In 2023, a total of 15 giant pandas returned to China from overseas after expiry of loan agreements. Among these 15 pandas, four are currently residing at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding in Southwest China's Sichuan Province and are in good condition, the Global Times learned during a recent visit.
On February 22, giant panda Yong Ming arrived in Chengdu from Japan with his twin daughters, Ying Bang and Tao Bang. On July 26, giant panda cub Yuan Meng, who was born in France, arrived in Chengdu and also joined the base, a staff member surnamed Liu at the research base told the Global Times.
Among all the returning pandas, Yong Ming is the oldest at 31 years old, which is about 100 years old in human terms. He is also the second oldest captive male giant panda in the world.
After arriving at the base, the pandas undergo quarantine and a period of isolation, said Liu. Once their condition stabilizes, they will be moved to open enclosures to meet the public.
During the visit, the Global Times reporter saw these pandas eating bamboo and enjoying their time at the base. All of them appeared to be in good physical and mental health, which was confirmed by the base's staff.
At the base, each panda has an outdoor activity area ranging from 500 to 800 square meters in size, which ensures that they have ample space to move around, Liu said. They also each have an "indoor apartment."
Since the return of the panda cub Xiang Xiang in February, a total of 15 pandas have returned to China in 2023 from countries including the US, France, Japan, the Netherlands, Malaysia, and the UK. In 2024, several more pandas are expected to return to China after their loan agreements expire.
These pandas, who have lived abroad for a long time, have also become favorites among Chinese tourists after returning to China. The Global Times has learned that many make special trips to the breeding base to visit these national treasures.
On the same visit, representatives from Pakistani media and think tanks expressed admiration for China's panda conservation efforts and shared their expectations for cooperation between China and Pakistan in this field.
"In the past, pandas were a globally endangered species, but China has taken special measures to protect them. Here, all the pandas receive excellent care," said Faiyan Zia Bangash, a senior reporter from Pakistan's The News.
"I have always had a special love for pandas, but it wasn't until today when I saw them with my own eyes that I truly experienced their cuteness," said Fahd Gauhar Malik, editor of the Pakistan Observer.
"I really hope that in the future, China and Pakistan can also have relevant cooperation so that the people of Pakistan can see pandas in their own zoos," Malik said.
Deputies from Asia's 45 national and regional Paralympic committees are being brought up to speed with the policies and procedures for the Hangzhou Asian Para Games at the ongoing delegation meeting held in Hangzhou from Sunday to Thursday.
The five-day meeting, a milestone in preparation for the Asian Para Games, is dedicated to publicizing the policies of the games, including registration, competition sign-up and accommodation, and helping the delegations to gain first-hand experience at the competition venues, according to the Hangzhou Asian Para Games Organizing Committee.
The 4th Asian Para Games is scheduled to take place from October 22 to 28 in Hangzhou, East China's Zhejiang Province. About 4,000 athletes will participate in 22 sports across 24 disciplines. The motto of the Asian Para Games is "Hearts Meet, Dreams Shine."
Deputies of 32 national and regional Paralympic committees have joined the meeting in Hangzhou with deputies of the other 13 committees attending online.
The deputies will visit the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Center and Para Games Village to gain a better understanding of the venues and facilities. They will also tour the West Lake, a UNESCO World Heritage site in Hangzhou, to experience the culture of the dynamic city.
The Hangzhou Olympic Sports Center Stadium, one of three sports stadiums in China with a capacity of over 80,000 people, will host both the opening and closing ceremonies of the Hangzhou Asian Games and the Asian Para Games, as well as the athletics competitions.
Feedback from the deputies will help the organizing committee better meet the needs of the athletes, improve competition services and assist with logistics.
Hangzhou is committed to delivering a grand barrier-free sporting event, contributing to the athletic development of people with disabilities in Asia.
It is the second Chinese city to host the Asian Para Games after Guangzhou initiated the maiden Asian Para Games in 2010.
