A delegation of six US senators arrived in Shanghai on Saturday, beginning a visit to China. The trip comes at an important time in the still unsettled bilateral relationship between China and the US.

The delegation is led by the Senate's majority leader, Chuck Schumer, and includes a mix of Democratic and Republican senators from Georgia, Idaho, Louisiana, New Hampshire and New York. After their initial stop in China, the five men and one woman will head to Japan and South Korea, both of which are viewed as reliable American allies.

American politics is fractured; the speaker of the House, Kevin McCarthy was recently ousted because he could not rein in his Republican colleagues and the Democrats saw no reason to support him. McCarthy's dismissal was an embarrassment to himself. But it also showed just how volatile US domestic politics is. Compromise, an essential feature of democracies, is hard to find in Washington, and political positions have also hardened within the American electorate. The 2024 presidential election will likely solidify these opinions even further.

Another aspect that might harden next year is hostility toward China within official Washington.

That would be unfortunate, but right now blasting China is a convenient way for political elites to cover up their differences. Sadly, the only thing elite politicians seem to agree on these days is their belief that China is a bad actor on the global stage. If you're looking for anyone in Washington to say something positive about the hugely influential Belt and Road Initiative, good luck. It's more likely to find someone who believes in the possibility of zombies ruling the world.

On top of attacking China for its global interests, politicians try to amplify any negative economic news as evidence that the country is doomed. They conveniently overlook the fact that China's economic growth will continue to outpace that of the US for the rest of the year and beyond. The global economic situation would be in bad shape if China were to have growth forecasts anywhere close to what the US is likely to experience. 

The domestic US political response is not to proactively seek ways to make America stronger. Instead, politicians advance massive, but inadequate, policies that make vague promises about bolstering national security. One example is the CHIPS and Science Act which was passed by Congress despite critics pointing out numerous flaws associated with it. President Joe Biden contributes to this nonsense about China by refusing to erase the tariffs established by his predecessor even though the evidence continues to show the tariffs are doing more harm to the US than China.

The bottom line is that reality goes out the window whenever America's politicians talk about China.

Is it possible that the visit by Schumer and his colleagues could lead to some rational conversations regarding China within Congress? Will this visit build on the generally positive trips made over the past few months by the US secretaries of State, Treasury and Commerce? With each of those trips, there has been increased anticipation in the US that Presidents Biden and Xi Jinping will meet during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation gathering, scheduled for next month in San Francisco. Optimists believe that successful conversations might open the door to a state visit.

If Schumer wants to positively advance US-China relations, then he should consider taking back a recent statement indicating that he will carry a verbal hammer into any conversations with Chinese officials.

Schumer is from New York, a state that according to one estimate sustains almost 50,000 jobs per year because of trade with China. It's also reported that New York exported more than $37 billion to China between 2012 and 2022. My point: Imagine if the Democratic senator had spoken in advance of his trip about finding ways to expand trade between New York (and other states) with China as part of his visit. That would be leadership, something too often hard to find in Washington.

Keep in mind something that ought to be favorably viewed by China: Schumer and his fellow senators are not making a side trip to Taiwan; such visits by American officials derail any momentum in improving relations because of Beijing's insistence that US politicians are seeking to stoke discord between the island and the mainland by stopping in Taiwan.

China will not, and should not, sit by quietly if Schumer follows through on his promise to talk tough with Chinese officials and to make an issue of human rights as well as Fentanyl. In 2023, China and the global community are all too aware that "you must do what we want" screeds from a prominent American politician do nothing to improve the bilateral relationship. More importantly, the US is no longer positioned to dictate to any nation, especially powerful ones, about how to conduct their internal and external affairs.

The author is an associate professor at the Department of Communication and Organizational Leadership at Robert Morris University.

Many people say that this round of Israeli-Palestinian conflict erupted quite suddenly, and on the surface, it does seem so. Hamas launched a surprise attack on the Israel's military, catching them off guard and resulting in significant casualties that have shocked the world. Israel's retaliatory actions are bound to lead to more bloodshed and escalation of violence. Even though none of us want to see this happen, it is difficult to prevent it from occurring. International peace efforts are far from strong enough in the face of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. This is an unavoidable fact and requires a more powerful collective effort from the international community to change it.

