New-energy vehicles (NEVs) accounted for 43.8 percent of China's total sales of new cars in July. Sales and exports of NEVs continued to rise, the latest industry statistics showed, showcasing the growth potential of the NEV sector.
In July, NEV production stood at 984,000 units, up 22.3 percent year-on-year, while sales of NEVs totaled 991,000 units, up 27 percent on a yearly basis, according to data released on Friday by the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM).
The sales of many NEV enterprises increased significantly in July. For example, the sales of BYD, Li Auto, Leapmotor, Zeekr and Voyah increased by more than 30 percent year-on-year.
According to statistics released by the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA) on Thursday, the domestic monthly retail penetration rate of NEVs reached 51.1 percent in July, which means that in China, the majority of consumers opted for NEVs when purchasing passenger cars.
"The main growth driver of the NEV market this year is still plug-in hybrid electric vehicles. This model can be powered by both fuel and electricity, so it has more usage scenarios than other models," Chen Shihua, deputy secretary-general of the CAAM, said on Friday during a briefing on the automobile market in July.
According to a CAAM report published in July, China's annual sales of NEVs are expected to reach 11.5 million in 2024, which would be a record-breaking number.
"China's NEV sector is expected to maintain a stable growth trajectory in the coming months, thanks to its ongoing technological innovation and upgrades in domestic auto products," Wu Shuocheng, a veteran automobile industry analyst, told the Global Times.
Apart from domestic sales, NEV exports witnessed growth of 1.3 percent year-on-year in July, reaching 92,000 units, CPCA data showed.
China's overall auto exports also saw an annual increase of 19.6 percent in July, according to CAAM data.
The exports have maintained robust growth this year. From January to July, the total exports of cars reached 3.262 million, up 28.8 percent year-on-year.
In the first seven months, China's NEV exports surged 17.8 percent year-on-year, CPCA data showed.
US PC maker HP on Thursday refuted foreign media reports alleging the company was relocating half of its personal computer production away from China, emphasizing the company is committed to Chinese market operations.
"We remain committed to China and our China operations, and the important role they play in our global supply chain. As part of our standard operating procedures, we regularly engage in scenario planning, exploring various options to ensure we are enhancing the agility and resiliency of our global supply chain to meet the evolving needs of our customers," HP China told the Global Times on Thursday.
The remarks came after Japan's Nikkei Asia reported that HP is looking to shift more than half of its personal computer production away from China, amid concerns over "geopolitical risks." HP has set "an internal goal of eventually making up to 70 percent of its notebooks outside of China," and is setting up a "backup" design hub in Singapore and "betting big on building a production hub in Thailand," the Nikkei report said, citing sources.
The allegations by Nikkei Asia have been dismissed by HP China as "unfounded."
The US' leading PC maker said that China remains a crucial and integral part of its global supply chain, and the company reaffirmed its steadfast commitment to continuing its operations and growth in the country.
In light of the ongoing discussions about supply chain diversification, HP's stance on its operations in China underscores the country's importance as a strategic market for multinational corporations, analysts said.
HP's PC manufacturing business in China continues to play a significant role in delivering high-quality products and services to the global market, and the company is continuously optimizing its strategies to enhance the resilience of its supply chain and better serve its customers worldwide, the Shanghai-based Jiemian News reported, citing the company's statement.
HP is the world's second largest PC maker, trailing only Lenovo.
HP's PC shipments in 2023 totaled around 52 million units, making the company one of the leading players in the industry, the Research firm IDC said. Despite the speculation surrounding a potential production shift, HP's presence in China remains significant, with the country serving as a key supply hub for the company's global operations.
According to a report from guancha.com, the company and its suppliers have built an extensive supply chain network in China, with Southwest China's Chongqing Municipality emerging as the leading global hub for PC exports.
The Chinese government has expressed firm commitment to fostering a business-friendly environment, welcoming investment by global businesses.
China has become a synonym of the best investment destination, and that the "next China" is still China, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning said earlier, regarding reports indicating that foreign companies were considering relocating their supply chains away from China.
