Influenced by the US' strategic competition against China, some Western countries have clearly become hostile toward China in recent years. South Korea and Australia, as two typical "middle powers" of similar economic scale which have close trade ties with China, are both US allies in the Asia-Pacific region, and their relations with China have deteriorated for some time. However, the recent "ice-breaking" of China-Australia relations and the continuous "freezing" of China-South Korea relations are in stark contrast.

Recently, China and Australia have witnessed warming ties. Amid the East Asia Summit, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese confirmed on September 7 that he will visit China later this year after talks with Chinese Premier Li Qiang, with both sides agreeing to resume exchanges in various fields. As leader of the Labor Party, Albanese has shown a different stance toward China from his predecessors since he came to power last year. On the same day, the 7th China-Australia High-Level Dialogue was held in Beijing, the first in three years. It is noticed that the Australian delegation covers all sectors of politics, business, academia and the media, with many former politicians from both the Liberal and Labor parties in attendance. This is seen as a consensus between the two parties of Australia to improve relations with China.

Australia's shift has been very positive. However, the same cannot be said about South Korea's performance. Since coming to power in May last year, the Yoon Suk-yeol administration has focused on the South Korea-US alliance, highlighting the "values" orientation of its foreign policy and displaying a distinctive "pro-US" tendency. With regards to its relations with China, the Yoon administration blatantly interferes in the Taiwan question and attempts to follow the US and Japan in terms of the South China Sea issue. These moves have further led to tension and a standstill between Beijing and Seoul.

The Yoon administration, perhaps realizing that its policy toward China is too paranoid, has recently tried to send positive messages to China. In the meeting with Premier Li, Yoon emphasized that the South Korean side is willing to work with China to practice multilateralism and free trade and promote the stable and healthy development of the South Korea-China relationship. However, so far, these signals released by South Korea have not yet been put into practice.

Looking back at the China-South Korea and China-Australia relations over the years, the turning point occurred after the change of government in South Korea and Australia last year. After the Australian Labor administration came to power, it made adjustments to the anti-China "microphone diplomacy" of its predecessor under Scott Morrison and sent out frequent signals to repair relations with China. Therefore, the leaders of the two countries met during the G20 summit in Bali, Indonesia in November last year, which promoted the improvement in bilateral relations.

In contrast, the Yoon administration, which also came to power last year, took the opposite approach, changing the previously balanced route between the US and China to the "pro-US" orientation, which caused the deterioration of its ties with China.

The impact of such two different policy orientations is prominent. From January to July this year, China-South Korea bilateral trade fell 16.6 percent year-on-year. Some analysts said that the negative effects of South Korea's policy of following the US and "decoupling" from China are becoming apparent. Meanwhile, bilateral trade between China and Australia saw an increase of 5.4 percent year-on-year, which is particularly striking against the backdrop of a general slowdown in the global economy. Clearly the improvement of political relations between China and Australia has played a crucial role in boosting bilateral economic and trade ties.

For Seoul and Canberra, there are many similarities in their relationship with Beijing. Both South Korea and Australia have no historical or territorial disputes with China, but have maintained close economic and trade ties. Furthermore, China does not pose any threat to either country. In particular, the Australian and South Korean economies are heavily dependent on trade with China, so stabilizing and developing relations with China is essentially in the national interests of both countries. The latest improvement in China-Australia relations is exactly due to Canberra's return to rather independent and pragmatic policy toward China, which should be an inspiration for the Yoon administration.

As Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi put forward during his meeting with the Australian delegation, it is necessary for the two sides to draw useful experience and lessons in the bilateral relations. He urged the two sides to look at each other objectively, calmly and kindly, understand that China and Australia should remain partners rather than rivals, and advance bilateral relations independently and without any influence or interference from any third party. These three points are also helpful suggestions for South Korea.

The author is a research fellow at the China Institute of International Studies.

Illustration: Chen Xia/GT

The South and East China Seas are among China's major security concerns in its neighborhood. Despite this, the US still hypes up competition with China in these regions to cover up the tendency of its hegemonic expansion.

The US Congressional Research Service (CRS) recently published a report which pointed out that the South China Sea in the past 10 to 15 years has become the arena of US-China strategic competition, while actions by China's maritime forces at the Diaoyu Islands in the East China Sea are another concern for US observers. "Chinese domination of China's near-seas region… could substantially affect US strategic, political, and economic interests in the Indo-Pacific region and elsewhere," said the CRS report.

