Chargée d'Affaires Sophie Hottat at the Belgian Embassy in China visited the M Woods Museum in the 798 art district, Beijing, to take part in the opening ceremony of the first solo exhibition in China of Belgian artist Ann Veronica Janssens titled "pinkyellowblue."
Ann Veronica Janssens was born in 1956 in Folkestone, the United Kingdom.
Janssens studied at the Brussels National School for Visual Arts of La Cambre, then permanently settled in Brussels where she has since been creating art for exhibitions all over the world. Janssens' works vary from sculptures to installations, videos, and even photos. Hottat noted the role of art in fostering connections between cultures and peoples: Art, and more specifically Janssens's art, does not need a knowledge of any language or cultural background to be understood. As such, it holds the inherent power to build bridges between cultures that are vastly different, especially when cultural and people-to-people contacts are difficult.
Over the last four years, China-Solomon Islands cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has achieved fruitful results, bringing profound benefits to both nations. In a recent interview with the Global Times, the first Chinese Ambassador to the Solomon Islands expressed confidence in the future cooperation between China and the Solomon Islands.
"The Solomon Islands will undoubtedly become a magnet for Chinese business investments," Li Ming, who served as the Chinese Ambassador to the Solomon Islands from September 2020 to September 2023, told the Global Times.
According to Li, the development of China-Solomon Islands relations has been multifaceted. At the highest level of engagement, Prime Minister Sogavare has made two official visits to China, establishing a comprehensive strategic partnership of mutual respect and common development for a new era. Head-of-state diplomacy has charted a grand blueprint for high-quality joint construction of the BRI and provided strategic guidance for bilateral relations.
In terms of infrastructure connectivity, China has become the Solomon Islands' largest infrastructure cooperation partner. China-aided facilities like the Pacific Games' main stadium and the Solomon Islands National University dormitories have become local landmarks, providing essential support for the hosting of major sporting events, promoting economic and social development.
Regarding trade facilitation, China has been the Solomon Islands' largest trading partner for several consecutive years. China provides 98 percent tariff-free treatment to products from Solomon Islands in nearly all categories, and both countries are steadily advancing cooperation in inspection and quarantine, creating favorable conditions for the expansion of exports of agricultural and fishery products from the Solomon Islands to China, leading to an increase in incomes for its people.
In terms of financial connectivity, an increasing number of Chinese companies are turning their attention to the Solomon Islands. During Prime Minister Sogavare's visit to China in July, a "China-Solomon Islands High-Level Enterprise Exchange Meeting" was held in Beijing, at which Chinese enterprises in agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry, energy and mineral resources, infrastructure, telecommunications, and tourism engaged in in-depth communication with representatives from the Solomon Islands. It is believed that in the next phase, the Solomon Islands will become a magnet for Chinese business investments.
In terms of people-to-people exchanges, China has established friendly relations with multiple provinces and cities in the Solomon Islands. More than 100 young students from the Solomon Islands have come to China to further their studies under government scholarships. China also continues to be committed to improving the Solomon Islands' medical and healthcare conditions by donating a large quantity of medical and epidemic prevention supplies, and Chinese medical teams have alleviated the suffering of many patients in the country. When the Chinese navy's Ark Peace hospital ship visited the Solomon Islands, it treated tens of thousands of patients in just one week.
In September 2019, the Solomon Islands established diplomatic relations with China, becoming one of China's newest diplomatic partners. Less than a month after establishing diplomatic ties, Prime Minister Sogavare visited China and signed a Memorandum of Understanding on jointly building the BRI, media sources reported.
Since the establishment of diplomatic relations, the friendly cooperation between the two countries has steadily advanced and has been at the forefront of China's relations with Pacific island countries, becoming a model of solidarity, cooperation, and joint development among large and small countries and developing countries.
In a previous interview with the Global Times in May, former ambassador Li said, "As the first Chinese Ambassador to the Solomon Islands, my most prominent impression after arriving in the Solomon Islands was the enthusiasm and expectations of the Solomon Islands' government and people for China-Solomon Islands relations."
