A technician inspects an automated production line at a local new-energy technology company in Gaoyou city, East China's Jiangsu Province, on May 12, 2024. In recent years, Jiangsu has become a major production base of solar photovoltaic panels that sell well at home and abroad. Photo: VCG

Peng Liyuan, wife of Chinese President Xi Jinping, on invitation visited the National Museum of Serbia with Tamara Vucic, wife of Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, in Belgrade on Wednesday morning.

The two first ladies toured the museum's painting exhibition together. The museum boasts a long history and abundant collections, Peng remarked, noting that the classic paintings exhibited there feature delicate brushstrokes and rich emotions.

Peng emphasized that museums serve not only as windows for preserving and displaying cultural relics but also as halls for promoting civilization. She also expressed hope for enhanced cultural exchanges and cooperation between China and Serbia to build bridges for dialogue among civilizations.

The two first ladies also watched demonstrations of traditional Serbian women's hand weaving and warmly interacted with the artisans. Peng praised the exquisite and distinctive craftsmanship of Serbian hand weaving, considering it an important intangible cultural heritage that has been well preserved and promoted.

Highlighting the similarities between Chinese and Serbian embroidery cultures, she suggested mutual learning and encouragement for young people from both countries to actively engage in preserving traditional handicrafts from generation to generation. The two also enthusiastically participated in making Serbian wool felt balls.

Established in 1844, the National Museum of Serbia houses over 400,000 artifacts, making it the largest and oldest museum in Serbia.

Defense chiefs from the US, Australia, Japan and the Philippines gathered in Hawaii on Thursday (local time) for their second joint meeting, lining up yet another regional group dubbed the "Squad" by Pentagon officials, while vowing a strengthened alliance among the four countries. 

Chinese analysts warned on Sunday that this new quadrilateral grouping, distinct from the older version of the Quad which was also assembled by the US, poses a more targeted challenge to China. The grouping, part of Washington's "Indo-Pacific Strategy," aims at containing China, leading to concerns about more complex tensions and division among regional countries.

Chinese analysts warned that the Philippines, increasingly manipulated by the US, is losing its autonomy and becoming a pawn of the US in the region, which could lead to the "Ukrainization" of the Philippines.

Speaking after the talks on Friday, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin announced the four-country group would look at undertaking more maritime exercises, as well as providing greater security assistance to the Philippines, US media reported.

The defense chiefs of the "Squad" met for the first time in June 2023 on the sidelines of the Shangri-La security dialogue in Singapore. And in April 2024, the four countries conducted joint maritime patrols within the Philippines' exclusive economic zone against the backdrop of ongoing tensions between the Philippines and China. 

Citing an anonymous US official, Bloomberg reported on Friday that the "Squad" aims to counter coercion and aggression across Asia, as well as ensure that defense capabilities among their militaries are increasingly inter-operable, allowing them to work more efficiently together in the event of conflict.

The US official said the quadrilateral group aims to conduct more joint patrols in the coming months and years and that these patrols will add more capabilities over time.

The report also highlights that this new quadrilateral grouping is one of a number of regional partnerships that the US has used to push back against China in Asia. There is also the "Quad" comprised of the US, Australia, India and Japan and "Aukus," a defense pact among Australia, the UK and the US.

At the tactical level, the new grouping would form a more targeted mechanism against China which is similar but more effective than the previous Quad grouping as Japan, Australia and Philippines are all allies of the US, where India, although it is in the Quad group, it is not technically a US ally. Therefore, this new "Squad" has a stronger sense of direction, meeting the needs of the US to manage the security situation in the regions of the South China Sea and the Taiwan Straits, Li Haidong, a professor at the China Foreign Affairs University, told the Global Times on Sunday. 

At the strategic level, the new "Squad," like the old "Quad," is led by the US, adjusting the Asia-Pacific security architecture and promoting the implementation of overall planning through small-scale multilateral cooperation, Li noted.

An official release from the US-Japan-Australia Trilateral Defense Ministers' Meeting (TDMM) 2024 Joint Statement on Saturday, read that the ministers of the three countries emphasized "the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Straits." 

