Posted on

China expands use of BeiDou navigation system in bike-sharing market

(Xinhua)08:44, July 02, 2020

BEIJING, July 1 (Xinhua) — China has further expanded the use of its home-grown BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS) in the countrys bike-sharing industry.

China began to build the navigation system in the 1990s and completed its construction with the launch of the final satellite, the 55th in the BeiDou family, on June 23.

On the same day, Hellobike, a popular bike-sharing company in China, announced that all of its shared bikes support BDS.

The company released two new bike models that are equipped with BeiDou positioning services in March this year, and then finished remote firmware updates for all existing shared bikes to support BDS.

With the help of high-precision navigation and positioning, users can be guided to park the bikes in a standardized manner, according to Chu Yiqun, a manager of Hellobike.

Equipped with BDS positioning device, the intelligent lock on each bike receives BeiDou satellite signals and sends positioning information to the data center, which will help collect big data on the bikes and estimate users riding demands in advance, according to the data, Chu said.

BeiDous high-precision positioning is key for users of shared bikes to help them find and return a bike more accurately, greatly improving user experience, he added.

Posted on

Chinas first 500 kW wave energy converter delivered

(Xinhua)10:05, July 02, 2020

GUANGZHOU, July 2 (Xinhua) — Chinas first 500 kW wave energy converter was delivered to Guangzhou Institute of Energy Conversion, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) Tuesday.

Named Sharp Eagle – Zhoushan, the converter is part of a wave energy demonstration project set up by the Ministry of Natural Resources, which will be located near Dawanshan Island, Zhuhai City, Guangdong Province.

Developed by the institute and built by China Merchants Heavy Industry (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd., the device is currently the largest wave energy converter in China.

Guangzhou Institute of Energy Conversion, CAS, said they would work with related companies to develop wave energy conversion technology and facilities further.

Posted on

How BeiDou is used in China and around the world

(Xinhua)10:23, June 25, 2020

BEIJING, June 24 (Xinhua) — China has completed the deployment of the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS) with the recent launch of its last satellite, the 55th of the BeiDou family.

So far, the BDS system has been widely used in transportation, agriculture, forestry and fishery, hydrological monitoring, weather forecasts, communication time unification, power dispatching, disaster relief and mitigation, public security and other fields.

The following are some facts which briefly describe how BeiDou has been used in China and around the world.

TRANSPORTATION

As of the end of 2019, more than 6.5 million freight vehicles, 30,000 postal and express vehicles, 80,000 buses in 36 cities, 3,200 inland river navigation facilities and 2,900 maritime navigation facilities in China had used the BDS system.

The Civil Aviation Administration of China has released a three-phase roadmap for the application of BDS, setting specific targets for 2021, 2025 and 2035 to gradually see full coverage of BDS to enhance the safety and efficiency of the industry.

WARNING AND RESCUE

Chinas earthquake and geo-information authorities have used BDS and gravitation satellites for quake relief and disaster reduction.

The short message communication capability of the BDS-3 system has been improved 10 times. Users of the system can send a message of 1,200 Chinese characters at a time, as well as pictures, a useful function during emergencies.

As of 2019, over 70,000 fishing boats and law enforcement vessels had been equipped with the BDS system. The systems positioning and short message communication functions have helped rescue over 10,000 fishermen.

The system has covered many scenic spots in China to aid rescue missions and routine management, enabling rescuers to pinpoint and reach lost tourists.

AGRICULTURE

BDS has made agricultural production smarter and more precise.

As of April 2019, the BDS system had served more than 50,000 pieces of agricultural machinery, saving 10 percent of fuel.

Nanjing Agricultural University has developed a BDS-supported unmanned wheat seeding and harvesting technology, empowering agricultural production with the help of advanced navigation services.

Self-driving tractors and unmanned farming vehicles based on the BDS system have been used to explore precision farming in northwestern Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, northeastern Heilongjiang Province, and at an automated farm in eastern Jiangsu Province.

EVERYDAY LIFE

Navigation services based on the BDS are also changing peoples lifestyle, by finding application in e-commerce, manufacturing of mobile intelligent terminals and positioning services.