He told the Global Times that since the establishment of diplomatic relations, both governments and peoples have been committed to promoting friendship, expanding cooperation, and have achieved fruitful results, proving with practical actions that the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the Solomon Islands is on the right side of history.
"Various sectors of the country's society have shown significantly increased enthusiasm for cooperation with China, with a more resolute attitude toward upholding China-Solomon Islands relations, and support for the One-China principle has become a common consensus among various sectors," he said.
The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) is currently in session, gathering all approximately 190 member states to address critical global issues and matters concerning each member state. UNGA serves as the most representative voice of the global international community, with developing countries, or member states of the Global South, holding a significant numerical advantage.
The concept of the "Global South" is a relatively recent phenomenon that encompasses all developing countries, including what were previously referred to as emerging markets. In a sense, it stands in contrast to the developed north, or the developed world, predominantly comprising OECD member states, for instance.
However, there is a danger that the US sometimes categorizes China as a developed country, artificially and arbitrarily, suggesting that China should not be considered part of the Global South. In reality, China is a vital member of the Global South and represents the fundamental interests of developing countries worldwide in many ways.
Given the substantial numerical advantage of the Global South, I believe the US and developed countries can't dominate the UNGA. The US may do whatever it wants, for example, to attempt to hijack the agenda or promote its own topics. However, members of the Global South possess independent perspectives and can formulate their own conclusions. They will genuinely champion issues they care about and vigorously defend their legitimate interests, which may not align with the interests promoted by the US or the developed countries as a group. The separate agenda pursued by the US differs significantly from the challenges and opportunities faced by developing countries. The US prioritizes "America First" and sometimes discriminates against other states, particularly countries in the Global South, or is unwilling to promote the legitimate interests of developing countries worldwide.
The reason why Western-led groups struggle to address concerns of countries in the Global South, such as climate change and other issues, primarily lies in the fundamental contrast in interests between developed countries and the developing world, or the Global South. For instance, when it comes to climate change, what China emphasizes is on the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities. This means that humanity should collectively address the climate crisis with a shared goal and unwavering commitment. Given that developed countries have collectively contributed significantly more to pollution than any of the developing world's members, it is completely reasonable that they contribute more to assist the international community in mitigating the adverse impacts of climate change. However, many developed countries are coming up with all sorts of excuses to delay their so-called commitments or even cancel their obligations.
One of the dilemmas facing humanity is that while China is very eager to promote peace, stability, development and poverty alleviation, not only within its borders but globally, the US appears committed to fostering a cold war mentality, dividing countries into opposing blocs, and even using the threat of war as a means to achieve political goals that they cannot attain through other means.
For example, it is evident that the US has important plans for India. It attempts to bind India onto the bandwagon of the US with their anti-China policy and hostility toward China. However, decision-makers in Washington may have seriously misjudged India's commitment to foreign policy independence as a great and proud nation. India stands as one of the world's great nations, with a rich history of civilization that has endured for millennia. Looking ahead, India's population is projected to be the largest globally for many decades to come. This reality carries great expectations that India will do the right thing in promoting peace, stability and cooperation rather than betting on a cold war or hot war, or giving up its independence to align its fate with countries like the US.
From the Chinese perspective, we do not want to compete with anyone. We just want to promote the merits of countries, do the right thing and advocate for globalization, fair trade, unrestricted exchange of goods, services, ideas and people across national boundaries. China respects all countries as equals, regardless of their size, rather than manhandling them.
Humanity stands at a significant crossroads, facing the choice between peace, stability and development, or the path of war, confrontation and conflict. China will continue to do what it believes to be right and promote the legitimate interests, not only of China but also of Global South member states in general. I hope that UNGA will serve as a crucial platform for countries from various perspectives to express their views and that any conflicts of interest can be peacefully resolved through diplomacy rather than escalating tensions to the point of no return.
With interest rates for existing mortgages for first-home purchases lowered starting from Monday, some 40 millions borrowers in China will enjoy the benefit of this support policy in the property sector. The move is expected to spur consumption and investment amid current economic headwinds, experts said.