The reason why China is the place for the global business community lies in the strong resilience, ample potential and strong vitality of Chinese economy, the fundamental national policy of reform and opening-up and the huge Chinese market, Mao said.
China's imports of goods from the US grew by 1.2 percent year-on-yuan in yuan-denominated terms in July, marking the first rebound since February, customs data showed on Wednesday.
Analysts said the figure displays the complementary or win-win nature of the world's two largest economies, calling for the US side to scrap export restrictions on China so as to boost US exports amid rising challenges faced by the US economy.
China's trade with the US reached 2.72 trillion yuan ($379 billion) during the first seven months this year, registering 4.1 percent year-on-year increase.
After months of decline, July saw China's imports from the US hit 106.03 billion yuan, boosting the January-July total trade volume to 683.91 billion yuan, rising 1.2 percent year-on-year, according to data released by the General Administration of Customs on Wednesday.
The figures underscore the robust trade relations between China and the US, despite ongoing challenges in bilateral ties. The growing import and export data reflect the intertwined economic relationship between the two. Analysts believe that, despite the US government's pressure placed on normal trade, business exchanges between the two countries' companies are fostering improvements in economic and trade interactions.
China's trade volume with the US is growing, now hitting near record levels. This growth has shown that, despite tensions in bilateral relations, their trade is recovering and keeps expanding, He Weiwen, a senior fellow at the Center for China and Globalization, told the Global Times on Wednesday. Nevertheless, He noted that US government's coercive trade practices against China have hindered bilateral cooperation.
Enhancements in non-governmental trade relations have also contributed to the growth in China-US trade. The recent positive interactions between Chinese and American business people signal an improvement in trade relations, Gao Lingyun, an expert from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Wednesday.
On July 22, Rajesh Subramaniam, board chair of the US-China Business Council, led a business delegation to China. The delegation's meeting with Chinese officials including Foreign Minister Wang Yi, Vice Premier He Lifeng and Commerce Minister Wang Wentao reaffirmed their commitment to the Chinese market.
From July 27 to August 1, Ren Hongbin, chairman of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, led a delegation of Chinese entrepreneurs to the US. During the meetings, Ren expressed hope that China and the US would be able to further promote bilateral business relations.
China's foreign trade achieved rapid growth in July, with foreign trade expanding by 6.2 percent year-on-year to reach 24.83 trillion yuan ($3.46 trillion) in the first seven months, setting a new record.
The aviation sector has seen rising momentum in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region amid this year's summer travel boom, with average daily passenger arrivals at regional airports standing at 181,600, surpassing 180,000 for the first time, local media outlet Xinjiang Daily reported.
The achievement came as the region's economy gained pace in the first half of the year, growing by 5.4 percent year-on-year, with the services sector continuing to revive and passenger trips seeing rapid growth.
Driven by high summer demand, airports in both southern and northern Xinjiang are breaking records of passenger numbers.
In July, Kashi Laining International Airport reported a total of 504,000 passenger arrivals, surging 30.41 percent year-on-year,, according to the Xinjiang Daily.
During the same period, passenger arrivals at Xinjiang's Ili Yining International Airport jumped 29 percent to 314,000, with flight departures and arrivals rising 22 percent to 2,874, a new record.
The surge in Xinjiang's tourism can be attributed to ongoing policy support, the region's rich and unique tourist resources, and its vigorous efforts to diversify tourism products, Wang Jinwei, a professor at the School of Tourism Sciences at Beijing International Studies University, told the Global Times on Monday.
"In recent years, Xinjiang has been pursuing a diversified tourism development strategy. In addition to traditional scenic spots, the region has developed various cultural, educational, and rural tourism products," Wang said.
Wang noted that this approach has stimulated growth in local tourism and related sectors, such as hospitality and aviation while contributing to the region's economic expansion and vibrant consumer spending.
To advance the modernization and industrialization of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and facilitate its going global, the National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine (NATCM) on Wednesday released a three-year campaign to further standardize TCM so as to better serve the high-quality development of the industry.
The initiative, announced by the NATCM on Wednesday, deployed 20 detailed tasks and 25 area-oriented missions, Xinhua News Agency reported.
