Editor's Note:

Over 700 years ago, Italian traveler Marco Polo journeyed through China, documenting his experiences and introducing the splendor of ancient China to Europe in his book. Fast forward to the present day, when people discover China through online videos. With China's visa-free policies and the introduction of 144-hour visa-free transit, a wave of international YouTubers and vloggers has flocked to China.

After exploring gateway cities, where they gain initial insights into China's modern cityscapes and rich cultural heritage, these YouTubers and vloggers soon turn their attention to localized regions, delving into frontier areas, revolutionary sites, and public infrastructure to find the answers to the questions: "What is modern China like, why is it the way it is, and how does it function?"

Through their cameras, they present a real, friendly, and vibrant China to the world. They are affectionately referred to by the Chinese as the "Marco Polos" in the New Era.

Therefore, the Global Times presents this "Marco Polo" Trilogy.

In the third installment, some foreign vloggers who were impressed by China's public healthcare services share with the world why they like the system and what they think other countries can learn from it.
"China's healthcare is so bad compared to the US and the West, that is what I often hear in my YouTube comments, but is it true?" a vlogger from the UK whose channel is called "Harvey in China" asks at the beginning of a video he posted on YouTube.

To clear up any misunderstanding and provide detailed insight into specific aspects of China's daily life to more people is the reason driving many vloggers like Harvey to make videos about China's public healthcare system in recent times amid booming travel to China and a growing curiosity about the country around the world.

According to the latest data revealed at a Chinese State Council press conference on Tuesday, from January to July, China recorded 5.722 million inbound international passenger trips, a 403-percent year-on-year increase.

So how is China's healthcare system and is it convenient for foreigners to see a doctor in China? Check what these vloggers say.

A detailed insight

In the less than 10-minute video, Harvey, who has been living in China for about three years, broke down how much it costs to see a doctor in China for the reviewers, how to make an appointment, and what the differences are between China's public healthcare system and those in the UK and the US based on his own experiences and comparisons.

In response to the misconception that healthcare service in China is expensive and only available to rich people, for example, Harvey said that, in a recent visit, he spent 30 yuan or around $4, to see a doctor at a hospital in downtown Shanghai, while the average salary in the city is reportedly about 13,500 yuan per month. "So, spending 30 yuan to be seen by a doctor is affordable to the general population."

The level of technological integration in China's public healthcare system also impressed Harvey. "Appointments, prescriptions, [and] even payments can be managed through a single app on the phone. This integration of technology has made the entire process smoother." Conversely, in the UK, "one still has to call at exactly 8 am as soon as the line is open to try and get an appointment to see the doctor."

"The combination of affordability, accessibility, and technological integration makes China's healthcare system a model worth considering for other nations while it is not without its challenges… hopefully we can take a thing or two from China's approach and implement it into our own systems," Harvey concluded.

Harvey's video has been watched nearly 18,000 times as of Tuesday.

It struck a chord with many viewers who also shared their experiences in the comments of how efficient China's public healthcare service is.

"I was in China and my daughter got sick. Being a foreign visitor, I was helped by our host to visit a doctor at a small simple clinic. She was attended to in a second, checked, and prescribed a bunch of medication. [It] cost us 15 yuan all in all and in two days my daughter got well. Amazing system," a YouTube user commented on Harvey's video.

An efficient system

Convenient and affordable medical services are major advantages of China's public healthcare system that have been mentioned by many foreign vloggers.

"I was really impressed by the facilities and efficiency. In one day, I completed all the examinations and received the results quickly," Thibaut Grzelak, a 27-year-old French engineer and vlogger, told the Global Times.

Grzelak has been working at a French company's branch in Hangzhou, capital of East China's Zhejiang Province, for about one year.

He went to a local hospital for a routine examination and a blood test in July. He said that his only concern before going to the hospital was about the language barrier. "It's always difficult to describe symptoms and feelings, even in your mother tongue, so doing it in English or Chinese is challenging."

Grzelak asked his Chinese girlfriend to go to the hospital with him in case he needed help with translating. But it turned out that most doctors there could speak English. There were also English signs to help find doctors, and many people were willing to help if needed.

"The doctor identified my problem and provided the appropriate treatment. The total cost was very reasonable, at about 100 yuan. If I ever need to go back to the hospital, even for a major surgery, I wouldn't hesitate to do it here!" he said.

Mylene, a French food and fashion influencer, told the Global Times that, in France, it is unimaginable to finish seeing a doctor, conduct examinations, and receive a diagnosis within a day.