The term "interest rates of existing mortgages for first-home purchases lowered from Monday" hit the hot searches on Chinese social media Weibo on Monday morning.
Most home buyers received text messages from banks or sought information on banks' apps. The reductions vary by the city, the time of purchase and the time when the credit contract was signed with the bank.
Mortgage interest rates in big cities are generally higher, and the total loan amounts are also higher. Buyers in such cities will see their payments fall more than those in smaller ones.
People who bought apartments in 2021, when mortgage policies were tightened and interest rates were relatively high, will more clearly feel the positive effects of rate cuts this time, according to Yan Yuejin, research director at Shanghai-based E-house China R&D Institute.
"The adjustment of mortgage rates could represent a significant innovation in housing policies. Market sentiment has been quite positive on the first day of the policy's implementation," Yan told the Global Times on Monday.
"Everyone is very supportive of the national policy, which has genuinely brought benefits to people, and their confidence in the real estate market has been further bolstered," Yan noted.
A house owner surnamed Bai, who bought a house in 2021 in Guangzhou, capital of South China's Guangdong Province, told the Global Times on Monday that he could save as much as 1,000 yuan ($136.8) per month after the adjustment.
Prior to the adjustment, Bai's mortgage rate was 120 basis points above the loan prime rates (LPR), a market-based benchmark lending rate. Now the rate is the same as the LPR, which is 4.3 percent, he was told by the bank.
"That will effectively reduce my monthly financial burden, which makes me very happy and more motivated to work harder and spend more to improve my living conditions," Bai said.
The move announced on Monday will help reduce borrowers' mortgage interest payments, stabilize and expand housing demand, and promote the sound and stable development of the country's real estate market, Dong Ximiao, chief research fellow at Merchants Union Consumer Finance Co, told the Global Times on Monday.
"It will also help narrow the interest rate gaps between existing mortgage loans and new loans, and ease the early mortgage payment rush," Dong said, adding that the risk from mortgage irregularities will also be diminished.
From a long-term view, these changes will later translate into consumption and willingness to invest, he noted.
The lowering of mortgage rates will benefit about 40 million borrowers. If the interest rate of a 1 million yuan mortgage for a 25-year term is cut from 5.1 percent to 4.3 percent, borrowers' interest payments will drop by over 5,000 yuan each year, according to analysts.
By the end of June, Chinese lenders held 38.6 trillion yuan in outstanding individual mortgage loans, statistics showed.
The support measures for the property sector echoed calls from the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee in July, which urged an adaption to a new situation, where major changes have taken place in the relationship between supply and demand in China's real estate market.
Over the past two months, Chinese authorities have launched measures ranging from lowering interest rates to easing restrictions on home purchases in a bid to bolster the stagnant property sector.
Last year was a tough one for the sector, with property investment falling 10 percent on a yearly basis, the first decline since records began in 1999.
China’s official manufacturing purchasing managers' index (PMI) for September came in at 50.2, its first time in positive territory since April, after a consecutive increase over the last four months, reads a National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) release on Saturday, reflecting recovery momentum across the country’s manufacturing sector.
Manufacturing is a vital pillar in China’s economy, thus the September manufacturing PMI signaled the recovery of the general macroeconomy, Li Changan, a professor from the Academy of China Open Economy Studies of the University of International Business and Economics, told the Global Times on Saturday.
Zhao Qinghe, a senior statistician from the NBS, said that recovering market demand had accelerated business activities across the manufacturing sector. In September, the production index came in at 52.7 percent, up 0.8 percentage point month-on-month; new order index recorded at 50.5 percent, up 0.3 percentage point month-on-month.
Specifically, PMI readings for equipment manufacturing hit 50.6 percent, high-tech manufacturing hit 50.1 percent and consumer goods manufacturing hit 51.3 percent, all returning to the expansion territory.
However, the increasing large commodities price and enterprises’ active purchasing lifted the general price index for the manufacturing sector. NBS data showed that the index of raw material purchasing in September reached 59.4 percent, and index of producer price reached 53.5 percent, all hitting a high for 2023.