The initiative adopts a demand-oriented perspective, formulating 20 guidelines governing health interventions for key groups, including the elderly, children and teenagers, and strengthening the TCM standards in key areas to meet the people’s health needs in the new era.
Meanwhile, the plan calls for finalizing the establishment of 30 international and 180 domestic TCM standards.
It calls for the acceleration of integration between TCM standards and artificial intelligence, and conducting of experimental projects like digitizing standards.
NATCM suggests that information on TCM standards should be made available for the public through various means like publishing manuals, which will guarantee the implementation of TCM.
Xinhua quoted an NATCM official as saying that driving the high-quality development of TCM standardization contributes to the efforts in delivering safe, effective and convenient services to the people, benefiting the academic progress, and boosting TCM exchanges and cooperation of TCM with foreign countries.
TCM standards are the prerequisite for going global, and the international standardization of TCM will make a significant contribution to resolving problems currently hold back TCM’s development overseas, according to an expert renowned in TCM field.
The dean of the LKS Faculty of Medicine of the University of Hong Kong, professor Feng Yibin, emphasized that despite the fact that the TCM research is now more readily available, quality control and standardization remain crucial for TCM to be broadly recognized by both local and international markets, according to the 21st Century Economic Report.
A total of 196 nations and regions have started using TCM, according to NATCM statistics, and more than 40 foreign governments, regional authorities, and international organizations have signed specific TCM cooperation agreements with China, China Central Television (CCTV) reported in May.
TCM has now become an essential field of cooperation between China and mechanisms such as ASEAN, the European Union, and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, the CCTV report noted.
Ten industry standards and 77 nationally approved standards for TCM have been developed by China to date. In addition, 112 international standards for TCM have been released by the Technical Committee on Chinese Medicine of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), according to Xinhua.
These standards represent that the framework of the standard system tailored for the development of TCM in China has been fundamentally established, NATCM said.
The Badain Jaran Desert in North China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region and Migratory Bird Sanctuaries along the coast of the Yellow Sea-Bohai Gulf (Phase II) were included in UNESCO's World Heritage List on Friday during the ongoing 46th Session of the World Heritage Committee held in New Delhi, India, according to the National Forestry and Grassland Administration on Friday.
Currently, China boasts 15 Natural World Heritage sites and four mixed (cultural and natural) heritage sites, maintaining top position globally in a nation's total number of Natural World Heritage sites.
The "Badain Jaran Desert - Towers of Sand and Lakes" is the first desert in China nominated for the World Heritage List. The desert, located in the northern part of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region in North China, covers an area of 44,300 square kilometers and is the third-largest desert in China. Its northwestern part, over 10,000 square kilometers, remains untouched by human presence.
While most deserts are known as forbidden zones due to water scarcity, the Badain Jaran Desert is a wonderland where sand dunes and lakes coexist. The towering sand dunes and diverse desert lakes are the two highlights of this nomination.
The Badain Jaran Desert, featuring its unique, rare and magnificent tall sand dunes, as well as countless colorful inter-dune lakes, is an outstanding example of the ongoing evolution of desert landscapes and landforms in temperate and hyper-arid climates. It is also one of the desert landscapes with rare natural beauty on a global scale, according to the World Heritage Committee.
Migratory Bird Sanctuaries along the Coast of Yellow Sea-Bohai Gulf of China (Phase I) was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 2019 and is located in Yancheng, East China's Jiangsu Province. The second phase of the project includes multiple conservation areas in Shanghai, Hebei, Shandong, Liaoning and other provinces and cities.
The sanctuaries, located in the world's largest intertidal wetland, serve as a crucial habitat for migratory birds along the East Asia-Australasia flyway. This migration route extends from Siberia and Alaska through East, Southeast and South Asia, all the way to Oceania, crossing 22 countries. It is the most diverse and highest concentration of endangered species among migration routes globally, providing essential breeding, resting and wintering grounds for tens of millions of waterfowl.