They called for peaceful resolution of cross-Straits issues and reaffirmed their enduring commitment to a peaceful, secure and prosperous Southeast Asia, where sovereignty is respected, international law is followed and nations can make decisions free from coercion.

In the short term, "Squad" exerts highly targeted strategic pressure on China, making the situation in the Asia-Pacific region even more complex. In addition to aspects such as intelligence network security and naval security, various dimensions including fisheries have a significant impact on Asia-Pacific security, Li predicted. 

Another Chinese military analyst who requested not to be named told the Global Times on Sunday that the new "Squad" is centered around the US, with the roles of the Philippines and Australia relatively minor. 

By assembling the "Squad," the US seeks to make use of Australia's homeland, defense budget and military to expand the US' influence overseas, while extending the US' military presence in the "Indo-Pacific" region through the Philippines' military bases. However, the military capabilities of these two countries are limited, and the US regards them as pawns, the military analyst explained. 

Analysts pointed out the current Philippine government is being manipulated by the US, and is increasingly lacking autonomy, especially under the Ferdinand Marcos Jr administration which follows the US obediently, and it has become an unstable factor in the Asia-Pacific region.

Li warned that blindly following the US encouragement would only lead to the "Ukrainization" of the Philippines. "By creating crises, the US profits and establishes a situation where no country in the region can be secure without American leadership. The tragic result of the Philippines' provocation against China ultimately suggests that the Philippines should be more autonomous, harmonious with other regional countries, and avoid being used as a pawn by other countries."

Analysts believe that the forming of the new anti-China grouping will lead regional countries to feel there exists a more complex and divisive security situation, with stronger antagonism and conflict, forcing more countries to take sides in geopolitics. 

Gu Xiaosong, dean of the ASEAN Research Institute of Hainan Tropical Ocean University, told the Global Times on Sunday that the forming of the new anti-China "Squad" poses a significant challenge to the historically cordial relations between China and ASEAN. 

Over the years, the China-ASEAN relationship has continually developed in the political, economic and cultural spheres, bringing tangible benefits to both sides. Both parties cherish peace and stability in the region and should work to preserve it, Gu said.

However, the consequences of the Philippines drifting further away could have detrimental effects on the bilateral relationship between China and the Philippines. It is important for both parties to manage their differences and prioritize their shared interests. It is crucial for the current Philippines' leaders to prioritize the common interests of China and the Philippines, maintaining and nurturing the friendly relationship between the two countries for the benefit of both sides, Gu noted. 

Weighing a total of 31.5 kilograms, the sixth batch of scientific samples that was returned to Earth by China’s Shenzhou-17 manned spaceship has been delivered to scientists in Beijing on Wednesday. A day prior to that, the Shenzhou-17 manned spaceship touched down at the Dongfeng landing site in North China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. 

The new batch of space samples include 32 types of life experimental specimens like human osteoblasts, a major substance for bone formation, protein crystals and organic molecules. 

Another 18 types of material samples such as high-temperature and extravehicular exposed materials are all contributed to this new batch of off world discoveries. The samples collected will serve around 23 different scientific projects.  

On Wednesday, the precious scientific cargo was handed to researchers at the Technology and Engineering Centre for Space Utilization, Chinese Academy of Science. A process of biological analysis including the transcriptome sequencing and proteomic researches will now be carried out by experts. 

A study of biological mechanisms of cells in a microgravity environment was conducted to assist better understand disease prevention and intervention. Future analysis on collected protein samples may also provide scientific support for new medicine and vaccine development.  

Technical staff from the space program also expect that collected material samples from space can enhance China’s researches on optimizing resource utilization of lunar soil. 

China’s Shenzhou-17 manned spaceship mission marks a new chapter in human-space success following the spacecraft’s taikonauts returning in good health. The taikonauts, Tang Hongbo, Tang Shengjie and Jiang Xinlin had been in orbit for 187 days before returning to earth. 

Amid the Shenzhou-17 mission, taikonauts completed the first extravehicular maintenance task in the history of China’s space program. 