Zhao noted that ‘China’s manufacturing sector recovery is still facing challenges from fierce competition, high cost and intensive financing, while various policy support measures will further push the momentum of overall economy recovery.
“The steady increase of manufacturing sector in recent months reflected that government’s policy support measures targeting the sector are taking effect, and have been boosted by the government’s focus on fostering advanced manufacturing technologies,” Li said.
In August, profit of China's industrial enterprises above designated size bounced back from negative to positive territory, recording a 17.2 percent year-on-year increase, the NBS revealed on Wednesday.
Observers said that PMI usually reflects market activities which will flow through to private sector profits.
The NBS also revealed the PMI for non-manufacturing in September which stood at 51.7, up 0.7 percentage points from August. The ongoing Golden Week holidays for the Mid-Autumn Festival and the National Day showed strong momentum across China’s consumption market.
As an important phase of the whole industrial chain, domestic consumption which is under recovery will further advance a f manufacturing recovery, Li noted.
As China completed another feat on Tuesday, sending the country's first civilian taikonaut to China's space station, stargazers worldwide expressed willingness to carry out more cooperation with China in the aerospace field, despite an ever-intense China-US relation. Although the US government has not stopped their smears and attacks on China's space development, some academicians and institutes from the West are willing to collaborate with China for the advancement of science, as there is no border, no politics in the vast universe, Olivier Contant (Contant),the French-American Executive Director of the International Academy of Astronautics, and Erick Lansard (Lansard), a professor at the Nanyang Technological University, told the Global Times (GT)in an interview.
GT: Witnessing China's progress in the aerospace field in recent years, how do you believe the development will contribute to the advancement of mankind's knowledge?
Lansard: In recent years, there has been some acceleration in China's development. The first time I visited China was in 1996 for the 47th International Astronautical Congress in Beijing, first time hosted by China. Over the years, I have witnessed the progress and development of the Chinese space program. The long-term plan that China drafted several years ago has been implemented, and that has been truly amazing. Despite political tensions, the international space community maintains the interest in continuing discussions among different countries and actors.
GT: The US has been continuously hyping a "space race" with China, with NASA Chief Bill Nelson repeatedly attacking China's space programs, accusing China of stealing technology from the US. How do you think about Nelson's remarks and the future cooperation between China and the US in space?
Contant: Everyone has their own political purpose for saying what they say. The NASA chief represents a state organization, but in the science community, we focus more on our research and tend to have more nuanced opinions according to our areas of cooperation.
At the International Academy of Astronautics (IAA) we recognize expertise all over the globe. And this year we are jointly awarding the Laurels for Team Achievements to both the Chang'e-5 International Team in China and the International Artemis 1 Mission Team in USA.
Also, our Academy is having a major role in the IPSPACE annual conference together with the International Peace Alliance and CIIC in China and other international organizations. The moto for 2022 was "One space, One home". This shows so well the efforts we jointly perform to promote international cooperation not only for the future but for the present time. In addition, we have just participated in the inauguration of the International Innovation Research Institute which will also provide opportunities for international cooperation, including between USA and China.
Lansard: Let me say that when it comes to collaboration, regardless of the country involved, establishing trust among different stakeholders is crucial. Trust means ensuring a genuine win-win situation and respecting each other's contributions, including specific know-how and Intellectual Property. Science provides an excellent platform for collaboration because it inherently offers mutual benefits
What's more, it's important to make a clear distinction between space agencies, which are empowered by the governments to implement policies, and individual researchers and scientists, that can collaborate with the blessing of their national space agencies.Science has the power to unite people.
GT: Several months ago, the European Space Agency announced that they would stop their plans to send astronauts to the Chinese space station. Do you think it is a result of US' pressurization upon Europe?
Contant: It's important to recognize that each nation has its own considerations. China is opening up, and it's beautiful. Just like in any relationship, cooperation can have its ups and downs. We need to listen to each other, adapt, find middle ground, and move forward together.
At the IAA we are working on cosmic studies with international researchers, experts and leaders and this includes US, Europe, and China. We have published about 80 studies with contributions of specialists from about 45 countries. It's unique as such international participation maintains a balance of different views.
