US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said she was "upset" when China's Huawei Technologies released a new phone with an advanced chip during her visit to the country last month but noted that the US has no evidence China can make these components "at scale," Bloomberg reported. She also said the US is trying to use every single tool at its disposal to deny the Chinese the ability to advance their technology in ways that can hurt the US.

Raimondo's words are nothing new, but saying that China's technological advancement "can hurt the US" is a stupid and ridiculous line of thinking. Many American elites refuse to accept that the Chinese have broken through the technological blockade. Radical lawmakers are calling for efforts to strangle Huawei and SMIC, which is not only hegemonic but also an evil way of thinking.

Whether it is ASML, the Dutch manufacturer of lithography machines, or the American chip giants, they do not believe that decoupling can stop China's progress in semiconductor technology. They believe that China can find alternative methods and its own technological path. However, a large number of American elites are non-technical and refuse to face reality, blindly believing that Huawei's breakthrough is because the US export controls on technology to China are "still too loose."

It should be said that Huawei's breakthrough has to a certain extent undermined the credibility of the US' technological blockade against China and shattered the collective confidence of the West in this regard. Washington's current investigation into the origin of Huawei's chips and attempts to tighten the noose on the blockade against China will only isolate itself.

Because Washington clearly lost the first round, it has to bet even bigger and risk losing the Chinese market for many Western semiconductor companies. Imagine the result of continuing technological restrictions if Huawei makes further breakthroughs - can ASML's lithography machines still enjoy their current glory? Where will the US-controlled chip production factories find their next market? Just look at the panic faced by Japanese and German automotive giants today in the face of the rise of Chinese electric vehicles. If the current semiconductor leaders are cut off from the Chinese market, who can guarantee that their future situation will be better?

Huawei's Kirin 9000s is a breakthrough that it was forced to make by the US sanctions. If the US exerts even greater pressure, it will turn this breakthrough into a systemic breach, promoting a highly integrated and strong production chain in the Chinese semiconductor industry. Chips produced in China will also be much cheaper than those produced in the US.

If the US semiconductor industry loses the Chinese market, it will not be as lucky as Google and Facebook. The latter have software advantages that some Chinese internet companies do not have, including the application ecosystem they established by being the first movers. However, semiconductors are hardware, and when Chinese companies like Huawei can provide a cheaper alternative, the situation will be completely different.

A crucial crossroads has been reached. If the US forces China to achieve complete independence in the semiconductor industry, it will have no further cards to play in blocking China's progress. Moreover, the technological landscape of the world will undergo a rewrite. China now possesses the capital, and we will continue to progress no matter what. It is now the US' turn to make a choice: continue gambling or change course and resume cooperation?

In late September at the Human Rights Council, government representatives and NGOs denounced Japan's discharge of nuclear-contaminated water into the sea at an interactive dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on hazardous substances and wastes, who mentioned "the inadequacy of existing standards and the long-term impact of low-level radiation and the organically bound tritium in the food chain." A few days later, Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare of the Solomon Islands, speaking at the United Nations General Assembly, slammed Japan's discharge move as "an attack on global trust and solidarity."

China has been vocal against Japan's decision to dump nuclear-contaminated water into the sea, and has been repeatedly calling on Japan to address the concerns of the global community, and to dispose responsibly in line with its international treaty obligations.

Western countries and their media outlets, the purported champions of the environment and human rights, have chosen to look the other way. One month since Japan unilaterally started the release of nuclear-contaminated water, the Western media narrative on Japan's discharge plans and actions has certainly raised eyebrows.

Blatant double standards

Just imagine how the Western media would react if a similar plan was adopted by China, an easy target for whatever it does.

On environmental protection, in the words of The New York Times, "Every time someone in China eats a piece of meat, a little puff of smoke goes up in the Amazon." It blamed China for a large part of the climate crisis. Similar articles usually appear in tandem as if carefully arranged.

The fact is that China's carbon emission per unit of GDP in 2020 dropped by 48.4 percent compared to 2005. In other words, China has overfulfilled its promise of lowering its carbon intensity by 40 to 45 percent ahead of the 2020 target. And China's energy consumption per unit of GDP decreased by 28.7 percent from 2011 to 2020, making it one of the fastest movers in reducing energy intensity.

It is totally wrong and absurd to blame China, a country that has made significant contributions to environmental protection, but to turn a blind eye to the risk of Japan's discharge plan.

Some Western media outlets have selectively filtered out the plan's negative impact, and repeatedly cited the conclusion of the IAEA's comprehensive assessment report, trying to justify Japan's action and downplay the risk of the plan.