“I believe that the shenzhou-18 crew will succeed us to complete the follow-up mission successfully. I am more convinced that in the near future, we will not only return to the space, but also let the Chinese space exploration go deeper and deeper. China’s aerospace industry is always worth looking forward to,” Tang Hongbo told media. 

Global hot tourist destinations will welcome a large number of Chinese tourists during the upcoming May Day holidays from May 1 to May 5. The return of Chinese tourists will greatly boost local economic growth through travel spending, analysts said, noting that China, with its growing consumption power, remains a major contributor to global growth.

China is one of the largest tourist sources and host countries in the world, and the expected boom in China's outbound and inbound tourism will continue to play a crucial role in the economic recovery of global tourism, industry observers said.

On several travel platforms, outbound travel bookings for the May Day holidays increased significantly, even on the high base set last year, with some services witnessing an increase of nearly 100 percent.

Bookings for international hotels, air tickets, car rentals and other bookings have far exceeded that during the May Day holidays in 2023, according to a report by Fliggy, a domestic travel platform under Alibaba, sent to the Global Times. 

So far, the number of outbound cruise trip bookings has increased by more than 16 times year-on-year, and the products of some routes have been sold out on Fliggy. Ticket bookings for overseas amusement parks and scenic spots grew more than 90 percent. 

Meanwhile, there has been a rapid increase in bookings for local travel experiences, such as snorkelling in Thailand's Similan Islands to see the underwater world and hot air balloon rides in Turkey, on Fliggy.

Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, the US, France, Vietnam and other countries are among the hottest outbound destinations for Chinese tourists during the May Day holidays, according to a report by Trip.com Group sent to the Global Times.

Thanks to the resumption of international routes and the improvement of flight supply, the outbound travel cost performance is higher than the May Day holidays in 2023.  The per capita purchase price of international air tickets fell by 19 percent year-on-year on Fliggy.

Many airliners have announced an increase in capacity for international routes. China Southern Airlines has launched a new route from Beijing Daxing International Airport to Riyadh and increased the frequency of flights between Beijing's Daxing and Macao to once a day. China Eastern Airlines has resumed the route from Daxing to Kuala Lumpur, while China United Airlines plans to open international routes to Russia, Japan and South Korea during the peak season. South Korea's Jeju Airlines has settled in Daxing airport, providing more choices for passengers.

The Global Times learned from Beijing Daxing International Airport that the average number of daily inbound and outbound passenger trips at the airport is expected to exceed 14,000 during the May Day holidays. 

Global tourism market boosted

Chinese outbound and inbound tourism is expected to accelerate in 2024, due to visa facilitation and improved air capacity, according to a forecast report released in January by UN Tourism, a United Nations agency responsible for tourism.

On Monday, China's Embassy in Georgia announced that the mutual visa waiver agreement between the two countries will come into effect on May 28, expanding the number of China's visa-free partners.

So far, China has concluded visa-free agreements with more than 150 countries covering different passports. 

Since the beginning of 2024, China's tourism sector has soared compared with the average level of the international market, and there are great expectations both at home and abroad for China's tourism market, analysts noted.

According to a forecast by the China Tourism Academy, the number of outbound trips by Chinese tourists will reach 130 million in 2024. 

This figure is close to the number of Chinese outbound tourist trips in 2019 before the COVID-19 pandemic, which stood at 155 million. 

Chinese tourists spent $133.8 billion on outbound tourism in 2019, with per capita consumption of $863, ranking first in the world in outbound tourism expenditure, accounting for 23.8 percent of global total, according to statistics from UN Tourism.

Analysts said that China could regain the crown of tourism expenditure in 2024. The 2019 figures clearly show why global tourism markets are eager for the return of Chinese tourists. China remains an engine and a contributor to global economic growth. 

According to official data, China's contribution to global economic growth is approximately 30 percent, underscoring the country's central role in the world's economic system.

"With their strong spending power, Chinese outbound tourists will significantly boost the global tourism market," Wang Peng, an associate research fellow at the Beijing Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Monday.

Wang also noted that tourism is not a one-time consumption activity, and will drive the development of a series of related industries, such as catering, entertainment and retail. 

