Nancy Tang sighs in frustration when seeing the negative result on the pregnancy test kit, again. She writes a private post on social media that is only visible to herself: "If I don't get pregnant soon, I'm gonna miss the 'dragon baby.'"

Both Tang and her husband hope to have a "dragon baby" this year. They believe that the dragon, the mythical creature in ancient Chinese legend, is an auspicious symbol, and having a baby born in the Year of the Dragon is "a pretty cool thing."

Tang is among a growing couples of childbearing age who are eager to have babies in this Year of the Dragon. They make no secret of their preference for the Chinese "Dragon" zodiac sign, and they very much expect to get pregnant by March - so that their babies will be born before the end of January 2025, the start of the Year of the Snake.

Chinese demographers predicted that the "dragon baby fever" is likely to cause a small baby boom this year, a positive sign of people's confidence in China's economy and social policies.

Many places in China have inded experienced a small babyboom since the Year of the Dragon, with the birth rate from early 2024 to now increasing by more than 10 percent compared to the same period last year, according to a report of team led by macro policy analyst Ren Zeping released on March 12.

However, in the long term, due to the gradual disappearance of the fertility accumulation effect, low fertility rates, and the continuous decline in the number of women of childbearing age, it will be difficult to reverse the downward trend in the birth rate without substantial and effective pro-natal policies being implemented, the report noted.

Obsession for a 'dragon baby'

Tang is a 35-year-old teacher in Kunming, Southwest China's Yunnan Province. She lives far apart from her husband, who works long-term in the Xizang Autonomous Region.

During the summer and winter vacations in 2023, Tang traveled nearly 1,000 kilometers to Xizang region, living there with her husband for several weeks each time. The biggest task for the couple was to conceive a baby, particularly, a baby that would be born this year - the Year of the Dragon.

The long journeys were just a small part of the many efforts Tang made in the past year for the anticipated "dragon baby." To be healthier and more "pregnancy-appropriate," Tang was prescribed traditional Chinese medicine and acupuncture sessions for months to "improve the endocrine system."

"I've even been to the temples, praying to the Buddha to have a 'dragon baby' soon," she said.

Similarly, Xiao Ling, a 34-year-old woman working in Beijing, is also looking forward to a "dragon baby."

"I did not have a preference for a 'dragon baby' at first. But my mom consulted a fortune teller who said that a 'dragon baby' would benefit me according to my shengchen bazi, and a baby in the next year of the snake would negatively affect me," Xiao said.

Shengchen bazi means "the date of birth and the eight characters of the horoscope." These eight characters are translated from the birth information - year, month, day, and hour - into four pairs of distinct Chinese characters, which ancient Chinese people believed contained the secrets of a person's fortune.

"I know it is a kind of superstition, but as long I as I have heard it, it is hard to get it out of my mind. In Chinese culture, the dragon symbolizes power, nobility, and intelligence. I have a reserved personality, so I think a 'dragon baby' may complement me well," Xiao told the Global Times.

"But, anyway, I will embrace my baby whenever it comes, my only wish is that it is healthy," Xiao noted.
A surge in pregnancy

The Dragon is undoubtedly the most favored sign among all the 12 Chinese zodiacs or animal signs.

Many foreign celebrities have expressed their affection for this special mythical creature. On a late-night show, US actor and film producer Nicolas Cage once shared he thought he was born in the Year of the Dragon, and therefore got a dragon tattoo. But he later discovered that he was actually born in the Year of the Rabbit according to the lunar Chinese calendar.

"I had [an] incredible identity crisis," Cage joked.

Many Chinese people also refer to themselves as "descendants of the dragon." On China's lifestyle-oriented social media app Little Red Book, or Xiaohongshu, a recent survey covering some 148,000 users showed that almost one in three respondents like the dragon the most, unsurprisingly ranking top among all the 12 animal signs.

Chinese people's preference for "dragon babies" has been intuitively reflected in hospitals. Across the country, many hospitals revealed that the numbers of pregnant and "lying-in" women have surged in the last two or three months, to the extent that a few renowned maternity hospitals and maternity departments in some general hospitals have no spare beds at times, according to media reports.

In Shanghai, several major maternity hospitals have seen an increase in the number of obstetrics service registrations. At the Obstetrics & Gynecology Hospital of Fudan University, the number in January grew by 14 percent compared to the same period in 2021. Its previous obvious growth was in 2012, also a Year of the Dragon, Gu Weirong, deputy director of the hospital, told local media Shanghai Observer.

In Beijing, a woman surnamed Yang witnessed the unusually busy gynecology and obstetrics department in the second half of 2023.

Yang is expecting to have her "dragon baby" in May. She told the Global Times she was amazed that, when she went to the gynecology and obstetrics department at the hospital where her husband works in November 2023 to register, medical staff told her that the beds for May 2024 had been fully booked.

Yang said she learned from medical staff that the workload of the department's ultrasound room at the end of 2023 was up to four times that of the same period in 2022.

"Part of the reason is that people are paying more and more attention to antenatal care. Another reason is that there are indeed more pregnant women," Yang said.

Yang's observation echoed the expectation of some experts for a minor baby boom in 2024 caused by various effects.

The first effect is the preference for the Dragon as a zodiac sign in Chinese culture, Zhai Zhenwu, China Population Association resident and a professor at Renmin University of China, told the Global Times, referring to a similar baby boom that occurred on the Chinese mainland in 2012, also the Year of the Dragon.

Second, many women who postponed pregnancy plans during the COVID-19 pandemic period started to get pregnant after Chinese people stepped out of shadow of the pandemic and kicked off a new phase of life, Zhai said.

Yuan Xin, a professor at the Institute of Population and Development at Nankai University's School of Economics, agreed with Zhai and noted a third major effect. "Improving fertility support policies in China will also encourage people to have larger families," Yuan said.

Chinese think tank YuWa Population Research on Wednesday released a report on the cost of raising a child in China. According to the report, which is based on the China Statistical Yearbook 2023, in 2022, the average cost of raising a child from birth to the age of 17 in China was 538,000 yuan ($7,372).

When compared with GDP, the average cost of raising a child in China until the age of 18 was 6.3 times China's GDP per capita in 2022, higher than many countries including Japan (4.26 times), the US (4.11 times), and Germany (3.64 times), read the report.