The 31st FISU World University Games, after offering exciting competitions and diverse cultural exposure, concluded on Tuesday in Southwest China's Chengdu with a splendid ceremony that wrapped up shining moments during the Games and delivered wishes for a happier and brighter future.
The Chengdu FISU Games were not only a gathering for sports, but also a gathering to enhance mutual understanding and make friends, and the friendship will pass on among youth from all over the world with their traits of openness, inclusiveness, solidarity and vitality, analysts said.
The appearance of delegations features the process of a dove tree's growing from root to giant plant with lush branches and leaves. The dove-like flowers, a symbol of peace, then start to bloom.
The dove tree is a species indigenous to China which survived the ice age and its flower resembles a flying dove with two snow-white bracts. The ceremony incorporates the elements of the dove tree and its flowers to stress the resilience of life and the hope for everlasting peace.
Chinese State Councilor Shen Yiqin and FISU acting president Leonz Eder attended the ceremony.
The ceremony stage was designed based on a "cell phone" and captured the concept of livestreaming. Through the camera of a "livestreamer," young people from all over the world were able to be part of the FISU Games.
The master display presented 3D visual effects with naked-eye 3D technology, offering novel, amazing, special and delicate spectating experience.
After lowering the FISU flag along the playing of the FISU anthem, the flag was handed over to Rhine-Ruhr, host city of next FISU Games in 2025.
The FISU Games ran from July 28 to August 8 and featured 269 events across 18 sports. The Chinese delegation participated in all 18 sports of the games and claimed 103 gold medals, 40 silvers and 35 bronzes in total, ranking on top of the medal tally.
Besides performance on the competition ground, China's performance in terms of hosting this international event is also well recognized.
"The preparations and setup of the venues are just unbelievable. Everything has been running smoothly and the competitions are going very well. We can only praise the organizing committee for the great work it's done," Eder said in an earlier exclusive interview with the Global Times.
Making friends
For the participants, from athletes and coaches to staff and volunteers, the past weeks have made Chengdu, known for its tasty cuisines, adorable pandas and a leisure lifestyle, an unforgettable place where they've shed sweat and tears, challenged themselves and make breakthroughs, and more importantly, make friends beyond borders, analysts said.
One touching moment which can elucidate the sportsmanship of the youth event happened on Friday. When Uganda's badminton player Amos Muyanja broke his racket without a replacement, his competitor from China Wang Zhengxing offered Muyanja a backup racket.
The FISU Games organizer wrote on Twitter that "we unite to push our limits and inspire each other… We wish all the participants not only to take home victories but also friendship and cherished memories!"
Azerbaijan badminton player Agil Gabilov told the Global Times on Tuesday that Chengdu has been a great experience for him. He made friends with athletes and volunteers and was impressed by the friendliness he received.
Brazilian swimmer Fernanda Gomes Celidonio said that volunteers at the Chengdu Games made her feel "at home."
Athletes including German volleyball player Yann Bohme got a birthday surprise as after a match, the cheering squad and mascot Rongbao wished him happy birthday and the audience sang in chorus the birthday melody for him.
Athletes also received special gifts, including 3D-printed figurine and local artifacts such as palm fiber weavings and embroidery badges, according to media reports.
The Games also provide a great platform for cultural exchanges other than competition, which Zambian tennis player Esther Sakala appreciated a lot.
Sakala, as a lover of art and an artist herself, was excited to meet those crafty and talented people and see their skills. She had a chance to paint a cup which was later given as a gift and Sakala said she "Loved it so much."A range of Chinese cultural elements, from handicrafts to musical instruments, have intrigued FISU Game participants at a culture fair held next to the Games Village.
Youth spirit
On and off the competition ground, youth across the world are demonstrating the spirit of openness, inclusiveness and solidarity, igniting a world of division and turbulence, analysts noted.
The Chengdu FISU Games were postponed twice due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and this successful holding marked the resumption of face-to-face communication and exchanges among youth via sports and can leverage more interactions in other fields, such as culture, they said.