"This spillover effect can further magnify the driving role of tourism on economic growth through consumption," said Wang.

Momentum of consumption

Zhang Yi, CEO of iiMedia Research Institute, told the Global Times that consumer spending could hit a new high during the May Day holidays in China, boosted by several shopping festivals and trade-in activities, which will further boost the country's economic growth.

"Consumption is a key link in domestic economic circulation and an important engine of economic growth," Zhang Lingyun, a member of the academic committee of the China Tourism Academy, told the Global Times on Monday.

Experts said that there is still potential for further growth in consumption after a nearly 5 percent growth in the first quarter, and the momentum of consumption will provide new impetus to the economic growth of the world's second-largest economy and refute "Peak China" narrative hyped by some Western observers and media.

According to statistics from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), China's total retail sales of consumer goods rose 4.7 percent year-on-year to 12.03 trillion yuan ($1.7 trillion) in the first quarter of 2024, indicating a steady expansion in consumption after a surge during the Spring Festival holidays in February.

"What boosted China's strong consumption power is government policy promotion and social security. To meet people's aspirations for a better life, China is shifting to a consumption-oriented economy," said Zhang.

Analysts also pointed out that the increase in consumption reflected spending power. In the first quarter, the per capita disposable income nationwide was 11,539 yuan, a nominal increase of 6.2 percent over the same period in 2023, and a real increase of 6.2 percent after deducting price factors, according to the NBS.

The increase in disposable income comes from China's stable economy, which also explains why the yuan maintains its resilience in the foreign exchange market, while multiple currencies including the yen, won and rupee continue to depreciate against the US dollar.

Dozens of foreign diplomats commended the expertise and efficiency of China's grassroots lawmaking process, while rejecting the notion that the Western model is the only form of democracy, as they visited a local legislative liaison station in Beijing on Friday.

On Friday afternoon, ambassadors and diplomats from 36 countries visited a local legislative liaison station in Beijing's Chaoyang District, where they held meetings with grassroots lawmakers and observed a fundamental step of China's whole-process people's democracy.

The Nanmofang Township Legislative Liaison Station visited by the foreign envoys is one of the 43 legislative liaison stations in Chaoyang District, and is one of the most grassroots institutions in the Chinese legislative system. Established by the Standing Committee of the People's Congress of Chaoyang District, it is where grassroots deputies discuss legislative drafts and collect suggestions from the public.

During the visit, the foreign diplomats audited a consultation meeting on the Law on Deputies to the National People's Congress and Local People's Congresses, which was attended by grassroots deputies from all walks of life.

After the consultation meeting, they took part in a symposium with the deputies and officials from the Standing Committee of the People's Congress of Chaoyang District, sharing their views, questions and observations of China's grassroots legislative process.

The ambassadors interviewed by the Global Times said that it is their first time to observe China's whole-process people's democracy at the grassroots level, and they are impressed by the level of expertise and efficiency, and diversity in participation.

"This is the first time that I've had the privilege and the opportunity to observe a lower level of the People's Congress," Michael Campbell, Nicaragua's Ambassador to China, told the Global Times after the event. "We've had the chance to see that the whole-process people's democracy model has been improving, which is very important."

Campbell said he was impressed by the diversity in the grassroots legislation in terms of the backgrounds of the participants. "You have professors, you have doctors, you have lawyers … Everybody was debating on the same bill that will eventually go to the upper level," he said. "When the bill reaches the national level, it already has the suggestions of all walks of life. So when it's finally approved, everybody is willing to implement it."

Campbell, who has also been invited to the national two sessions - the annual legislative and political consultative sessions - in March, believes that China's whole-process people's democracy will continue to strengthen and improve, as everybody has their voice to make China better.
China has more than 2.77 million lawmakers at five levels of legislative bodies. Among them, there are less than 3,000 national deputies, while county and township-level deputies account for about 95 percent of the total number of lawmakers. The vast majority of these grassroots deputies, or 94.5 percent of the total, are directly elected.

Abu Bakarr Karim, the Sierra Leone Ambassador to China, and Anne Lafortune, Seychelles Ambassador to China, both described what they witnessed as "impressive."