Zhai refused to comment on the results of the report, questioning its reliability as it is based on macro statistics. However, he agreed that the high cost is a major factor that prevents some Chinese couples from having children.

Chinese authorities have made various efforts to help reduce fertility costs in recent years, Zhai noted. Based on that, he called for more measures in the field of education, such as establishing a high-quality inclusive childcare system for preschool children.

Some demographers believed the possible temporary baby boom in the Year of the Dragon is unlikely to change the overall trend of declining birth rates, but it is nonetheless a positive sign, as more babies being born implies people's confidence in China's robust economy, good social order, and an improved fertility support policy.
Many more boys than girls?

China's sex ratio at birth is another widely watched figure apart from the general fertility rate.

In China, the sex ratio at birth in 2022 was 111.1 (111.1 boys per 100 girls), slightly increased from the previous year's 108.3 ratio, according to data from the National Health Commission. On social media, some users shared their observations of "many more boys than girls in kindergarten," which resonated with many.

However, the Global Times also found many posts on Chinese social media platforms that say there are more girls than boys in kindergarten.

Demographer Zhou Haiwang refuted the saying that China's sex ratio at birth "is seriously misaligned." The personal experiences of some netizens are just individual cases, said Zhou, deputy director of the Institute of Urban and Demographic Studies under the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences.

The slight fluctuation in sex ratio at birth in one or two single years is normal, Zhou said. "On the whole, the ratio in China has gradually declined over in the last decade," he said.

Prior to 2022, China's sex ratios at birth saw a 10-year consecutive decrease, dropping from 117.7 in 2012 to 108.3 in 2021. The gender structure of the birth population has improved significantly, according to National Bureau of Statistics.

"The preference for boys over girls is now rarely seen in big cities, and the situation has improved a lot in urban areas as well," Zhou told the Global Times.

Through the years, China has been working hard to achieve gender equality, Zhou noted. Governments at all levels have introduced many laws and regulations to protect the interests of female employees, and pregnant and breast-feeding women enjoy more and more favorable policies, such as extended maternity leave, he said.

Editor's Note:

It has been more than one month since Japanese ambassador to China Kenji Kanasugi arrived in December 2023. On January 18, Ambassador Kanasugi gave an exclusive interview to Global Times reporters Xing Xiaojing and Liu Xin (GT), his first interview with Chinese media, during which he described diplomatic work as a "long-distance relay race," and said that whoever holds the baton should run as far as possible. During his tenure as Japanese ambassador to China, he hopes to use his own experiences to promote mutual exchanges between Japan and China, and contribute to the improvement of bilateral relations.
GT: After receiving the news of your appointment as the ambassador to China, we have learned that you are held in very high regard by both Chinese and Japanese individuals who have the occasion of your acquaintance. They view you as a professional diplomat and, although you do not come from a "China school" background, they have high hopes that you will contribute to the improvement of China-Japan relations. How do you view this praise and expectations? Could you please introduce the focus and goals of your work during your tenure as the Japanese ambassador?

Kanasugi: As a diplomat, it's a great honor to receive such praise. Rather than saying this is a recognition of me personally, I hope it can also bring about appreciation for the Japanese people, Japanese companies, and Japan as a whole.

In fact, I am not an expert on China issues. As you know, from 2016 to 2019, I served as the director general of the Foreign Ministry's Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau, responsible for Japan-China relations. I also served as the director-general of the Economic Affairs Bureau, gaining some firsthand experience in Japan-China relations. At that time, a series of meetings between high-level officials from Japan and China gradually set the gears in motion for the improvement of Japan-China relations.

In October 2018, the late prime minister Shinzo Abe made an official visit to China, and I was also part of the delegation that visited Beijing. I hope to contribute my modest efforts in promoting the advancement of Japan-China relations based on my experiences.

One important duty of the ambassador and the embassy is to ensure the security of Japanese nationals living in China and to protect the Japanese companies' interests. For this, I think Japan and China should still strengthen communication.

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, over the last three years, communication between China and Japan was suspended, as it was among other countries. In November 2023, top leaders from China and Japan held a summit to improve bilateral relations after the end of the pandemic. Therefore, I hope to promote mutual exchanges between Japan and China in order to improve bilateral relations.

GT: What impressed you most during your previous visits to China? How do you feel coming to China this time as the newly appointed ambassador?

Kanasugi: My most unforgettable experience was accompanying the then-Japanese prime minister on his visit to Beijing in October 2018. At the time, as the director general of the Foreign Ministry's Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau, I directly participated in the related work, which left a deep impression on me. Moreover, about 10 years ago, there were voices saying that Beijing had severe air pollution, I was able to see the blue sky during that visit, during which the air in Beijing was very fresh, which surprised me.

Coming to China for work, this time as a diplomat, I feel deeply honored, and as an ambassador to China, one of the most important countries for Japan, I cannot afford to be complacent in any sense. I will try my best to promote the development of Japan-China relations, even if it is a step or two forward.

GT: On November 16, 2023, Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in San Francisco, US. During the meeting, the two leaders reiterated their commitment to the principles and consensus stipulated in the four political documents between the two countries and reaffirmed the positioning of promoting China-Japan strategic relationship of mutual benefit in an all-round way. They also agreed to dedicate themselves to jointly building a constructive and stable China-Japan relationship that meets the demands of the new era. What are your thoughts on the significance of this meeting?

Kanasugi: The joint statement on the All-round Promotion of Strategic Relationship of Mutual Benefit was signed by Japan and China in 2008. Its main content is that as neighboring countries, Japan and China face various challenges and should work together to address them. At the same time, there are many areas in which Japan and China can deepen their cooperation.

I believe that deepening cooperation in these areas is the essence of promoting China-Japan strategic relationship of mutual benefit in an all-round way. However, during the pandemic, the exchange of personnel between Japan and China was interrupted, and the relationship between the two countries became somewhat strained.

Against this background, it is of great significance for the leaders of Japan and China to reaffirm the positioning of promoting China-Japan strategic relationship of mutual benefit in an all-round way during their meeting, in order to deepen cooperation between Japan and China.

GT: What measures will Japan take to implement the consensus reached by the top leaders of the two countries?

