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“@China” global short video contest now accepting submissions

(Peoples Daily)08:19, July 03, 2019

The @China global short video contest, sponsored by the Peoples Daily, is underway. The contest is accepting work from short video creators, enthusiasts, and vloggers worldwide from June 18 to August 15. Candidates can enter by logging on to the contests official website (hellochina.pdnews.cn) and submit a 3-minute or less video.

The contest will run from June to September and is divided into multiple stages including submission gathering, judge evaluation, public viewing, and outstanding work recognition. Prizes for first, second, third place and awards for Most Creative, Best Photography Best Editing, Best Animation Design, Best Visual Effect, Most Popular, and Outstanding Organization, with a top cash bonus upwards of 100,000 yuan.

Photo: Peoples Daily

New form, multiple perspectives, encouraging netizens to create

In recent years, the short video has become the fastest growing global internet phenomenon. More people are using short videos to record the changes around them, feelings of walking, and the modern landscape of the country and the world.

To allow more of the world to get to know about China, Peoples Daily, in conjunction with the hottest internet communication form, is sponsoring the @China global short video contest.

The competition is aimed at encouraging netizens both home and abroad to create a short video, capturing the changes of the times through a camera lens, record the beauty of China.

The theme is @China, and the organizing committee has chosen the topics Speed·China, Openness·China, Travel·China, Life·China, Impression·China, and Striving·China, where participants are encouraged to create and expand upon them to produce beautiful stories about @China.

Contestants are free to choose their creative paths while demonstrating their understanding of a chosen theme. Genre is not limited and all video submissions must be less than 3 minutes. Aspect ratios can be horizontal or vertical, and submissions that follow the format conditions will be eligible for the competition.

National selection, deep incentives, the best work will stand out globally

The contest is organized in different stages, including video submission gathering, selection of all participants, and screening outstanding work. The submission stage is underway and will run until August 15. Domestic and foreign participants can submit their work on the contests official website, along with all cooperating agencies and co-organizers.

Once the selection stage is complete, the top videos will be selected to participate in the online voting round. Netizens will be able to log in to the Chinese and English versions of the Peoples Daily App and vote for their favorite videos.

Outside of public voting, to ensure the integrity of the contest, the organizing committee will have a group of judges composed of media professionals, industry experts, professional video production agencies, and well-known directors. The group will judge each video based on content, theme, and communication.

For the final stage, after the online votes have been tabulated and the expert reviews are completed, the award-winning videos will be selected. The winning short videos will be distributed and aired on multiple domestic and foreign media platforms, displayed at major landmarks and at distinguished universities, and shown on cinema screens. The award ceremony will be held in Beijing in late September.

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Chinese traditional arts and crafts exhibition opens in Valletta

(Xinhua)10:11, July 03, 2019

VALLETTA, July 2 (Xinhua) — An exhibition showcasing Chinese traditional arts and crafts opened here on Tuesday.

During the month-long exhibition titled Craftsmanship-Chinese Traditional Arts and Crafts Exhibition, four Chinese arts masters are invited to exhibit their works at the Chinese Cultural Center in Malta.

The artists and craftsmen displayed artworks with a long history in China, namely filigree inlay, carved lacquer, ceramics and purple clayware.

Yang Xiaolong, the director of the Chinese Cultural Center, said the exhibition will serve to explore traditional craftsmanship, and share the craftsmanship spirit of contemporary arts and crafts.

Melanie Ciantar Harrington, a representative from the Intangible Cultural Heritage Office within the Culture Directorate, Ministry for Culture in Malta, explained that Malta ratified the 2003 UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage in March 2017.

We want to follow your journey of safeguarding the Intangible Cultural Heritage, Ciantar said, adding that China can serve as a model example to Malta in this regard.

Twenty-eight art crafts works were displayed at this exhibition, attracting some artists and visitors. Meanwhile, Master Miao Lin demonstrated the art of filigree and answered questions about this traditional art.

The exhibition which is organised by the Chinese Cultural Center and the Network of International Culturalink Entities, is scheduled to run until July 31.

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Researchers use kirigami to spin terahertz rays

(Xinhua)10:44, July 03, 2019

CHICAGO, July 2 (Xinhua) — With a light-spinning device inspired by the Japanese art of paper cutting, researchers at the University of Michigan (UM) have detected microscopic twists in the internal structure of plant and animal tissue without harmful X-rays.

The approach is the first that can fully rotate terahertz radiation in real time, and could open new dimensions in medical imaging, encrypted communications and cosmology, according to a news release posted on UMs website on Monday.

