Chinese experts said on Monday that Australia's move to suspend anti-dumping tariffs targeting wind towers from China is in line with Australia's green development, and is also a "good gesture" by the Australian side ahead of a visit by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.

Australia announced it would suspend trade remedy measures against China's wind towers when the current measures expire on April 16, 2024, according to a notice released by Australia's Department of Industry, Science and Resources on Friday.

The notice, signed by Australian Minister for Industry and Science Ed Husic, said that the Anti-Dumping Commission has completed an inquiry into whether the continuation of anti-dumping measures applying to certain utility scale wind towers exported from China is justified. The inquiry commenced on May 12, 2023, and the measures are in the form of a dumping duty notice applying to all exporters from China except Shanghai Taisheng Wind Power Equipment Co.

Wind towers are used to create cross ventilation and cooling in buildings.

The anti-dumping measures targeting wind towers have not only affected normal operation and business diversification for Chinese businesses, but have also increased the cost for Australia to optimize its energy structure amid its energy transition, Zhou Mi, a senior research fellow at the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation, told the Global Times on Monday.

Zhou added that the move is in line with Australia's need for development, noting that the termination also released a positive signal for promoting economic and trade recovery.

This is a good gesture by the Australian side amid Wang's visit, Zhou Fangyin, professor at the Guangdong Research Institute for International Strategies, told the Global Times on Monday. The professor also noted that China is conducting a review of anti-dumping and countervailing duties on Australian wine and may eventually cancel those duties.

Zhou Mi said that both Australia and China have been reviewing the cases and making decisions under the WTO framework.

Zhou Fangyin said Wang's visit will help cement the achievements of bilateral relations by reducing impediments, although few new cooperation projects are in sight.

"Many Australian products such as beef, lobster and barley are of good quality and they are competitive in the Chinese market. However, the previous Australian government's provocative behavior put off many Chinese consumers," Zhou Fangyin said.

He said Canberra should figure out where its own interests lie and stop following the US' anti-China policies too closely. "By doing that, China-Australia relations are expected to maintain stable development," he said.

Wang is paying an official visit to New Zealand and Australia from Sunday to Thursday, China's Foreign Ministry announced previously. Australian companies have expressed high hopes for Wang's visit to Australia with the Global Times in recent interviews, saying that they hope to expand their presence in the Chinese market and strengthen mutually beneficial economic and trade cooperation with their Chinese partners.

As for the much-watched anti-dumping and countervailing duties on Australian wine, the Chinese Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) said on March 14 that China will make a final review ruling in accordance with the investigation procedures.

Last week, the ministry disclosed the basic facts regarding the ruling, and gave all parties an opportunity to express their opinions.

China and Australia reached a consensus on resolving their disputes on wine and wind towers properly under the WTO framework, MOFCOM announced in October 2023. The two countries have conducted friendly consultations under the WTO framework governing areas that are of mutual concern, and they have reached consensus on properly resolving them, a MOFCOM spokesperson said in a statement published in October.

Australia's Anti-Dumping Commission in October already proposed to recommend that the anti-dumping measures on wind towers exported to Australia from China expire on April 16, 2024.

The China Chamber of Commerce to the EU (CCCEU) on Wednesday voiced its disappointment with the EU's mandate for customs registration of electric vehicle (EV) imports from China while an investigation remains ongoing, according to a statement that the chamber sent to the Global Times.

Both the chamber and its members expressed worries regarding potential retroactive measures in the future, the statement said.

The EU issued on Wednesday the Official Journal of the European Union regarding its commission's implementation regulation that makes imports of new battery electric vehicles designed for the transport of persons originating in China subject to registration.

This regulation enters into force on the day following that of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union, according to the Official Journal of the EU.

The CCCEU said that the chamber has observed that a new implementation regulation was issued on Wednesday, concerning the registration of electric vehicle imports from China by the EU. The purpose of the registration requirement is to address Chinese imports and potential retrospective measures, the chamber said.

According to European Commission data, between October 2023 and January 2024, the EU imported a total of 177,839 Chinese EVs. Compared with the coverage period of the "countervailing investigation" (October 2022 to September 2023), the average monthly import volume increased by 11 percent.

The chamber highlighted that the recent surge in Chinese EV imports mirrors the increasing demand for EVs in Europe and underscores Chinese car companies' commitment to fostering the European market.