From a deeper perspective, this conflict is not sudden and has a certain inevitability. It once again announces to the world, through bloodshed and loss of life, that if fundamental solutions are not implemented for the Palestinian issue, and if the peace process is not promoted, bloodshed and conflict will recur. This is actually quite evident, but it has long been ignored by Western countries that bear the primary responsibility and influence in the Palestinian issue.

For many years, China has repeatedly called on the international community to prioritize the Palestinian issue on the international agenda on major multilateral occasions such as the United Nations. It has emphasized the need to advance the "two-state solution" with a stronger sense of urgency. Not long ago before the outbreak of this conflict, Permanent Mission of China to the UN was still stressing this point. Now, the necessity and urgency have been elevated to another level, given the high cost paid by Palestine, Israel, and the entire Middle East.

It's necessary to recognize that the Israeli-Palestinian issue is a complex conglomerate of problems, and external interference is one of the main reasons why this problem has not been resolved and even intensifies hatred. The bias and interference by Western countries, led by the US, in the Israeli-Palestinian issue have been evident for a long time, and historical Middle East conflicts have often had US involvement behind the scenes. And after the escalation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the quick decision of the US and some Western countries to take sides not only does not help solve the problem but also adds fuel to the fire. Considering the large number of innocent civilians killed and injured in the conflict over the past two days, the immediate priority of the international community should be to urge both sides to cease fire quickly in order to prevent further humanitarian disasters.

A report from the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development shows that the prolonged closure and military operations carried out by Israel during the occupation of Gaza from 2007 to 2018 have pushed Gaza's economy to the brink of collapse. Today, it has become one of the poorest and most volatile areas in the world. It can be said that this large-scale armed conflict between Palestine and Israel once again proves that the means of seeking absolute security, under the guise of peace by the US and the West, cannot achieve true peace and tranquility. It also exposes the essence of the US new Middle East strategy. We urge the US and other Western countries to stop this practice and truly participate in the Middle East peace process.

Middle East peace is by no means a road without a future. The key is to start walking the right path from now on, rather than taking the wrong path or even going back. According to media reports, this round of conflict between Palestine and Israel has already caused nearly 1,000 deaths and thousands of injuries on both sides. Moreover, the war may also spread to other countries. The latest development is that Israel and the armed group Hezbollah in Lebanon have engaged in a firefight. Many people worry whether this event will eventually lead to the "Sixth Middle East War."

At this moment, the international community should take urgent action. The United Nations issued a statement on October 7, calling it a "dangerous precipice," strongly condemning the attacks on civilians, and calling for an end to violence. UN Secretary-General António Guterres urged "all diplomatic efforts to avoid a wider conflagration." The UN Security Council plans to hold a closed-door meeting on the current situation between Palestine and Israel Sunday afternoon local time in New York to discuss solutions. Fundamentally, all parties involved in the Middle East peace process, including Palestine and Israel, must work toward creating conditions for the realization of the "two-state solution."

It has been 50 years since the Fourth Arab-Israeli War (also known as the Yom Kippur War, Ramadan War, October War) and 30 years since the signing of the Oslo Accords. War or peace? The Middle East is once again at a historical crossroads. The international community must take decisive and effective diplomatic actions to urge both sides to stop violence as soon as possible, exercise maximum restraint, and especially prevent the window of opportunity for peace from being closed by conflicts. China has always supported the convening of a larger-scale, more authoritative, and influential international peace conference to create conditions for the resumption of negotiations. This proposal is now more necessary and urgent.

Some of the most influential security discussion platforms in the world provide valuable insights into global events. The IISS Shangri-La Dialogue, jointly organized by the UK and Singapore, provides a chance for open debates between the US and China on the Asian agenda. The Munich Security Conference in Germany and the Halifax International Security Forum in Canada are renowned for their roles as weather vane for European security and US foreign policy. The Beijing Xiangshan Forum in China offers a unique opportunity to gain insights into China's security landscape. 

The 10th Beijing Xiangshan Forum will be held in Beijing from October 29 to 31. It serves as a platform for the rising China to raise its voice, allowing the outside world to understand its global strategic direction and its strategic mentality.

In 2004, when I established a connection with the People's Liberation Army Academy of Military Science (AMS), I was working as a researcher at the Korea Institute for Defense Analyses, focusing on Chinese military research and communication. My research has developed through academic exchanges with AMS. I attended the first Xiangshan Forum in 2006 and have not missed a single forum since then. I have also had the privilege of speaking at panel sessions of the Xiangshan Forum and writing commentaries on forum topics for Chinese and foreign newspapers and magazines. Even during the pandemic, I continued to participate in expert video conferences organized by the Xiangshan Forum. I have closely followed the forum's development and growth.