France does not have such a system for patients to make appointments and go to a hospital at any time. Moreover, each French doctor only accepts a certain number of patients. When Mylene's gynecologist retired, there was no other gynecologist with available slots for new patients. So, she waited for one to two years until a new gynecologist came to work in the city she lived.

Mylene was also a fan of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). It costs about 70 euros in France to see a TCM doctor, but in China it only costs a normal appointment fee, usually 10 yuan, to see an experienced TCM doctor, she said.
A vivid China

China has impressed the world with its strength in infrastructure construction and its speed in technological innovation and application.

This time, a growing focus on the country's healthcare system is believed to serve as a specific opportunity that would allow the world to have a real and detailed glimpse into China's achievements in promoting people's living standards as the system is widely viewed as a fundamental aspect of a society that reflects not just the overall well-being of the population, but also the effectiveness of governance.

When vlogger Lizzy tried to search for Chinese hospitals in YouTube in May "there was actually nothing on there."

"There are a lot of bad things that are always on there because of COVID, but there's actually no normal video of Chinese hospitals," said Lizzy, a vlogger from South Africa, who has lived in China for about five years.

Lizzy thus decided to record the process of her seeing doctors at a hospital in Kunming, capital of Southwest China's Yunnan Province, after something went wrong with her knees.

The video did play a role in changing some foreign-held stereotypes about China and allowed more people to learn about the Chinese healthcare system. "Very nice video! You inspire me to visit China," a netizen commented while complaining that the media in their country barely reports positive things about China.

Chinese authorities and industries are also eager to seize this opportunity to expand the country's medical tourism market while showcasing the world its medical capacity and development.

In February, Sanya in South China's Hainan Province optimized its visa-free policy by expanding the reasons for entry without a visa for people from 59 countries to Hainan to include medical treatment purposes.

Famous for its tropical coastal scenery, TCM health preservation industry, as well as distinctive ethnic traditional culture, TCM hospitals in Sanya have been providing medical tourism services since 2002. So far, more than 100,000 international tourists entering China via Sanya have enjoyed the service, as reported by People's Daily on August 9.

Lieutenant General He Lei, former vice president of the Academy of Military Sciences of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), had a casual talk with Michael Chase, US deputy assistant secretary of defense, on Friday, as the recent momentum of China-US military engagement continues.  

The two sides met at a cafe in the Beijing International Convention Center that is hosting the ongoing 11th Beijing Xiangsha Forum, the annual military diplomacy conference with unprecedented participation this year from over 100 countries and organizations. 

Chase, who is leading a delegation of US Department of Defense at the Beijing Xiangshan Forum, shook hands with He, while He presented souvenirs to Chase and the US delegation. 

According to the reporter's observation at the scene, the conversation between the two sides was relaxed and pleasant. 

He also showed a photo between himself and Cynthia Xanthi Carras, China country director in the Office of the Undersecretary of Defense, and asked Chase to pass the photo to Carras. Carras attended the 10th Beijing Xiangshan Forum in 2023 and talked with He.

"[I] hope you can have some gains in this event and take them back to the US," He told Chase. 

In an interview with the Global Times after meeting with Chase, He said the meeting was a chance encounter, but turned out to be a nice talk.

“During the coffee break of the conference, I happened to meet Chase in the cafe. I began by welcoming him to China,” He said. 

“The visit of Chase himself and the Pentagon delegation he is leading is a positive move to help implement the consensus reached between the two heads of state in San Francisco,’’ He said. “It is beneficial to enhancing strategic communication between the senior military officials from the two sides, and to avoid miscalculation and manage risks.” 

According to He, Chase has expressed his interest in China’s defense policy. 

In response, He said he has shown Chase a badge of the Academy of Military Sciences of the PLA, in which there are images of the Great Wall and an olive branch.

“The Great Wall represents defense, implying that China pursues a national defense policy that is defensive in nature and will not invade any country,” He said. “The olive branch represents peace, which he knows well.”

The PLA is a heroic force of resolutely defending national interests, and also a force of justice in safeguarding regional and world peace, He said. 

He expressed hopes that Chinese and US militaries could have more engagement during the forum, so that the US side could have a better understanding of China’s defense policy. 

Chase said he plans to visit the Academy of Military Sciences of the PLA in the coming days, to which He replied that it was “a good thing.” He also presented souvenirs of the PLA institute to Chase and other delegation members on site. 

