate, master's, and doctoral students and has graduated more than 3,300 undergraduate students in 8 cohorts. Recently, Ramon Rebolledo, President of Kean University, wrote to President Xi Jinping to introduce the situation and achievements of their cooperative education and expressed his active response to President Xi's initiative to help more American youth come to China for exchanges and studies and promote exchanges among the young generation of China and the US.
New Ideas Guide New Journey: Decisive Battle in "Three North" Regions to Build Northern Ecological Security Barrier
China is one of the countries most severely affected by desertification, and desertified land is mainly distributed in the Three-North Region, namely the Northwest, North, and Northeast. One year ago today (June 6), General Secretary Xi Jinping issued a mobilization order to win the battle against desertification in the Three-North Shelterbelt Program and strive to create new miracles in China's sand control in the new era. In the year since the battle began, various departments and the Three-North Region have focused on sand control and desertification prevention, adapting measures to local conditions and overcoming difficulties. As of now, approximately 40 million mu of trees and grass have been planted, accelerating the strengthening of the northern ecological security barrier. As one of the three landmark battles of the "Three-North" program in the new era, the Yellow River "Jiziwan" (Loop) battle is the top priority. In Ordos City, Inner Mongolia, efforts are being made to tackle the Yellow River "Jiziwan" at a rate of 10,000 mu of sand control per day. In Zhangwu County, Liaoning, the core area of the two major sandland eradication battles in Horqin and Hunshandake, the Three-North Shelterbelt has advanced 13 kilometers into the hinterland of the Horqin Sandland. The Hexi Corridor-Taklamakan Desert Edge Blocking Battle Zone is an important source of sand and dust and a sandstorm path. As of now, 15.39 million mu of construction tasks have been completed in the zone, marking a good start to the blocking battle. General Secretary Xi Jinping has always been concerned about the construction of China's northern ecological security barrier. He pointed out that strengthening comprehensive desertification prevention and control and deeply advancing key ecological projects such as the "Three-North" program are related to China's ecological security, the building of a strong nation, and the sustainable development of the Chinese nation. It is a noble cause that benefits the present and future generations. From the Sanjiangyuan (Three-River Source) to Saihanba, from Bapusha Forest Farm to Ulan Suhai, General Secretary Xi Jinping has repeatedly inspected the "Three-North" project areas. At the symposium on strengthening comprehensive desertification prevention and control and promoting key ecological projects such as the "Three-North" held in June 2023, General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized that efforts should be made to win the battle of the "Three-North" program in about 10 years, building the "Three-North" program into a functionally complete, impregnable green Great Wall and ecological security barrier in northern China. The "Three-North" program's battle covers 46.7% of China's land area. Addressing key questions such as "how to fight," "where to fight," and "what to fight," the state has established a working coordination mechanism, clarified the task lists and responsibility lists for participating departments; revised the overall plan of the "Three-North" program and issued the "Three-North Program Phase VI Plan," planning and deploying 68 key projects; the central government has increased financial support for the "Three-North" program construction, establishing new "Three-North" program subsidy funds, and has allocated 12 billion yuan in the 2024 budget. Today, various regions in the Three-North are actively exploring new mechanisms and models such as photovoltaic sand control, "work-for-relief," "unveiling the list and finding the best talent," and cooperation with central state-owned enterprises, incentivizing more forces to participate in the project construction. In Kubuqi, China's seventh largest desert, a "blue ocean" composed of photovoltaic panels stretches endlessly. In the future, an ecological photovoltaic base with a total length of about 400 kilometers will be built here. While fully fighting the battle, the "sky-ground" integrated monitoring system of the "Three-North" program is also accelerating its construction. The ecosystem monitoring tower cluster built in Qingyuan, Liaoning, equipped with more than 70 sensors, acts like the nerve endings of the forest, capturing subtle changes in wind, rain, light, temperature, and humidity. Drones and ground-based radar weave every detail of this 5,070 mu forest and 330,000 trees into a data network, building a holographic "digital forest," providing a data-driven foundation for the "Three-North" program construction. Today, after generations of unremitting efforts, the "Three-North" program has cumulatively completed 480 million mu of afforestation, and cumulatively treated 500 million mu of desertified land, turning vast deserts into oases... The forest coverage rate in the "Three-North" project area has increased from 5.05% to 13.84%, achieving "double reduction" in desertification and land desertification, and effectively curbing wind and sand hazards and soil erosion. Driven by key ecological projects such as the "Three-North," China has taken the lead globally in achieving "zero growth" in land degradation, and key control areas have achieved a historic transformation from "sand advancing and people retreating" to "green advancing and sand retreating."