Many Chinese e-commerce enterprises have adopted the BDS vehicle terminals for real-time dispatching of vehicles, people and cargo information.

In the field of smartphone applications, mainstream chip manufacturers at home and abroad have all developed chips that are compatible with BDS. More than 70 percent of mobile phones applying for internet access support the positioning service provided by BDS.

Smart wearable devices such as watches and bracelets that support the BDS system, as well as products for special groups, have been widely used.

FIGHT AGAINST COVID-19

BDS has helped the country fight COVID-19 with high precision from space.

When China was building the two makeshift hospitals–Huoshenshan and Leishenshan in Wuhan, once the epicenter of the disease, equipment based on BDS provided high-precision positioning services and hastened the construction.

Drones based on the BDS have been used to spray disinfectant.

Chinas Ministry of Transport sent epidemic prevention and transportation service information to more than 6 million vehicles via BDS terminals.

INTERNATIONAL APPLICATIONS

Following the principle of developed by China, dedicated to the world, BDS is also used by more than half of the countries on the globe.

The satellite system started providing services for users in the Asia-Pacific region in December 2012, after the deployment of the BDS-2 system was completed.

In February 2018, the quick positioning platform of BDS was serving more than 200 countries and regions around the globe.

In December 2018, BDS started providing global services.

By the end of 2019, China had exported its BDS-based products to more than 120 countries and regions. The BDS has entered a new era of global service, benefiting precision farming, digital development and smart port construction in ASEAN, South Asia, Eastern Europe, West Asia and Africa.

Posted on

Online English education in China brings new hope

By LiZhenyu (Peoples Daily Online)18:00, June 24, 2020

In a time of crisis, China hails new opportunities.

Chinas online English education business is booming, as per two recent reports released by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Huang Pingfang, a resident in Yuping Dong Autonomous County, Guizhou Province, guides her son to learn English on the Internet at home. (Photo/Peoples Daily)

Online English education in China has become increasingly popular, especially during the period of prevention and control of COVID-19.

The growing penetration of the internet and rapid development of technologies have reshaped the English education landscape in China. Chinas English learners have been moving online in recent years, said Zou Yimin, a former staff member at Chinas Ministry of Foreign Affairs and founding editor of Chinas English newspaper China Daily, who has engaged in English language education after retirement.

A favorable option

Comparing with the traditional offline education model, the online model has many advantages.

It is more flexible and convenient for both teachers and learners, with the ability to select their own schedule without restrictions on time and space, while enjoying the process from the comfort of home.

The online environment is richer in resources thanks to modern technologies, turning the world into a global classroom.

It also reduces the learning cost and could better cater to the learners personalized needs, with one-on-one teaching being the mainstream.

With the fast development of mobile internet and digital learning technologies, the online education model has become a favorable option for many English teachers and learners in China.

Education in the internet age can make everyone equal. I believe it will bring a revolution to education, said Zhu Qingshi, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and former principal of the University of Science and Technology of China.

New hope amid crisis

Fletcher was an online English tutor from America, who taught Chinese pupils ranging mostly from 5 to 11 years old. She taught daily conversation expressions, basic grammar and English songs, utilizing her speedy internet connection, web camera, headphones and state-of-the-art laptop.

She was among tens of thousands of native-speaking English teachers who work remotely from home, connecting to a huge Chinese student base facilitated by modern technologies.

Online English tutoring has been among the most typical jobs in the United States that people can perform remotely, and the China-based online English education companies are always hiring native-speaking English teachers, according to FlexJobs, an American job search site.

This trend has created a growing number of job opportunities for people in the English-speaking community. While many people in the Western world lost their jobs due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Chinas vast online English education market may bring new hopes for these people.

A booming market

The online education industry in China has developed quickly in recent years, and is becoming a new bright spot for the Chinese economy.

By and large, China has become a worldwide leader in online education and has the biggest market in the world, according to a Peoples Daily Overseas Edition article on December 2, 2019.