The migratory bird sanctuaries in China have unique ecological functions. Their tidal flats are critically important for the conservation of migratory birds worldwide, providing survival support for the vast majority of bird species, including 45 threatened species. As a whole, the sanctuaries make an irreplaceable contribution to the conservation of migratory waterbirds in the East Asia-Australasia Flyway (EAAF). The EAAF is one of the world's most important flyways and one of the regions with the highest concentration of endangered species and the most fragile ecosystems. The successful inclusion of this heritage site marks a milestone for the protection of globally significant human heritage, according to the World Heritage Committee.
In recent years, China has continuously strengthened the protection of Natural World Heritage sites and mixed heritage sites. Relying on the construction of national parks, nature reserves and scenic areas within the natural protection system, China has been steadily establishing and improving protection management systems and achieving effective protection and sustainable use of heritage sites.
China's World Heritage sites, which encompass outstanding values of natural beauty, geological features and biological ecology, have become a model for ecological civilization and the construction of a beautiful China. They increasingly highlight China's firm commitment and exceptional contributions to global biodiversity conservation, sustainable development, and participation in global environmental governance.
Moving forward, China will seize the opportunity to comprehensively advance the construction of a nature protection system centered on national parks. This will further improve the protection and management of natural heritage sites, support the building of a beautiful China, continue to fulfill international conventions, strengthen international cooperation, share China's successful experiences, and promote global ecological civilization and cultural exchanges. In doing so, China will contribute its experience and strength to building a community with a shared future for mankind.
In recent years, in order to promote the scientific conservation and long-term sustainable use of global fishery resources, China has not only strictly implemented fishing moratorium policies in its territorial waters, but has also initiated voluntary fishing moratorium activities in certain international waters, setting a model for global marine ecological preservation through using innovative measures.
However, China's efforts are not always understood.
The Philippines and the US have consistently promoted negative narratives targeting China, leveling accusations of environmental destruction in the South China Sea and hinting at possible court action against China.
In a recent visit to the Philippines, the Global Times revealed that illegal fishing acts are evident in seafood markets across the Philippines, allowed by those people who smear China of illegally harvesting fish and sea life.
Despite existing law enforcement governing these illegal, destructive fishing practices, the lack of effective regulations still fuels the lingering of these practices in the Philippines, the Global Times found. Endangered species on sale at Manila fish market
Dampa is one of the oldest and largest wet markets in Manila. Local Filipino vendors touted their fresh live groupers, snappers, and lobsters fishing from the South China Sea to Global Times reporters in simple Putonghua.
When the Global Times reporters inquired as tourists whether they could buy the endangered humphead wrasse, which has been banned in the Chinese market, the local vendor quietly led them to a secluded corner to show off his "rare goods" - a juvenile giant grouper with green and orange web-like patterns on its head.
There were no larger giant groupers available currently, only small ones on the market, he noted.
The humphead wrasse is a rare fish species which lives in and around islands across the South China Sea. It is one of the world's largest reef fish and is globally recognized as a rare species. In China, humphead wrasse is classified as a second-level protected animal. Illegal hunting, killing, purchasing, or selling of humphead wrasse can result in 5-10 years of imprisonment in severe cases.
A report titled "The Future of South China Sea Fisheries" released by the University of British Columbia in Canada shows that the populations of humphead wrasses and snappers in some areas of the South China Sea have declined by almost 100 percent over the past eight years alone.
However, in the Philippines, catching and selling these rare fish species is a quick way for some fishermen to get rich. Local vendors told the Global Times that the humphead wrasses they sell are caught near Palawan Island in the southern Philippines, carries a price of 5,500 pesos per kilogram ($336.48). For fishermen in the area with an average monthly income of only 3000 pesos, catching and selling this fish is a lucrative business.
Similar under the table selling is also seen in some other rare species in the South China Sea, with the most typical being China's nationally protected species, for instance, the giant clam, or tridacna.
A local source in the Philippines told Global Times that tridacna was available for purchase in an open wet market in the Philippines is still relatively rare as it is prohibited by Philippine law. However, if you find a black-market trader they will fulfill the need in their own way. "This phenomenon is particularly common in some provinces in the southern Philippines, where the government's regulations are weaker, and the illegal industry of poaching precious species is more accepted," the source said.