Kanasugi: I believe it is necessary to deepen communication through various channels. In fact, consensus has been reached on the Japan-China Economic High-Level Dialogue, Japan-China people-to-people and cultural exchanges dialogue, and mutual visits of foreign ministers during occasions such as the Japan-China leaders' summit.

Such exchanges are crucial for promoting personnel exchanges. What is even more important is to let the people of Japan and China see that unresolved issues are being resolved through this communication. Once exchanges and dialogue resume, things will move forward.

GT: After the Chinese and American leaders met in San Francisco, China-US relations are expected to get warm. Do you think that there is also a possibility for a turning point in China-Japan relations?

Kanasugi: The Japan-China relationship is not defined by the US-China relationship. Japan's foreign policy is entirely based on its national interests, which is a major premise. Under this premise, both sides reaffirmed in November 2023 the positioning of promoting China-Japan strategic relationship of mutual benefit in an all-round way. I hope that progress can be made in Japan-China relations within this important framework.

GT: However, there is a viewpoint that believes that China-Japan relations will also be influenced by China-US relations.

Kanasugi: That is because we are part of the international community, therefore the influence from US-China relations will not be zero. If Japan-China relations are improving, I believe this will certainly have an impact on US-China relations as well. The international community is a relationship of interdependence, and I think [the above viewpoint] should be discussed based on this.

GT: We noticed that you often wore traditional attire while serving as the Japanese Ambassador to Indonesia. Would you consider doing the same with traditional Chinese costume?

Kanasugi: In Indonesia, there is a traditional attire called "Batik." I often wore it because, according to Indonesian customs, wearing "Batik" is suitable for any occasion, such as meeting the president, attending weddings, or going to work. It is very convenient, and Indonesians dress this way. So, I was not the only one as the embassy staff often wore "Batik." However, when attending formal occasions in China, it is still necessary to wear a suit, so I usually wear suits during work.

GT: Do you plan to create a social media account after coming to China, and share similar regular life updates as you did during your tenure in Indonesia?

Kanasugi: I have only been here for a month and I don't know yet. If it helps to promote Japan-China relations, I am willing to consider it.

GT: Although you recently arrived in China, we are curious about what kind of outcome you hope to see in China-Japan relations when you leave China.

Kanasugi: In Japan there is a popular sport called Ekiden, in which the baton is passed on from one runner to another in a long-distance race. I believe our work is like a relay race, taking over the baton from our predecessors and running as far as possible during our term, and then passing the baton on to the next person.

I hope that during my term, Japan-China relations can move forward, even if it's just one or two steps. It has only been a month since my arrival, and currently, I want to make efforts to solve as many of the current issues as possible.

GT: Which place do you want to visit during your stay in China?

Kanasugi: China is vast and rich in resources, with many beautiful places. During my time in China, I want to explore more and see more, which will deepen my personal experience. There are still many places that I don't know much about, but many Japanese people, especially my generation, have a strong desire to visit the "Silk Road," so I also want to go and see it.

GT：What is your view on the significance of China-Japan relations to Asia and the whole world?

Kanasugi: When I left Indonesia, many Indonesian friends saw me off and said, the stability of China-Japan relations is crucial for Indonesia and ASEAN. Please make sure to work hard. I will always remember these voices in my work in China.

Editor's Note:
Located in the eastern part of Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Hami is an important city along the ancient Silk Road and a key node city under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). In this city with a total area of 142,100 square kilometers, the permanent population is 680,000, and 39 ethnic groups including Han, Uygur, Kazakh, Hui, and Mongolian live here harmoniously.

GT reporters again traveled to the region. In this fourth installment of a series of articles, GT tells character stories based on multiple local young people who have realized their self-worth here with the continuous improvement of Xinjiang's economic industrial structure.
Millionaire camel breeder

Zhonghe Camel Breeding Cooperative in Xiamaya township, Hami city, is about 260 kilometers away from the city center. After a four-hour drive out there, a group of sunbathing camels came into view. Nuraly Kasmu, a 32-year-old Uygur man, is the head of the cooperative.

Talking with the Global Times, he said, "There is a saying that 'having millions in wealth is not considered rich if you have long-haired camels.'" Free-range camels not only tend to wander off, but are also at risk of wolf attacks. Newborn camels also find it difficult to survive, making it difficult for herders to guarantee their economic income.

In November 2014, with the support of the local government, Nuraly's father founded this cooperative to provide custody and breeding services for camels, as well as selling fresh camel milk and other products.

Currently, more than 80 households of herders in the local area entrust their camels to the cooperative, mainly consisting of Kazakh and Uygur herders, as well as Han herders. According to the agreement, the cooperative distributes dividends to herders at a rate of 1,000 yuan ($139.83) per camel per year, and the income from camel milk, camel hair, and newborn camels belongs to the cooperative.

Nuraly said that since 2015, the total amount of dividends given to villagers in Xiamaya township by the cooperative has accumulated to nearly 400,000 yuan. There are currently more than 900 camels in this breeding base covering an area of over 3,000 square meters. Each camel produces about 2 to 3 kilograms of milk per day, with the highest monthly sales of camel milk reaching around 5,000 kilograms, bringing in a monthly income of about 180,000 to 200,000 yuan, and an annual income exceeding 2 million yuan.

"I might be the richest person in the local area!" Nuraly said with a smile.

Nuraly used to work for a local new energy company and joined his father's cooperative in 2018 to continue the family business. Despite his playful nature, he is meticulous when it comes to work.

"To take care of the camels, I specifically hired a camel caretaker from the Barkol Kazak Autonomous County," he said. "Kazakh compatriots have a lot of experience in camel breeding and know how to make them produce milk. More importantly, they have genuine affection for camels and don't treat them as just a job."

In addition, the cooperative pays attention to the nutritional balance of camel feed, regularly conducts vaccinations for camels, hires professionals to take care of newborn camels, and provides insurance for the camels. They also receive technical training from agricultural and animal husbandry experts and scholars every year.

Keram Wudge, a 60-year-old herder, also entrusts his camels to the cooperative. He told the Global Times that herders have signed contracts with the cooperative and receive stable dividend income every year without having to worry. With the free time, older herders can stay at home and take care of their elderly family members, while others work as border guards to increase their income.

When asked about the changes in their lives since taking over the cooperative five years ago, Nuraly smiled and said, "We have money now! Who doesn't want to make money?"