The South and East China Seas hold different strategic positions for China and the US. On one hand, as China's military strength has rapidly progressed, the Chinese navy no longer prioritizes near-shore defense. Instead, it actively and comprehensively seeks to safeguard China's sovereignty and security in these waters. China's activities in the South and East China Seas are among the first indications of its rise as a global power.

On the other hand, the South and East China Seas are at the forefront of US hegemonic power. Despite being geographically distant from these waters, the US still perceives China's near-seas region as a place to show off its military presence and political influence due to the pervasive nature of the US global hegemony. This situation is unlikely to change unless the US hegemonic strategy collapses.

It is evident that the situation in the South and East China Seas has become complicated over the years. Experts told the Global Times that Washington is the biggest driver of the intensifying China-US competition in these regions, noting the US deliberately creates problems in these regions for its own interests. In other words, the US aims to showcase the strength of its hegemony, while simultaneously containing China's development through its Indo-Pacific Strategy.

Managing the China-US competition in those regions has become an urgent yet difficult task. When China's growing determination to protect its national security encounters the US' pursuit for global hegemony in the South and East China Seas, a collision can easily occur. The US will do anything to make sure its needs override China's, leading to the emergence of more confrontations and future deterioration of bilateral relations.

The intense strategic competition between Beijing and Washington in China's near-seas region may also affect policymaking in the US. The CRS is a major congressional think tank under the Library of Congress that serves members of Congress and their committees. Its recent report is obviously intended to clarify congressional responsibilities in the China-US strategic competition in the South and East China Seas, so that Congress can better help Washington gain an advantage over Beijing.

The US Congress has passed bills to institutionalize anti-China activities, which in itself will lead to further tensions in the bilateral relationship. This year, the South China Sea and East China Sea Sanctions Act of 2023 has already been introduced in the Senate; we cannot rule out the possibility that Congress may use more legislative resources against China's development.

But from a strategic point of view, the US actually hopes China's neighbors in the South and East China Seas to fight Beijing at the forefront, while the US provides strategic support from behind. The question is, as Washington's sinister intentions of exploiting its allies and partners become increasingly prominent, how many countries will be willing to pay for US hegemonic strategy?

In the face of the US' intense competition with China in China's neighboring waters, China should, on one hand, strive for a more favorable international environment through diplomatic means to ensure a long-term peaceful and stable surrounding environment conducive to its development.

On the other hand, the country should not neglect the development of its hard power, including military capabilities. During critical moments, China must demonstrate its determination through action to safeguard national sovereignty, security, and interests, making it clear to those who provoke that there is no room for maneuver when it comes to issues involving China's red line.

The one-year anniversary of the unsolved Nord Stream explosions on September 26 is a timely occasion to reflect on one of the largest acts of sabotage in history and the broader geopolitical tensions within which it took place. Several underwater blasts destroyed most of the Nord Stream I and II pipelines that day. Russian gas exports to Germany through the first pipeline were already reduced by that time while the second never entered into operation. 

After the sabotage, Russia and the West predictably blamed each other. Russia argued that the US had a self-interested hegemonic motive in blowing them up in order to undermine the crucial energy component of Russia-Germany relations in parallel with selling more expensive liquefied natural gas (LNG) to the EU. The West, meanwhile, couldn't formulate a cogent explanation for why Russia would blow up its own pipelines. 

It wasn't until early February 2023 that some credible leads finally emerged regarding who was responsible. Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Seymour Hersh published a detailed report on Substack citing what he described as unnamed Biden Administration officials who allegedly informed him that the US began preparing to destroy the Nord Stream pipelines last summer. The US denied the claims, after which the New York Times reported their own version of this story in early March. According to their unnamed sources, a rogue group of Ukrainians purportedly rented a yacht from Poland that they then used to move professional divers to the site to plant the underwater explosives that later thereafter blew up those pipelines. They were apparently motivated to asymmetrically attack Russia in response to its special operation despite their plans also harming the interests of NATO-member Germany, though many Ukrainians were annoyed with Berlin back then for not sending more arms. 

It remains to be seen whether undeniable evidence will ever emerge and be shared with the public and prove who the guilty party is. Until then, one can only speculate about who was responsible, which is why it's more constructive to look at the consequences of this incident in the year since it happened. 

Russia-Germany relations markedly deteriorated in the aftermath as Berlin finally agreed to dispatch heavy weapons to Ukraine. Europe no longer heavily relies on Russia for oil or gas, and this "decoupling" of their previously strong and strategic ties seems to have led to the continent losing all sense of restraint in this conflict. Almost every country, most of which are also NATO members, has since supplied Ukraine with plenty of arms. 