The Xiangshan Forum has significantly expanded the vision of China's defense diplomacy and has become a prominent symbol of its military diplomacy. The forum covers a wide range of topics, including cutting-edge subjects such as the application of artificial intelligence in defense, as well as addressing hot-spot and sensitive issues. Since the start of the forums, the level of attendees has steadily increased, and the scale of the forum has expanded over time. The organization of the event, including personnel, has also become more refined. Most importantly, the strategic significance of the Xiangshan Forum is increasingly prominent. China's willingness to contribute to regional peace and security is continuously transmitting positive influence to the world.

The development of the Xiangshan Forum can be divided into three stages. The first stage, from 2006 to 2014, involved biennial dual-track expert-oriented conferences. The second stage, from 2015 to 2022, the forum was held annually and transformed to an annual "1.5-track" semi-public conference, starting from the sixth forum. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, several meetings were held virtually. Now, with the upcoming 10th forum in 2023, it is time to enter the third stage, establish a new position and explore new roles.

For the future development of the Xiangshan Forum, I would like to propose the following. 

On a macro level, I hope that the forum can serve not only as a platform for dialogue and debate but also as a hub for value exchange. The Xiangshan Forum has now become the highest-level and largest-scale "1.5 track" security dialogue hosted by China, which also means that it has become a touchstone for the world to understand the breadth and depth of China's influence. Therefore, the Xiangshan Forum should provide opinions and solutions on regional hotspots and other issues through its own discourse, and contribute to the realization of a secure world. Additionally, by proactively discussing forward-looking topics, the Beijing Xiangshan Forum can foster a virtuous circle of regional security through healthy discourse competition.

In terms of format, special events can be organized to shed light on China's defense, such as introducing China's defense white paper, defense budget as well as the status quo and role of UN peacekeeping operations. Furthermore, more countries that have shown an interest in China's military transparency can be invited and high-level delegations should be encouraged to participate. Lastly, the forum could organize a foreign expert evaluation meeting at the conclusion of the event. Their evaluations and suggestions will enrich the content of future forums.

China is going global, from the economic realm to the security field. This naturally leads to a healthy competition for discourse dominance between major powers. Of course, it has not been smooth sailing for China to promote high-quality discourse competition. The more difficulties it faces, the more it needs a mature dialogue platform. The Beijing Xiangshan Forum can become a platform that utilizes international wisdom and capabilities to propose solutions. We anticipate its greater role in establishing predictable and sustainable trust. For the future development of the Xiangshan Forum, I hope its discourse fragrance remains neither overpowering nor weak, but rather lingers and extends into the distance. 

Huawei launched new products ranging from smart screens, the MatePad and watches to the new Harmony OS NEXT system at a highly anticipated event in Shenzhen, South China's Guangdong Province on Monday, making a high-profile comeback to the market amid reported a chip breakthrough and years-long US sanctions.

While the event did not reveal the details of the closely watched Mate 60 series, consumers are still enthusiastic about the release, viewing it as a symbolic moment for the Chinese tech giant to regain lost ground in the consumer business and move forward to rival industry giants such as Apple.

The company flooded major Chinese social media platforms under hashtags such as #FarAhead, since the surprisingly presale of the Mate 60 series on August 29. The series has since become a big seller across the country.

The Monday launch event intensified the fanfare across the country, attracting live broadcasts and livestreaming by more than 100 media outlets. Audiences are also crying out "Far Ahead Rivals" in each product announcement on-site. 

Yu Chengdong, CEO of the Huawei Consumer Business Group, said at the opening that the company is ramping up efforts and working overtime to produce its devices, fulfilling market demand for the newly released handsets. "Thanks to Chinese consumers' all-out support to Huawei," Yu said.

Previously, some anticipated a formal detailing of the phone's specs - in particular, the chipsets in the Mate 60 series - at the Monday event, which reportedly utilizes the Kirin 9000s chip, featuring either 7-nanometer (nm) or 5-nm process technology. 

Huawei has kept tight-lipped about the capabilities of the chip. But industry analysts believe that the handset shows that the US-sanctioned tech giant has finally found a way through and will welcome its magnificent turnaround after years of hard struggles, especially in the high-end smartphone market.