It's not just Nuraly whose wallet has grown. Through systematic management, the cooperative has radiated and boosted the income of farmers and herders in Xiamaya township and surrounding towns, promoting local economic development.

The operation of the cooperative has not been smooth sailing, and the sudden outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic was the biggest test. "The local government waived the cooperative's loan interest, and companies from Central China's Henan Province provided financial support. With the trust and support of people from all ethnic groups, we were able to overcome the difficulties together," Nuraly said.

Nuraly has ideas for the future development of the cooperative. In his view, camel milk has high nutritional value and can help alleviate diabetes and enhance immunity. In the future, he wants to continue to expand the scale and breed more camels, improve the quality and quantity of camel milk, and sell camel milk along the BRI to various parts of Asia, Africa, Europe, and other parts of the world.

"At that time, I will proudly tell others that this is the camel milk produced by our cooperative," Nuraly said.

Uygur woman builds promising career

The fresh camel milk produced by cooperatives in Yiwu county, Hami, is mainly sent to Xinjiang Zhongtuo Bio-Technology Co. for processing, and is then sold to various parts of the world.

Zhao Junli, the chairman of the company, said in an interview with the Global Times that as a company that attracted investment from Henan to Xinjiang, the company opened in Yiwu county in April 2016. At that time, although there were not many camels, the natural environment and development prospects were good. In order to ensure a stable supply of camel milk, the company provided 5,000 yuan in funding to the local people for every camel purchased, interest-free, and the camel milk produced would be used to repay the funding. Generally, each camel can repay 500 yuan per month, and it can be repaid in about a year, which immediately mobilized the enthusiasm of the local people.

Zhao said that herders can entrust their camels to the cooperatives, and the cooperatives are responsible for camel breeding and milking. The milk is then transported to his company by milk delivery trucks. After sampling and testing, the qualified camel milk is sent to the production workshop to produce fresh camel milk, camel milk powder, milk slices, and other products. Camel milk biscuits and camel milk shower gel are also popular products.

Some Western countries have been fabricating rumors about "forced labor" in Xinjiang. Zhao said that when he received a group of foreign journalists from eight countries, he told them, "Do not spread false words, do not mislead the public. Many people in Xinjiang have created a beautiful life with their own hands!"

Taking Zhongtuo Bio-Technology Co. as an example, the company's employees are from various ethnic groups such as Han, Hui and Uygur, as well as Kazakh and Tibetan people. Zhao said that regardless of ethnicity or gender, all employees of the company are treated equally, with labor contracts updated regularly to fully protect the rights and interests of workers.

Generally, working hours are from 9 am to 1 pm and from 3 pm to 7 pm on weekdays, and overtime pay is provided at a rate of 25 yuan per hour. In addition to year-end bonuses and other benefits, the company also provides a full attendance bonus based on length of service. Employees who have been with the company for more than one year can receive an additional 40 yuan per day, those who have been with the company for more than two years can receive 60 yuan per day, and those who have been with the company for more than three years can receive 80 yuan per day. This adds up to a considerable amount, resulting in a low rate of people leaving the company.
There are people from various ethnic backgrounds who have built careers here, including Amangul Taolang, a 29-year-old Uygur woman.

Amangul graduated from Tarim University with a major in food quality and safety in July 2017. She then worked in an administrative position in another company. In November 2017, she came to Zhongtuo by chance to work as a laboratory technician. She felt that her professional knowledge from university was finally being put to use and decided to stay. At that time, her monthly salary was 3,000 yuan.

"In terms of salary alone, it was similar to my previous job. But I believe that while earning a living is important, I also hope to realize my self-worth in my work," Amangul told the Global Times.

Over the past six years, she has continuously learned professional knowledge and has gone from being an ordinary laboratory technician to a laboratory supervisor, technical manager, and is now the director of food safety for the entire company.

With the improvement of her abilities and position, Amangul's salary has also increased significantly, and her annual income now exceeds 200,000 yuan.

Amangul said that in the early days of the company's establishment, she was the only member of an ethnic minority in the company. Now, there are a total of 10 people in her laboratory, including colleagues from Han, Uygur, and Kazakh ethnic groups. They work together, respecting each other and showing interest in each other's customs. They celebrate festivals such as Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha together.

Amangul said that the company has facilities such as a basketball court, gym, and public activity room, and she is satisfied with the current working environment and atmosphere.

Now her only goal is to further improve her work abilities and continue to make progress while she is young.

In recent months, the Philippines has repeatedly intruded on the waters near China's Huangyan Island and Ren'ai Jiao (Ren'ai Reef) in the South China Sea, while simultaneously spreading false information and even staging incidents in the international public opinion arena, specifically aimed at defaming China to exacerbate tensions with neighboring countries. Many Western media outlets, ravenously feasting on the opportunity to discredit China, have also joined forces with the Philippines to distort the facts.

Why does the Philippines, despite knowing the potential for conflict, choose to provoke and manipulate journalists to create a provocative narrative against China? What are their attempts to control public opinion? What are the different motivations and sinister intentions behind the different parties involved?

Through investigation and verification, the Global Times has discovered a resonance between the Philippines and some Western media in the production of fake news on the South China Sea issue, as they attempt to converge and create a false narrative that portrays China as aggressive, domineering and a bullying to smaller nations. Such deliberate efforts to create confusion will not help resolve the South China Sea issue, but instead damage peace and stability in the region.

Escalated farce

"Territorial conflict,""risky intercepts," and "extremely reckless and dangerous harassment" are a few of the high-frequency keywords that have emerged in recent reports by major Philippine media outlets regarding China's justified actions in the South China Sea, an indication of an intensifying false propaganda offensive by the Philippines.

The Philippine government has extensively laid the groundwork to aid in swaying public opinion, including creating conflicts in disputed waters through the use of various "props" and launching strong premeditated counterattacks.

The most iconic bit of fake news material from the Philippine propaganda campaign in the South China Sea comes from their "grounded" vessel at Ren'ai Jiao. Ren'ai Jiao is part of China's Nansha Island. However, the Philippines has "grounded" a military vessel at Ren'ai Jiao and attempted to repair and reinforce it in an attempt to permanently occupy the area. Using this "grounded" vessel, the Philippines has orchestrated a series of combined public opinion offensives.