The number of online course users is expected to reach approximately 260 million by 2022, an increase of nearly 95% from 2018, according to statistics from the iResearch Consulting Group, a China-based market research and consulting company, in December 2019.

The market size of Chinas online education is expected to surpass $104 billion by 2025, as per a research report by the UBS Securities in 2019.

As a sub-sector of the online education industry, the online English education industry in China has also seen an explosive growth over the few past years.

According to Quincy Smith, founder of the online teaching job board ESL Authority, nations such as Russia, Japan and South Korea also have a big market for online English tutoring, but China remains the biggest market.

Children are one of the biggest sub-markets for English language education, with many of the chain brands designed to specifically cater to Chinese children.

When it comes to learning a foreign language, the younger you are the easier it is to learn to speak the language like a native, said Shi Minghui, a former staff member at the Consulate-General of the Peoples Republic of China in Toronto and a researcher on language learning. Thats why children are a major marketing objective for the English-language education corporations.

The quality of teachers and cost of the program are two major determinants that influence Chinese parents decisions in picking the right learning platform for their children.

The Chinese parents, who were interviewed by a study group of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, spend an average of 6,947 yuan (roughly $960 USD) on their childrens online English courses on a yearly basis, and approximately 36% of the parents spend 5,001 to 10,000 yuan (between $700-$1,400) a year on their childrens online English education, said the recently released report by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

The report predicted that more and more offline English education institutions in China will move online, and the online English learning effect will continue to be improved as modern technology progresses.

A large number of quality native-speaking English teachers are needed in China, which means new opportunities for the world, said Zou.

Posted on

Pompeos remarks not befitting of a Christian

(China Daily)11:08, June 25, 2020

LUO JIE/CHINA DAILY

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo often proclaims to be a devout evangelical Christian. On the surface, he seems to be one.

Pompeo is a Capitol Hill patron and member of the White House Bible study group, studying the Bible with a pastor every week. During his recent visit to Egypt, he publicly said that he keeps the Bible on his desk to remind him of God, Gods words and the truth.

As a Christian who has God in his heart, follows the path of God, and pursues the Gospel, Pompeo should be a devout student of the teachings of Jesus Christ. And the most basic tenet of the Bible is honesty, integrity and moral purity, putting away lying, speak the truth to all, and to not bear false witness against anyone.

Yet since the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak, some US politicians, due to their self-interests in the presidential election scheduled for November, have sacrificed peoples lives and health by repeatedly making the wrong decisions, which has worsened the pandemic situation in the United States.

Instead of reflecting on their failure to contain the pandemic, Pompeo, among other US politicians, has tried to create a web of lies, saying China covered up the facts of the outbreak to cheat the world, in an attempt to shift the blame for the pandemic on China.

Would a Christian who really believes in love spread such falsehood?

As a former director of the Central Intelligence Agency, Pompeo has confessed that the CIA lies, cheats, steals, and has a class to teach these. Now, as US secretary of state, Pompeo, more than ever, is using the same tricks to fool the American public and people in the rest of the world. Which are not in conformity to the beliefs of a Christian.

China has made painstaking efforts to prevent and control the spread of novel coronavirus. But the US administration and politicians have politicized the pandemic right from the beginning, by first claiming media reports on the impact of the virus on the US were politically motivated, fake news and/or overreaction. And after the epidemic situation in the US spiraled out of control, they tried to shift the blame on China to divert domestic public attention and cover up their failure to contain the virus. But the fact is, the US administrations efforts to downplay the severity of the pandemic led to the devastating situation that we see in the US today.

The virus has infected more than 2.24 million people and killed over 119,000 people in the US. What Pompeo and other US politicians have said and done in recent months锛峚s Christians锛峚re not intended to save the lives and ensure the well-being of their brothers and sisters and ordinary American people, but to return to power so they can safeguard their personal and political interests.

To achieve their goals, they have used a series of lies and slanders to pass the buck to China, in order to mislead public opinions. Pompeos words and deeds definitely are not those of a Christian; instead, he has sacrificed his faith and integrity, if he had any, to achieve his political goals.