"We earnestly hope that the European side will effectively safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese enterprises and establish a fair, impartial, and non-discriminatory business environment for them," the chamber said.

"This, in turn, will facilitate our joint contribution to the global low-carbon and green transformation," the chamber further noted.

In February, China's Minister of Commerce Wang Wentao said that China is highly concerned about the trade remedy investigation targeting Chinese EVs and other products, while also expressing strong dissatisfaction regarding the investigation, which lacks a factual basis.

A Chinese mainland spokesperson on Saturday commented on the outcomes of Taiwan leadership and legislature elections.

Chen Binhua, a spokesperson for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, said the results reveal that the Democratic Progressive Party cannot represent the mainstream public opinion on the island.

Noting that Taiwan is China's Taiwan, Chen said that the elections will not change the basic landscape and development trend of cross-Strait relations, will not alter the shared aspiration of compatriots across the Taiwan Strait to forge closer ties, and will not impede the inevitable trend of China's reunification.

"Our stance on resolving the Taiwan question and realizing national reunification remains consistent, and our determination is as firm as rock," Chen said.

"We will adhere to the 1992 Consensus that embodies the one-China principle and firmly oppose the separatist activities aimed at 'Taiwan independence' as well as foreign interference," Chen said.

He said the mainland will work with relevant political parties, groups and people from various sectors in Taiwan to boost cross-Strait exchanges and cooperation, enhance cross-Strait integrated development, jointly promote Chinese culture, and advance the peaceful development of cross-Strait relations as well as the cause of national reunification.

In the disguise of maintaining national security, the US has been ratcheting up chip export control measures against China and unreasonably suppressing Chinese semiconductor companies, which is a genuine act of economic bullying, Mao Ning, a spokesperson of China's Foreign Ministry, told a press conference on Monday.

Noting that the US often talks about international rules, but what it really does is to ignore the rules and violate them, Mao said the implementation by the US of semiconductor export control measures against Chinese companies constitutes a discriminatory practice against China and violates the principle of most-favored-nation treatment under Article I of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT). 

Its blacklisting of relevant Chinese telecommunication equipment enterprises and banning of the entry of Chinese telecommunication equipment into the US market under the pretext of threatening its information security is a contravention of the principle of the general elimination of quantitative restrictions stipulated in Article XI of the GATT, the spokesperson said.

"The US uses 'national security' as a pretext to restrict chip exports to China, but in fact its relevant initiatives completely go beyond the boundaries of the concept of national security, so that the normal trade of ordinary civilian-use chips is significantly restricted," Mao said.

The Nvidia RTX4090 chip is positioned as a consumer-grade graphics card, which is mainly designed for gamers. However, due to the impact of US export control measures, the chip was forced to be taken off the shelves in the Chinese market. 

In addition, the US also blackmailed a number of other countries to suppress Chinese enterprises, which has nothing to do with security, but is of typical economic coercion, Mao said.

The facts clearly show that the US' deliberate suppression of the development of China's chip industry is not based on national security considerations, let alone legitimate competitive behavior, but rather unilateral bullying act without any principle or bottom line. It is aimed to deprive emerging markets and developing countries of the right to pursue a happy life, the spokesperson noted.

"The actions of the US have seriously impacted the stability of the international production and supply chain, poisoned the atmosphere of international cooperation and fostered division and confrontation, and this self-serving approach is destined to lead to shooting itself in the foot," said Mao.

The market watchdog in a county in Northeast China’s Heilongjiang Province sealed up joss paper shops and confiscated paper money in an effort to eliminate fire hazards, ahead of the traditional Chinese Winter Solstice, or Dongzhi, which falls on December 22 this year, when Chinese people burn ghost money to honor their deceased family members. 

Some joss paper merchants in Huanan county in Jiamusi city, Heilongjiang, told Chengdu-based Red Star News that their shops, warehouses and production workshops were closed down and their commodities were confiscated. 

Some photos provided by the sellers show that large quantities of confiscated ghost money were seen piled up in the courtyard of the local market supervision bureau. 

While the local market watchdog declined the interview request from media, the local government’s citizen service hotline told the media that it was a move to remove security hazards and advocated to discard outdated superstitions. 

A joss paper merchant surnamed Wang told the Red Star News that the shutting down of the paper money businesses in the county started in early December. Several major wholesalers’ shops and warehouses with particularly huge inventories have been closed down. The value of their goods amounts up to 1 million yuan ($139,237). 