Li Haidong, a professor with the China Foreign Affairs University, told the Global Times on Tuesday that sport can be an easy bridge to connect people from different countries and regions and help them build friendship.
The FISU World University Games in Chengdu are a precious opportunity for athletes and people from all around the world to deepen mutual understanding and trust, which will also lay the foundation for closer cooperation and solidarity, Li noted.
FISU Universiade was first held during the Cold War in 1959. It not only encourages young people to adopt a healthy lifestyle, but also seeks to promote young people communicating across cultural, political and religious barriers through sports, Ren Hai, a professor at the Olympic Research Center of Beijing Sports University, told the Global Times.
When the world is experiencing uncertainty and turbulence, China hopes to deliver a message of peace, communication and cooperation through this gathering of young people, who represent hope and the future, analysts said.
Eder, the acting president of the FISU, has visited China more than 20 times and observed the country's fast economic development, as well as its increased confidence and openness. "I can feel the country's readiness to cooperate with many countries whether they come from the East, West, North, or South," Eder said.
Chinese players have accomplished one upset after another at the ongoing US Open.
In the hard-court tennis Grand Slam tournament, Zhang Zhizhen became the first man from the Chinese mainland to beat a player in the top five of the ATP rankings as he pulled off a resilient display of tennis skills to prevail against World No.5 Casper Ruud of Norway 6-4, 5-7, 6-2, 0-6, 6-2 on Wednesday night.
Thanks to his powerful serves (18 aces) and punishing forehand that overwhelmed Ruud with a whopping 60 winners overall, Zhang made it to the third round of the tournament, a new breakthrough in his personal career.
"That was a wild ride," US Open official Twitter commented on Zhang's surprise victory over the 2022 US Open runner-up. Rudd had been to the finals in three of the last six Grand Slam events.
The 26-year-old also avenged his loss to Rudd in the third round of the French Open in June. Zhang will face Rinky Hijikata of Australia in the third round. His opponent, Ruud, believes he can keep on going. "I was impressed, in a way, how he played," Ruud said. "He's going to be a threat for many years."
"Last year at the US Open, I can say it was a bad memory. But this year is a little bit different," said Zhang after the match.
"At the end of the match, when I finished the last point, I didn't really celebrate, as if I was not super happy. But I was happy inside, it just didn't show."
Liu Yu, a Beijing-based sports commentator, told the Global Times that Zhang has been improving, especially after he hired Lu Yen-hsun, a retired player from Taiwan island, to join his team. Liu said he looks forward to seeing Zhang representing China at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
Should Zhang reach the fourth round, he will have a chance to become the first Chinese man to crack the Top 50 of the ATP Rankings.
Zhang is not the only Chinese that stunned a seeded player as Zhu Lin moved into the third round after breezing past Victoria Azarenka of Belarus 6-3, 6-3 in the women's singles.
The emerging younger generation of Chinese swimmers have contributed massively to China's swimming dominance at the Asian Games, as the national swimming team brought their gold medal tally on Monday to 11.
A most outstanding breakthrough came from Pan Zhanle, a 19-year-old freestyle sprint specialist. The young man crushed it with a new lifetime best of 46.97 seconds to take the gold medal in the men's 100 meters freestyle on Sunday.
But Pan remained unsatisfied with the breakthrough.
"I felt my performance was mediocre. I was aiming to break the world record before the race," Pan told reporters after the race. "The Asian record doesn't feel like anything extraordinary. This is something I should get. It's a bit disappointing that I missed it by only 0.11 seconds."
Pan's performance has set a new Asian record, making him the first Asian swimmer to finish 100 meters under the 47-second barrier and the fifth-fastest swimmer in the discipline in history. Previously his personal best was at 47.22 seconds produced at this year's Chinese Championships.
The world record remains at the 46.86 seconds Romania's David Popovici put on the books at the 2022 European Championships.
Pan told the Global Times that the secret behind his triumph lies in the everyday training during which he has paid close attention to improving his flip turns.