The corpse-like vessel has become an important tool for Philippine authorities and anti-China media to agitate constant waves in the South China Sea.

On October 22, the Philippines once again attempted to supply construction materials to the grounded vessel at Ren'ai Jiao and were intercepted by the China Coast Guard (CCG). Surprisingly, they then approached the CCG patrol ship, resulting in two consecutive collisions between the two vessels.

Following this incident, the Philippines began a series of propaganda attacks. The Philippine Presidential Communications Office publicly stated on Facebook that Philippine President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos had convened a special command conference of the national security and defense clusters to "look into China's recent harassment."

Jonathan Malaya, spokesperson for the national security council of the country, then accused China of "increasing tensions" in the South China Sea during a press conference.

However, the Global Times found that behind the scenes of these South China Sea disputes, there are always Philippine government officials who incentivize confrontations by providing free oil and groceries, inciting Filipino fishermen to challenge China's control zone, provoking CCG patrol ship, and staging incidents for the camera. They also conduct close-range reconnaissance of the CCG's on-site control facilities such as the barrier nets, and seize opportunities to sabotage them.

Unable to base any of the narratives peddled on fact, the Philippine side has resorted to employing anything related to maritime activities as evidence, including maritime buoys and ship anchors.

On September 25, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) carried out a "special operation," disguised as ordinary fishermen by approaching the Huangyan Island and then submerging to cut some floats anchored in the ocean. Subsequently, the PCG held a press conference, releasing a video showcasing their "valiant action" and presenting an unidentified iron anchor as "captured equipment," while boasting about their successful "interception of China."

The video in question clearly shows signs of the scene being staged, with obvious adjustments of angles during underwater filming, deliberately avoiding any crucial actions and visuals that could reveal the buoy's information. Chinese netizens have shared comparison photos, pointing out that the so-called iron anchor of the Chinese Navy, as claimed by the PCG, is actually a common tool used by Chinese fishermen.

Observers have pointed out that the interception by the CCG is legitimate and necessary. China has set up floating barriers at the entrance of the lagoon within Huangyan Island to safeguard its sovereignty, and there is no element of "bullying" involved.

And when there is no any "evidence," the Philippines attempts to escalate tensions in the South China Sea and furthers attempts at playing the innocent bullying victim card in the issue.

On August, disregarding China's repeated dissuasion and warnings, the Philippines dispatched two vessels to illegally enter Ren'ai Jiao territory, in an alleged attempting at delivering construction materials to "grounded" vessels. The PCG fabricated a story using static photos on Facebook, claiming that the CCG had engaged in "dangerous maneuvers and illegal use of water cannons against the PCG vessels."

However, in the footage released by the CCG, the Chinese vessel's water column did not hit the supply ship and instead went into the sea.

On August 7, CCG spokesperson Gan Yu clearly stated in a press conference that the CCG vessel carried out a lawful interception and employed warning enforcement measures. "In the face of ineffective warnings after multiple calls, in order to avoid direct interception and collision, water cannons were used as further deterrence. The on-site operation was professional, restrained, and beyond reproach."

The irony is, despite all the cries of "justice," no Filipino media outlet has ever mentioned the CCG's restraint when intercepting Filipino fishing boats. They also deliberately ignored the fact that the Chinese navy frequently conducts rescue operations to assist Filipino fishermen in the waters of the South China Sea, and receives sincere gratitude from those who have been rescued.

In addition to the repeated use of the "grounded" vessel, the Philippines has previously hyped up the claim that "China has destroyed coral reefs in the South China Sea" and even threatened to take legal action against China. This move has been strongly condemned by China as a "political farce."

"If the Philippines truly cares about the ecological environment of the South China Sea, it should tow away the illegally 'grounded' warship at Ren'ai Jiao as soon as possible, stop it from discharging polluted water into the ocean, and not let the rusting warship bring irrevocable harm to the ocean," China's Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning responded on a routine press conference in September.

From the previous sensational claims about Chinese fishermen digging up coral reefs and damaging the marine environment, to the slanderous claims that the CCG were driving away Filipino fishermen, and recent demands to dismantle the floating barriers placed by China, the Philippine authorities and local media outlets have continuously escalated their propaganda, gradually forming a mature set of arguments by utilizing sporadic public opinion attacks, Peng Nian, a scholar at China's National Institute for South China Sea Studies, told the Global Times.

Peng pointed out that this series of actions indicates a growing possibility of radicalization in the policies and actions of the Philippine government regarding the South China Sea issue.

These recent disputes are actually part of a series of actions taken by the Philippines against China's stance on the South China Sea issue. These include providing supplies to grounded vessels, inviting foreign media outlets to report on the propaganda, and conducting joint patrols with the US, Dai Fan, director of the Center for Philippine Studies at Jinan University, told the Global Times.

"The Philippine government aims to establish an image of China bullying the Philippines in the international community, promote the idea that China is undermining international rules, and at the same time, divert attention from its increasingly acute domestic conflicts to rally public support." Dai noted.
Unseemly tricks

Worse still, the US-led West continues to meddle in South China Sea issues so as to attempt to interfere in China's internal affairs and damage China's international image. Some Western media outlets, abandoning their basic principles of professionalism such as balance and objectivity, openly side with the Philippines and attack China with unseemly tricks.

One of the major tricks employed by some Western media outlets in slandering China with regard to their South China Sea-related coverage is only presenting the Philippine narrative.

The Global Times took note of 10 recent stories by mainstream Western media outlets on South China Sea issues, in which only three quoted statement made by the Chinese government and experts. None of the 10 stories contained any first-hand interviews with the Chinese side. In stark contrast, the stories were replete with first-hand quotes from Filipino fishermen, government officials, and experts.

In a September story titled "Filipino fisherman chased by China coast guard in disputed waters," AFP journalists, who openly stated that they had been "on board" a Philippine government ship at that time, detailed Filipino fishermen's sensational claims and the country's officials' incendiary accusations against China.

The story, similar to many others by Western media outlets, turned a blind eye to any response, statements, or explanations from the Chinese side, transforming supposed impartial reporting by an independent third-party media outlet into a de facto press release by the Philippine government, Chinese observers pointed out.