Demand for the Mate 60 Pro has been strong since its surprising launch on August 29, and the shipment plan for the second half of 2023 has increased by about 20 percent to 5.5-6 million units. Based on this market trend, cumulative shipments of the Mate 60 Pro are expected to reach at least 12 million units within 12 months after the launch, Kuo Ming-Chi, an analyst at TF International Securities, said in a note.

Huawei's "undeniable influence" on industries and stock markets is coming back, Kuo said. He noted that Huawei's comeback is actually a good thing for consumers. It can force Apple to step out of its comfort zone and innovate more aggressively.

At a time when mobile phone consumption is relatively sluggish, the return of Huawei's high-end mobile phones is a landmark event for the bottoming out of the mobile phone consumer market, Adela Guo, a research director at IDC Asia Pacific, told the Global Times on Monday.

In the short term, it is expected to drive an upsurge in the domestic mobile phone consumer market. It will also make competition in the high-end mobile phone market more intense, Guo said.

Monday also marked two years since the return of Meng Wanzhou in 2021. Meng, now a rotating chairperson of Huawei, was arrested by Canadian authorities in December 2018 at the request of the US government.

Some netizens said a stronger Huawei returning to the center stage of global tech innovation may be considered as "a slap in the face" to the US government's ruthless suppression and attack on the leading Chinese tech company, especially as the planned event date marked second anniversary of Meng's safe return from Canada to China.

"Huawei's mobile phone business, which has been unreasonably suppressed for more than three years, has broken through major obstacles and been completely rebuilt. We can see that all the Huawei partners, Huawei fans and the media are quite excited with a festive atmosphere on scene," Jiang Junmu, a Shanghai-based veteran industry expert and close follower of Huawei, told the Global Times on Monday.

Huawei also unveiled the latest progress of its self-developed operating system HarmonyOS at the event, with the new release of Harmony OS NEXT. 

"A coordination of software and hardware will help Huawei construct a more perfect, complete system that will help it return to the international market," Jiang said.

There are now more than 30 operating systems in China that are based on HarmonyOS open source, covering industry terminals, mobile phones, tablets and home terminals. In total, there are approximately 600 million users, ranking third in the world, Huawei founder Ren Zhengfei said in a recent interview with Liu Yadong, Dean of the School of Journalism and Communication at Nankai University.

Ren said that if China establishes its own standard system, it will definitely be better than that of the US.

Ren compared the system to "clothes," saying that the US clothes were mended again and again, and there were patches everywhere. But Huawei has made new "clothes" in recent years. "We will directly make standards better than those in the US. In addition to being used in China, it is used all over the world," Ren said.

Huawei may encounter more difficulties, but at the same time it becomes more prosperous, Ren said.

Esports, or electronic sports, made an historic debut as medaled events at the Hangzhou Asian Games, and behind the games is a thriving billion-dollar industry.

As a newcomer to the Asian Games, esports competitions have become a blockbuster. Most of the esports match tickets were sold out instantly, and some people even took part in a ticket lottery to win a chance to watch the games live.

Teams from more than 30 countries and regions in Asia are participating in seven major esports competitions, including five videogames and two mobile games.

Of all the esports events at the Asian Games, League of Legends, run by China's tech giant Tencent, has the biggest crowd. The esports game has developed a sports league system globally, and in China, internet giants such as JD.com and Weibo.com have formed their own teams.

At the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta, Indonesia, esports first stepped onto the stage as demonstration sports. The heat of the games already surpassed most of the traditional sports, and this year in Hangzhou, we could expect the games to have a World Cup level of attention, especially in the League of Legends event, Liu Dingding, a Beijing-based veteran tech analyst, told the Global Times on Tuesday.

A host of international brands including Mercedes-Benz, Coca-Cola and Puma have realized the commercial value of esports, and they have increased investment in this field and sponsored esports tournaments, including LPL.

China's esports industry is leading the world. In the gaming sector, games such as League of Legends, Genshin Impact and Honor of Kings are growing in both the domestic and overseas markets, bringing billions of profits to fuel the industry, said Liu.

Personal computer manufacturer Lenovo has provided the Asian Games with computers and developed a Lenovo esports operation and maintenance platform to support the event.