His self-proclaimed devotion to the Christian faith and dedication to political pragmatism have limited his ability to bear witness to Christ and the Kingdom of Heaven. He cannot serve God and Mammon both. And if Pompeo keeps lowering his moral standards, he would be causing further harm to his faith. Pompeos remarks and actions are certainly not befitting of a Christian.

The Bible tells people to do justice and show mercy to manifest Gods glory and promote amity.

But by blaming China for the pandemic, claiming Wuhan to be the source of the virus and calling the novel coronavirus a Chinese virus, Pompeo has contributed to the increase in racial discrimination and violent crimes against Asian Americans, Chinese Americans in particular, in the US. One wonders whether Pompeo, who has spread rumors and created panic, has read Jesus Sermon on the Mount: Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

As far as the coronavirus outbreak is concerned, there are still many unknowns, including realistic and potential threats and fears.

As such, governments and peoples of all countries need to help each other in such difficult and uncertain times. The fight against HIV/AIDS and the Ebola epidemic has taught us that rumors, stigmatization, discrimination, exclusion and shirking of responsibilities are not the will of God, instead they are damaging to human dignity, which will only contribute to the spread of the novel coronavirus.

In such a situation, Christians should preach the truth锛峛ased on facts锛峟ight against discrimination, and spread hope and love, so as to bring some comfort to the lives of ordinary people across the world.

In its fight against the coronavirus outbreak, China has given top priority to peoples lives and health, directed resources in the service of the people, made extraordinary efforts and sacrifices, and achieved positive results.

Even the World Federation of Christian Churches, World Union of Evangelicals, the Archbishop of Canterbury, and churches and Christians in many countries have offered prayers for and support to China in its fight against the virus. This is the kind of love and care, responsibility and action a Christian should exhibit.

But what we have heard from Pompeo are lies, because he is so caught up in his own and the US administrations subterfuges and conspiracies that he has come to reject the truth, the backbone of the Christian faith.

Pompeo is just like any other politician who pretends to be a true Christian but in actuality has no interest in religion except to manipulate and exploit it to fulfill his own goals.

The author is a Beijing-based commentator.

Posted on

News Analysis U.S. formal exit from INF Treaty adds uncertainty to global security

(Xinhua)14:58, August 03, 2019

WASHINGTON, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) — The United States on Friday formally withdrew from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty with Russia, a move experts say will throw international security into more uncertainty.

William Perry, former U.S. defense secretary, tweeted that the U.S. withdrawal from the INF Treaty today deals a great blow to nuclear arms control and global security, we are sleepwalking into a new arms race.

Washington unilaterally started the withdrawal process in early February, citing Russias violation of the deal, inked in 1987 between the United States and the Soviet Union on the elimination of intermediate-range and shorter-range missiles.

Moscow, which has repeatedly denied Washingtons accusation, also suspended its participation in the INF Treaty, the first-ever pact reached by the two sides on nuclear disarmament and a major step forward in restricting arms race.

The current course will lead to a less stable and secure world. The United States and Russia will be less able to predict future developments on the other side and thus will have to make expensive worst-case assumptions, noted Steven Pifer, a nonresident scholar with the Brookings Institution.

Blowing up the INF Treaty with no substitute arms control plan in place could open the door to a dangerous new era of unconstrained military competition with Russia, said Daryl Kimball, executive director of the Arms Control Association.

In fact, the worries are not over-reacting. Hours after the collapse of the historic arms control pact, Pentagon announced that the United States will fully develop ground-launched conventional missiles.

INF-class missiles, whether nuclear-armed or conventionally-armed, are destabilizing because they can strike targets deep inside Russia and in Western Europe with little or no warning. Their short time-to-target capability increases the risk of miscalculation in a crisis, Kimball warned.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also lamented that with the demise of the INF Treaty, the world lost an invaluable brake on nuclear war.

Whats more, Washingtons decision to leave the INF Treaty also prompted concerns about the fate of the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START), which will expire in 2021.

The U.S. government thus far has shown no sign to extend the New START, which puts limits on the number of U.S. and Russian long-range nuclear warheads and launchers.