With an eye to exploring how chirality may help distinguish tissues, the researchers gathered everyday biological materials to look for differences in the absorption of clockwise- or counter-clockwise-rotating radiation in the terahertz spectrum. They studied a maple leaf, a dandelion flower, pork fat and the wing case of an iridescent beetle,

While the leaf and fat showed no difference in absorption of clockwise or counter-clockwise radiation, the flower and wing case preferentially absorbed the one over the other, revealing microscopic twists in their structures.

The new device is deceptively simple, essentially a plastic ribbon, printed with a gold herringbone pattern and sliced with staggered rows of tiny cuts. The incisions are influenced by the Japanese art of kirigami, which uses arrangements of cuts to create 3D structures from paper.

When the ribbon is stretched, the cuts open up and the slices of ribbon twist. The gold lines then guide the radiation, twisting it in turn.

The researchers propose the same design could be scaled for other types of radiation as well, with larger patterns interacting with microwaves or radio waves, or shrinking the pattern down to manipulate infrared light.

As spinning terahertz light wasnt widely studied, one of the challenges for the researchers was figuring out how to see whether the kirigami device worked at all.

In addition to imaging living tissues, terahertz circular dichroism spectroscopy could also aid the development of new medicines based on large biological molecules such as proteins and antibodies.

Our bodies have a lot of twisted structures that are close enough to the surface for terahertz photons to penetrate: vessels, ligaments, muscle fibers, molecules and even some helical bacteria, said Nicholas Kotov, a professor of engineering.

Terahertz radiation is the band of electromagnetic waves that runs from infrared radiation down to the range of the millimeter scanners that peer through your clothing at airports. It can travel about a quarter of an inch into the body, but unlike X-rays, its non-ionizing, which means it doesnt free up potentially damaging electrical charges in the body.

The study has been published in the latest issue of the Nature Materials.

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Robust financial market rests on healthy China-U.S. trade ties

(Xinhua)09:00, July 03, 2019

NEW YORK, July 2 (Xinhua) — Global financial markets cheered on the first trading day after Beijing and Washington agreed to bring their trade talks back on track on the sidelines of the Group of 20 (G20) summit in the Japanese city of Osaka.

Major risk assets including U.S., European and Asian stock markets, as well as crude oil, soared following the good news.

The broad rally across risk assets on Monday showed a high degree of public jubilation over the outcome of the high-stakes and highly-anticipated meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and his U.S. counterpart, Donald Trump. Any move in China-U.S. relations is always reflected in the global market indices.

Taking the U.S. equities market as an example, ever since the United States unilaterally stirred up economic and trade frictions with China in March last year, the stock market boomed whenever the two countries made progress in negotiations, and plunged when negotiations faltered.

Following the U.S. governments sudden announcement to impose additional tariffs on 200 billion U.S. dollars worth of Chinese imports in May, all three of the major U.S. stock indices fell more than 6.5 percent.

Bilateral trade between China and the United States exceeded 630 billion dollars in 2018, and extensive cooperation between businesses of the two countries is seen in almost every industry. Any policy that is detrimental to one side will inevitably harm the interest of the other.

It was U.S. technology companies that bore the brunt of U.S. sanctions against Chinese telecommunications company Huawei. Micron Technology and ON Semiconductor, two major chipmakers, both plunged more than 20 percent from their monthly highs in May after the news broke.

U.S. manufacturers and retailers have already lowered their earnings forecasts for the year, warning investors of the negative impact the trade tensions could bring about and calling on the U.S. government to reconsider its trade policies.

In stark contrast, the news on June 25 that some chipmakers resumed supply to Huawei pushed up their shares, including Micron Technologies, which rose more than 13 percent the next day. On Monday, the SP 500s technology sector gained 1.45 percent, leading the market.

For more than a year, the roller-coaster ride in U.S. stocks can be taken as a silent protest by market participants against the U.S. governments disruption of the international economic and trade order.

In mid June, more than 600 U.S. companies, including many publicly-traded ones, sent a letter to the White House asking the U.S. government to stop imposing tariffs and return to the negotiating table. The reason behind such a move is self-evident: China is an indispensable market for many American companies. They cannot afford to lose it.

In addition, the impact of U.S.-China trade frictions is not limited to the two countries. It has already spread to the global market.

Oil prices fell in recent months as investors worried about weak demand due to mounting risks to the global economy. Analysts have attributed the slowdown in global economic growth to trade tensions, largely caused by unilateralism, protectionism and trade bullying.

Economists generally expect the global economy to lose 1 to 2 percentage points in the coming years if China and the United States fail to reach a trade agreement.

The trade issue between China and the United States can not be resolved overnight, given its high level of complexity. Washington needs to work with China to strike a balanced deal in order to better benefit the peoples of the two countries and the world at large.