As a result, Russia-EU relations as a whole deteriorated much further than before upon Russia's ties with Germany, the bloc's largest economy, deteriorating after the Nord Stream explosions. Meanwhile, relations with the US comprehensively strengthened, especially in the energy domain. Accordingly, American influence surged to levels last seen since the height of the Cold War or first few years after World War II. 

These objectively existing outcomes extend credence to Russia's claims of US complicity in last year's incident, which if true, would amount to a de facto declaration of war against its own German NATO ally due to the military nature of what happened. The same also goes if Ukraine were responsible since it too had a motive seek these outcomes. In any case, Russia-Germany relations and especially Russian-EU relations since the start of the special operation decisively changed for the worse since that attack. 

Bearing all this in mind, it can be said that the legacy of the Nord Stream explosions still lingers one year on, and will likely persist across the coming years due to its game-changing consequences. Any hopes of a Russia-Germany rapprochement and thus a Russian-EU rapprochement influenced by Berlin's energy interests, irrespective of conspiratorial speculation of a secret deal between them, were dashed. The EU then fell more fully under the US' influence, which intensified the NATO-Russian proxy war in Ukraine. 

Considering that this outcome worsened that conflict, one can conclude that the continued civilian suffering in Ukraine is partially connected to this incident. Russia's setback in Kherson Region less than two months later in early November, and that which it experienced in Kharkov Region in early September just prior to the Nord Stream attacks, could have in theory provided a chance for Germany to mediate a ceasefire if it was still motivated by the desire to resume gas transit. 

That's not to suggest that it was secretly conspiring with Russia about this before the incident happened, but just that Russia's subsequent setback in the Kharkov Region at the onset of winter might have inspired Germany policymakers to independently explore this possibility if the Nord Stream pipelines were intact. Alas, their destruction led to the preceding hopes being nothing but a thought exercise, though it's still worthwhile wondering in terms of the bigger picture on the one-year anniversary of that attack. 

As the Russia-Ukraine war drags on, more and more forces in the West have shown concern over how long Western countries can support Ukraine in this military conflict. For instance, the Pentagon has warned Congress that it is running low on money to replace weapons the US has sent to Ukraine and has already been forced to slow down resupplying some troops, according to The Associated Press on Tuesday.

This is against the backdrop that during the past weekend, the US Congress made a surprising breakthrough and passed a funding bill that will keep the federal government running until mid-November. However, this is a shuddering lesson for both Ukraine and Europe, because pressure from the Republicans led Congress can easily abandon any new aid program for Ukraine in order to avoid the government shutdown.

Currently, the partisan squabble in the US over Ukrainian aid has dominated US politics. The issue of military aid to Ukraine is likely to become one of the main topics in next year's presidential election, making the dispute between the two parties over this matter increasingly intense.

On the surface, it seems that an increasing number of Republicans are opposed to aiding Ukraine further. But in fact, they want to find a compromise on future  support for Kiev - they ask to audit US aid to Ukraine, and at the same time, demand that the US allies should do their best to support Ukraine, so that Washington can aid less but benefit more. It is clear that the US does not want to provide current levels of  military aid to Kiev, because it is not in its national interest to do so. As a result, the support for Kiev will continue despite constant partisan bickering.

In contrast, the European Union (EU) is falling deeper into the bottomless abyss of aiding Ukraine. On the same day as US media reported the Pentagon's poor-mouthing, top diplomats from nearly all EU members held a surprise summit in Kiev, reaffirming the bloc's commitment to Ukraine.

In fact, the Russia-Ukraine military conflict is a trap dug by the US for Europe. Decreasing support from Washington will force the EU to provide an increasing level of aid. In the eyes of many US politicians, it is more in their country's interests to let Europe bear more costs of the ongoing war. They believe that helping Ukraine is not in the US' national interest. Yet, they claim that Europe should not reduce aid; otherwise, the continent will be deeply hurt.

On the other hand, Europe is finding itself at the bottom of a US-dug trap. However, it is unlikely that the EU's aid to Ukraine will stay invariable. Over Ukrainian aid, it is a matter of partisan squabble in the US. But it's much more difficult for the EU consisting of 27 members to coordinate fully and form a broad consensus on the same issue.

In addition, there is a growing list of European countries opposing the increase of aid to Ukraine. Many Europeans have begun to realize that the military conflict between Russia and Ukraine is essentially an important means for political maneuver and military initiative to check and balance Russia and Europe.