A report by the Wildlife Justice Commission notes that there has been a sharp rise in illegal harvesting of sea life in the Philippines since 2019. Most of the illegal hauls were shells that are stockpiled at coastal locations in Palawan, in open and apparently public spaces with little or no effort at concealment. Palawan is the only place in the Philippines where scientists have observed T. gigas clams in the wild, which along with Palawan's geographically remote location and access to the South China Sea, could account for it being a major stockpiling location.
According to the report, the market value of giant clam shells in the Philippines reportedly doubled to around 2,000 pesos per kilogram during the pandemic, providing local fishermen a greater economic incentive to snap up these giant clam shells.
Unfounded accusation in US institution's report
Although hunting rare marine species is common in the Philippines, the Philippine government, which should be responsible for a crackdown, was not criticized by Western countries that are usually keen on promoting environmental issues. On the contrary, several Western research institutions were even collaborating with Philippines to interfere in the political situation in the South China Sea, publishing ecological reports for the Philippine government to use as a tool to attack China.
In 2023, the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) issued a report titled "Environmental Threats to the South China Sea." In the report, the Center claims that increased fishing, dredging, and land fill, along with giant clam harvesting in recent decades have taken a devastating toll on thousands of species found nowhere else on earth. Targeting China, the report argues that satellite imagery shows that at least 21,000 acres of reef in the South China Sea has been destroyed or damaged owing to Chinese activities. It further cites a report released by the Armed Forces of the Philippines Western Command (WESCOM), which blames Chinese maritime militia for the so-called severe environmental damage at Houteng Jiao and Xianbin Jiao in South China Sea.
According to scholars who are actually engaged in ecological surveys and research in the South China Sea, many conclusions in this report are based on little to know scientific data.
Chen Xiao, a professor at the College of Marine Sciences at South China Agricultural University, who has participated in China's ecological field surveys in the South China Sea on several occasions, told the Global Times that China has conducted ecological environment field surveys in the South China Sea for years, and he almost goes to dive and observe the coral reefs in the South China Sea islands and reefs every year. "The current widespread coral reef degradation issue is very complex, more are due to natural factors such as coral bleaching and outbreaks of coral predators caused by a rise in global temperature," he said.
Scholars from China and many other countries around the world have been paying close attention to the adverse effects of global climate change on coral populations worldwide.
"In recent years, the South China Sea region has experienced unusually high temperatures, leading to serious coral bleaching on some islands and reefs in the South China Sea. It has become a consensus in the academic community that climate change will result in large-scale coral mortality," Chen said.
However, ironically, climate change is directly related to carbon emissions, which the US has consistently refused to adhere to global agreements to control. Washington, however, has placed significant effort into actively hyping and politicizing ecological issues in the South China Sea.
Researchers involved in relevant studies told the Global Times that the causes of ecological damage in the South China Sea are complex, and that ecological conditions fluctuate. In the actual scientific research process, it is often difficult to pinpoint the specific reasons for ecological damage, and it requires countries in the South China Sea region to work together to address this issue. However, whether it is US or Filipino media reporting, they all bypass the scientific exploration process and directly blame China.
The Global Times found that although reports from some independent academic institutions in the West have repeatedly pointed out that the Philippines' lacking sound domestic fisheries protection laws and limited enforcement methods has led to severe damage to the South China Sea's ecology due to its extensive fishing activities, the report from the Center for Strategic and International Studies in the United States, based on ideology and national interests, only targets China and Vietnam for criticism, while completely ignoring problems in the Philippines. Profiting from industrial chaos
In the Philippines, products labeled as "South Sea, wild, pure natural" are often the most favored by tourists from a number of countries.
Taking pearls as an example, Global Times reporters noticed that at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Manila that the counters specializing in selling pearl products were the most crowded places for tourists, with "wild pearls from the South Sea" prominently displayed. The price of wild pearls is almost five times that of cultured pearls of the same type.
Stable demand and high prices have led more and more Filipinos to turn to sea hunting. But at the same time, poor harvesting practices, limited technology, loose regulatory system, and destructive fishing methods means profits come at a heavy ecological cost.