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Positive China-U.S. trade, economic relations good news to global economic stability expert

(Xinhua)09:03, July 03, 2019

ADDIS ABABA, July 2 (Xinhua) — Positive trade and economic relations between China and the United States would have an affirmative advantage to global economic stability, an Ethiopian scholar said on Tuesday.

Constructive trade and economic relations between the U.S. and China, as the two largest global economies, will have certainly an affirmative advantage to the global economy, Costantinos Bt. Costantinos, who served as an economic advisor to the African Union (AU) and the UN Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), told Xinhua on Tuesday.

The latest positive developments between China and the U.S. to restart economic and trade consultations is good news to the global trade in general, and investors who were concerned by recent tariff standoff, he said.

China and the United States agreed on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Osaka, Japan, to restart economic and trade consultations on the basis of equality and mutual respect, after trade frictions since last year.

Costantinos, also professor of public policy at the Addis Ababa University in Ethiopia, also emphasized the vital imperative to sustain the multilateralism platform as a positive impetus to global economic stability.

The scholar also stressed the need to rule out actions and policies that bear the notion of protectionism, saying it will restrain international trade in favor of protecting local businesses and jobs from foreign competition.

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Apple to shift Mac Pro production to China from US report

(Chinadaily.com.cn)10:45, July 03, 2019

(Photo/Xinhua)

Apple will manufacture its new Mac Pro computer in China, shifting the production of its only major device assembled in the US to China, according to The Wall Street Journal on Friday.

The tech giant is working with contractor Quanta Computer to assemble the Mac Pro and aims to increase production at a factory near Shanghai, which can help reduce shipping costs with Apples other suppliers in China, the report said.

An Apple spokesman said, the new Mac Pro is designed and engineered in California and includes components from several countries including the United States, and final assembly is only one part of the manufacturing process, Reuters reported.

By the end of March, Apple earned about 18 percent of its total revenue from Greater China, and China is both a key market and a major production center for Apple.

The previous Mac Pro model, released in 2013, was assembled in the US.

But when Apple began to make the computer in its plant in Austin, Texas, it struggled to find enough screws, according to a previous New York Times report, and the company had to order screws from China for mass production.

Relative to the US, manufacturing in China remains a lower-cost alternative and benefits from an existing infrastructure, versus having to, potentially, rebuild one in the US, Tom Forte, an analyst at DA Davidson, was quoted as saying by Reuters.

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Xi-Trump consensus on trade first step to continued progress — senior business professional

(Xinhua)11:15, July 03, 2019

NEW YORK, July 2 (Xinhua) — As China and the United States have pulled back from further escalations over trade, the consensus reached between the two heads of state constituted a first step hopefully on the road to continued progress, a senior business professional has said.

The pullback is a welcome first step in efforts to reach an agreement, which if steadily built upon by taking positive future steps forward could result in sizeable benefits to both economies and build bonds for the future, said Carla A. Hills, chairman and CEO of Hills Company, a Washington-based advisory firm on trade and investment.

On the sidelines of the G20 summit in the Japanese city of Osaka on Saturday, Chinese President Xi Jinping and his U.S. counterpart, Donald Trump, agreed that the two sides will restart economic and trade consultations, and the United States will not add new tariffs on Chinese imports.

This development has brought hope, especially to the business communities, which was the most important outcome of this first step seeking a solution to differences between the two sides, Hills told Xinhua on Monday.

The progress to date has fueled hope by our business leaders, workers, and farmers that progress will continue, and the two governments will reach a positive outcome, said the female entrepreneur, who served as U.S. Trade Representative from 1989 to 1993.

Business leaders in both economies are hopeful of reaching a solution to the conflict that has resulted in tariffs, which have created not only disruption but considerable uncertainty, Hills noted.

Yet she pointed out that business leaders would still remain cautious and maintain a wait-and-see outlook until they see further steps forward.

As the two countries have agreed that their economic and trade negotiating teams will discuss specific issues, Hills suggested that they meet immediately and regularly to address the remaining issues.

She also hoped that China would continue to move forward to promote openness, which would have a positive impact on the countrys relationships with all its global trading partners.

Our aim should be to resolve the current issues and restore a strong and durable economic foundation for a strong U.S.-China relations for the years ahead, Hills stressed.

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Rural industries accelerate revitalization of countryside

(Peoples Daily Online)13:24, July 03, 2019

(Photo/Chinanews.com)

Chinas rural industries have maintained strong momentum since 2012, Yu Xinrong, vice-minister of agriculture and rural affairs, said at a news conference at the State Council Information Office on July 1.

Chinas grain production capacity has remained above 600 billion kilograms since 2012. The business income for the agricultural products processing industry and tourism industry has reached 14.9 trillion yuan and 800 billion yuan, respectively.