The use of blatantly inflammatory and offensive headlines is yet another cliché trick resorted to by Western media outlets.

A Bloomberg article titled "Philippines Steps Up Exposure of China 'Bullying' in Sea Row" published in August as well as a Chinese-language article published by the VOA-titled "Water cannon incident escalates tensions in the South China Sea; international community condemns Beijing's 'dangerous' move" are just two such examples. Headlines like these paint China in a negative light, setting a negative tone in reporting by media outfits expected to be professional and impartial.

In the multimedia era, some journalists from Western media outlets, together with their Filipino peers, livestream on China's legitimate expulsions of the Philippine ships, in an attempt to create "panic" among countries and regions in the South China Sea, warned Chinese experts.

"That has put pressure on our law enforcement in the South China Sea," said Ma Bo, a scholar at the Collaborative Innovation Center for South China Sea Studies, Nanjing University.

Since the Marcos Jr administration came to power, especially after signing the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement with the US early this year, the Philippines has been standing with the US-led West in tarnishing China's image on South China Sea issues, said Ma. "Their tactics include, but are not limited to, public opinion warfare targeting China," he told the Global Times.

Unforeseen consequences

Currently, the Philippines' provocative actions on China's territory in the South China Sea, coupled with the rampant fabrication of false information, have created a certain political resonance with the Western media. Observers pointed out that such collaboration satisfies the selfish desires of some politicians, while deceiving people domestically and internationally to the detriment of regional peace.

The Philippines has become increasingly aggressive, testing China's limits and assessing the US' commitment as its ally, noted Ma.

Following recent incidents of provocation, the US and Japan have been prompt to express their support for the Philippines in diplomatic terms.

"While the US is not a directly involved party in the South China Sea issue, it has been meddling in the matter, using the disputes between China and the Philippines over Ren'ai Jiao, and even the South China Sea, as a means to contain China," Ma said.

Recently, the US' Diplomat magazine reported on the collision between Chinese and Philippine vessels near a disputed shoal in October. It asserted that given China's increasingly confident demeanor, a real conflict was only a matter of time. However, the reality is that it is the Philippines and its deep-rooted alliance with the US that has irresponsibly and irrationally provoked conflicts, and deliberately put on a show for the media, Dai said.

Observers point out that the rampant spread of purposeful fake news not only impacts the China-Philippines relationship but also hinders the negotiation of the Code of Conduct (COC) in the South China Sea, as well as undermines the continuity and strengthening of China's strategic mutual trust with the ASEAN. At the same time, once fake news stirs up nationalist sentiments within the Philippines, it will also be of great detriment for the country.

Such propaganda theatrics are likely to continue between the Philippines and some Western media, but we hope that the Philippines will reconsider its stance and exercise restraint, making a genuine choice to promote a peaceful resolution to the South China Sea issue, Ma said.

High-quality development is the first and foremost task of building China into a modern socialist country in all respects, while developing new quality productive forces is an intrinsic requirement and a significant focus of promoting high-quality development in China. In a sense, technology innovation is the core to serve this purpose.

As a kind of economic activity that is of great significance, scientific research and technology innovation requires significant investment. Thus, how to effectively deploy and allocate financial resources is a key problem for the success of technology innovation. 

In the early stage of China's economic development, there was a relatively large gap between Chinese enterprises and global corporate leaders, which made it easy for Chinese enterprises to find a clear technological path to catch up with their global peers. In this process, indirect financing - where financial intermediaries played a critical role - could effectively allocate financial resources to meet those companies' needs and assist the country to achieve rapid and large-scale industrialization.

However, financial intermediaries sometimes have difficulty in instantly dealing with non-standard information amid uncertainties, and thus indirect financing could not support large-scale industrialization of high-tech industries and can hardly accommodate the drastic changes in economic structure.

As the Chinese economy is shifting toward innovation-driven qualitative development, the advantages of direct financing dominated by the capital market have gradually emerged. 

Direct financing means that companies and investors can communicate directly in the financial market, allowing everyone to fully express their opinions and be more tolerant of investors' errors in decision-making. In a word, this kind of financing can better handle uncertainties and non-standard information so as to support massive innovation activities.

According to the spirit of the Central Financial Work Conference convened in October, accelerating the building of a highly efficient financial market with reasonable structure is necessary for implementing innovation-driven growth strategy and boosting the development of new quality productive forces.

Most important of all, we should give full play to the functioning of China's capital market and earnestly implement the registration-based IPO mechanism so as to smoothen the liquidity channel and better guide much-needed capital to support the real economy and provide stable and sustainable financing for the development of new quality productive forces.

Specifically, financial regulators should further optimize the architecture of the registration-based IPO mechanism with overseeing the information disclosure at the core, and study and formulate guidelines on the disclosure of special information regarding technological, green, digital and other areas.

Meanwhile, more efforts should also be made to strengthen the connection between the multi-faceted capital markets and build a major bastion for servicing small and medium-sized innovation-oriented enterprises.

Third, authorities should diversify IPO conditions, and meet tech firms' various financing needs via Shanghai's tech-heavy STAR Market, the NASDAQ-style ChiNext bourse in Shenzhen, the Beijing Stock Exchange and the National Equities Exchange and Quotations (NEEQ) in a bid to boost better circulation among technologies, industries and finance.

Moreover, we should develop efficient bond market to expand innovation-oriented companies' financing channels and better support technology firms' financing.

Apple announced on Tuesday a plan to open a new research and development (R&D) center in Shenzhen city, South China's Guangdong Province while upgrade its Shanghai R&D center to support product manufacturing.

The new move came as the company just announced to open a new store in downtown Shanghai, underscoring the US tech giant's confidence in the Chinese market.

Later in 2024, Apple will open a new R&D center in Shenzhen, which is expected to provide strong support for the company's staff in the whole region while deepening cooperation with its local suppliers. The new center will strengthen Apple's capability in the testing and research of products including the iPhone, iPad, and Vision Pro, the company said in a statement appeared on its China website.

It also plans to upgrade its Shanghai R&D center to provide support for the reliability, quality and material analysis of its products.

"In Apple, we are proud that we can deepen our footprint in China and expand our world-class facilities here," Ge Yue, Apple's vice president and managing director of Greater China region, was quoted as saying.