Wang Huning Presides Over Closing of Seventh Session of 14th CPPCC Standing Committee
The Seventh Session of the Standing Committee of the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) concluded in Beijing on the morning of June 6. The meeting discussed the topic of "building a high-level socialist market economic system." Wang Huning, Member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Chairman of the CPPCC National Committee, presided over the closing meeting and delivered a speech. He stated that since the 18th CPC National Congress, the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping as its core has attached great importance to the reform of the socialist market economic system, placing the adherence to and improvement of the socialist market economic system in an important position in comprehensively deepening reforms, planning and deploying a series of major tasks and important measures to deepen economic system reforms, promoting solid achievements in high-quality development, and achieving a historic leap in national comprehensive strength. We must raise our political stance, unify our thoughts and actions with the decisions and deployments of the CPC Central Committee, and enhance our sense of responsibility and mission in performing our duties and serving the overall situation. Wang Huning stated that General Secretary Xi Jinping's important expositions on building a high-level socialist market economic system profoundly answer the directional, fundamental, and long-term issues concerning the building of a high-level socialist market economic system, and are an important part of Xi Jinping's economic thought. The CPPCC should thoroughly study and comprehend these expositions, focusing on promoting Chinese modernization, implementing the "two unswervinglys," improving the basic system of the market economy, building a high-standard market system, improving the macro-economic governance system, and building a new open economic system, to deepen research and consultation, strengthen democratic supervision, broadly build consensus, and actively contribute to building a high-level socialist market economic system. Wang Huning stated that efforts should be made to meticulously organize the CPPCC National Committee's study and implementation of the spirit of the Third Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee, earnestly prepare for the celebration activities of the 75th anniversary of the founding of the CPPCC, strengthen the work of special committees, and promote the building of the CPPCC organ into a home for CPPCC members. After voting, the meeting decided to add Ma Xiaowei, Yi Huiman, and Cao Jun as members of the 14th CPPCC National Committee; appoint Hu Henglu as Deputy Secretary-General of the 14th CPPCC National Committee, Yi Huiman as full-time Deputy Director of the Economic Committee, Ma Xiaowei as Deputy Director of the Committee of Education, Science, Culture, Health and Sports, and Cao Jun as full-time Deputy Director of the Committee of Education, Science, Culture, Health and Sports; Sui Qing no longer serves as full-time Deputy Director of the Ethnic and Religious Affairs Committee. The meeting adopted the decision to accept Zhang Xiaoming's resignation as Standing Committee member and member of the 14th CPPCC National Committee, and the decision to accept Wang Tian's resignation as member of the 14th CPPCC National Committee. The meeting adopted the decision to remove Gou Zhongwen from his positions as Standing Committee member of the 14th CPPCC National Committee and Deputy Director of the Ethnic and Religious Affairs Committee, and revoke his membership; and retrospectively affirmed the decision to revoke the membership of Shi Lei and Tang Yijun from the 14th CPPCC National Committee. After the closing meeting, Yin Shouyi, Vice Dean of the School of Integrated Circuits at Tsinghua University, was invited to give a lecture titled "Prospects and Challenges of China's Chip Industry Development."
Han Zheng Holds Talks with Brazilian Vice President, Co-chairs Seventh Meeting of China-Brazil High-Level Coordination and Cooperation Committee
Chinese Vice President Han Zheng held talks with Brazilian Vice President Geraldo Alckmin and co-chaired the seventh meeting of the China-Brazil High-Level Coordination and Cooperation Committee in Beijing on June 6. Han Zheng stated that President Xi Jinping and President Lula held a fruitful meeting in Beijing last year, reaching important consensus on guiding and opening up a new future for China-Brazil relations in the new era. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Brazil and the 20th anniversary of the High-Level Committee mechanism. Under the strategic guidance of the two heads of state, China and Brazil have consistently and firmly supported each other on issues concerning their respective core interests, adhered to win-win cooperation as the driving force, continuously deepened political mutual trust, strengthened strategic coordination, and achieved tangible results in various fields of cooperation such as economy and trade, finance, agriculture, science and technology, and aerospace, setting a model for South-South cooperation. Han Zheng stated that China and Brazil are both major developing countries and important BRICS nations, sharing broad common interests. Facing the profound changes unseen in a century, both sides should further strengthen strategic communication, deepen mutually beneficial friendship and practical cooperation, promote the sustained and in-depth development of the China-Brazil comprehensive strategic partnership, and make greater contributions to world peace and development. Alckmin stated that Brazil-China relations transcend bilateral scope and have strategic significance and global influence. Brazil attaches great importance to developing relations with China and is willing to deepen exchanges and cooperation with China in various fields to elevate bilateral relations to a new height. Brazil is willing to closely coordinate and cooperate with China on multilateral platforms such as the United Nations, G20, and BRICS. Han Zheng and Alckmin listened to reports from relevant departments of China and Brazil, as well as the 11 sub-committees and the China-Brazil Business Council. Both sides agreed to actively and comprehensively implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state, advance the alignment of the development strategies of the two countries with more pragmatic and efficient actions, and jointly create a new pattern of mutually beneficial cooperation between China and Brazil. After the meeting, Han Zheng and Alckmin signed the minutes of the meeting and witnessed the signing of cooperation documents in areas such as bilateral investment and production capacity cooperation.
