China, Canada extend currency swap deal

(Xinhua)10:39, January 14, 2021

BEIJING, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) — The central banks of China and Canada have renewed a bilateral currency swap agreement, the Peoples Bank of China (PBOC) said Wednesday.

The swap line has a size of 200 billion yuan (about 30.96 billion U.S. dollars), or 39.39 billion Canadian dollars. It will be valid for a five-year period and can be extended on mutual consent.

The currency swap extension between the two central banks will help promote bilateral financial cooperation, expand the use of local currencies and facilitate trade and investment, the PBOC said in an online statement.

A currency swap sees the two parties agree to exchange a certain amount of foreign currency at a pre-determined rate, protecting against fluctuations.

Xi Jinping on Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank

(Xinhua)09:43, January 17, 2021

BEIJING, Jan. 16 (Xinhua) — Saturday marked the fifth anniversary of the founding of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB).

Chinese President Xi Jinping has firmly supported the operation and development of the AIIB, the first China-proposed multilateral financial institution, and has spoken of the institution on many occasions.

The following are some highlights of his remarks:

— To address issues emerging in the course of economic globalization, countries should pursue more inclusive global governance, more effective multilateral institutions, and more robust regional cooperation. In this context, the AIIB may grow into a new platform that promotes development for all its members and facilitates the building of a community with a shared future for mankind.

— With more good friends and partners getting on board for higher-quality cooperation, the AIIB has established itself on the global stage as a new type of professional, efficient and honest multilateral development bank.

— The AIIB should commit itself to serving the development needs of all its members and providing more high-quality, low-cost and sustainable investment for both traditional and new types of infrastructure.

— China will continue working with other members to support the AIIB and make it a success, and contribute more to the global response to risks and challenges and the pursuit of shared development.

— The founding and opening of the AIIB will bring about a better investment environment and more job opportunities and trigger greater medium- to long-term development potential on the part of developing members in Asia. This, in turn, will inject impetus into economic growth in Asia and the wider world.

— The AIIB and the existing global development financial institutions will complement each others advantages.

— The founding of the AIIB proves once again that where there is a will, there is a way.

— The initiative to establish the AIIB is a constructive move. It will enable China to undertake more international obligations, promote the improvement of the current international economic system, and provide more international public goods. This is a move that will help bring mutual benefits and win-win outcomes to all sides.

WHO hopes COVID-19 vaccination underway in every country in next 100 days

(Xinhua)11:11, January 16, 2021

GENEVA, Jan. 15 (Xinhua) — The chief of World Health Organization (WHO) Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Friday urged fairness of access to COVID-19 vaccines, saying he wants to see vaccination underway in every country in the next 100 days.

Speaking at a virtual press conference from Geneva, Tedros stressed that efforts should be made to ensure that middle and low-income countries are equally protected.

High-income countries are disproportionately represented among countries that started vaccinating, the WHO chief said, stressing that the lessons from previous epidemics should not be forgotten.

I know what its like to come from a continent where not all health services are available, he said, adding that when AIDS drugs first rolled out, they were only available in rich countries until a historic movement of health advocates, civil society and manufacturers provided a rollout of low-cost antiretroviral drugs.

He recalled that in the H1N1 pandemic, which hit the world in 2009-2010, by the time low-income countries received vaccine supply, the pandemic was over. We dont want this to be repeated, said Tedros.

I want to see vaccination underway in every country in the next 100 days, so that health workers and those at high-risk are protected first, he said.

Mariangela Simao, WHO Assistant Director-General for Drug Access, Vaccines and Pharmaceuticals, told the press conference that so far, 38 of the 46 countries that had started vaccinations are high-income countries.

She emphasized that COVAX, a WHO-led mechanism to ensure vaccine access for all, was there to correct the course and allow access to vaccines for low to middle-income countries.

The world we live in is not a fair world, Simao said. The COVAX facility is a way for us to reach fairness.

According to the WHO official, under the COVAX mechanism, We hope to have good news for you on this in February of this year.

As the world is struggling to contain the pandemic, vaccination is underway in some countries with the already-authorized coronavirus vaccines.

Meanwhile, 236 candidate vaccines are still being developed worldwide — 63 of them in clinical trials — in countries including Germany, China, Russia, Britain and the United States, according to information released by the WHO on Jan. 12.

China unveils cutting-edge superfast maglev train UK media

(Xinhua)13:09, January 16, 2021

LONDON, Jan. 15 (Xinhua) — China has unveiled the prototype of a domestically developed superfast maglev train whose designed speed can reach 385 mph (about 620 km per hour), boasting more than twice the speed of the Eurostar fleet, British media have reported.