Ge said that the new investment will further implement the company's commitment in the market and provide world-class products for Apple users.

According to Apple, it has invested more than 1 billion yuan in its advanced application R&D centers, and the investment volume will continue to increase along with the opening of the new facility in Shenzhen.

Recently, Apple has stepped up operations in China although the US government continues to seek "decoupling" with China with intensified sanctions, baseless accusations and repeated provocations against Chinese companies.

Apple is going to add a new store in downtown Shanghai on March 21, which is reportedly the highest-standard Apple store in the Chinese mainland.

Meanwhile, Apple faces fierce competition from Chinese local smartphone brands including Huawei, Xiaomi and OPPO.

Apple iPhones struggled in the Chinese mainland market in the first six weeks this year, with sales plunging by 24 percent year-on-year, a report by market research organization Counterpoint Research noted on March 5.

Southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region recorded a GDP growth rate of 9.5 percent last year, the highest in the country. Riding on the momentum, the region is expected to sustain its robust economic recovery in 2024, boosted by the development potential in specialty industries such as highland barley and yaks.It will also step up basic infrastructure construction as well as local tourism, a Chinese national political advisor told the Global Times during the two sessions.

Duoji Cizhu, a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and the president of the Xizang Federation of Industry and Commerce, said that Xizang enjoys a unique geographic advantage as it is an important passage connecting China with South Asia. The region could consider further high-level opening-up to facilitate the development of inbound and outbound tourism.

Last year, travel agencies in Xizang organized 23 outbound tourists group to Nepal, according to a report by media outlet chinanews.com.

Some deputies and political advisors also suggested Xizang should expand border trade with neighboring countries such as Nepal, which is Xizang region's largest trading partner and export market. Xizang and Nepal have inaugurated the jointly building of a China-Nepal industrial park in Nepal in 2019, which is also a key bilateral cooperation project under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Xizang has also set up a border economic cooperation zone in Gyirong county.

In 2023, Xizang's foreign trade more than doubled to 10.98 billion yuan, local customs data showed. Its GDP expanded 9.5 percent last year, significantly higher than the national average of 5.2 percent. All those key indicators speak volume for the local economy vitality and a potential in development prospect.

"Xizang's basic infrastructure remains relatively undeveloped, so it is hoped that infrastructure building will gear up in 2024," Cizhu said.

Duan Xiangdong, a member of the CPPCC National Committee and the chairman of Aluminum Corp of China, said in addressing a proposal to the ongoing two sessions that the region, and in particular Ali prefecture, "a key area in China's opening-up to South Asia, which is also rich in natural and mineral resources," should double down on basic infrastructure investment, so that it is able to translate its resource advantages into economic dividends.

"The installed power grid capacity in Ali cannot meet rising electricity demand for social and economic development. Transportation in Ali is limited to highways, with no rail access, which is not cost-effective," Duan pointed out. He stressed that the development of the border regions is also conducive to ensuring national security.

Cizhu also serves as the president of Xizang business chamber. He envisioned that the private sector would play a more pivotal role in the development of overall local economy in 2024.

"Private enterprises in Xizang are set up by firms across the country, and they, while contributing to the improvements of people's livelihoods, also carry great significance in strengthening ethnic unity and the consolidation of border defense," he noted.

The work report of the Standing Committee of the 14th National People's Congress (NPC), China's top legislature, on Friday pledged to accelerate the formation of a law aimed at promoting the development of the private sector, sending a strong signal on policymakers' commitment to make continuous improvements in the business environment and boosting the high-quality development of the private sector for Chinese modernization.

Members of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) National Committee have proposed building a science and technology innovation center in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region oriented toward Central Asia, in a bid to promote the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and local development.

Chinese experts said that the center will facilitate technology cooperation and business trade between Xinjiang and Central Asian countries, further lifting personnel, technology and capital flows in the region.  

The proposal was co-raised by three CPPCC National Committee members -- Liang Yong, Deng Mingjiang and Xiao Wenjiao -- aiming to foster Xinjiang's innovation-driven development mode, technological innovation capability and the new productive forces, the Global Times was told on Monday.

The proposal called for efforts in supporting Xinjiang to build multiple innovation bases with distinctive industries and advantages, and form new development modes in major cities of the autonomous region and BRI partner countries in Central Asia.

The proposal called for an enhanced coordination mechanism targeting technological support to Xinjiang, diversifying the supporting approaches guided by governments, and ensuring the deployment of talent and expertise.

Xinjiang has multiple advantages in academic research, industrial engineering, new energy and agriculture, which are highly complementary to the industries of Central Asian countries, said the proposal, noting that the innovation center will expand regional cross-border cooperation to stabilize the nation's energy supply and diplomatic relationships.

Liu Zongyi, director of the Center for South Asia Studies at the Shanghai Institutes for International Studies, told the Global Times on Monday that China will not only export self-developed technologies but also learn from some Central Asian countries' leading experience.

In addition, the proposal said the innovation center will amplify the advantages of local pilot free trade zones, balance the development in China's western and eastern regions, and attract international technology, talent and businesses.

"The innovation center will simplify Xinjiang's international cooperation with neighboring Central Asian countries, and will create mutually beneficial results for both sides," Liu noted.

China's cybersecurity technology ranks in the "top tier" globally, and in the realm of security and defense it can now stand on par with the US, Qi Xiangdong, chairman of Qi An Xin Technology Group, told the Global Times on Friday. However, there remains a gap between China and some developed countries such as the US in terms of investment in cybersecurity, Qi noted.

The rapid development of artificial intelligence (AI) brings new cybersecurity threats, and China should accelerate the integration of cybersecurity and AI technology to enhance its capability to deal with cybersecurity risks and uncertainties in cyberspace, Qi said.

Qi, who is also a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), said during a group interview ahead of the opening of the two sessions this year that the development of AI technology has become a hot topic for discussion both domestically and internationally.

However, the security risks it brings have also raised concerns. Some experts estimate that over the next decade, the malicious use of AI technology will grow rapidly, posing serious threats to political security, cybersecurity and military security.

Regarding this hotly debated topic, Qi believes that there are three main types of new cybersecurity risks that would come along with AI technology.

First, AI itself exacerbates security threats, such as data breaches, fraudulent attacks, and security in social governance.