GT: Do you or your colleagues look forward to visiting China's space station one day? What kind of projects do you want to carry to the space station?
Contant: Definitely, as the IAA is a non-governmental academy like a giant family of the most prestigious experts and scientists, where we appreciate each other, know each other, and are friends regardless of countries.
We are open to collaboration with any space station. We envision exciting projects in various fields, such as agriculture, where we can conduct extensive testing on seeds and vegetables that hold potential benefits for humanity on Earth. Additionally, we are interested in exploring energy solutions and carbon capture techniques. Such collective efforts aim to advance scientific knowledge and contribute to the benefit of our shared future.
Lansard: Most likely, scientists and researchers will stay on ground! I would recommend that the Chinese authorities are inviting and facilitating access to space for universities and research labs, by providing opportunities to embark scientific or technological experiments onboard the Chinese space station, as well as small experimental satellites (nanosatellites, cubesats) that could be launched directly from the space station.
This approach would help fostering collaboration between universities and would encourage idea sharing. It's a great way to support universities, especially considering that they often have limited funding but that they are rich in innovative ideas. It takes time to develop an initial idea and bring it to maturity, so having a platform for sustainable collaboration is extremely valuable.
GT: What other potential fields that you would like to engage with China?
Contant: In deep-space, China is investing a lot of effort in finding exoplanets to understand the origin of life and discover any form of intelligence or life on other planets. That would be an important area of collaboration. Additionally, planetary defense is key to mitigate any potential threats to Earth from asteroids or other dangers that need the joint efforts from all space players. Space Solar Power is also a promising field and the Academy has recently set up a Permanent Committee with international players, including China.
China is considering holding degree holders who use artificial intelligence (AI) to ghostwrite their theses legally responsible. The draft of the Degree Law was submitted to the Standing Committee of the 14th National People's Congress, China's top legislature, for deliberation on Monday.
The draft lays out legal responsibilities for actions such as degree holders using or impersonating another's identity to gain admission qualifications, employing artificial intelligence to author thesis papers, and institutions granting degrees unlawfully, as reported by the media on Monday.
Academic misconduct includes plagiarism, forgery, data falsification, using artificial intelligence to produce a thesis, impersonating another's identity to obtain admission qualifications, and securing admission qualifications and graduation certificates through illicit means like favoritism and cheating. The draft also addresses other illegal or irregular behaviors that, when exhibited during the study period, should prevent the awarding of a degree.
The draft states that if an individual who has already obtained a degree is found to have used illegal means to do so, the degree-granting institution must revoke the degree certificate. This decision should be made following a review by the degree evaluation committee.
White dwarfs — the exposed cores of dead stars — are the last place astronomers expected to find an oxygen atmosphere. Yet that’s exactly what recently turned up, providing researchers a rare peek inside the core of a massive star and raising questions about how such an oddball could have formed.
Most stars die by gently casting the bulk of their gas into space, leaving behind a dense, hot core. Heavy elements such as carbon and oxygen sink to the core’s center while hydrogen and helium float to the surface. But a newly discovered white dwarf, about 1,200 light-years away in the constellation Draco, has no hydrogen or helium at its surface. Its atmosphere is instead dominated by oxygen, researchers report in the April 1 Science. “We only found one, so it is a rare event,” says study coauthor Kepler de Souza Oliveira Filho, an astronomer at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul in Porto Alegre, Brazil. But, he says, “every theory must be able to explain all events, even the rare ones.”
Hydrogen and helium blanket most white dwarfs, hiding what lies beneath. Here, astronomers have “a window into the core of a star that we didn’t have before,” says Patrick Dufour, an astrophysicist at the University of Montreal.
While oxygen dominates this white dwarf’s atmosphere, neon and magnesium come in second and third — a clue that the original star was much bigger than our sun. Big stars can crank up their core temperatures high enough to fuse progressively heavier elements. A star between about six and 10 times as massive as the sun ends up with a core made of mostly oxygen, neon and magnesium — precisely what Filho and colleagues found. But there’s a problem: Such a white dwarf should be a bit heavier than our sun, and this newly discovered misfit appears to have about half as much mass.