"You can actually see the level of consultation that takes place at the grassroots level," Karim told the Global Times. "I was impressed by the level of expertise."

Karim noted that he would like to communicate with his local parliament back in his country about his observations and discuss whether they can learn more from it.

Lafortune said she was always aware of China's whole-process democracy but has never seen it up close as she did during the visit.

"I was impressed by the different ways that the grassroots people are able to voice their opinion," she said. "It has shown that China is really committed to making sure its people are actually heard."

Lafortune noted that there are many models of effective democracy, and each country can see their own way to approach it. "China is moving forward. This version apparently fits China," she said.

Campbell, the Nicaraguan Ambassador, noted that it is obvious that the "Western model of democracy" is not the only definition of democracy.

"It is one of the greatest mistakes that the West is making right now - instead of investing in their model, they are busy promoting false narratives related to the democracy of other countries," he told the Global Times. "Each country has to decide what is most appropriate for them."

One of the most important things about China is that it respects the democracy model of other countries, he said, while Western democracy is promoting interventionism, warmongering and false narratives.

China appreciates Hungary's commitment to being a force for peace and stability in Europe amid the complex international situation. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi also commended Hungary for steadfastly deepening cooperation with China despite interference and pressure during a meeting with visiting Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto in Beijing on Wednesday.

The top Chinese diplomat also said China hopes Hungary will promote a rational and friendly view of China's development in the EU, encourage the bloc to pursue a more proactive and pragmatic policy toward China, and strengthen strategic communication between China and the EU.

During his talk with Szijjarto, Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said Hungary has unique influence and a commitment to independence, noting it has long adhered to a friendly policy toward China.

China-Hungarian relations are based on mutual respect and mutual benefit, with a positive momentum in various fields of exchange and cooperation, said Wang. China is confident in the development of bilateral relations and practical cooperation.

This year marks the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Hungary, presenting a new important opportunity for the two countries, said Wang. He noted that China is willing to maintain close communication with Hungary, implement the important consensus of the leaders of both countries, continue the traditional friendship between China and Hungary, deepen political mutual trust, promote cooperation in building the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), and advance bilateral relations to a higher level.

China appreciates Hungary's commitment to being a force for peace and stability in Europe amid the complex and intertwined international situation, and commends Hungary for steadfastly deepening cooperation with China despite interference and pressure, said Wang.

Wang said the mutually beneficial cooperation between China and Hungary in various fields has yielded fruitful results, benefiting not only the two peoples but also demonstrating that China is an opportunity rather than a challenge, and a partner rather than a competitor for Europe.

As Hungary will take over the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union in the second half of this year, China hopes that Hungary will promote a rational and friendly view of China within the EU, encourage the bloc to adopt more proactive and pragmatic policy towards China, strengthen strategic communication between China and Europe, create more positive expectations for mutually beneficial cooperation, and promote the sustained, stable, and healthy development of China-EU relations, said Wang.

Szijjarto said China is a major country with global influence, and Hungary welcomes China to play a greater role in maintaining world peace and stability.

In the current turbulent international situation, the strong and powerful development of Hungary-China and Europe-China relations is particularly important.

Over the past 75 years of diplomatic relations, the solid mutual trust and friendly cooperation between Hungary and China have translated into tangible results, bringing great benefits to the Hungarian people, said Szijjarto.

He stressed that Hungary opposes "decoupling" and always believes that viewing China as a threat will only lead to missed opportunities, while treating China as a partner is the right choice.

Hungary welcomes China to further increase investment in Hungary, and is willing to promote key project construction within the framework of the BRI, continuously deepen mutually beneficial cooperation in various fields between Hungary and China, elevate bilateral relations to a new level, and promote stable and healthy development of Europe-China relations.

The two sides also exchanged in-depth views on common concerns such as the Ukraine crisis.