According to Wang, the market supervision bureau employee told him that decision to suspend paper money shops came after a fire disaster happened to a ghost money warehouse in Zhaozhou county in Daqing city, Heilongjiang. The Huanan county market watchdog took the action in a bid to remove security risks. 

According to a news report by China Central Television (CCTV), a fire disaster causing seven deaths occurred in an aging wooden warehouse built illegally for storing ghost money in Zhaozhou county on November 20. 

The warehouse was built with poor quality and highly flammable material which was identified for the reason for multiple casualties, thepaper.cn reported on Wednesday. 

A joss paper warehouse operator surnamed Zhao from Huanan county said his processing equipment of joss paper used to produce ghost money provided to surrounding villages and towns. His warehouse was closed down around December 1 and his inventory was confiscated and that he would also be fined possibly. 

According to Wang, the local authorities in Jiamusi issued regulations on the civilized sacrifices and worshipping in 2020. According to the regulations enacted on January 1, 2021, those who produce or sell feudal superstitious sacrificial articles shall be punished with confiscation of their goods by the local market supervision and administration department together with the civil affairs department. They may also be imposed a fine of with the amount of higher than one time and lower than three times the value of the production and sales. 

According to a law enforcement notification issued by the Huanan county people’s government, the production and sales of ghost money, joss paper, and gold and silver ingots made of tin foil, paper figures, paper cows, paper horses and all kinds of houses, transportation tools, daily necessities, certificates made of paper and other feudal superstitious sacrificial articles, are prohibited in the administrative area of the county. Burning and using sacrificial articles are prohibited in the whole county under the regulation. 

According to Red Star News, the county has carried out multiple rectification campaigns over the past two years to prohibit business of feudal superstitious sacrificial articles. 

Chinese mainland has detected seven cases of contracting COVID-19 subvariant JN.1 in about one month. The possibility of the variant becoming a dominant strain in the country cannot be ruled out, according to the National Disease Control and Prevention Administration.

Experts suggested the public not to overact about the new variant as infectious diseases are inevitable for all mankind but warned health threats posed by overlapping of various pathogens, including the dominant influenza and mycoplasma pneumonia with COVID-19.

Outside of China, since November this year, the proportion of JN.1 variant as a share of circulating strains has increased rapidly, from about 4 percent in early November to about 30 percent in early December. As of December 10, the variant has been detected in at least 40 countries worldwide.

The proportion of JN.1 variant in Europe was the highest, and its proportion in the US and other continents also showed a rapid growth trend.

On the Chinese mainland, the main strains at this stage are still EG.5 and its subvariants. Since the local JN.1 variant was first discovered in November, as of December 10, a total of seven JN.1 variants have been detected in the country.

"Although the current prevalence level of the JN.1 variant in China is extremely low, due to the subsequent impact of international epidemic strains and imported cases, the possibility of the JN.1 variant becoming a dominant epidemic strain in the country cannot be ruled out," the administration noted.

A Beijing-based immunologist who preferred not to be named told the Global Times more cases of JN.1 variant are expected as virus has no boundary and infectious diseases are the common destiny of all mankind. But it is not a concern of the public because new variants of the novel coronavirus can appear in the future anytime.

Only by improving immunity system can the public manage various pathogens infection and improve overall resistance to respiratory infections, the immunologist said.

Lu Hongzhou, head of the Third People's Hospital of Shenzhen, pointed out that although the immune escape ability of JN.1 had increased, there was no evidence to show that the pathogenicity of JN.1 variant had increased. According to the ministry, the seven JN.1 infections are mild and asymptomatic cases.

Some Chinese experts said people who have had the flu are more susceptible to contracting COVID-19. After being infected with the flu, it takes several months for CD4+ T cells in the body to recover. During the recovery process, the body's immune system is weaker, making it more susceptible to infection with the COVID-19.

According to latest weekly report by China CDC, the positive rate of influenza virus in southern and northern provinces of China slowed down between December 4 and 10, and some provinces showed a downward trend. The subtype A(H3N2) was predominant, followed by B(Victoria).

The internationalization of Chinese football youth training is very important, said Chinese Football Association (CFA) President Song Kai at a launch ceremony for the Bundesliga Dream project in Shanghai on Wednesday. "We are working on it by both introducing international youth football coaches to China, and sending young athletes and coaches to learn and train abroad, including in Germany," Song told the Global Times.