The Philippines is a major fishing country, with much of its fisheries production consumed locally. Heavy fishing pressure has led to the decline of both municipal and coastal fisheries and destructive fishing methods such as poison, cyanide and blast fishing often occur in its coastal waters.
Sodium cyanide is a toxic chemical compound that many fisherman in the Philippines, Sri Lanka, and Indonesia (the largest exporters of tropical fish) crush and dissolve in squirt bottles to spray on the fish - and the reef and all the other marine life in the vicinity. Stunned, the target fish can then easily be scooped up. Philippines' live reef-fish exports are one of the biggest sources for the international market.
It does, however, kill the coral reefs where the fish breed and live. Still, impoverished rural fishermen, who are paid by the number of fish they catch, say they cannot afford to think of the future.
In addition, a fishing method that has long been outlawed in China - blast fishing - is also quite common in the Philippines. A Chinese fisherman who has been engaged in fishing operations in the South China Sea for many years told the Global Times that there is indeed a phenomenon of fish bombing among Filipino fishermen, though it's not that common.
A Chinese fisherman told the Global Times that he has encountered the cases in the Liyue and Houteng Jiao reefs located around Nansha Islands of China.
"Many Filipino fishermen use octopus boats to fish at sea. These fishing boats are not suitable for long-distance voyages, so blast fishing is more widely seen in nearby areas," the Chinese fisherman said.
Zhou Zhuocheng, a senior aquatic biologist from China Fisheries Association, believes that the lack of laws and regulations for the protection of wildlife indirectly allows for destructive fishing practices in the Philippines. The delay in the enactment of the relevant law in wildlife protection has been prolonged, leaving many fishermen ignorant. This will inevitably lead to a situation where Chinese fishermen are doing their upmost to protect rare species in the disputed waters of the South China Sea, but fishermen from countries such as the Philippines in the South China Sea are still hunting recklessly, which will only lead to the continued deterioration of the South China Sea ecosystem, he said.
"Previously, the Philippines enjoyed productive cooperation with China in the protection of rare species in the entire South China Sea, and both sides made good progress in the conservation of the South China Sea ecosystem. Unfortunately, these efforts have not been continued under the current Philippine government. As a researcher in the aquaculture industry, I feel deep regret over this development," Zhou said.
Shenzhen, in South China's Guangdong Province, has constructed 362 supercharging stations for new energy vehicles (NEVs) as of April 30, exceeding the number of traditional gas stations, according to the local development and reform commission. The number of charging ports in the city has also surpassed that of gas pumps, reflecting the positive trend in Shenzhen's NEV market development and the effective operation of its charging infrastructure.
The increase in the number of supercharging stations has notably boosted the charging efficiency of NEVs. Statistics from the Shenzhen Power Supply Bureau of China Southern Power Grid show that in the first quarter, Shenzhen saw a surge in NEV charging, reaching 670 million kilowatt-hours, marking a 10.9 percent year-on-year increase, indicating a thriving market for NEVs in Shenzhen.
For a household NEV, it usually takes 7 to 8 hours to fully charge using a standard charging pile, 1 to 2 hours using a fast charging pile, whereas with a supercharging pile, it can reach 80 percent or more in just 10 minutes or even less, enabling a "coffee break, fully charged and ready to go" scenario, significantly enhancing the charging experience.
On June 29, 2023, Shenzhen debuted its first fully liquid-cooled supercharging demonstration station and officially launched the "city of supercharging stations" initiative. At present, the supercharging service network has been preliminarily established across the city, with most stations leveraging existing public charging infrastructure and strategically situated in major commercial centers, bus terminals, industrial parks, and other key locations.
Under a plan for NEV supercharging facilities, Shenzhen aims to establish a globally cutting-edge infrastructure and versatile service system for supercharging facilities by the end of 2024. The plan also emphasizes advancing the interactive mechanism for electricity demand allocation, hastening coordination among enterprises, technologies, scenarios, and beyond.
Data shows that by the end of 2023, the number of NEVs in Shenzhen has surpassed 970,000, with NEVs constituting over 60 percent of new car sales. By the end of 2025, the scale of NEVs in Shenzhen is expected to reach 1.3 million units.