However, these important facts, among others, have been missing in Western reports:

- the so-called assessment was not authorized by the IAEA Board of Governors and has not been fully discussed by member states;

- compared with independent third-party testing, Japan's own water testing has been incomplete and unrepresentative;

- the wastewater contains not only tritium, but also other hazardous radioactive materials that are yet to be fully disclosed;

- a long-term monitoring mechanism has not been established;

- Japan has failed to fulfill its international obligations under the UNCLOS and the London Convention.

Diverting public attention

Some Western media commentators, including The New York Times, have sought to deflect the blame on China, hinting that the pollution caused by the wastewater from China's nuclear power plant poses a more serious challenge.

Here are some basic facts. The wastewater from the normal operation of a nuclear power plant is different from nuclear-contaminated water in sources, types of radionuclides, treatment complexities, and monitoring mechanisms.

Labeling, one of the common tactics of Western media, is also employed to whitewash Japan's discharge plan. The Economist labeled China's moves as a "Chinese Communist Party disinformation campaign," and those expressing anger and disappointment on the internet as "nationalist netizens."

Through biased reports and misleading labels, the Western media have given a false impression and portrayed China, one of the many victims of the plan, as an aggressive, hypocritical and hysteric neighbor.

In the face of this blatant double standard and hypocrisy set by the Western media, the world should be vigilant and remember that the so-called moral high ground of the West cannot be relied upon.

The way the Japanese government treats the nuclear-contaminated water has set a bad precedent while also opening Pandora's Box. Its discharge plan, in essence, is a significant nuclear safety issue with cross-border and long-lasting implications. More than 60 radionuclides contained in the contaminated water that will be discharged continuously into the sea for 30 years or more will not only damage the marine ecological environment but also endanger human health and life.

As Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare noted, "If we are to rebuild trust and reignite global solidarity, we must be honest and frank in protecting our oceans which is the lifeblood of our people." Japan should explore other options for addressing the treated nuclear-contaminated water, instead of simply dumping it into the ocean.

A US bipartisan congressional delegation led by Majority Leader Chuck Schumer arrived in Shanghai and began visiting China on Saturday. Schumer, when meeting with Chen Jining, secretary of the Shanghai Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China, said the US did not seek conflict and wanted to achieve a level playing field, "as we compete economically."

Since June of this year, several senior US officials and lawmakers have visited China in succession, and the two sides have formed new working groups to solve the economic conflicts that have occurred in recent years. 

It seems that the China-US relations are progressing in rebuilding a new track in an organized manner.

On Wednesday, China's Foreign Ministry said, "We hope this visit will contribute to a more objective understanding of China in the US Congress, increase dialogue and communication between the legislatures of our two countries, and add positive factors to the growth of China-US relations." 

We do not expect this single trip to change the US legislators' view of China, which is formed based on their fundamentally different ideologies that see China as a challenger from the East.

Given the downward spiral of US-China relations in recent years, any official interaction and communication would benefit both sides' understanding of the other, and direct contact, in particular, can have an unintended impact.

When these legislators see China's political and economic realities, mainly what has changed and what has not changed in China after the three-year epidemic, they will learn what the Chinese people are thinking and doing and how they see the US. Even if it is a brief visit, it will have some impact on them when they propose policies on China in Congress.
We hope these legislators will have a comparative mindset when looking around and talking with Chinese people.

When they compare what they see and hear in China with the reality in the US political arena, especially regarding political stability, they might gain a deeper understanding of the philosophy of national governance.  

The conflicts and frictions between China and the US are closely linked to the domestic politics of both nations, which continue to shape the direction of the relationship.

Domestic politics in the US, especially the "war" on Capitol Hill, the struggle to reach the debt ceiling, the removal of the Speaker of the House and the news of former President Donald Trump's resurgence, have created confusion and eroded international trust in the stability of US politics.

The polarization of the two parties and both parties' internal politics, as well as the activism of anti-establishment and far-right forces in Congress will add to the uncertainty for the fragile reconstruction of China-US relations and the mutual trust.

Before his trip, Schumer, who leads the group of lawmakers, once again emphasized the ideological differences between the US and China. 

China has never shied away from this difference. But ideological differences do not mean the US can arrogantly lecture China.

When a mainstream perception of China as a significant challenger has been formed in the US Congress, legislators will consider the China factor when proposing bills on a range of domestic and foreign policies. 

As more US lawmakers visit China, they will gradually realize that the hegemonic anti-China atmosphere they have on Capitol Hill when discussing China policies is nothing more than a self-created illusion. They are no longer qualified to lecture China. 

They can make their demands, but at the same time they need to listen to the Chinese side. And it is dialogue on an equal footing that is conducive to the stable coexistence of the two great powers.