He also mentioned that obstacles and problems between the two militaries and two countries cannot be easily solved through one or two talks. H owever, through communication, the two sides can further meet each other halfway and enhance mutual understanding.

“I expressed hope that the US delegation could make more contributions to the relationship between the two militaries and two countries,” He said. “I also hope that the US can make more contributions in terms of maintaining regional and world peace and stability.”

On August 31, the staff from the Xin Gao Service Center of State Grid Taizhou Electric Power Supply Company assisted the Taizhou First Aluminum Factory in formulating a personalized "photovoltaic + energy storage" integrated plan, providing customers with stable and efficient clean energy supply and promoting green and low-carbon energy transformation.

Amid the current backdrop of energy structure transformation and green development, an increasing number of enterprises aspire to achieve energy savings, consumption reduction, and cost optimization through photovoltaic power generation and energy storage systems.

As early as November 2022, the Taizhou First Aluminum Plant in Jiangsu Province adopted the carefully tailored photovoltaic energy optimization plan from the power supply company. By installing rooftop photovoltaic systems, it secured sufficient power supply for production, effectively reducing costs and improving efficiency. The plant's rooftop photovoltaic system was connected to the grid in December 2022, generating approximately 920,000 kWh of electricity annually. When the plant operates below full capacity, it can generate and consume electricity on its own, with excess power fed into the grid. When actively participating in grid demand response, the plant proactively reduces its load to prioritize power supply to households.

On August 26 of this year, fully responding to national energy policies, the factory submitted a request for a 250kW/524kWh energy storage project to the Xin Gao Center. The account manager immediately visited the site to thoroughly understand the user's electricity consumption habits, scenarios, and specific requirements for energy storage functions, thereby customizing a personalized energy storage plan for the user.

The factory's responsible person said "We integrate energy storage equipment to store low-demand electricity for use during peak production hours. This approach of energy storage and off-peak power utilization significantly reduces electricity costs." The organic combination of photovoltaic power generation and energy storage systems realizes multiple functions, including self-consumption, surplus electricity grid-feeding, and peak shaving and valley filling.

Enhancing enterprise quality and efficiency is inseparable from optimizing electrical energy. State Grid Taizhou Electric Power Supply Company vows to continue to advance on the path of promoting smart grid construction and serving green development, striving to provide users with cleaner and more economical electricity services and contribute to the high-quality development of the energy industry.

Canada has moved to impose additional tariffs on more Chinese products including batteries, semiconductors and critical minerals regardless of a consultation request from China at the WTO, marking a further escalation in trade tensions that will see the knot tightened between the two countries.

Chinese observers blasted Canada's risky move following in the US' footsteps, saying it indicates that its trade policies are increasingly unfriendly to China, and that it may further expand tariff measures on Chinese goods. 

However, Ottawa's escalation of economic and trade tensions with the world's second-largest economy will likely incur countermeasures from China, they said.

Observers urged Canada to maintain its own strategic autonomy, and act as a responsible country to develop its China policies by prioritizing the well-being of its people and stimulating the vitality of the Canadian economy. 

Escalating trade tensions

Canadian media outlet The Globe and Mail reported that Canadian Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland said on Tuesday that the required consultation period to impose tariffs on more clean-energy goods coming from China are set to begin on the same day.

Freeland said now a 30-day Customs Tariff Act review will begin to study the need for tariffs on batteries, battery parts, semiconductors, critical minerals and metals and solar products, according to the report.

The Chinese Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) on late Wednesday slammed Canada's move of blindly following certain country to take unilateral suppression measures against China. It hinders normal economic and trade cooperation between Chinese and Canadian enterprises, severely impacts bilateral economic and trade relations, and seriously undermines the global economic system and trade rules. 

"China will take all necessary measures to safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese enterprises," a MOFCOM spokesperson said.

"It's no surprise that Canada is expanding tariffs on more Chinese goods, as Canada, following the lead of the US, aims to prohibit Chinese new-energy products while establishing a new industrial and supply chain excluding China, citing the excuse of the so-called national security," He Weiwen, a senior fellow from the Center for China and Globalization, told the Global Times on Wednesday.

He projects that Canada will impose additional tariffs on Chinese goods including batteries, semiconductors and critical minerals after the 30-day review, although tax rates might be slightly adjusted.

In violation of its WTO commitments, Canada recently announced a 100 percent additional tariff on Chinese electric vehicles (EVs) and a 25 percent tariff on steel and aluminum from China, effective from October 1.