"Generative AI technologies represented by ChatGPT and Sora can quickly generate phishing emails and write malicious software and code, leading to an explosive growth in the number of attacks and frequent AI fraud incidents," he told the Global Times.

Moreover, criminals can use "deepfake" technology for face-swapping and voice manipulation, creating fake videos, so that "seeing may not necessarily mean believing" could become the norm.

The second type of security risk lies in the potential exacerbation of the "imbalance between offense and defense" in the field of cybersecurity, resulting in greater vulnerability to attacks, Qi noted.

AI significantly lowers the barrier to entry for cyberattacks, allowing ordinary individuals without coding or technical knowledge to become hackers, and thereby increasing the number of cyberattacks. Meanwhile, specialized hacker organizations can leverage AI tools to modify and upgrade their attacks.

The third type of risk is that AI exacerbates military threats, with the trend of AI weaponization becoming apparent, Qi said. He noted that AI can be used in lethal autonomous weapons like "killer robots," enabling autonomous identification of targets, remote automated operations, concealing the source of attacks, establishing advantages in confrontation, and connecting networks, decision-makers, and operators, making military actions more targeted, precise, and widespread.

In fact, an increasing number of countries are exploring the application of AI in the military domain.

Qi told the Global Times that the key source for AI is big data, so China must first of all solve data security issue to address the threat from AI, he said.

To tackle this challenge, a comprehensive approach is needed, involving not only "intelligence against intelligence" but also "coordinated development between humans and machines," Qi said.

Under the new circumstances, it is necessary to strengthen the promotion of technological innovation, encourage leading companies in various industries and cybersecurity companies to cooperate, integrate AI security technology into digital scenarios, and provide effective security protection, Qi noted.

At the same time, it is necessary to leverage AI capabilities to accelerate innovation in cybersecurity technology and security protection systems, in order to "run faster than AI technology," he said.

"Security is all about speed," Qi said, noting that effective security protection for new scenarios created by new technologies is essential for the continued promotion and application of technology; otherwise, technology applications will perish in their infancy.

AI can also be applied in the field of cybersecurity, Qi stressed. A security expert can handle 120,000 alerts in one year, and "our innovative Q-GPT security robot increases the efficiency of alert handling by 70 times compared to a human," Qi said.

This could help security experts save an average of 80 percent of their "screen-watching" time. It also allows them to use the time saved to engage in high-value tasks related to business and direct robots to handle more complex security incidents, Qi said.

Over the past year, international cyberspace competition has become more intense, with frequent cyberattacks. In response to this situation, China is strengthening the construction of its internal cybersecurity system, Qi said.

The cyber armies and intelligence agencies of some unfriendly countries will never cease their cyberattacks on China, just as we cannot rid the world of bacteria and viruses. Qi explained that the internal cybersecurity system is like the human immune system. "It can kill bacteria and viruses, or prevent these bacteria and viruses from affecting our health. That's its function," he said.

Although China's cybersecurity technology has reached the top tier globally, there is still a gap between the investment in cybersecurity by Chinese government departments and enterprises compared to that in the developed countries, Qi noted.

"The US 2024 fiscal year budget shows that the cybersecurity budget of civilian federal agencies accounts for approximately 16.4 percent of the IT budget, while in China, it's still around 3 percent, which is a huge gap that needs to be filled," Qi told the Global Times.

"Security is paramount, and insufficient investment will inevitably lead to insecurity," he said. According to the experience of developed countries, cybersecurity investment should account for more than 10 percent of the total IT investment to support digital business.

Chinese state-owned enterprises (SOEs) are giving full play to the main role of central SOEs in strengthening the development of artificial intelligence (AI) in response to the central government's call, the Global Times learned from companies and experts.

The move reflects the government's and industry players' determination to promote the advance of AI technologies in order to achieve an industrial transformation and upgrading, experts said.

In a recent statement sent to the Global Times, China Telecom, one of the major telecommunications operators of China, said the company gives full play to the main role of central SOEs and reinforces its strength in driving technological innovations.

The company has led the way after it released the 100 billion parameter Xingchen large language model in 2023, with more than 10,000 daily active users. The operator said it had made Xingchen open source at the end of January, a move that will allow for easier and broader collaboration.

"By doing so, we will broadly empower more users to engage in AI advances, injecting vitality into the AI industry," the company told the Global Times, adding that it has served more than 1 million users nationwide.

China Mobile, another telecommunications operator, is building Asia's largest intelligent computing center, which is scheduled to open this year, according to media reports.

The Chinese government has ramped up the promotion of AI development among SOEs. On Monday, the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council (SASAC) held a meeting on promoting the reform of SOEs, stressing the importance of pushing forward the transformation and upgrading of central SOEs through technological empowerment, including AI.

The SASAC held a meeting on February 19 calling on central SOEs to accelerate the layout and development of the AI industry, actively promote industrial renewal and achieve better growth.

SASAC Chairman Zhang Yuzhuo emphasized at the meeting the need to promote central SOEs to achieve better growth and play a greater role in the field of AI.

The meeting was attended by representatives of SOEs in various industries, including telecommunication and information, manufacturing, transportation and energy, as well as high-tech firms such as iFLYTEK, according to media reports.

The SASAC also vowed to accelerate the construction of a new batch of intelligent computing centers and better leverage the role of the platform for collaborative innovation among SOEs.

Market analysts said that recent intensified efforts by the SASAC and enterprises underscored the country's determination and resolve to promote advances in AI technologies among SOEs to achieve transformation and upgrading, enhance competitiveness, and achieve other goals.

Li Jin, chief researcher at the China Enterprise Research Institute in Beijing, told the Global Times on Wednesday that the meetings can be seen as the "first shot fired" in AI deployment, and it is likely to propel a new wave of industrialization for SOEs.

China has its own advantages in the field of AI, Li said, noting that with strong policy support, a huge population, strong data collection and capabilities and innovation, China's AI development will surely reach the world's advanced level in the next decade.

According to data released by the SASAC, SOEs completed 2.18 trillion yuan ($302.8 billion) of investment in strategic emerging industries in 2023, up 32.1 percent year-on-year.

"AI is growing rapidly, and central SOEs should become key players on the 'national team,' in embracing AI technology, in the face of a new round of industrial revolution," said Li.