As a fledgling sport, esports has surpassed many of its predecessors commercially. In 2022, China's esports industry generated revenues of 144.5 billion yuan ($19.8 billion).

In the first half of 2023, the figure reached 76 billion yuan, with 487 million players and viewers, according to a report by the China Audio-video and Digital Publishing Association.

In the vast desert 45 kilometers east of Cairo, a modern skyscraper is rising from the ground, which is an iconic landmark building in the central business district(CBD) of Egypt's New Administrative Capital (NAC) built with the assistance of China State Construction Engineering Corporation (CSCEC) Egypt. A Global Times reporter visited the new CBD and the tower, which is known as the "tallest building in Africa," and discovered how Chinese contractors helped Egypt build its new landmark building.
New landmark in desert

The tower sits at an imposing 385 meters high, 150 meters taller than The Leonardo in South Africa. A reporter from Al Akhbar in Egypt told the Global Times that "the tower is a symbol of the new Egypt… and it's all made possible by our Chinese brothers."

Chang Weicai, general manager of CSCEC Egypt, told the Global Times that the CBD project of Egypt's NAC, signed under the joint witness of the two heads of state on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Egypt, is a model of economic and technological cooperation be-tween the two countries, which successfully synergizes Egypt's Vision 2030 and China Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), and will promote the rapid development of Egypt's economy and society."

According to Egyptian media, the country has set high expectations on the construction of the new capital to ease the population pressure on the capital - Cairo, im-prove transport, create jobs, attract foreign investment and enhance the image of the country.

Data shows that the CBD project of the new administrative capital covers a total area of about 600,000 square meters, with a total construction area of about 1.92 million square meters, including 10 high-grade office towers, five luxury residential towers and four large hotels. The main structure of the CBD project has been completed, and it has entered the stage of interior decoration and mechanical and electrical construction.

Green and advanced

The Global Times learnt that the Egyptian government initially considered cooperating with Arab companies with strong financial backing in view of the project's huge demand for funds. But in September 2015, the Egyptian side cancelled the cooperation, because "the project did not make any progress." At this time, Chinese companies entered the Egyptian government's consideration.

According to local media reports, during the construction of the building, the Chinese company has introduced many advanced concepts, such as the underground gar-age designed with electric vehicle charging piles, to create a truly "green intelligent building." According to the project's chief mechanical engineer, in the CBD project, the Chinese company has integrated the concept of sustainable development from the selection of materials to the use of new technologies, which has benefited the Egyptian side.

Based on the design, the roofs of buildings in the CBD of the new administrative capital will be covered with solar panels in order to gradually increase the propor-tion of clean energy applications. In the future, 60 percent of the energy used in the city will come from renewable sources such as solar energy, with sewage utilization rate expected to reach 100 percent.

At the same time, residents will have access to a certain amount of green space, with a landscaping project in the center of the city, which is expected to be twice the size of New York's Central Park.

The Global Times also learnt that the basalt geology of the new administrative capital area is the biggest challenge in construction. Chinese technicians adopted a com-posite steel construction method, and the "iconic tower" sits on a reinforced concrete raft foundation poured on the rocky surface.

"With a total of 4,600 tons of high-strength steel supporting the full weight of the 78-story building, the foundations of this new tower are rock-solid," Egyptian media glowingly reported.

Win-win cooperation

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi once said that the construction of the new administrative capital will be a new point of economic growth, creating a large number of jobs, and all-round lifting and boosting the development of the Egyptian economy.

According to Chang, CSCEC Egypt has always adhered to the strategy of localized development, pursuing mutual benefits and win-win cooperation with local companies in Egypt, and committed to deepening the traditional friendship between China and Egypt.

In terms of cooperation, CSCEC Egypt and the Egyptian government have jointly built a platform for joint discussion, joint construction and resource sharing. This project is led by CSCEC, with the participation of hundreds of local companies, including material suppliers, equipment suppliers and construction companies, which truly achieved the sharing of opportunities and win-win cooperation, Chang said.

According to Egyptian media, the CBD project constructed by CSCEC has made maximum use of local resources during the construction process, cooperated with more than 300 local enterprises, and directly or indirectly helped nearly 30,000 laborers to be employed. And the CSCEC has actively shared its mature technology, and drove the upgrading of the local industrial structure.

In January 2020, a "Luban Workshop" was established as part of the new CBD project. It is a public educational institution specialized in training Egyptian employees in construction skills.