The cutting-edge train could cover the distance between London and Paris in 47 minutes with its maximum speed, the Daily Mail newspaper has reported.

Dubbed as the super bullet maglev train, the model rolled off the production line and made its debut at a launch ceremony in southwest Chinas city of Chengdu on Wednesday.

The Chinese developed train uses high-temperature superconducting (HTS) maglev technology which makes it the first of its kind in the world, the Daily Mail quoted Chinese experts from the Southwest Jiaotong University as saying.

The maglev train boasts a designed speed of 620 km per hour, according to Southwest Jiaotong University, one of the trains designers.

The aim is for the vehicle to be a next-generation magnetic levitation train that will be cheaper and much faster than current train options, another British newspaper the Sun commented.

The new maglev train in China relies on superconductor technology which could make it faster and lighter than its rivals, the Sun reported, adding that lighter train means the cost of building new lines, tunnels and bridges should also be reduced.

China has been a world leader in the construction of high-speed railway. By the end of 2020, the country had 37,900 km of high-speed rail lines in service, the longest in the world, according to Chinas railway operator.

Maglev trains, levitated from the tracks and propelled by powerful magnets to avoid wheel-rail friction, are designed to break the speed bottlenecks facing high-speed trains.

Chinas first commercial maglev system was put into operation in 2003 in Shanghai. The 30 km stretch between downtown and the citys Pudong airport is based on German maglev technology of electromagnetic suspension (EMS).

WHO experts start quarantine in Wuhan

(Xinhua)13:56, January 16, 2021

BEIJING, Jan. 15 (Xinhua) — An international expert team of the World Health Organization (WHO) arrived in China and started quarantine at a hotel in Wuhan on Thursday, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said Friday.

The 13-member team will conduct joint scientific research with Chinese scientists on the origin-tracing of the novel coronavirus, Zhao told a press briefing.

Chinas regulations involving the nucleic acid tests monitoring are formulated based on the current global pandemic situation and in line with the arrangements made by other countries, Zhao said, adding that the purpose is to guarantee the orderly exchange of Chinese and foreign personnel on the premise of ensuring epidemic prevention and control.

This is not only to maintain Chinas hard-earned achievements in epidemic prevention and control but also to minimize the risk of cross-infection among people coming to China and safeguard everyones health and safety, Zhao said.

China will strictly abide by relevant regulations and requirements on epidemic prevention, and provide support and convenience to WHO experts in carrying out cooperation on the origin-tracing of the COVID-19 virus in the country, Zhao said.

China encourages international cooperation on lunar sample study

(Xinhua)17:10, January 18, 2021

BEIJING, Jan. 18 (Xinhua) — China on Monday unveiled regulations on lunar sample management, encouraging international cooperation on studying the samples brought back by the Change-5 probe.

Released by the China National Space Administration (CNSA), the regulations cover general principles for preserving, managing, using, borrowing and returning the lunar samples, as well as information release and research results management of the samples.

According to the regulations, the lunar samples will be generally used for four purposes, namely permanent storage, backup permanent storage, research and public welfare.

The Change-5 probe, comprising an orbiter, a lander, an ascender, and a returner, was launched on Nov. 24, 2020. The return capsule landed in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region on Dec. 17, retrieving about 1,731 grams of lunar samples.

China encourages international joint research in space science based on the lunar samples to support science results sharing, said Zhang Kejian, head of the CNSA, noting that the management and usage of the samples would comply with relevant international conventions.

Diplomats and representatives from France, Russia, the European Union, Asia Pacific Space Cooperation Organization and other countries and international organizations were invited to visit the lunar sample storage and processing facilities in the National Astronomical Observatories of China under the Chinese Academy of Sciences on Monday.

The CNSA also awarded commemorative plates to the international cooperators including the Argentine National Space Activities Commission, European Space Agency, Namibia Ministry of Higher Education, Training and Innovation, and Pakistan Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission, to thank them for their collaboration during the Change-5 mission.

Based on the principle of equality and mutual benefit, peaceful utilization and win-win cooperation, the CNSA has actively carried out international cooperation in lunar exploration, Mars exploration, satellite projects, and launch services, to promote the common progress and long-term sustainable development of the space industry, Zhang said.

We are still in the pre-processing stage of the lunar samples, including sample unsealing, preparation and the establishment of archives, said Pei Zhaoyu, deputy director of Lunar Exploration and Space Engineering Center of CNSA.