"The last two months I have put a lot of effort into improving my jump start and flip turns," Pan told the Global Times. "Communication with the coach is very important," he said, before noting he will continue to strive toward the goal of breaking the world record in the future.
Standing next to Pan on the men's 100 meters freestyle podium was 18-year-old Wang Haoyu. Speaking of his performance of 48.02 seconds, 1.05 seconds behind Pan's achievement, Wang said nervousness at the Asian Games thwarted him from attaining a better performance.
"I was a little nervous. It's impossible not to be [as it's my first Asian Games]. It was slightly below my expectations," Wang told reporters. "I got on the podium, but the result could have been better. I still need to fight in the events to come."
Female breaststroker Tang Qianting, 19, also set up a new Chinese national standard and Asian record in the women's 50 meters breaststroke.
Firing off a time of 29.92 seconds in the heat, she not only produced the sole outing of the field under the 30-second barrier, but it represented a shiny new lifetime best for the teen and her first-ever foray under the threshold.
Tang's previous career quickest record was 30.08 seconds she logged at this year's World Championships in Fukuoka, Japan.
Monday night also saw 18-year-old Chinese swimmer Yu Yiting win the women's 200 meters individual relay in 2:07.75, setting up a new Asian Games record and outperforming veteran teammate and 2012 Olympic champion Ye Shiwen.
Yang Junxuan, 21, has also played a key role in securing the women's 4x100 meters freestyle relay gold medal
Besides the young swimmers, already crowned world champions Zhang Yufei and Qin Haiyang remain the marquee names in the swimming squad.
Having publicly announced that she is aiming for the Asian Games MVP award, Zhang told the Global Times that the biggest challenge in achieving the goal is the short-distance sprints.
The previous Asian Games female MVP award winner was Rikako Ikee of Japan who won six gold and two silver medals in eight competitions when she participated in the Jakarta Asian Games in 2018.
Zhang, who anchored the Chinese women's 4x100 meters freestyle relay to victory following her 200 meters butterfly title, said she wants to win seven gold medals in Hangzhou.
"I'm hoping to get seven gold medals here. And I feel confident about it. Let's take it one step at a time," she told reporters.
Breaststroke world champion Qin Haiyang lowered the Asian Games record in men's 100 meters breaststroke to 57.76 seconds to win his first gold medal at the Hangzhou Games.
The triple world champion has set his sights on setting up a new 50 meters world record, after he crushed Adam Peaty's 200 meters world record in the worlds.
"The world record I want to break the most is the 50 meters," Qin told reporters.
"It's an event that I feel more confident in, and I've also been putting more effort into training for this one."
The Hangzhou Asian Para Games unfolded with a heartwarming opening ceremony that showcased the spirit of "optimism, harmony, perseverance and sharing" in East China's Zhejiang Province on Sunday.
Themed "Hearts Meet, Dreams Shine," the 85-minute opening ceremony revolved around the image of the osmanthus, the official city flower of Hangzhou. The Hangzhou Olympic Sports Center Stadium, or "Big Lotus," was turned into a spectacle of golden osmanthus flowers in full blossom thanks to digital technology.
From the 22 massive bouquets of golden osmanthus flowers that highlighted the charm of Hangzhou, the flower transformed into water and then arched bridges and eventually became a giant golden crown in the air over the packed 80,000 capacity stadium to welcome the athletes of the participating countries and regions.
More than 3,000 athletes from over 40 countries and regions across Asia will show their perseverance and pursue their dreams in Hangzhou. They will join hands to write a new chapter of harmony, unity and sharing for the Asian community.
The Chinese delegation, which consists of 723 people with a total of 439 athletes, will compete in 22 sports and 397 events at the Para Games, which are scheduled to run until Saturday.
People with disabilities were invited to participate in the ceremony to demonstrate their indomitable spirit and positive mentality toward life.
China's national flag was carried into the stadium by four children, two with disabilities and two without. A group of performers gave a rendition of the national anthem using sign language.