Chang said that the inauguration of "Luban Workshop" marks a new chapter in the development of localization of CSCEC Egypt. "The workshop will help the development of Egypt's construction industry through the training of local staff and the better use of Chinese technology."

The "Luban Workshop" offers both practical training and theory, which can meet the needs of internship teaching, skills training and pre-employment training. The first training terms offer 12 courses in three major disciplines: civil construction, installation and decoration.

Egyptian media said the Chinese company has cultivated a large number of professional and technical talents for Egypt by not only "giving people fish" but also "teaching people to fish."

An Egyptian engineer told the Global Times that from his Chinese teachers, he learned many professional skills that he had never used in Egypt before, such as ultra-highrise pumped concrete, movable jib tower cranes, and steel structure welding.

The EU's anti-subsidy probe into Chinese new energy vehicles (NEV) is based on subjective assumptions, lacks sufficient evidence and goes against WTO rules, China's Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) said on Wednesday, responding to an EU decision to conduct the probe.

We express strong dissatisfaction and firm opposition to the EU decision, the MOFCOM said in a statement posted on its website on Wednesday.

China will closely follow Europe's investigative procedure and firmly safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese companies, the MOFCOM said.

The EU requires negotiation with the Chinese side under extremely short notice and failed to provide effective materials for negotiation, which has seriously infringed China's rights, according to the ministry.

The ministry noted that in the 10th China-EU High-level Economic and Trade Dialogue, held in late September, the Chinese side clearly stated that the EU's proposed probe is blatant protectionism and aimed at protecting the EU's industry under the guise of "fair trade," the moves of which will seriously disrupt and distort the global automotive industrial and supply chain, of which the EU has a part, and result in negative impacts on China-EU trade and economic ties.

China urged the EU to exert caution in applying trade remedy measures, considering the big picture of maintaining the stability of global industrial and supply chains and the China-EU comprehensive strategic partnership, the MOFCOM said.

"The EU should encourage deepened cooperation in the new energy industry which has NEVs as one of its spearheads, and create a fair, non-discriminatory and predictable market environment for the common development of the China-EU EV industry," the MOFCOM said.

In recent years, China's EV industry has seen rapid development thanks to its unremitting technological innovation and building up of a complete industrial and supply chain. And Chinese EVs have been favored by consumers including those in the EU.

According to auto consultancy Inovev, 8 percent of new EVs sold in Europe as of September this year were Chinese, up from 6 percent in 2022 and 4 percent in 2021.

In 2022, Chinese automakers exported 545,244 NEVs to Europe, accounting for 48.66 percent of all NEV exports, data from the China Passenger Car Association showed.

On Wednesday, the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM) expressed its strong opposition to the EU’s decision.

It is a clear fact that the Chinese EV market is a fiercely competitive market and not one supported and protected by subsidies, the industry association said, adding that the EU’s stubbornness in launching the probe regardless of the fact constitutes a blatant protectionist behavior and will definitely impede the global development of the EV industry and pose hazard to the global carbon neutralization process.

The Chinese and European automotive industries are partners, not rivals, and the development of the automotive industry needs fair competition, not protectionism, the CAAM said.

Taikonauts of the Shenzhou-14 manned spaceflight mission crew are conducting their third spacewalk operation on Thursday, which marked the first extravehicular activities (EVA) after the China Space Station completed its T-shape basic structure assembly on November 3.

As of 11:16 am, taikonauts have successfully opened the airlock and the Shenzhou-14 mission commander Chen Dong first came out of the cabin. Chen will be followed by his fellow crewmember Cai Xudong for the Thursday spacewalk. Liu Yang, the only female crewmember, will be supporting them on the inside, according to the China Manned Space Agency.

During the Thursday operation, which is the seventh at the China Space Station executed by taikonauts, spacewalking taikonauts are expected to carry out works including the installation of connecting devices to bridge space station modules to facilitate future spacewalk missions and the elevation of the panorama camera on the Wentian lab module. 

The Global Times learned from mission insiders that the Thursday spacewalk will also mark a first in the use of the combination of the large and small robotic arms to support taikonauts activities all over the mega space station combination.

Having been connected at the ends, the combination of the large and small robotic arms could provide a larger operation range for taikonauts that extends to 15 meters, meaning it will be able to cover almost every corner of the space station combination, according to mission insiders. 

