China-ROK Relations Renewed

China-ROK Relations Renewed

December 14， Beijing： Chinese President Xi Jinping welcomes President Moon Jae-in of the Republic of Korea （ROK） with a ceremony before their talks at the Great Hall of the People. During the meeting， the two leaders agreed to advance bilateral relations to ensure the long-term stability of ChinaROK ties. Considering that the two countries have important common interests in maintaining the peace and stability of the Korean Peninsula， Xi said China will continue to strengthen communication and coordination with the ROK in maintaining stability and preventing the outbreak of war on the peninsula through the promotion of peace and talks.

Moons visit evidences that China-ROK relations are“entering a new phase” as the two countries become closer through exchanging strategic views in the face of increasing pressure on the stability of the Korean Peninsula.

Moon made a state visit to China from December 13 to 16. This was his fifth trip to China and first as president of the ROK.

First Domestic Large Amphibious Aircraft

December 24， Zhuhai， Guangdong Province： Chinas first homegrown large amphibious aircraft AG600 makes a smooth landing after its maiden flight at the Jinwan Civil Aviation Airport.

Code named “Kunlong，” the plane completed its maiden flight on the same day. “The maiden flight makes China among the few countries capable of developing a large amphibious aircraft，” said Huang Lingcai， chief designer of the AG600.

Designed to be the worlds largest amphibious aircraft， the AG600 will be mainly used for maritime rescue， fighting forest fires and marine monitoring. It is the third member of Chinas “large aircraft family” following the large freighter Y-20 and the large passenger aircraft C919， which made maiden flights in 2013 and 2017， respectively.

Macao Anniversary Parade

December 17， Macao： Performers in the Macao International Parade. The parade was held by the government of Chinas Macao Special Administrative Region （SAR） to celebrate the 18th anniversary of Macaos return to China on December 20， 1999.

The parade， one of Macaos major cultural events since 2011， started at the renowned Ruins of St. Pauls and ended at Sai Van Lake Square. Attracting over 60 participating groups from both home and abroad， the parade featured a series of performances such as folk dances， acrobatics， stilt walking， Chinese martial arts and puppet shows.endprint

On December 20， Macao SAR Chief Executive Chui Sai On declared at a flag-raising ceremony that the government was cautiously optimistic about Macaos economic outlook and highlighted the SARs stable economy， healthy public finances and low unemployment rate.

Digital Economy Hyperspeed

December 4， Wuzhen， Zhejiang Province： Visitors test a lip-reading system at the Light of the Internet Exposition during the fourth World Internet Conference （WIC）.

During the conference， government representatives， heads of international organizations， experts， scholars， and entrepreneurs attended 20 forums， displaying achievements in innovation and discussing means of cooperation. Well-known global tech companies including Apple， Alibaba and Huawei released new products at the conference. According to reports issued at the conference on December 4， Chinas digital economy reached 22.58 trillion yuan （about US$3.4 trillion） in 2016， ranking second globally and accounting for 30.3 percent of the countrys GDP.

Running from December 3 to 5， the fourth WIC is themed “Developing Digital Economy for Openness and Shared Benefits—Building a Community of Common Future in Cyberspace.”endprint