China on Friday put forward a consultation request to Canada at the WTO over Canada's plan to impose additional tariffs on EVs as well as steel and aluminum products imported from China.

"Canada's tariff threats against Chinese products are dangerous and risky, which underlines that its trade policies are increasingly unfriendly to China," Li Haidong, a professor at the China Foreign Affairs University, told the Global Times on Wednesday.

In the future, Canada may continue to closely follow in the US' footstep to impose higher tariffs on a larger number of Chinese products. However, Canada's actions will likely incur countermeasures from China, Li said.

Strategic autonomy needed

"Even as the US has twice delayed the announcement of a final determination for additional tariffs on a wide range of Chinese products including EVs, Canada is hasty in the imposition of tariffs on Chinese EVs in a bid to demonstrate its loyalty to the US," Li said. He noted that Canada is gradually losing its strategic autonomy.

One day ahead of Canada's announcement of additional tariffs on Chinese EVs and other products on August 26, US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan traveled to Canada, where he met with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and addressed Canada's annual cabinet retreat, according to the White House website.

Sullivan has previously said that the US was hoping that Canada and its other allies would take a coordinated approach to cutting off the sale of Chinese EVs, media reported.

Amid China's rapid development of green industries like the EV and solar power sectors, the US fears it will lose its leading position at the top of the value chain in international trade, and as a result, it continues to weigh pressure on its allies including Canada to curb and suppress China's emerging industries, Chen Fengying, a research fellow at the Beijing-based China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, told the Global Times on Wednesday.

"We hope Canada will not abandon its own strategic autonomy, and instead will act as a responsible country to develop its China policies by prioritizing the well-being of its own  people and stimulating the vitality of the Canadian economy," Li said.

Li warned that Canada's move to politicize trade issues will backfire as ordinary Canadian consumers will have to pay the price, in the same way US consumers had paid after the US imposed higher tariffs on Chinese products several years ago. 

"It's Canada's illusion that it can strengthen its own economy by bowing to the US and containing China's development," Li noted.

Trade between China and Canada dropped by 0.5 percent year-on-year in the first eight months of 2024 to $57.66 billion, reversing the 2.4 percent growth seen in the first seven months, according to data released by China's General Administration of Customs on Tuesday.

It is the high time now for Canada to abandon its ideological discrimination and the mentality of bloc politics to resume nondiscriminatory trade ties with China on the basis of WTO rules, He Weiwen said.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry on Tuesday reiterated China's stance on the Ukraine crisis, emphasizing that China is committed to promoting peace talks, and supports all efforts for peace, in response to Russian President Vladimir Putin and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni reportedly expressing hope that China and other countries can mediate Russia-Ukraine conflict or play a role in resolving the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

We stand ready to continue working with the international community to accumulate conditions for the political settlement of the crisis and play a constructive role for peace, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning told a routine press conference on Tuesday.

According to Reuters, Putin said on Thursday that China, India and Brazil could act as mediators in potential peace talks over Ukraine. Putin said a preliminary agreement reached between Russian and Ukrainian negotiators in the first weeks of the war at talks in Istanbul, which was never implemented, could serve as the basis for talks.

In another development, Meloni, after meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Italy's Cernobbio on Saturday, said that India and China have the potential to find a resolution to the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine, The Times of India reported on Sunday.

Chinese Foreign Ministry has repeatedly stressed that China's stance on the Ukraine issue is consistent and clear. China always believes that to end the hostilities as soon as possible and seek a political settlement is in the interest of all parties. China is of the view that dialogue and negotiation is the only viable way out of the Ukraine crisis. 

On August 27, Special Representative of the Chinese Government on Eurasian Affairs Li Hui held a media briefing on the recent fourth round of shuttle diplomacy on the Ukraine crisis. Li said that all parties are generally concerned about the risk of escalation and spillover of the conflict, concerned about the deep-rooted reasons for the protracted crisis, and highly appreciated the six common understandings issued by China and Brazil, which provide a valuable path for promoting the resolution of the crisis. 

"All parties have put forward their own ideas on the peace process and look forward to strengthening exchanges with China to promote a fair and just solution to the crisis," Li said.

"On August 25, when I logged onto the internet at 10 pm to give a lecture about our new brain-computer interface (BCI) program, 1,200 students and parents were waiting. This clearly demonstrates people's passion for the program, Liu Xiuyun, a professor in biomedical engineering from the Tianjin University (TJU) and director of the TJU School of Pharmaceutical Science and Technology, told the Global Times.

