Harvest Season

Harvest Season

Farmers harvest crops in Mayinghai Village， north Chinas Shanxi Province， on September 21. The Chinese farmersharvest festival is celebrated on the autumn equinox， which fell on September 23 this year.

Human Rights

A white paper on Chinas progress in human rights over the past 70 years was published on September 22.

The white paper， Seeking Happiness for People： 70 Years of Progress on Human Rights in China， was released by the State Council Information Offi ce.

“Living a happy life is a primary human right，” the document said， adding that the rights to subsistence and development are regarded as primary and basic human rights in China. Peoples rights have been improved in a coordinated manner since the founding of the Peoples Republic of China in 1949， especially after the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China in 2012.

All basic rights of the people are better respected and protected. Also， China has made regular contribution to the international cause of human rights， the white paper said.

In the future， the Chinese will enjoy more extensive rights. Cultural diversity will be upheld and there will be communication with other civilizations and learning from them. China will work with the international community for common development and prosperity and building a community with a shared future for humanity.

Better Transport

An offi cial document has underlined a series of key tasks for strengthening transportation.

Released by the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the State Council， it charts the course for establishing a comprehensive modern transportation system by 2035.

The government will improve transportation infrastructure， especially networks through cities and rural areas， Minister of Transport Li Xiaopeng said at a press conference on the Outline on Building Chinas Strength in Transportation on September 24.

Innovations in new and specially designed transportation equipment will be encouraged to technically upgrade the industry， Li said.

Transportation services will be upgraded to make traveling faster and more convenient， and logistics greener and more effi cient.

Efforts will be made to develop cutting-edge technology for smart transportation.

Transportation safety will be enhanced with an emphasis on high-quality construction and management， production safety as well as emergency response and relief.

Other key tasks mentioned in the outline centered on ecofriendliness， opening up to the world， talent cultivation and governance capability.

Lunar Discovery

Chinas lunar rover Yutu-2， or Jade Rabbit-2， has discovered an unidentifi ed substance in an impact crater on the far side of the moon.

The discovery was made during Yutu-2s ninth lunar day of exploration on the moon， according to the Lunar Exploration and Space Program Center of China National Space Administration.

“The Yutu-2 rover is expected to bring us more surprises and scientifi c discoveries，” the center said.

The lander of the Change-4 probe and the Yutu-2 rover have resumed work on the far side of the moon after “sleeping” during the extremely cold lunar night.

The lander “woke” up at 8：26 p.m. on September 23， and the rover at 8：30 p.m. on September 22 （Beijing time）. Both are in normal working condition.

The rover has traveled about 285 meters on the moon to explore the territory.

Chinas Change-4 probe， launched in 2018， made the fi rst-ever soft landing on the Von Karman Crater on the far side of the moon on January 3.

Mega Bridge

The main structure of the worlds longest cross-sea road-rail bridge in Fujian Province in southeast China was completed on September 25.

The last steel truss girder， weighing 473 tons， was bolted on the Pingtan Strait Road-Rail Bridge.

The bridge， with a staggering length of 16.34 km， connects Pingtan Island and four nearby islets to the mainland of Fujian.

To open to traffi c next year， it will shorten travel time between Fuzhou， capital city of Fujian， and Pingtan， a pilot zone set up to facilitate trade and cultural exchanges across the Taiwan Straits， from two hours to half an hour.

“Of all the bridges across the world， this was no doubt the most challenging，” Wang Donghui， chief engineer of the project， said. It is Chinas fi rst and the worlds longest cross-sea road-rail bridge.

The project has attracted worldwide attention from the start of construction in 2013 as it spans an area off the coast of southeast China long seen as a no-go zone for bridge-building.

A Proud Debut

Chinas fi rst independently developed amphibious assault ship is launched with a ceremony in Shanghai on September 25. The warship will undergo equipment adjustments and sea trials before it is commissioned.

Huawei already operates 26 research and development （R&D） labs in 14 European countries. By the end of 2018， it had 12，200 employees in Europe， including about 2，000 people working on R&D.

“Europe to Huawei is not only a center of sales， but also a regional center with comprehensive functions including sales， R&D， manufacturing， logistics and training，” Austin Zhang， Director of Huaweis Central and Eastern Europe and Nordic Region Public Affairs and Communications Department， said at a press conference.

Of the 50 commercial contracts Huawei signed worldwide on 5G network， 28 went to Europe， Yang Chaobin， President of Huawei 5G product line， said.

In Austria， the company is working with all three mobile operators， A1， Magenta and Hutchison Drei， which acquired nationwide 5G licenses at an auction in May.

Asked about the memorandum of understanding signed between the United States and Poland to rigorously evaluate foreign 5G equipment providers， Zhang questioned the motive， saying it was not really about cybersecurity， but about politics and trying to keep Huawei out.

“If you take a look at the U.S. network， Huawei wasnt involved in the construction but the price is still three times that of Europe， and the network is no more secure than European networks，” he said.

“Keeping some suppliers out does not really resolve the issue of cybersecurity. Why is the U.S. replicating its failure in Europe？” Zhang asked.

New Manufacturing

A child inspects a mechanical arm during the 2019 World Manufacturing Convention in Hefei， east Chinas Anhui Province， on September 20. The four-day event， themed Innovation， Entrepreneurship and Creativity： Embracing the New Era of Manufacturing， brought together more than 4，000 representatives from over 60 countries and regions， including senior managers from Fortune Global 500 companies.

Positive Response

Chinese enterprises will continue to purchase U.S. farm products， including soybean and pork， in line with the rules of the market and the World Trade Organization， offi cial sources said on September 24.

The Customs Tariff Commission of the State Council will continue to exclude these products from the additional tariffs on U.S. goods， according to sources in the National Development and Reform Commission and the Ministry of Commerce.

The United States recently released three lists， exempting additional tariffs on over 400 types of Chinese products.

China has a huge market， and the prospects for importing highquality U.S. farm products are broad. It is hoped that the U.S. will continue to meet China halfway and create favorable conditions for bilateral cooperation in agriculture and other sectors.

Tradition at CIIE

Chinas intangible cultural heritage and time-honored brands will be shown at the Second China International Import Expo （CIIE）.

Intangible cultural heritage and time-honored brands will take up about 4，000 square meters at the Second CIIE， including a 10-meterdiameter Chongqing hotpot showcasing the citys unique culinary culture， Wang Yuxian from the expo organizing bureau said on September 25.

The fair will have 63 cultural and artistic programs， covering vocal music， dance， folk music， drama and opera.

Nearly 20 intelligent robots designed to resemble Jinbao， the panda mascot of the expo， will provide inquiry services for visitors. There will be signs in multiple languages including English， French， Spanish and Russian for the convenience of guests from abroad.

The Second CIIE， scheduled from November 5 to 10 in Shanghai， has seen more than 3，000 companies from over 150 countries and regions sign up by far.

A total of 172 countries， regions and international organizations and more than 3，600 enterprises participated in the First CIIE. It was the worlds fi rst import-themed nationallevel expo.

Money Grows

A fi eld of traditional Chinese medicinal herbs in Neiqiu County， north Chinas Hebei Province， on September 21. The county， lying in a valley， is using its geographical advantage to plant the herbs and increase the income of local farmers.