The second space station lab module Mengtian conducted successful transposition in orbit at 9:32 am on November 3, marking the completion of the China Space Station's T-shape basic structure assembly and a key step forward toward the completion of the space station.

The President of the 77th Session of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly Csaba Kőrösi visited the China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research (IWHR) on Friday during his trip to China, applauding China's wisdom in dealing with water crises in ways that provides valuable experience to other countries.

At the invitation of Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang, Korosi visited China from February 1 to 4, the Xinhua News Agency reported.

Korosi believes that China's measures to deal with water crises are scientific and advanced, after gaining comprehensive knowledge of China's water science and technology development, and water engineering achievements in exchanges with relevant Chinese officials and water experts.

For the world today, the water crisis is imminent. In his speech, Korosi said that with climate change, floods, and droughts becoming more frequent around the world. It is estimated that in the next 20 years, about 400 million people around the world will be forced to leave their homes due to floods and droughts, which is unprecedented in human history.

In response to the global water challenge, the United Nations will convene the UN 2023 Water Conference from March 22 to 24 to steer a shift in water decision-making and truly improve water security and stability. 

"To meet such challenges, we must rely on scientific evidence," said Korosi.

He thanked China for its contribution to the realization of the water goals set by the UN Sustainable Development Agenda, and affirmed that science-based solutions to the water crisis would also provide valuable experience for other fields to fully realize the Sustainable Development Goals.

Water is the source of all living things and the cornerstone of all the Sustainable Development Goals. The world today faces a series of global challenges, such as climate change, and water is the key to meeting them. The world must use a united, sustainable, and scientific approach to solve the problem, said Kuang Shangfu, head of the IWHR.Chen Houqun, an academician at the Chinese Academy of Engineering and a senior engineer at the IWHR, elaborated on specific technical difficulties that China's large water conservancy projects such as the South-to-North Water Diversion Project and the Three Gorges Dam have overcome. He offered examples of cases to demonstrate the contributions made by these major projects and contributed to China's economic boom and social development, such as in low-carbon emission reduction.

Four Yangtze finless porpoises were released into the Yangtze River on Tuesday after being cared for in the National Nature Reserve for Baiji Dolphins in Hubei Province, as part of relocation and protection efforts for the unique species, according to the Xinhua News Agency.

This action is of great significance in promoting the recovery of the natural population of this species and advancing the development of conservation technology, read the report.

The Yangtze finless porpoise is a first-class national protected wild animal in China. According to a scientific survey organized by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs in 2022, the population of the porpoises has achieved a historic turnaround from overall population decline to growth, with a current population of 1,249, up from 1,012 in 2017.

Significant progress has been made in the translocation protection program for the Yangtze finless porpoise. The National Nature Reserve of Tian'e Zhou in Central China's Hubei Province, which is dedicated to the conservation of this species, has successfully bred and translocated over 100 Yangtze finless porpoises. 

The Yangtze finless porpoise is called the "smiling angel" in China because its mouth appears to be fixed in a permanent grin. After its better-known cousin, the Baiji dolphin, was declared "functionally extinct" in the same waters in 2007, experts believe the finless porpoise is the Yangtze's last surviving mammal.

The ongoing improvement of the ecological environment in the Yangtze River Basin and the rapid growth of the population of relocated Yangtze finless porpoises have provided favorable conditions and solid foundations for the release of these porpoises into the wild through relocation conservation efforts.

The four Yangtze finless porpoises released into the wild this time were all from the National Nature Reserve for Baiji Dolphins in Changjiang Swan Island in Hubei Province. Among them, two male Yangtze finless porpoises around five years old were released after undergoing two years of adaptation training, and they have adapted well to the natural water environment of the Yangtze River.

After the four were released into the Yangtze River, scientists will carry out three months of location tracking, continuous monitoring, and evaluation of their adaptation ability and health condition. If they do not adapt well to the wild environment, the relevant departments will take necessary protective measures in a timely manner.

Hao Yujiang, associate researcher at the Institute of Hydrobiology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said that the release of the relocated finless porpoises into the Yangtze River will help to sustainably restore the natural population of the species and improve the genetic diversity of the population. 

Following the reintroduction and safety monitoring of the finless porpoises, technical specifications will be summarized and compiled to further promote the scientific, standardized, and normalized procedures for the finless porpoise reintroduction work, Hao noted.