On August 24, the TJU School of Future Technology released an admission notice to the 2024 class of freshmen. Among the majors on offer, there is a biomedical engineering program majoring in the BCI technique, reportedly making the TJU the first Chinese university to off er such a program. The move soon drew the attention of the public on Chinese social media platforms as the country is at a critical stage of the development and application of BCI technologies and devices.

It is not only the first of such college programs in China, but probably the first in the world. It is an experimental project for us to cultivate talent for the future. That is not a small challenge, Xu Minpeng, vice dean of the Academy of Medical Engineering and Translational Medicine of TJU Medical School, told the Global Times.

The applicants from multiple disciplines attended a written examination on August 31, part of them further attended the interview on Sunday, according to Liu. At last, only 20 of them will be selected and officially become the first batch of bachelors majoring in BCI in China.

Technique for tomorrow
As a "revolutionary" technology representing a new form of productive force, the BCI technique aims to establish a direct information pathway between the brain and external devices, achieving so-called control by "thought," thereby revolutionizing human-computer interaction and transforming human production and lifestyle, according to a statement the TJU sent to the Global Times.

BCI is currently a focus of global technological competition and core area for cultivating new tracks, new momentum, and new advantages for future industrial development. In China, the development of BCI technologies and devices has entered a critical period of innovation breakthroughs and application expansion. This necessitates the cultivation of diverse and interdisciplinary talent to meet the demands of the BCI field, providing a continuous driving force for the development of technique, read the statement.

According to the statement, the BCI program is jointly built by the School of Future Technology and Medical School. It brings together advantageous resources from various departments and gathers a top-notch team of BCI talent in China, forming a comprehensive interdisciplinary research and teaching team that covers the entire chain of basic theories, device systems, and transformation in the BCI industry.

The program aims to create an integrated training model through a radiating discipline layout, project-based curriculum system, chain-oriented research training, and a collaborative teaching ecosystem between schools and enterprises. It seeks to cultivate a group of outstanding engineers and scientists who possess the ability to design, manufacture, and develop future bio-intelligent electronic interfaces in the field of bio-information integration, and can lead advancements in brain-computer interaction technology and industrial development, the statement noted.

"BCI is a very complex interdisciplinary field that is connected to, but not limited to, physiology, autopsy, medicine, physics, engineering, computational analysis, automation control, and mechanical design. This is why the new BCI program is put under the School of Future Technology, a platform that is designated to cultivate high-end interdisciplinary talents with strong hands-on skills and innovative capabilities," said Yuan Xubo, the executive vice dean of the School of Future Technology at TJU.

According to Xu, the training plan for the BCI program has significantly established a project-based curriculum that spans all four years of university. In the first year, students will learn the basic concepts of BCI and master simple brain system operations, such as controlling a small ball with their thoughts. In the second and third years, they will progressively grasp principles of neural engineering, analog and digital electronics, automation design, and AI algorithms, while also hands-on creating brain-controlled robots. By the fourth year, students are expected to integrate what they have learned and engage in more systematic paradigm design, algorithm improvement, and application testing aimed at real-world problems.

"This gradual training process aims to develop students' reverse thinking, innovative thinking, practical thinking, and theoretical design thinking step by step," Xu said.

"Through the training, the students will grow into advanced talents with interdisciplinary capabilities. In the future, they will not only be able to enter BCI laboratories to engage in specialized research on BCI, but also participate in the development of high-end medical devices, work in hospitals, or join relevant authorities to take part in the design of policies for related industries," Liu said.

Safe and accurate
Depending on the electrode position, the methods of BCI can be divided into invasive and non-invasive methods. The invasive method involves implanting electrodes or other devices into the brain or nervous system to achieve a direct connection with the brain. The non-invasive method, on the other hand, uses electrodes placed in the scalp or other areas to record and analyze the brain's electrical signals, thereby establishing an indirect connection with the brain.

Invasive and non-invasive BCI devices have their own advantages and disadvantages as well as applications.

The disadvantages of invasive BCI device include the need for high-risk craniotomy, as well as potential infections, safety concerns, and ethical issues. But it is an effective method for the treatment of severe conditions such as epilepsy. On the other hand, non-invasive BCI device collects comparatively poor-quality signals, but it has a wider range of application, according to Liu Shuang, vice dean of the TJU Medical School and director of the TJU Mental Health Center.