A dance show featuring 36 able-bodied dancers and 36 wheelchair dancers displayed the touching scenes of athletes going hand in hand on the journey to realize their dreams, highlighting the spirit of integration of able-bodied people and people with disabilities.
Chinese Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang declared the 4th Asian Para Games open.
The flame of hope and love was lit as the last torchbearer, fitted with a robotic arm operated by a brain control system, ignited the cauldron together with the Games mascot Feifei.
Majid Rashed, president of the Asian Paralympic Committee, told the Global Times that the Hangzhou Games are the best ever Para Games and that they offer athletes across Asia the opportunity to present their talents.
"Beyond the competitions, the Games convey the message of inclusiveness and aim to raise people's awareness about people with disabilities," said Majid. "Over the next six days of competitions, you will see stories of determination and inspiration."
"Hangzhou has been a great role model for hosting such a big event. The facilities and the venues are outstanding and will be one of the legacies for people of this beautiful city," Majid noted.
"I look forward to coming to Hangzhou with my family in the future."
Sha Xiaolan, general director of the opening ceremony of the Asian Para Games, told the Global Times that the image of the golden osmanthus crown was designed to extend the wishes of "winning laurels" to every athlete.
The Chinese character for osmanthus also means "laurels" in Putonghua (Standard Chinese).
"From a small osmanthus flower to an osmanthus crown, we hope to convey the idea that athletes' unrelenting efforts in training will accrue accomplishments. Every little effort counts in making their dream come true," said Sha.
The song "Our Asia," which was used for the opening ceremony of the Asian Games, was played again to usher the athletes into the stadium.
"Using the same song is to express the notion of the integration of the disabled and able-bodied," said Sha. The beloved song was penned 33 years ago for the 11th Asian Games in Beijing.
Cui Wei, vice director of the opening ceremony of the Asian Para Games, told the Global Times that the ceremony was dedicated to inviting everyone to Hangzhou as the city is permeated with the aroma of osmanthus in October.
"If the opening ceremony of the Hangzhou Asian Games was romantic and spectacular, then the ceremony of the Asian Para Games is warm, touching and inspiring," said Cui.
"We want to take this opportunity to show Hangzhou's humanistic care for disabled people and reflect the country's progress and achievements in the cause of disabled people," Cui said.
Lü Yuan, chief writer of the opening ceremony of the Hangzhou Asian Para Games, said the osmanthus was chosen as the main image of the opening ceremony for its touching symbolic meaning in traditional Chinese culture.
"After communicating with many visually impaired people, we thought the aroma of osmanthus can be shared by nearly everyone," Lü noted.
"We want to convey the power of community, companionship and solidarity. This small osmanthus flower does not bloom alone, but blooms in clusters. None of us walks alone. The power of love and companionship keeps us going forward," said Lü.
Chen Weiqiang, spokesperson of the Hangzhou Para Games, said that by Sunday, over 320,000 tickets had been sold, going on to note that the Games have helped Hangzhou become a more accessible city for people with disabilities.
The press conference for the 2023 Beijing Dance Academy Performance Season was held at the Beijing Dance Academy.
From November to January 2024, 47 shows, 90 performances and more than 30 supporting activities will be staged in various theaters in Beijing.
The performance season covers different professional genres, such as Chinese classical dance, Chinese ethnic and folk dance, ballet, musical and modern dance.
The performance season is a gathering of high-quality domestic performance institutions.
Xu Rui, president of the academy, said that he looks forward to deepening cooperation and exchanges with more performance institutions, and telling Chinese stories with an inclusive and eclectic vision and atmosphere.
Ba Tu, the Party chief of the Beijing Dance Academy, said that the performance season is a distinctive mark of the academy's attributes: talent output, quality collection, and resource convergence.
The special section, Taoli Cup Invitation Performance Series, will include top-notch artistic talents and excellent artistic works selected for a national tour.
As I was getting ready to listen to a brief on the weeklong Southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region tour I was about to take at the multicultural hall of the Jianguomenwai Diplomatic Residence Compound in Beijing, my co-worker Mi Tian jokingly cautioned me: "Birat, don't run away from Xizang just because your home is closer than Beijing."