A nearby stellar companion could have siphoned gas off the dying star, starving the white dwarf of mass, the researchers suggest. Thermonuclear excavation during the star’s end game could also lead to an underweight white dwarf. If enough hydrogen piled up on the core, it might have triggered a runaway nuclear explosion that shaved off the white dwarf’s outer layers.
While plausible, it’s hard to see how that could remove half of the white dwarf’s mass, Dufour says. “That’s very strange,” he says. “It could work, but I doubt it would leave a low-mass white dwarf.” In 2007, Dufour and colleagues reported a similar strange sighting: several white dwarfs whose atmospheres were loaded with carbon instead of hydrogen and helium. Those also appeared to be missing some mass, he says, though the problem was found to lie not with the stars but with the mass estimates. The white dwarfs are heavier than initially thought, and Dufour now suspects that each one arose from a collision between two white dwarfs.
It’s too early to draw strong conclusions from a single oxygen-laden white dwarf. “There are lots of open questions before we can say that this changes our view of white dwarf evolution,” Dufour says. “This white dwarf might only be a freak…. Although often in science, it’s the exception that makes you understand a great deal later on.”
SAN DIEGO — The long-standing mystery of the Milky Way’s missing satellite galaxies has a credible culprit, new research suggests. Supernovas, the vigorous explosions of massive stars, might have shoved much of the matter surrounding our galaxy deep into space, preventing a horde of tiny companion galaxies from forming in the first place.
Millions of teeny galaxies should be buzzing around the Milky Way, according to theories about how galaxies evolve, but observations have turned up only a few dozen (SN: 9/19/15, p. 6). And the brightest of those that have been found are lightweights compared with what theorists expect to find. But new computer simulations designed to track the growth of galaxies down to the level of individual stars reveal the critical role that supernovas might play in resolving these conundrums. Philip Hopkins, an astrophysicist at Caltech, presented the results June 13 during a news briefing at a meeting of the American Astronomical Society.
“Galaxies don’t just form stars and sit there,” Hopkins said. “If you [add] up all the energy that supernovae emitted during a galaxy’s lifetime, it’s greater than the gravitational energy holding the galaxy together. You cannot ignore it.”
Simulations are typically limited by computing power, and efforts to simulate galaxy evolution have to brush over some details. For instance, rather than capture everything that’s going on in a galaxy, simulations slap on the additive effects of supernovas in an ad hoc fashion. These limitations don’t fully capture all the physics of stellar winds and supernova shocks that ripple through a galaxy.
Hopkins’ simulations grow a galaxy organically within a computer, tracing the evolution of a system such as the Milky Way over 13 billion years. Within a massive virtual blob of dark matter — the elusive substance thought to bind galaxies together — gas collects and fragments into stellar nurseries. Stars are born and die in this digital universe. A volley of life-ending explosions from the most massive of these stars lead to a turbulent galactic history, Hopkins finds.
“As these stars form rapidly in the early universe, they also live briefly and explode and die violently, ejecting material far from the galaxy,” he said. “They’re not just getting rid of gas.” They’re stirring up the dark matter as well, preventing a multitude of satellite galaxies from forming, and whittling away at those few that survive. “It’s not until quite late times … that [the galaxy] settles down and forms what we would call a recognizable galaxy today,” Hopkins said. The idea that stellar tantrums could chip away at the gas and dark matter around a galaxy is not new, says Janice Lee, an astronomer at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore. But Hopkins’ simulations bring a lot more detail to that story and show that it’s a plausible reason for our galaxy’s satellite shortfall.
Before declaring that the mystery of the missing satellite galaxies is solved, however, astronomers need to run a few more checks against reality, says Lee. There are still assumptions in the calculations about how energy from dying stars interacts with interstellar gas, for example. The precise details of that interaction can affect how many stellar runts versus behemoths form in star clusters.
NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, scheduled to launch in 2018, could probe star clusters in several relatively nearby galaxies, she says. Those observations could be compared with virtual clusters that appear in the simulations to see how close they match the real universe.