The question if the EU will follow the US' steps to reduce or even end aid to Ukraine one day depends on the development of the situation in Europe. In other words, Ukraine will have to deal with less support from the EU if the continent faces sharper recession and rising inflation, along with the growing anti-war sentiment in the bloc. 

Out of options. Illustration: Liu Rui/GT

The 23rd China International Industry Fair, which drew to a close on Saturday in Shanghai, attracted over 200,500 visitors from more than 2,800 enterprises across 30 countries and regions, offering a unique platform for domestic and foreign manufacturing companies.

As a window and platform to promote global industrial economic exchange, the fair, which has now been run for 22 years, has attracted higher attendances and publicity. 

The proportion of international brands participating in the exhibition has increased to 30 percent, the organizer said, according to Xinhua. 

Alongside companies from traditional manufacturing powers such as the US, Germany, Japan, and Italy, there were also first-time exhibitors from Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and Cuba. In addition, the companies from Italy have further expanded its scale, with the number of exhibitors increasing to 65, an increase of 30 percent over the same period of the previous session.

As the process of industrial digitization accelerates, technologies such as artificial intelligence and industrial Internet are reshaping the global production system.

Zhejiang Sineva Intelligent Technology Co, a tech company aiming to provide mobile robot solutions, displayed the SIBOT series of composite robots that have been recognized by customers in the semiconductor industry.

In 2023, the company has launched a variety of products such as SIBOT series composite robots and W series water tank robots, focusing on the core capabilities of precise handling, connection and transportation, and automatic loading and unloading, to help partners further improve logistics performance and production efficiency.

"We are helping customers improve the digitalization and intelligence level of production and operation links to realize 'Chinese speed'," Liu Changlun, CEO of Zhejiang Sineva, said. 

At the exhibition, Schneider Electric released a white paper on the highly integrated 5G+PLC solutions together with the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology and the China United Network Communications Group Co, which are designed to explore the value arising from the connection between 5G networks and controls. 

It also signed a strategic cooperation agreement with Sunshine Pumps (Tianjin) Co Under the agreement, the two parties will focus on the production and operation of high-end smart devices to explore opportunities for collaboration on digital and software solutions. 

Pang Xingjian, senior vice president and head of industrial automation China of Schneider Electric, said that digital acceleration and sustainable development have become two long-term strategies that are both inseparable and complementary to each other for industrial enterprises: digital solutions underpin sustainable development, whereas sustainable development provides new stages and drivers for digital solutions. 

Xin Guobin, vice minister of industry and information technology said at the opening ceremony on Tuesday that the ministry will work with other parties to foster a world-class business environment that is market-oriented, law-based, and internationalized, continuously deepen international innovation cooperation, and safeguard the security and stability of global industrial and supply chains.

China's idea of building a global community of shared future has broken up the zero-sum mentality of certain Western countries, and illuminated a new development path for human society. It is a holistic approach that embodies China's wisdom and vision in global governance, foreign scholars said on Tuesday.

The comment comes after China on Tuesday released a white paper entitled "A Global Community of Shared Future: China's Proposals and Actions." The white paper, which summarizes the meaning of building a global community of shared future, its practices and development, is released at the 10th anniversary of China's proposal about building the global community of a shared future.

"In the past decade, globalization has seen signs of retreating, due to US-inflicted trade war, tech barrier and unilateral sanctioning, which mirrors that the West-led international order is purely based on Western interests. Against this backdrop, the global community has been in urgent need for a new governing system," Wirun Phichaiwongphakdee, director of the Thailand-China Research Center of the Belt and Road Initiative, told the Global Times.

Countries, especially the Global South, wanted to change the current system, which is unfair and disproportionate. As a result, many countries are looking at China's proposal as an engine to boost their own economic recovery by aligning with it, Maya Majueran, director of Bel t&Road Initiative Sri Lanka (BRISL), told the Global Times on Tuesday.

The implementation of the concept of building a global community of shared future has entitled individual country with equal rights to development, and make the developing world able to lift them out of poverty and genuinely participate in global governance, Wirun said.

"It shows what China says that development is an inalienable right of all countries, not a privilege of just a few countries," Majueran said. He exemplified by various China-constructed BRI projects in Sri Lanka, which has led to a huge overhaul of Sri Lankan infrastructure which had dragged down its economic development for generations. BRI also helps Sri Lanka's economic growth, job creation and people's livelihood improvement, according to him.