Song noted the significance of strengthening youth training and overseas cooperation for the development of Chinese football. "Germany's youth football training system is probably the most advanced in the world, and it is worth learning from it," Song said in a speech at the ceremony.

Bundesliga Dream is a cooperative project between Bundesliga International and the CFA. Set to take place between February and March in 2024, a group of talented Chinese players from the U16 national team will train at the youth academies of several Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2 clubs, as well as playing against youth teams from around Germany, according to Bundesliga International.

Under the project, Chinese youth players will follow a structured training plan curated by the CFA in collaboration with the Bundesliga and participating clubs. This plan focuses on several key in-match scenarios, including the transition from defense to attack.

"We also encourage young football players from all cities, especially from our 16 key 'football cities,' to have the opportunity to get trained in countries like Germany," Song said, in response to a question raised by the Global Times at the Wednesday ceremony.

Song mentioned China's 3-0 home loss to South Korea in the 2026 FIFA World Cup Asian Zone qualifying tournament second stage on the previous evening.

"That match made me feel deeply that if Chinese football wants to improve, first, we must do a good job in cultivating the young people; and second, we must examine the development of our youth football from a global perspective," he said.

"So I'm glad to sign a long-term cooperation agreement with the Bundesliga," Song said. "Last night, German Jurgen Klinsmann led the South Korean team to a 3-0 victory over the Chinese team. I hope that one day, there will be a German head coach who leads the Chinese football team to a 4-0 victory over South Korea," he joked, drawing laughter and applause.

Peer Naubert, head of marketing at Bundesliga International, said that the Bundesliga Dream is mostly committed to working with Chinese football in supporting its youth development system and projects on a long-term basis. "We aim to create a long-term pathway for talented Chinese players … hopefully following the path of former Chinese players such as Shao Jiayi, Yang Chen, and more recently Liu Shaoziyang, who signed for Bayern Munich in 2021," Naubert said in a speech at the ceremony.

Renowned Bundesliga stars Shao and Lothar Matthäus also attended the ceremony.

"I'm happy to have this Bundesliga Dream for the Chinese young generation," Matthäus said. When the young Chinese players go to Germany, they will have the opportunities of playing against stronger players, and the competition can make them better, he added.

The final competition of the Beijing Central Axis Culture Communication Young Envoy, a sub-track of the 2023 Beijing Central Axis Cultural Heritage Inheritance and Innovation Competition, was held over the weekend.

The event attracted hundreds of young artists from home and abroad to participate in the talent show named: "My Story with the Beijing Central Axis."

The Beijing Central Axis is a 7.8-kilometer-long area that runs through the center of the city from the Drum Tower and Bell Tower north of the Forbidden City to Yongding Gate in the south. 

A total of 650 groups from 16 districts were selected to enter the semi-finals. Among these 120 groups of Chinese and foreign contestants entered the final round, including contestants from the US, the Philippines, Canada, Russia, South Korea and Azerbaijan. 

The contestants showed their understanding of the Beijing Central Axis culture through on-site displays of paper-cut art, Beijing wool monkey art, silk wrapping crafts, fashion shows, piano performances, lyric, street dance and dramatic performances, and for the shows they used Chinese, English, Russian, Spanish, Italian, Korean and other languages to tell their stories and express their love for the Beijing Central Axis.

The sub-track was officially launched on June 15 and received strong support from the district education commissions and primary and secondary schools in Beijing. 

Additionally, it also collected works based on the Beijing Central Axis Heritage Culture Protection Base Schools.

The organizing committee of the event invited 23 experts from the fields of education, culture and history to serve as the final judges for the three sessions of this sub-track. 

"Compared with last year, the overall quality of this year's competition has improved significantly and this was reflected in their understanding of the concept of the Beijing Central Axis," said Yu Dan, a Chinese cultural scholar and professor of Beijing Normal University.

"The understanding of the central axis is not simply in language, but more importantly, a lifestyle. The inheritance of the Beijing Central Axis requires the participation of the public, and this competition starts from the children," Yu said.

During the competition, a special contestant impressed the judges. Wei Jiahong, a hearing-impaired student from the Dongcheng District Special Education School in Beijing, who brought a sketch of the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests inside the Temple of Heaven, explained his work and background in his own language. 