Such a treaty is extremely important from a political point of view because it is effectively the only instrument today that allows the two sides to inspect one another and creates a certain level of trust-trust that no one is insidiously developing additional nuclear material in some basement, that the data that the two sides exchange correspond to reality, Viktor Murakhovsky, a retired Russian colonel, told National Interest recently.

Allowing New START to lapse with nothing to replace it risks creating a destabilizing vacuum in nuclear arms control, noted Iain King, a visiting fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington-based think tank.

Extending the New START until 2026 is the choice that will best serve long-term goals, as the extension can be used to improve the nuclear arms reduction regime, strengthen nuclear control and verification systems, King added in a recently published article.

Experts worry that the annulment of the nuclear control pacts will eventually lead to a more complex and dangerous relationship between Washington and Moscow in the future.

Perhaps then they will recall the lessons of the 1960s and 1980s that arms control, however imperfect, can offer a useful tool for managing great power competition, Pifer said.

Posted on

U.S. imposes second round of sanctions on Russia over Salisbury poisoning

(Xinhua)16:00, August 03, 2019

WASHINGTON, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) — The U.S. State Department late Friday slapped a second round of sanctions on Russia over the poisoning of a former Russian spy in Southern England in March 2018.

With the second round of sanctions in place, the United States would oppose the extension of loans to Russia by international financial institutions, ban U.S. banks from participating in the primary market for non-ruble denominated Russian sovereign debt and lending non-ruble denominated funds to the Russian government, and impose additional export licensing restrictions on the Department of Commerce-controlled goods and technology.

Britain has charged two Russians in absentia with the attempted murder of Sergei Skripal, a former Russian spy who became a double agent for Britain, with a military-grade nerve agent in Salisbury, England in March 2018.

Russia has denied any involvement in the poisoning incident.

The United States slapped the first round of sanctions on Russia over the matter in August 2018, which terminated U.S. foreign assistance, arms sales and financing to Russia.

The Salisbury poisoning triggered a diplomatic war between Russia and the West, resulting in mutual expulsions of diplomats.

Posted on

Outsiders should not try to interfere in South China Sea issue Cambodian official, experts

(Xinhua)09:37, July 31, 2019

PHNOM PENH, July 30 — Cambodian government spokesman and experts have said that outsiders should not try to interfere in the South China Sea issue, saying that their interference is harmful, not helpful.

Government spokesman Phay Siphan said on Monday that the current situation of the South China Sea is stable, but envisages that there can be tensions if there is continued interference from the outsiders.

The outsiders should not continue to stir up troubles in the South China Sea under the pretext of freedom of navigation, he told Xinhua. Any interference from the third party or outsiders not only affects joint efforts made by China and ASEAN countries, but also sparks confrontations in the South China Sea.

The spokesman said Cambodia wants all parties directly concerned to exercise their utmost restraint and continue to resolve their disputes by peaceful negotiations.

So far, China and ASEAN have made steady progress in negotiating the Code of Conduct (COC), and we encourage all parties concerned to continue their peaceful negotiations for the sake of peace, stability and development in the region, Siphan said.

Joseph Matthews, senior professor at the BELTEI International University in Phnom Penh, said currently, the situation in South China Sea is more stable and peaceful comparing to the situation a few years ago.

The third partys interference in the dispute has never been helpful, said Matthews, adding it was more harmful than any good, so the country or countries outside the disputed realm should stay out of the conflict and dont try to be a part of something that even not concern to you directly or indirectly.

Matthews said so far, the negotiation on the COC in the South China Sea is going quite well and they need to maintain the momentum and conductive environment for negotiation.

The swift conclusion of a meaningful COC will contribute to trust building, peace and stability in the region, he said.

Chheang Vannarith, president of the Asian Vision Institute, said practical cooperation and the negotiation of COC need to be accelerated in order to reduce misunderstanding and tensions, and build strategic trust, especially between the claimant states.

Kin Phea, director-general of the International Relations Institute Cambodia of the Royal Academy of Cambodia, said on Tuesday that the South China Sea dispute has been seen bigger than the dispute itself in nature due to interference from the outsiders and the distortion of Western media.