Elon Musk said in January 2024 that his BCI company, Neuralink, had successfully completed the first human brain implantation surgery of its invasive BCI device, called Telepathy, sparking controversy in terms of surgical safety and medical ethics in the world.

Neuralink said in May that a number of wires inside the head of Noland Arbaugh, who is paralyzed from the shoulders down, had been pulled out of position. The company did not specify why the detachment had occurred. Neuralink's implant uses 64 wires to link to the brain; just 15 percent of them were working after the connection severed, The Guardian reported on July 11.

In China the main contributors to the research and development of BCI technologies and devices are universities and hospitals, including the TJU, Tsinghua University, the Shanghai Jiao Tong University, and the Xuanwu Hospital of Capital Medical University in Beijing. Especially in the field of non-invasive BCI, the country is currently taking the lead.

Also in January, a team led by Hong Bo from Tsinghua University announced that they had successfully implanted the world's first wireless minimally invasive BCI device NEO (Neural Electronic Opportunity) into two paralyzed patients' brain for BCI-assisted treatment trials in October and December 2023, respectively.

Hong told the Global Times in a previous interview that compared with Neuralink's technology, the NEO technology has the advantages of higher safety and long-term use.

In the TJU, Liu Xiuyun's team is the first in China to introduce cerebrospinal fluid dynamics assessment technology to help diagnose patients with hydrocephalus. Combined with BCI and proteomics, the team developed a precise diagnostic and intervention technique, which reduces the diagnosis time for patients with hydrocephalus from three days to 30 minutes. So far, the technique has been provided to more than 500 hydrocephalus patients.

Liu Shuang's team has developed the country's first BCI system for screening depression. This system can collect electroencephalogram (EEG) signals from the patient's head to detect brain activity patterns and assess the patient's depressive state, enabling objective screening for depression.

"Normally, the system can generate an auxiliary assessment report on the subject's risk of depression in 10-15 minutes," Liu Shuang said.

The team also developed a technique, the Chirp-based evoked paradigm, that enhances the signal-to-noise ratio of brainwaves gamma oscillations to make the results more accurate and reliable.

Immense potential

On July 6, 1924, German psychiatrist Hans Berger performed the first-ever recording of the EEG on a human, which for the first time allowed the visualization of the electrical activity of the human brain. 100 years later, interaction between human and machine through brainwaves is becoming a reality and such a technique - BCI - is viewed as holding the key to an "era of neuroscience."

The global BCI market size reached $1.5 billion in 2021 and is expected to reach $5.4 billion by 2032, exhibiting a compound annual growth rate of 11.5 percent during 2024-2032, according to market research company IMARC Group.

In early 2016, China launched the 15-year "China Brain Project," or Brain Science and Brain-Like Intelligence Technology, in which the interface played a key role, displaying enormous growth potential. By the end of January 2024, the Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and six other departments issued the "Implementation Opinions on Promoting Innovation and Development of Future Industries," clearly outlining the goal of creating 10 innovative flagship products, including humanoid robots, quantum computers, BCI, and 6G network equipment.

Although mainly used in the medical field, the BCI technique is expected to enter all aspects of people's lives. For example, it can be used to detect whether the driver is fatigued, Liu Xiuyun noted.

TJU scientists have also successfully developed an open-source brain-on-a-chip (BOC) interface system, MetaBOC, which enables a "lab-grown brain" to conduct unmanned control of robots to perform tasks such as obstacle avoidance, tracking, and grasping. MetaBOC represented a significant advancement in the field of BOC technology, offering a versatile platform for exploring the computational mechanisms of biological intelligence, Li Xiaohong, a professor at the Medical School at Tianjin University and the head of the on-chip BCI team, told the Global Times.

BCI is certainly a trend of future technological development. To unlock the immense potential of BCI, it requires a large number of talents to dedicate themselves to the industry. This is why it is necessary to set up a specialized BCI program, according to Xu.

On the other hand, Xu called for patience and caution as it will be a long process to develop safe and high-quality products.

With this year's Mid-Autumn Festival drawing near, China's tourism market is gearing up for another surge in travel and consumption activity, building on the strong momentum from a just-concluded bustling summer travel season, industry insiders and experts said over the weekend.