About 80 percent of the lunar samples will be used for scientific research, and 20 percent will be preserved for better and more advanced scientific research methods and conditions in the future. This also constitutes protection of heritage of human civilization, Pei added.

Chinas future lunar and interplanetary exploration missions will be more open, and cooperation among countries will be further encouraged, Pei said.

Xi encourages Starbucks to help promote China-U.S. ties

(Xinhua)13:43, January 14, 2021

BEIJING, Jan. 14 (Xinhua) — Chinese President Xi Jinping has encouraged Howard Schultz, Starbucks Corporations chairman emeritus, and the company to continue to play a positive role in advancing China-U.S. economic and trade cooperation and bilateral ties.

In a reply letter to Schultz on Jan. 6, Xi stressed that under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, the 1.4 billion Chinese people have made long-term and arduous efforts to build a moderately prosperous society in all respects and pursue socialist modernization.

Chinas embarking upon the new journey of fully building a modern socialist country will provide broader space for enterprises from across the world, including Starbucks and other American companies, to develop in China, stressed the Chinese president.

Xi said he hopes that the coffee company will make active efforts to promote China-U.S. economic and trade cooperation as well as the two countries relations.

In his letter to Xi earlier, Schultz congratulated China on the upcoming completion of building a moderately prosperous society in all respects under Xis leadership, and expressed his respect for the Chinese people and Chinese culture.

Myths of U.S. democracy have come to an end

By LiYunlong (Peoples Daily)09:09, January 14, 2021

On Jan. 6, a violent demonstration stormed U.S. capital Washington. Some protesters ran into the U.S. Capitol building and clashed with security officers. The conflict left four protesters dead, and a U.S. Capitol police officer lost his life, too. It also blocked a session to certify President-elect Joe Bidens victory in the 2020 election.

This is a major failure of the U.S. political system.

Praising itself as a lighthouse country for democracy, the U.S. has always been acting as a role model in practicing democracy. It made up numerous myths of American democracy and is trying everything to sell them to other countries, even by force. However, the Capitol chaos this time laid bare the American democracy, proving the U.S. is not a Garden of Eden for democracy. The U.S. democracy has its flaws at the fundamental level.

Supporters of U.S. President Donald Trump gather near the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C., the United States, Jan. 6, 2021. (Xinhua/Liu Jie)

The U.S. democracy is not able to guarantee a peaceful transition of power. One of the myths built by American democracy is that elections can avoid intensive conflicts and civil wars caused by power struggles and thus ensure smooth transition of power. Thats why the U.S. is always fanning up the superiority of its regular renewing of administrations and requesting others to follow. Whenever a problem of power transition occurs to a country, the U.S. attributes it to the lack of an American-style election. However, many followers of U.S. democracy always had conflicts and civil wars, and the U.S. was either turning a blind eye to them or just declaring that they were not learning the essence. Today, the reality show of the Capitol chaos, which was broadcasted live to the globe, proved that elections cannot always guarantee the smooth and peaceful transition of power.

The U.S. democracy failed to maintain political stability. The U.S. believes elections offer the most stable foundation of legality and effectively make modern countries rightful, which ensures long-term security and stability. This is completely a lie. Since the end of the World War II, especial the Cold War, many countries copied American democracy and implanted American election system. However, this set them into a vicious circle of political instability. In recent years, the U.S. witnessed severer political conflicts, and was swept by anti-racism demonstrations and campaigns. High-ranking officials of the Uncle Sam come and go, and the impeachment against the president was approved by the House of Representatives. The 2020 U.S. election failed to bring stability, but in turn triggered a bigger political turmoil.

The U.S. democracy failed to offer effective governance. The country always stresses that only regular elections can realize effective governance, saying the candidates must be responsible for the voters, and the tenure system and division of rights can prevent major wrong decisions. However, this has no basis. For instance, the U.S. democracy didnt stop the White House from launching the Vietnam war and Iraqi war, both of which were major wrong decisions.

In addition, the poor performance of the U.S. governance in handling the COVID-19 pandemic further proved that American democracy is not able to bring effective governance.

Since the outbreak of COVID-19, some U.S. politicians, being irresponsible for the lives of the people and ignoring science, didnt take any active approach to cope with the virus. As a result, the pandemic further spread and became a major failure. According to statistics from Johns Hopkins University, the U.S. topped 22 million COVID-19 confirmed cases as of Jan. 10, and the death toll hit 371,862. The U.S. only accounts for less than 5 percent of the worlds population, but its confirmed cases of COVID-19 take as much as 24 percent of the worlds total. Its COVID-19 deaths also possess a 19-percent share in the world, much higher than the global average. Whats ironic is that no American official has been dismissed due to poor containment performance. The failure of U.S. COVID-19 control has torn up the Emperors New Clothes of the U.S. democracy, and revealed the incapability of U.S. politics and governance.