Chang'e-6 Completes "Space Relay" with Lunar Far Side Samples
At 2:48 PM on June 6, the Chang'e-6 ascender successfully completed rendezvous and docking with the orbiter-returner combination in lunar orbit, and safely transferred the lunar sample container to the returner. This marks China's second successful lunar orbit rendezvous and docking, following Chang'e-5. After the Chang'e-6 ascender took off from the far side of the moon and entered lunar orbit, it performed four orbital adjustments. On the morning of June 6, when the ascender was approximately 50 kilometers in front of and 10 kilometers above the orbiter-returner combination, the orbiter-returner combination gradually approached the ascender through autonomous proximity control. At 2:48 PM, the three K-shaped grappling claws of the Chang'e-6 orbiter aligned with the three connecting rods on the ascender's interface. By tightening the grappling claws, a tight connection between the two spacecraft was achieved, precisely completing the rendezvous and docking. Subsequently, the container holding the precious samples from the far side of the moon was safely transferred from the ascender to the returner. Next, the Chang'e-6 orbiter-returner combination will separate from the ascender and enter a lunar orbit waiting phase, preparing to implement the lunar-Earth transfer orbit control at an opportune time.
Promoting High-Quality Development Series Press Conference: Writing a New Chapter for Shaanxi, Striving to Be a Western Model
The State Council Information Office held a press conference today (June 6) as part of the "Promoting High-Quality Development" series, where officials from Shaanxi Province introduced relevant information. Over the past decade, Shaanxi Province's GDP has grown at an average annual rate of 6.4%, reaching 3.38 trillion yuan last year, successively crossing two trillion-yuan thresholds. The province has cultivated three national-level industrial clusters: aerospace industry, integrated circuits, and advanced structural materials. Photovoltaic cell conversion efficiency has repeatedly broken world records, and technologies in superconductivity, ultra-high voltage transmission, and new displays have reached internationally advanced levels. The scale of its titanium processing industry and heavy-duty truck transmission production rank first globally, and innovation-driven development has entered a fast track. In recent years, Shaanxi Province's ecological environment has significantly improved. The area of excellent ecological environment in the Shaanxi section of the Qinling Mountains reaches 99.3%. The annual average sediment entering the Yellow River from its major tributaries in the Yellow River Basin has decreased by 30% compared to the previous decade, and the water quality of the South-to-North Water Diversion Middle Route source remains stable above Class II. Shaanxi Province adheres to shaping tourism through culture and highlighting culture through tourism, continuously exploring and showcasing Shaanxi's unique charm. In 2023, the province's tourist arrivals and tourism revenue increased by 106.5% and 150.6%, respectively. Shaanxi Province has made full efforts to build a new highland for inland reform and opening up, with its total import and export value to "Belt and Road" countries growing at an average annual rate of 17.5% over the past decade. Currently, the number of China-Europe freight trains departing from Shaanxi accounts for about one-quarter of the national total, covering the entire Eurasian continent.
Sixth Yangtze River Delta Integration Development High-Level Forum Held
Today (June 6), the 6th Yangtze River Delta Integration Development High-Level Forum was held in Wenzhou, Zhejiang, achieving fruitful results. The forum released a list of 10 practical projects, covering inter-provincial transportation, expanding medical insurance cross-provincial settlement, and integrated elderly care services. The first batch of 12 cross-regional innovation consortia in the Yangtze River Delta was established. These consortia will focus on key areas such as integrated circuits, biomedicine, and artificial intelligence, collaboratively tackling key core industrial technologies and jointly fostering the development of new productive forces.