The US Congress can significantly influence the White House's China policy. China will naturally take note of the atmosphere of Capitol Hill regarding China. However, it will not be perturbed by them. China's role in shaping the future of US-China relations is increasingly significant.

The incident that a man drove into the lobby of the Chinese consulate in San Francisco on Monday is very disturbing. The driver was shot by local police and later died at the hospital. 

During a press conference held by the San Francisco police after the incident, it was not disclosed whether the intruder was carrying any weapons. No information regarding the identity of the driver or the motive behind this act has been provided by the police.

The Chinese Consulate-General in San Francisco is located a few blocks away from the "Six Sisters" building, a landmark in the city. The fact that the lobby of the consulate was accessible from the street allowed the driver to breach security, but fortunately, all consulate personnel are reported to be safe.

In a statement, the Chinese Consulate-General in San Francisco severely condemned this incident, demanding that the truth be quickly ascertained and dealt with seriously in accordance with the law. Currently, the focus is on identifying the driver and determining whether this was an isolated incident or if there is a broader context.

The Chinese Consulate-General in San Francisco has faced multiple incidents in the past. On New Year's Day in 2014, the main entrance of the consulate was attacked with gasoline, and in March 2008, the consulate's main gate was set on fire using flammable liquid. After each of these incidents, the US government promised to enhance security for Chinese consulates, but subsequent events suggest that these promises have not been adequately upheld. It is evident that the situation in US society is chaotic, and it places Chinese consulate staff in a perilous situation akin to "diplomats in a war zone." The failure of the local police to prevent such incidents undoubtedly becomes a stain on US diplomacy. 

In today's interconnected world where the destinies of countries are closely linked, the coexistence and mutual exchange of different civilizations are important drivers for advancing human civilization and promoting global peace.

The Golden Panda Initiative from artists of different ethnicities and languages was also released at the forum to make the world a better place. Embrace the mission of promoting a harmonious and mutually beneficial civilization in this era; collaboratively create artistic monuments that reflect shared values; act as friendly ambassadors of cultural exchange and mutual learning; continuously unleash the youthful energy of cultural heritage and innovation.

A cluster of honeysuckle, a way to wealth. Honeysuckle flowers can be used for medicine, tea, and ornamental arrangements, with good market value. The honeysuckle planting farmers' professional cooperative has been established in Zhujia Village, Chenggang Subdistrict, Laizhou, Shandong Province, which is now leading more than 6,000 villagers across over 10 villages to cultivate honeysuckle, covering a total of more than 2,200 acres of planting area. Cultivation of honeysuckle not only provides residents with employment opportunities, but also broadens the channels of prosperity for rural revitalization.
In order to improve the added value of honeysuckle and improve the planting industry chain of honeysuckle, the cooperative has built a deep processing workshop of honeysuckle, extended the rough processing of honeysuckle into an electrified processing project, and added electrified equipment of water-removing, kneading, fermentation, and raising incense and drying.
This year, the State Grid Laizhou Power Supply Company invested in a new 400 kVA transformer capacity into the cooperative to meet the electricity demand of the cooperative's production and processing. At the same time, the company organized teams to carry out regular inspection of electrical equipment, constantly improve the quality of power supply service, and help the industrialization and large-scale development of honeysuckle.

The Yuanzhuang Town of Wenshang County is located in the Yellow River alluvial plain in Jining, East China's Shandong Province, with fertile soil and excellent water quality. In recent years, the local government has relied on resource advantages to develop a local seed production industry, focusing every effort to create a "seed industry town," accelerating the process of agricultural industrialization, and building a new development system of "production, processing, marketing, and tourism" of the flower industry, which has driven local employment and increasing income. 

The Shandong Huiyuan Flower Seed Industry Breeding Base has built a high-standard multi-span greenhouse of 48,000 square meters, which can cultivate various types of flower seedlings and over 8 million finished products annually.

The State Grid Jining Power Supply Company is committed to improving the reliability of the power grid and serving the development of the agricultural industry, focusing on the local government's goal of building a "seed industry town." The breeding base of the flower seed industry has set high standards for greenhouse temperature and humidity. State Grid Jining Power Supply Company has invested in the construction of a rural electrification demonstration project for benefiting farmers and helping local communities. The greenhouse has been intelligently renovated by installing the equipment for collecting and intelligent processing of voltage, current, carbon dioxide concentration, soil temperature and humidity, EC value, air temperature and humidity, and light intensity information, to obtain electrical and environmental data inside the greenhouse. This cutting-edge equipment builds up the automatic monitoring of agricultural ecological information and automatic control of facilities, which provides scientific basis and effective means for intelligent management, and strong power guarantee for the development of the area's flower industry.