The U.S. democracy is not able to guarantee effective political participation of citizens. The White House declares that the American democracy can involve every of its citizens into the political progress and make them express their appeals. However, money politics is standing in the way, running through all links of the U.S. election, legislation and administration.

Elections have become a cash game in the U.S., in which money decides votes. The presidential election is spending more and more money, from $700 million in 2004 to $1 billion in 2008, and to $2 billion in 2012 and $6.6 billion in 2016. According to U.S. nonpartisan research group Center for Responsive Politics, the cost of the 2020 election was close to $14 billion, twice the amount in 2016, making it the most expensive political election ever in American history.

Besides, the midterm elections are also seeing rocketing prices, from $2.18 billion in 2002 to $5.2 billion in 2018. In the 2018 midterm election, it took an average of $19.4 million to win a seat in the Senate, while the price for a House of Representatives seat stood at $1.5 million. The high cost significantly raised the threshold for elections, killing the possibilities for the majority to run an election. Just a few of the people who can raise substantial funds are qualified to join American elections. This is no doubt a breeding ground for the rich and interest groups to cajole the candidates. As a result, political participation is a privilege of the rich.

The U.S. democracy cant guarantee equal political rights and interests for citizens. The American democracy has built a myth of a so-called majority ruling, saying the one man one vote democracy is a way to govern the country at the will of the majority. However, the American democracy is nether the rule of the people nor the rule of the majority. Voter turnout is generally low in each election. The U.S. implements an electoral college system, which means the candidate who receives the most votes may not be elected as the president. In the 21st century, there have been two U.S. Presidents who didnt win the popular vote.

According to the U.S. political system, each state gets two senators, regardless of population. In this way, a senator can be elected by only 500,000 citizens in Rhode Island, while nearly 20 million are needed in California. This indicates that votes dont have the same value. In a word, the U.S. election mechanism cannot guarantee the political interests and rights of the American citizens, and elections are just a tool of the few to manipulate politics.

(Li Yunlong is a professor with the Party School of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, or the Chinese Academy of Governance)

Mental disorders forecast chronic physical diseases, premature death study

(Xinhua)09:25, January 15, 2021

CHICAGO, Jan. 14 (Xinhua) — A study by researchers at the University of Michigan (UM) indicates that people who experience psychiatric conditions when they are young are likely to experience excess age-related physical diseases when they are older.

The researchers conducted a nationwide hospital-register study of 2.3 million New Zealanders aged 10 to 60 years at baseline that have been followed across three decades from 1988 to 2018, and collected information about hospital admissions for different mental disorders, such as substance use disorders, psychotic disorders, mood disorders, anxiety disorders and self-harm behavior. In addition, researchers collected information about hospital admissions for different chronic physical diseases, ranging from coronary heart disease to cancer.

Across the 30-year period, individuals with mental disorders were more likely to develop subsequent physical diseases and they also died earlier than people without mental disorders, the study showed. They also experienced more medical hospitalizations, spent more time in hospitals for physical-disease treatment and accumulated more associated health care costs.

And these associations were present across all age groups and in both men and women.

The findings indicate that addressing mental health problems in early life might be a window of opportunity for preventing future physical diseases, the researchers said. They also suggest the importance of joined-up services, or integrated care.

Our health care system often divides treatment between the brain and the body, said Leah Richmond-Rakerd, UM assistant professor of psychology. Integrating the two could benefit population health.

The study, posted on UMs website on Wednesday, has been published in the journal JAMA Network Open.

Chinas space station core module, cargo craft pass factory review

(Xinhua)09:39, January 15, 2021

BEIJING, Jan. 14 (Xinhua) — The core module of Chinas planned space station has passed a factory review, along with the projects Tianzhou-2 cargo craft and the core module mission products of the space application systems, the China Manned Space Engineering Office (CMSEO) said Thursday.

The completion of the factory review, conducted by experts at Chinas manned space program, means the construction project of the countrys space station will now enter the implementation phase, the CMSEO statement said.

China is scheduled to complete the in-orbit construction of the space station around 2022, after carrying out 11 flight missions this year and next, including three launches of different modules, four launches of cargo craft and four launches of manned craft.

The core module, named Tianhe (harmony of the heavens), is scheduled for launch this spring.