On the Fields of Hope - Summer Harvest Season: New Farmers on the Wheat Harvest Frontline
Currently, over half of the winter wheat nationwide has been harvested, with provinces like Jiangsu, Shandong, Shanxi, and Hebei about to enter their harvest peaks. Today (June 6), we introduce new farmers in Cangxian, Hebei, who are busy on the front lines of wheat harvesting, safeguarding the harvest with their professional knowledge and intelligent agricultural machinery. On the afternoon of June 5, Zhang Chen and her partners from Cangxian Xinhan Cooperative rushed to a wheat harvesting site to resolve an issue. A combine harvester equipped with a Beidou navigation system suddenly stopped working while operating in dry-land saline-alkali wheat fields. After inspection, Zhang Chen and her team discovered that the connecting wire had loosened due to bumps during operation, affecting signal reception. Once restored, the harvester resumed its steady and efficient progress through the wheat fields. Zhang Chen grew up in the countryside and has a special affection for the land. She specifically chose plant protection as her major at an agricultural university. After graduation, she returned to her hometown to run the cooperative with her father. Because she understands both farming and management, the cooperative has grown in scale. Now, the cooperative has more than 200 large agricultural machines and manages over 70,000 mu of surrounding land. Driven by Zhang Chen, five university graduates have successively returned to their hometowns to join her team of new farmers. Zhang Zhuyin, a post-2000s young man, graduated from university last year. His practical experience in the fields has helped him grow rapidly, from a layman to being able to work independently. He is now mainly responsible for the management and maintenance of agricultural machinery. From spring sowing to summer harvest, Zhang Chen leads her small team, operating these intelligent agricultural machines, traversing the land, sowing hope, and safeguarding the harvest.
Domestic News Briefs
China's cumulative irrigated area exceeds 400 million mu this year. The Ministry of Water Resources announced today (June 6) that China has cumulatively supplied 52.8 billion cubic meters of irrigation water this year, irrigating over 400 million mu of land, ensuring full irrigation and fully safeguarding agricultural production and food security. The construction and renovation projects for 1,197 irrigation areas supported by national bond funds have achieved a 90% commencement rate, further improving the irrigation and drainage system. First batch of national ecological product value realization mechanism pilots determined. The National Development and Reform Commission announced that the first batch of national ecological product value realization mechanism pilots have been identified, including 12 regions such as Yanqing District in Beijing, Daxing'anling Prefecture in Heilongjiang Province, and Yantai City in Shandong Province. The pilot period is from 2025 to 2027. These regions will explore sustainable pathways for realizing the value of ecological products, guided by the government, with participation from enterprises and all sectors of society, and market-oriented operations. All-China Federation of Trade Unions allocates 955 million yuan in central fiscal funds for employee assistance. Recently, the All-China Federation of Trade Unions allocated 955 million yuan in central fiscal funds for employee assistance, supporting various levels of trade unions in carrying out 1,842 assistance and service projects in three major areas: consolidating the achievements of alleviating difficulties for urban employees, providing warmth to special employee groups, and improving living conditions for employees in arduous frontline positions. Overall myopia rate among Chinese children and adolescents declines. Today (June 6) marks the 29th National "Eye Care Day." The National Health Commission reported that China's efforts in preventing and controlling myopia among children and adolescents have made positive progress, with eye care and vision screening coverage for children aged 0-6 exceeding 95%. In 2022, the overall myopia rate among Chinese children and adolescents was 51.9%, a decrease of 1.7 percentage points compared to 2018, showing a positive trend. First Qinghai-Tibet Plateau tropospheric atmospheric three-dimensional observation network completed. Recently, a research team from the Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, utilized 8 radiosonde stations on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and its neighboring areas, and 9 new microwave radiometers in places like Ngari and Mount Everest, to establish China's first Qinghai-Tibet Plateau tropospheric atmospheric three-dimensional observation network. This enables all-weather real-time observation of tropospheric atmospheric data on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, providing important data support for studying local severe weather and environmental changes. Fujian's largest single-unit capacity pumped-storage power station fully operational. Today (June 6), the Xiamen Power Station, Fujian's largest single-unit capacity pumped-storage power station, was fully commissioned and began generating electricity. The power station is designed to generate 1.4 billion kilowatt-hours annually, saving 220,000 tons of standard coal and reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 440,000 tons each year. China's seawater desalination project scale exceeds 2.52 million tons per day. The Ministry of Natural Resources today (June 6) released the "2023 National Seawater Utilization Report" (hereinafter referred to as the "Report"). The "Report" shows that in 2023, there were 156 existing seawater desalination projects nationwide, with a daily processing capacity exceeding 2.52 million tons. National seawater desalination projects are distributed in 10 coastal provinces (regions/cities) including Liaoning, Tianjin, Hebei, and Shandong. Seawater desalination is mainly used for industrial and domestic water. Southern China to experience more rainfall tomorrow, Northern China to see widespread high temperatures. The Central Meteorological Observatory predicts that starting tomorrow (June 7), southern China will experience a strong rainfall process, with heavy to torrential rain in Yunnan, Guizhou, Guangxi, Guangdong, as well as Hunan, Jiangxi, and Fujian, accompanied by short-term strong convective weather. In northern China, a widespread high-temperature weather process will begin on June 8, and the public needs to prepare for relevant protection. CMG releases 2024 Dragon Boat Festival special program. China Media Group (CMG) today (June 6) released its Dragon Boat Festival special program "Striving for the Nation - A Long Song of Green Waters for the Dragon Boat Festival 2024." The program integrates various art forms to showcase the unique charm of excellent traditional Chinese culture. Thomas Konietzko, President of the International Canoe Federation, extended Dragon Boat Festival greetings to Chinese audiences via video and congratulated the widespread development of dragon boat sports globally.