They predicted that this year's Mid-Autumn Festival holidays, which runs from September 15 to 17, will see sustained high demand for short-distance travel. Combined with the upcoming National Day holidays (running from October 1 to 7）, this is expected to inject continued vitality into consumption, contributing to the country's economic growth in the latter part of the year.

Data from China's online travel services platform Fliggy showed a double-digit increase in bookings for hotels, domestic car rentals and tickets for this popular traditional festival compared with 2019. The overall booking volume for the Mid-Autumn Festival holidays is significantly higher compared with the Dragon Boat Festival in June, despite both having a three-day duration.

Several travel platforms in China have reported that the Mid-Autumn Festival travel trend is dominated by short to mid-distance trips, with "micro-vacations" to nearby cities and provinces being especially popular. Destinations within a two-hour drive or three-hour high-speed rail journey are particularly busy.

According to Tuniu, an online travel platform, nearly 40 percent of travelers are planning short trips to local or adjacent areas during the upcoming festival, with about 30 percent opting to start their journeys one day or two before the festival.

Experts attribute the strong travel demand to favorable weather, off-peak prices and the traditional cultural significance of family reunions during the Mid-Autumn Festival.

"Emerging travel trends, including cultural tours, urban leisure trips and sports tourism, not only reflect an expansion in the Chinese consumption preferences but also promise to inject sustained vitality into the domestic economy," Jiang Yiyi, vice dean of the School of Leisure Sports and Tourism at Beijing Sport University, told the Global Times on Saturday.

Tongcheng, another online travel services provider, reported a 77 percent increase in searches for ancient towns and gardens over the past week.

China's recent summer travel season had broken records for passenger volumes and witnessed strong growth in bookings and spending. Jiang expects this momentum to carry into October, potentially boosting sectors like transportation, hospitality and cultural products.

The Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Western Theater Command on Friday refuted recent online rumors regarding conflicts at the China-India border and soldier casualties, urging an end to the spread of military-related speculations.

The refutation was made in response to rumors circulating on Chinese social media platforms recently regarding fabricated videos and images suggesting that there had been a conflict at the China-India border, during which six PLA soldiers sacrificed their lives.

The internet is not a lawless zone, and it is essential to put an end to the production and spreading of military-related rumors, the PLA Western Theater Command said on its official WeChat account.

Many netizens expressed their support for the refutation, urging all internet users not to believe or spread rumors, and emphasizing the need to appropriately punish those who create false information for ulterior motives.

According to the Chinese Foreign Ministry, China and India held the 31st Meeting of Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on China-India Border Affairs in Beijing on August 29. The two sides agreed to work together to turn the page on the border situation at an early date in accordance with the guiding principles of the important common understandings reached between the two foreign ministers.

History has consistently shown that the optimization and innovation of trade routes is vital for promoting regional economic development. Collaboration between China and Russia on the Northern Sea Route is just such an innovative endeavor. As it is the shortest maritime passage linking northeast Asia and western Europe, the development and utilization of the Northern Sea Route hold significant implications for trade between China and Russia, as well as between East Asian economies and Europe.

A joint report by the Institute of China and Contemporary Asia of the Russian Academy of Sciences and Russia's National Coordinating Center for International Business Cooperation recently said that Chinese companies are actively exploring the Northern Sea Route, Russian media outlet Sputnik said on its Chinese website on Wednesday.

The strong interest of Chinese shipping companies in the Northern Sea Route reflects their pursuit of new business opportunities and also bodes well for the potential for China-Russia cooperation in Arctic shipping. 

Although some in the West tend to misinterpret normal cooperation between China and Russia on Arctic issues, their collaboration on the Northern Sea Route is based on mutual interests and the development needs of the regional economy.

As one of the key Arctic shipping routes, the Northern Sea Route is known as the shortest sea route linking Europe to Asia, offering multiple advantages such as reduced sailing times and lower sailing costs. The Korea Maritime Institute once predicted that Arctic shipping routes have the potential to emerge as important commercial alternatives to the traditional Asia-Europe route through the Suez Canal.  

As the appeal of Arctic shipping grows, there is an increasing amount of international research and policy planning focused on Arctic development and route construction. For instance, in 2022, Russia approved a 13-year development plan for its Northern Sea Route, which includes the construction of more than 50 icebreakers and ice-class ships, the establishment of ports, terminals and emergency rescue centers, and the deployment of an orbital satellite constellation. It is estimated that about 2 trillion rubles ($22.38 billion) will need to be invested, according to the Xinhua News Agency.