In addition, a total of nearly 7.8 million people chose to start businesses in rural areas.

However, problems still exist in rural industries, such as the lack of industry categories, weak industrial chain, and low quality and efficiency, Yu pointed out.

He said the ministry would work closely with relevant departments in the future and promote the implementation of various policies to support the development of rural industries.

In the future, efforts should be made to keep secondary and tertiary industries dependent on agricultural resources in rural areas and leave more jobs and profits in the hands of farmers, according to a guideline on promoting the development of rural industries recently released by the State Council.

Rural revitalization is expected to make huge progress in the next five to 10 years, with the added value of various industries accounting for a significantly larger proportion of the GDP of rural areas, said the guideline.

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Speculation rife about DF-17 after video shows hypersonic vehicle

(Global Times)16:12, June 24, 2019

An animated video released by the China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation shows a boost-glide vehicle reentering the atmosphere. Photo: Screenshot from Passion News

Chinas missile manufacturing giant showcased hypersonic boost-glide vehicles in a recent animated video, and media reports speculate that the weapon might be the DF-17 of the Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) Rocket Force.

Such weapons, which Russia and the US are developing, are very difficult to intercept due to their hypersonic speed and high mobility, experts said Monday.

The animated video, released by the state-owned China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation (CASIC) on its social media platform Douyin account, shows the launch of multiple boost-glide vehicles, which reenter the atmosphere and hit an underground command center.

This is the first time the company has shown a simulated animation on a boost-glide vehicle, Passion News, a media outlet under k618.cn, a news portal run by the Communist Youth League of China Central Committee, reported on Sunday.

A boost-glide vehicle, which is essentially a warhead, is stored in the nose of a missile, and will be released once the rocket booster sends it fast and high enough. It will then fly over the upper edge of the atmosphere, changing directions frequently, which makes it very difficult to intercept by anti-missile systems, Wei Dongxu, a Beijing-based military analyst, told the Global Times on Monday.

Such a glide vehicle flies at hypersonic speeds, so the enemy has little time to react, Wei noted.

Russias Avangard and the US AGM-183A missiles also use similar technologies.

Citing analysts, Passion News said the weapon in the CASIC video could be the DF-17 of the Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) Rocket Force, as reports said the DF-17 missile uses a hypersonic boost-glide vehicle as its warhead.

The Chinese military has not yet announced any hypersonic glide vehicle deployment.

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New radar system immune to radar killer missiles

(Global Times)14:43, June 11, 2019

Chinas maritime early warning radar system is immune to radar killer missiles and is capable of detecting stealth aircraft, according to its developer in a recent interview with media.

The maritime radar system, developed by a team led by Chinese academician Liu Yongtan, can detect naval and aerial hostiles hundreds of kilometers away under any weather condition.

It features high frequency electromagnetic waves that have long wavelengths and wide beams, Liu said in an interview with the Naval and Merchant Ships magazine published this month.

While electromagnetic waves emitted by a normal radar travel in straight lines and, since the Earth is round, cannot help see what is beyond the horizon, the high frequency ones used by Lius radar travel along the sea surface, and he said this makes it possible to detect and monitor vessels and aircraft beyond visual range.

The long wavelengths used by the system mean it could also detect stealth aircraft, Liu said. This is because current stealth aircraft are mainly designed to hide from microwaves and not waves of longer wavelengths, experts said.

The radar can also avoid attacks from anti-radiation missiles, thanks to the waves wide beams, because such missiles cannot carry antenna large enough (to track them), Liu said.

Wei Dongxu, a Beijing-based military analyst, told the Global Times on Monday that stealth aircraft and anti-radiation missiles are two killers of radars.

Normal radars cannot detect stealth aircraft, and they would have to destroy radars first to let non-stealth aircraft in safely. An anti-radiation missile tracks an electromagnetic wave source, so it is the natural enemy of radars, Wei explained.

Lius radar has a much higher chance of survival in a potential attack and can provide an umbrella for a sneak attack from stealth aircraft, Wei said.

A land-based version of the system can detect naval and aerial hostiles hundreds of kilometers away, which helps expand Chinas maritime early warning and defense depth, Liu said. Variants of the system can also be equipped on ships, providing them with early warning capabilities in the high seas with a much farther detection range, he said.

In January, Liu received the 2018 State Preeminent Science and Technology Award 鈥?the nations highest scientific award with 8 million yuan ($1.17 million) prize 鈥?for his contributions to the development of the radar system.

Military experts said that Liu was awarded because he substantially enhanced the Chinas capability to resist external threats, as the radar system is dubbed a countrys first line of defense.