Having traveled the "roof of the world" for a week, I didn't need to "run away" in search of my home in Nepal as I found Xizang was just like my home. My friend Tan Xiaoren, a Chinese from Malaysia, has told me some useful Chinese words. In Xizang, I was telling him the meaning of "Tashi Delek," a greeting.
On October 6, a dinner was hosted for us by the Xizang regional foreign affairs office at the Phin Tsok Ge Don Restaurant in Lhasa. During the happiest dining hour, all of us were served sweet milk tea. Among the two dozen plus friends from 20 plus countries, we two Nepalese (me and my friend Manju) were sipping the tea we enjoy in our everyday life. However, for other foreign friends, it was a new experience. Deputy head of foreign affairs office of the Xizang Autonomous Region Yi Lin and the region's noted public intellectual Lo Ten sang a Nepali song along with Tibetan songs. Other friends were surprised at seeing them sing a Nepali song.
When we were greeted at the Nyingchi Airport on October 3 by local officials with the gift of scarves, all out other friends greeted them back with greeting gestures. Interestingly, we two Nepali journalists greeted them by presenting our own scarves. Our friends were amazed to see how we greeted each other. For us, though, the Xizang greeting is familial as it shares some commonalities with the Himalayan communities of Nepal. These are some of the few examples of our recent memorable tour to Xizang.
On October 4, an open-air stage at the Dayhello Hotel of Lulang held an artistic performance which included a song titled "Welcome to Pokhara," a tourism town in Nepal. It was the only song in a foreign language because Pokhara of Nepal and the Nyingchi of Xizang are officially sister cities.
I was more than happy to make my first footfall in Xizang. A journalist named Li Guangqing asked me: "Have you ever been to Xizang?" To which I replied, "I have been to Xizang many times in my imagination. But, this is my first time in reality." I did not say this as a joke. It has historical legacy. Nepal's Great Poet Laxmi Prashad Devkota's iconic epic Muna Madan is the story of a Nepali man coming to Xizang. There are many Nepali sayings popular among ordinary Nepali people. For instance, there is "Lhasa janu kutiko bato," which translates as head to "Lhasa via Kuti," a popular pass. Another saying goes: "Lhasama sun chha kaan mero buchchai," which roughly translates as "There is gold in Lhasa but I don't have an earring." This saying describes Nepal's historic trade linkage with Xizang and its impacts among the ordinary people.
Nepal has three international and three bilateral border crossings with Xizang together with a dozen plus local passes for people's movement. This physical attachment is reflected in the cultural and emotional attachment among people from both sides of the Himalayas. For instance, when I saw an English-speaking lady at the Botai Nyingchi Grand Hotel in the Bayi district, I greeted her with "Tashi Delekh." She replied with "Namaste," the Nepali greeting. I later learned that she was from Xigaze, the second largest city in Xizang and which is in close proximity with Nepal. She had not been to Nepal. Still, she could greet in Nepali. This speaks volumes about cross-border camaraderie and cultural communication.
Nepal has 1,414 plus kilometer long border with Xizang. Nepal is the only nation with a diplomatic presence in Xizang. This is another reason for Nepal's attachment to the region.
In the seventh century, Songtsan Gampo, the then king of Xizang, had married the Nepali princess Bhrikuti as his first wife.
This history is well-written in the Jokhang Temple of Lhasa, which was listed as a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site in 2000. UNESCO also says that the Potala Palace, another World Heritage Site, has architecture that is a mixture of Chinese, Tibetan, Nepali and Indian.
Having traveled from Nyingchi to Lhasa, Lulang to Qiangna, and visited the touristic treasures around their vicinity, I saw Xizang as a home away from home. Lhasa, the sister city of Kathmandu, hosts thriving Nepali traders, including the recent awardee of the fifth edition of My China Story, which made me feel at home.