Wirun took note of a number of BRI projects in Southeast Asia including the China-Thailand High-Speed Railway now being built, which he said demonstrates how China and the ASEAN are working together to build a community of shared future.

According to the white paper, China's vision of a global community of shared future has gained broader support over the past decade. To date, China has constructed community of shared future in different forms with dozens of countries and regions. China-proposed Global Development Initiative and Global Security Initiative have gained public support from more than 100 countries, while the Global Civilization Initiative has also received warm feedback from many countries.

"The concept is a major public good that China has provided to the world. And it is of vital importance that China's wisdom helps build more consensus, maintain peace, and allow more countries to participate in the building of a community of shared future for the mankind," Wirun added. 

Cambodia highly appreciated the current development of economic and trade cooperation with China, Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister Aun Pornmoniroth told Xinhua in an interview on Friday.

Pornmoniroth, who is also the minister of economy and finance, said many infrastructure projects, technology transfer, and investments in Cambodia, which are a crucial source of economic growth, have been promoted under the Cambodia-China financial cooperation and the Belt and Road Initiative.

The trade volume between the two countries is increasing yearly, even with the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, he said. "It is believed to increase further in upcoming years."

Cambodia can export agricultural products to China directly, including bananas, mango, and longan, just to name a few, he added.

Besides, the Cambodia-China Free Trade Agreement (CCFTA) and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) agreement, which took effect in 2022, demonstrate the commitment of participating countries to safeguarding the multilateral trading system, maintaining economic openness, and upholding a spirit of cooperation, which will, in turn, enhance socio-economic development.

"Undoubtedly, the two agreements will largely contribute to Cambodia's graduation from its status as a least-developed country in the next five years and an achievement of Cambodia's vision to become an upper-middle-income country by 2030 and a high-income country by 2050," Pornmoniroth said.

He added that the bilateral economic and trade cooperation reached another significant level during the official visit of Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet to China, resulting in the signing of a crucial document, namely, the action plan on building a Cambodia-China community with a shared future in the new era (2024-2028).

Also, he said both countries agreed to enhance trade facilitation to promote high-quality development of bilateral economic and trade cooperation, including making full use of the CCFTA and RCEP, promoting e-commerce cooperation, China International Import Expo, China Import and Export Fair, China-ASEAN Expo, China International Consumer Products Expo, and China International Small and Medium Enterprises Fair, among others.

Pornmoniroth said the signed action plan emphasizes the key priority areas of cooperation, such as politics, production capacity, agriculture, energy, security, and people-to-people exchanges, called the Cambodia-China Diamond Hexagon cooperation framework.

He added that the action plan clearly reflects the two countries' commitment to deepening the building of a high quality, high level, and high standard Cambodia-China community with a shared future in the new era.

A new antiviral drug used for the treatment of COVID-19 was approved for clinical application in China recently. The new drug has dual antiviral and anti-inflammatory effects, and has a wide coverage including Delta and Omicron strains, according to one of its developers Air Force Medical University of PLA.

The new drug, Meplazumab for Injection, was co-developed by Xi'an-based Air Force Medical University of PLA and Jiangsu Pacific Meinuoke Bio-pharmaceutical Co, which obtained complete independent intellectual property rights, Air Force Medical University of PLA said via its official WeChat account recently. The results of pharmaceutical studies of phase I to III clinical trials showed that the drug had good safety and was well-tolerated, and no drug-related serious adverse reactions were reported, said the university.

After treatment, the mortality rate among severe patients decreased by 83.6 percent, and the discharge rate increased by 17.3 percent, while the discharge rate of mild and ordinary COVID-19 patients was raised by 34.1 percent. Also, the rate of nucleic acid tests turning negative was lifted by 50 percent on the third day after using drugs and 100 percent on the fourth day, said its developer.

Related clinical trials have been carried out in public health centers in China including Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center, Chengdu Public Health Clinical Center and Shenzhen Third People's Hospital. The drugs were used for clinical trials for 150 mild and ordinary COVID-19 patients, and the results have showed that the rate for the patients to turn negative of COVID-19 has been increased as well as the hospital discharge rate, according to the university.

China's first domestically developed oral drug for COVID-19 treatment Azvudine, produced by Genuine Biotech Limited based in Central China's Henan Province, has set its initial price at less than 300 yuan ($44.4) per bottle. China approved Pfizer's COVID-19 pill Paxlovid and the domestic neutralizing antibody therapy BRII-196/BRII-198 for COVID-19 treatment.