European Space Experts Highly Praise Chang'e-6 Lunar Exploration Mission
European aerospace experts continue to pay close attention to the Chang'e-6 lunar exploration mission, believing that China's continuous progress and breakthroughs in the aerospace field are of great significance to humanity's deep space exploration. The Chang'e-6 lander carried the European Space Agency's lunar surface negative ion analyzer. Carpenter, head of the agency's planetary science team, stated that the data brought back by Chang'e-6 is groundbreaking and significant, and China's open and sharing spirit in space exploration is impressive. The Italian laser retroreflector is another international payload carried by Chang'e-6. Researchers from the Italian National Institute of Nuclear Physics, who participated in the development of this reflector, expressed great pride in it.
Gaza Refugee Camp School Attacked, 32 Dead, Palestinian Media Reports
Palestinian media reported that the Israeli army launched an airstrike on a school in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza Strip early today (June 6), killing at least 32 people and injuring dozens. The report stated that the school housed a large number of displaced Gazans. The Israeli military claimed to have attacked a school housing Hamas militants. Separately, Al Jazeera reported today that Israeli military attacks on the Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza Strip have killed 102 people in the past 24 hours. In addition, the Israeli Defense Forces stated on June 5 that during their operations in the Rafah area in recent days, they found and destroyed multiple important tunnel shafts and discovered large quantities of weapons, including firearms and anti-tank missiles. Hamas and other armed groups stated on June 5 that they used rockets and other means to attack Israeli military vehicles and personnel in central and southern Gaza Strip.
International News Briefs
Russia claims to have shot down Ukrainian missiles, Ukraine claims to have repelled Russian attacks. The Russian Ministry of Defense stated on June 5 that Russian forces struck Ukrainian personnel, tanks, and other targets in various directions, and Russian air defense forces shot down multiple Ukrainian drones and Patriot missiles, among others. The General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces stated on June 5 that in the Kupyansk and Pokrovsk directions, Ukrainian forces repelled multiple Russian attacks and destroyed Russian weapons and ammunition depots. Russian President Vladimir Putin stated on June 5 that Russia would consider a response to Western countries providing long-range weapons to Ukraine, and that Russia could also deliver long-range weapons to certain regions of the world and use these weapons to strike countries that provide weapons to Ukraine. Report highlights food insecurity in multiple regions globally. According to a joint report released by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Food Programme on June 5, food insecurity is expected to worsen in 18 regions globally over the next six months. Among them, conflict areas such as Gaza and Sudan are experiencing the most severe food insecurity. The report points out that violence and conflict, natural disasters, and economic risks remain the main causes of food insecurity worldwide. Japan's Suzuki investigated for certification irregularities. Japan's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism today (June 6) conducted an on-site inspection at Suzuki Motor Corporation's headquarters in Shizuoka Prefecture. This is the third related company to be inspected in Japan recently. Additionally, according to Japanese media reports, Toyota and Mazda suspended production of five affected car models starting today. Japan's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism previously announced that five car manufacturers—Toyota, Mazda, Yamaha Motor, Honda, and Suzuki—had engaged in irregular operations and fraudulent acts during the mass production certification application process. Multiple US regions hit by tornadoes. Multiple regions in the United States were hit by tornadoes on June 5, resulting in one death and multiple injuries so far. In Maryland, severe weather caused multiple buildings to collapse, trapping people. In Michigan, a tornado caused the death of one toddler and injured the mother.