This time, I traveled by the bullet train from Ngingchi to Lhasa. However, in the future, I want to take a similar journey from Kathmandu to Lhasa. This is possible as Nepal is a BRI partner country and the China-Laos railway is an exemplary railway.
As the US announced its Middle East railway plan during the Group of 20 (G20) Summit over the weekend in India, Chinese experts expressed doubts about its credibility and feasibility, saying that it is not the first time for Washington to make empty pledges to various countries and regions.
The experts noted that the true purpose of the Biden administration is trying to "isolate China" in the Middle East, a region where Chinese cooperation with the region has constantly gained momentum in recent years.
The comment followed an announcement by US President Joe Biden and India regarding a multinational railway and port deal linking the Middle East and South Asia. The announcement came on Saturday on the sidelines of the G20 Summit.
Biden said it was a "real big deal" that would bridge ports across two continents and lead to a "more stable, more prosperous and integrated Middle East," according to a Reuters report.
The idea of the rail and port network initially emerged at the I2U2 Business Forum, launched in 2021 by the US, India, Israel and the UAE to discuss infrastructure projects in the Middle East. Saudi Arabia joined the discussions later.
Zhou Rong, a senior researcher at the Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies at Renmin University of China, told the Global Times on Saturday that the US lacks both the genuine intention and the capability to follow through on its pledge to build up the transportation network in the Middle East.
"It is not the first time that the US has been involved in a 'much said, little done' scenario," Zhou said.
During the Obama administration, then US secretary of state Hillary Clinton announced that the US would sponsor a "New Silk Road" that would emerge from Afghanistan to link the country with its neighbors to increase its economic potential, but the initiative never materialized.
"The Biden administration's Middle East infrastructure plan is an apparent effort to counter the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), which is entering its 10th year in 2023 with brought fruitful projects to partnering countries and regions. The Biden administration is again engaging in bloc politics in order to slow down China's development," Zhou said.
The recent moves by the US in the Middle East are more reactive than proactive, given China's stronger presence, Liu Zhongmin, a professor at the Middle East Studies Institute of Shanghai International Studies University, told the Global Times on Saturday.
China has been engaging with the Middle East through the BRI for years. Its peacemaker role in the Saudi-Iran detente is lauded by the international community, the countries in the region in particular, which has injected stability into the region.
In areas such as infrastructure construction, cooperation between the Gulf countries and China has advanced significantly in recent years. "It is impossible for the US to create a hedge in the short term," Liu said.
Zhou described the US plan as "more of a symbolic gesture." From a technical perspective, the US decision to focus on transport infrastructure, an area where it lacks expertise, in a bid to salvage its declining influence in the region, suggests that the highly touted plan is unlikely to be realized.
"In terms of the technology and costs of building railways, no country in the world than China has a more prominent advantage. What the Middle Eastern countries want from the US is not just a railway, but also security. However, the US has neither provided nor been able to bring security to the region; instead, it has complicated the security situation there. This is the dilemma the US is facing in the Middle East," Ding Long, a professor with the Middle East Studies Institute of Shanghai International Studies University, told the Global Times.
For Middle Eastern countries that will participate in the US-led railway initiative, there is no concern that their ties with China will weaken just because of the deal, instead, they will continue maintaining close cooperation with the world's second-largest economy, Zhou said.
"In fact, the US' ability to influence its allies in the Middle East is shrinking, and Saudi Arabia and the UAE have recently joined the BRICS cooperation mechanism. I think the two countries will exercise prudence in the issue," Liu said.
"China welcomes all initiatives that can help pool synergy and promote global infrastructure development. Any calculation to advance geopolitics in the name of infrastructure development will win no support and will never succeed," a spokesperson for Chinese Foreign Ministry said in June 2022 on the US' plan to roll out a new infrastructure plan to counter the China-proposed BRI.
There are no such thing as different initiatives countering or replacing each other. The world needs more bridges to be built rather than torn down, more connectivity rather than decoupling or building fences, and mutual benefits rather than isolation and exclusion, the spokesperson said.