This extensive plan reflects Russia's determination to develop the Northern Sea Route and the priority it attaches to this effort. To achieve its ambitious goals, Russia needs a stable and reliable long-term partner, as well as adequate technical and financial support. 

From China's perspective, the Arctic shipping route holds significant implications for the development of its future trade network. Maritime transport constitutes about 95 percent of China's international trade. If the Northern Sea Route emerges as a viable commercial option, it will undoubtedly enhance convenience and cost-effectiveness for trade between China and Russia, as well as between China and Europe. Furthermore, this new shipping route has the potential to stimulate development in Northeast China, fostering revitalization and positioning the region as a new frontier of openness.

While the Northern Sea Route may offer many advantages, it also presents significant challenges. First of all, the unpredictability of navigation times each year restricts its utilization. Second, support services for navigation are inadequate, with notable deficiencies in rescue, anti-pollution, medical and cargo handling facilities along the route. That means the Arctic shipping route still has a long way to go from its current status to truly becoming a commercial option, and it requires more international cooperation.

All in all, promoting and strengthening bilateral and multilateral cooperation efforts related to Arctic routes will not only benefit China and Russia, but also serve the interests of regional economies and contribute to the global economic recovery.

At 11:23 am on Thursday, a round of applause erupted in Air China's first C919 cabin, when the home-made plane, with the registration number of B-919X, landed smoothly at the Beijing Capital International Airport in Beijing.

Welcomed with a water cannon salute at the airport, Air China's first C919 aircraft officially joined the fleet.

About one hour earlier, another C919 received by China Southern Airlines landed at Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport in Guangzhou, South China's Guangdong Province, also becoming the first of its kind received by China Southern.

It is the second day after the single-aisle C919 were delivered to the two major Chinese air carriers by the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC) in Shanghai. The aircraft have now returned to their bases, preparing for future service.

The C919 is an excellent aircraft, achieving a very high standard in design, performance, as well as in terms of control feeling and human-computer interaction, Wang Yan, the captain of Air China B-919X, told the Global Times on Thursday.

"I am proud of the Air China C919 aircraft, and I am proud to be a C919 pilot," Wang said.

Wang has long flown Boeing 777 and Airbus 321 aircraft. In July, Wang completed the C919 modification training and obtained a new pilot license.

"We will ensure that domestically-produced large aircraft fly smoothly in the blue sky, prioritizing safety and efficiency," Wang said.

The most striking feature of Air China's C919 is its spaciousness, including the wide aisle, an open cabin layout, and generous seat spacing.

Air China's C919 aircraft has a total of 158 seats, including eight business class seats with a pitch of 40 inches, 150 economy class seats with a pitch of 30-31 inches, and a 45-inch pitch at the safety exit.

Compared with other airlines, which have 164 seats, Air China has one fewer row of economy class seats, so the distance between each row of seats is increased by two inches. The seat spacing is better than that of similar foreign planes.

While seated in an economy class seat, the GT reporter opened the tray table and placed a laptop on it without feeling cramped, while the leg space was comfortable. When the passenger in the middle seat leaves the seat, another passenger does not need to stand up, but can easily make room by turning slightly sideways.

Even if the flight attendants push the dining cart down the central aisle, there is relatively ample space in the aisle on both sides, the reporter noticed.
To ensure safety, Air China set up a flying team for C919, and the first group of ten C919 pilots completed the transition training on July 29 and passed the test organized by the Civil Aviation Administration of China, all with excellent results, receiving their C919 pilot licenses.

Information shared by China Southern showed that the carrier selected three experienced captains, with a total flight time exceeding 35,000 hours.

China Southern said it will launch a route from Guangzhou to Shanghai on September 19. The carrier said it has been deepening cooperation with COMAC in maintenance capability development, parts manufacturing, and aircraft monitoring system to ensure the safe and efficient operation of the C919.

The carrier independently develops an aircraft health management system, the only one in the world compatible with Boeing, Airbus, and the home-made aircraft. It can provide real-time status monitoring, fault diagnosis, and predictive maintenance, and data-driven decision support to improve aircraft safety, reliability and maintenance efficiency.

China Southern announced that it plans to implement the system across all C919 fleet after successful testing.

Currently, a total of nine C919 planes have been delivered to airlines by COMAC. Among them, the C919 aircraft of China Eastern Airlines, the first global user, has been operating smoothly for 15 consecutive months since its first commercial flight, flying five routes, and has completed more than 3,600 commercial flights and 10,000 flight hours.