The outside interference not only damages the joint effort to realize the COC, but also brings about friction between ASEAN member states and China, and among ASEAN member states, and destroys enormous benefits gained from ASEAN-China relations, he told Xinhua.

The South China Sea issue should not be focused by other uninvolved countries since there are so many issues that is much more important than the South China Sea issue to the ASEAN people, ASEAN countries and also to China, he said. Outside countries should stay away from the issue and should not make irresponsible remarks over the issue.

Phea said China, Cambodia and ASEAN have been committed to maintaining peace, security and stability in the South China Sea and to sustaining the enormous interest for the whole region generated from good cooperative relations and mutually beneficial strategic partnership between ASEAN and China.

Its imperative that the parties directly involved to continue to settle the dispute by peaceful means, he said.

He added that the concerned states should continue using the ASEAN-China mechanism for the full implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties (DOC) in the South China Sea and ASEAN and China should further work together to realize the COC.

Political trust, mutual learning, mutual respect, and mutual interests are basic foundations of realizing the prospective COC, he said. The generally friendly and increasingly close relations between China and ASEAN and between China and ASEAN individual member states should not be clouded by South China Sea issue.

Posted on

Heat wave threatens existence of Norways glaciers report

(Xinhua)10:25, July 31, 2019

OSLO, July 30 — Record high temperature that happened in Norway over the past few days led to big melting of glaciers and some of them might disappear in several years, public broadcaster NRK reported Tuesday.

We have had temperatures of over 30 degrees, and it is clear that this leads to great melting both of the snow that is left and of the glaciers, said Atle Nesje, professor of geology at the University of Bergen.

According to him, the melting caused flooding of glacier rivers.

Liss Marie Andreassen, glacier researcher in the Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate, said that there is certainly a reason to be worried about the future of the glaciers, many of which may disappear over the next 20-50 years.

The glaciers are climate indicators, and very sensitive to climate change. This may be an eye-opener showing how severe the climate change is, she said.

According to Nesje, some smaller glaciers can disappear completely in a few years.

The larger glaciers will last for many years yet, but we see the glacier arms moving upwards and becoming shorter. As the glaciers become smaller, there will also be less meltwater, something that can have consequences for watering and farming, Nesje said.

A part of the water reservoir can also be in danger of disappearing altogether, in addition to the fact that some hydropower plants rely on the glacier water, he said.

Climate forecasts indicate that winter precipitation will increase by 15 percent towards the end of this century, while summer temperatures will increase by 2-3 degrees Celsius, the report said.

Certain forecasts predict that melting will only increase in the coming years. By the end of this century, many of the small and medium-sized glaciers may disappear altogether, Nesje said.

Posted on

Kenya nabs 180,000 USD worth of ivory in coastal region

(Xinhua)10:36, July 31, 2019

MOMBASA, Kenya, July 30 — Kenya on Tuesday nabbed 35 pieces of ivory tusks worth 18 million Kenyan shillings (180,000 U.S. dollars) at a village in Kenyas coastal region.

The anti-poaching police who had received a tip-off from members of the public set a trap and disguised as buyers before arresting two suspects who had concealed the ivory in sacks and buried them underground.

Today at about 5 am in the morning, we did joint operation involving KWS (Kenya Wildlife Service) and National Police Service from Rabai and managed to recover the consignment, Rabai Sub-County police commander David Maina told Xinhua.

Police used sniffer dogs to recover the haul, about 20 km from where police nabbed 11 pieces of ivory weighing 55 kg in December 2018.

John Chisiwa Ngoma and Mwauchi Mgaza were arrested as they tried to sell the ivory to the officers as two other suspects escaped the dragnet. The two will be arraigned in court on Wednesday.

Upon interrogation they told us that they had just bumped on the consignment and they were trying to find out what it was. But that is a lie, Maina added.

He said that the dealers were targeting local buyers who would organize for brokers who sell the ivory to international markets.

Police believe the ivory might have been poached from Tsavo National Park, which hosts the largest population of elephants in Kenya.