Guo Hongxia, the principal of Haidian Experimental Second Elementary School, told the Global Times that as a child who has grown and lived in Beijing, he feels obligation to inherit the central axis culture.

"I think the Beijing Central Axis is a tangible line, and the children are the 'extension line' of the Chinese culture gene," he said.

Argentine President Alberto Fernandez visited the Memorial of the Communist Party of China (CPC)'s First National Congress in downtown Shanghai, on October 15, before he attended the third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in Beijing.

Staffers at the memorial shared stories of how the young CPC pioneers founded the Party a century ago with Fernandez during his visit. At the hall in the memorial, Fernandez took photos of the full-body bronze statues of the 13 delegates of the CPC's first National Congress.

According to the memorial's staffers, Fernandez carefully listened to the docent's introduction and periodically asked questions. He inquired about the statue of Li Hanjun, who was one of the 13 delegates and the site's owner at that time. The site of the CPC's first National Congress was originally a traditional Shanghai-style "shikumen" apartment. 

"The memorial's display and presentation are very well done," praised Fernandez.

Argentine Ambassador to China Sabino Vaca Narvaja also accompanied the Argentine President on the Sunday visit. 

During the visit to the memorial, Narvaja shared that his Chinese name "Niu Wangdao" came from a renowned Chinese translator Chen Wangdao, who was the first person to translate The Communist Manifesto into Chinese in 1920. Shanghai was the first stop on Fernandez's China tour.

Amid torrential rain, rivers surged, houses collapsed and communications were disrupted... Under the influence of Typhoon Doksuri, heavy rainfall has persisted in Northern China, impacting regions like Beijing, the neighboring Tianjin Municipality and Hebei Province and setting records that haven't been seen in a century. Rescuers are racing against time, fighting to establish a "lifeline" to save lives and property.

From 8 pm on July 29 to 7 am on August 2, extreme heavy rainfall has drenched China's capital city. The highest recorded rainfall was at the Wangjiayuan Reservoir in the Changping district, being a total of 744.8 millimeters over this period, the local meteorological department reported on Wednesday. 

This extreme rainfall has significantly exceeded historical records, ranking it as the highest recorded rainfall in the past 140 years.

In Beijing, multiple areas in Mentougou district in western Beijing faced dangerous situations, while communications were disrupted in 62 villages across seven townships in Fangshan district in southwestern Beijing. 

The water level of the Yongding River, the main waterway in Beijing, surged, while a bridge over the Xiaoqing River located west of Lugou Bridge collapsed. 

In response to the torrential rainstorms and floods that have wreaked havoc in Beijing and its surrounding regions, authorities are mobilizing an all-out effort to safeguard the people from the impact of disasters. Various rescue teams have been working tirelessly to provide assistance.

On Thursday, the Global Times reporters saw People's Armed Police soldiers assist in the relocation of disaster-affected residents in Liulihe township, Fangshan district. 

Fortunately, as water levels gradually recede, rescue operations in Fangshan are nearing completion.

Simultaneously, to alleviate flood control pressure on Beijing and Tianjin, Hebei has activated seven flood water detention areas and relocated 1.2 million residents, according to a report from the Hebei Daily on Wednesday.

Zhuozhou, a city in Hebei Province that neighbors the Fangshan district of Beijing, has seen over 130,000 people affected by the disaster and is still being heavily impacted by flooding. More than 150 civilian rescue teams arrived, and more have been summoned from across the country.

On Thursday, members of the volunteer rescue team, including the Blue Sky Rescue team, helped transfer flood-affected residents and supplies in Huangjiajie village and Mengjiajie village in Matou township, Zhuozhou. Meanwhile, more rescue supplies were arriving at the scene.

Before the arrival of the flood, residents living on low ground had been notified and relocated to safe places, the Global Times learned from local residents.

On Wednesday evening, the Global Times witnessed villagers from Mentougou district departing from Yanchi township and moving downhill along the railway to safer areas. 

Meanwhile, soldiers of the People's Liberation Army rescued villagers from remote mountainous villages, especially elderly people with mobility issues, using military trucks, transporting them to temporary shelters.

During the evacuation process, an interim command center was established in the Mentougou district to coordinate various rescue efforts. Simultaneously, emergency, firefighting, medical, and other rescue and support forces were deployed. 

Relief points were set up to provide drinking water, food, medicine, and other supplies to ensure the safety and basic needs of the evacuees.