Before US Secretary of State Antony Blinken's upcoming visit to China, US officials adopted their usual tactic of using harsh language to apply pressure on China, expressing so-called strong concerns about China's support for Russia and the Taiwan question. Chinese observers stated that the recent frequent visits of Blinken and a string of US officials to China recently indicate that Washington is unable to solve domestic and global issues without cooperation from China. Therefore, when seeking help from Beijing, the US would be wise to communicate with China respectfully and as equals, rather than condescendingly. 

Blinken will meet with senior Chinese officials in both Shanghai and Beijing during his April 24-26 visit, CNN quoted a senior US State Department official as saying on Saturday. 

The US State Department said Saturday that Blinken would "discuss a range of bilateral, regional, and global issues," including the Middle East, the war in Ukraine, the South China Sea and the Taiwan Straits.

He will also talk about progress made in "resuming counternarcotics cooperation, military-to-military communication, artificial intelligence, and strengthening people-to-people ties" and will reaffirm how important it is for the US and China to be "responsibly managing competition, even in areas where our two countries disagree," State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said, according to media report. 

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian welcomed Blinken's upcoming visit at Thursday's media briefing, but provided no further details. 

Negative factors

After the meeting of the two heads of state in San Francisco last year, China-US relations have to some extent stabilized, but negative factors keep on increasing. Blinken's visit is to implement the consensus of the two heads of state, but from the so-called focus points announced by the US government, it is possible that the visit will widen the differences and create more negative factors, Lü Xiang, research fellow at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Sunday. 

Lü pointed out one example as Filipino and US forces will conduct their annual joint military exercises soon, including simulations of sinking ships, which is widely seen as targeted at China. 

During his upcoming visit, Blinken will also reportedly ask Beijing to avoid "provocative" measures during next month's inauguration of Lai Ching-te, who was elected as Taiwan's regional leader in January, AFP quoted a US official as saying.

Blinken's tactical goal this time is clearly to launch a verbal offensive against China, including on the South China Sea, trade issues, and the Taiwan question, in order to put pressure on China, Lü noted. 

He believes that if Blinken puts forward these propositions, China will definitely hit back resolutely. China will also be highly vigilant on the Taiwan question and won't let the US hurt its core interest. 

As the US has already entered the presidential election season, the Biden administration, although deeply mired in domestic political competition, is unwilling to show weakness at this time, and no matter how unprepared it is in dealing with those global issues, officials from the Biden administration are still trying to show that it is capable and strong, said Lü. 

Abandon condescending approach

CNN on Saturday quoted an official from the US State Department as saying that Blinken plans to "reiterate our deep concerns regarding the PRC's support for Russia's defense industrial base, as well as its human rights abuses and unfair economic and trade practices." 

The US House of Representatives on Saturday approved billions of dollars in new US military aid for Ukraine to help combat Russia. The foreign aid package passed on Saturday also includes military support for Israel, and funding for allies in the Asia-Pacific, including island of Taiwan. 

Chinese experts said this foreign aid package mirrored Biden administration's lousy performance on handling foreign affairs. When Biden realized the Russia-Ukraine conflict is beyond US' ability to solve, he forced the House of Representatives to pass a bill to support Ukraine, in order to showcase its strength and to muddy the waters to extricate themselves by blaming the US' failure on China's "support" for Russia. 

After overcoming the obstacles of sending support to Ukraine, Washington will inevitably focus on obstructing China's trade with Russia. China will face new struggle with the US in terms of defending its sovereignty in foreign trade, said experts, noting that Washington should be clear that it has very few tools to pressure China in this regard. 

US foreign aid has prolonged the crisis in Ukraine. As of January 2023, the US commitment to Ukraine amounted to $76.8 billion, of which military aid accounted for the largest share, $46.5 billion, or 61 percent. US media revealed that 40 percent of US military aid to Ukraine is used for the mandatory purchase of US equipment and training services, known as "tied aid." Part of the military aid is a financial loan that will become a long-term liability for Ukraine, said the report released by China titled "the Hypocrisy and Facts of the United States Foreign Aid."

On global issues, apart from expressing "concerns" over China's cooperation with Russia, Blinken will also reportedly discuss the situation in the Middle East. The US has repeatedly called on China both publicly and privately to press Iran to exercise restraint as tensions simmer between it and Israel, according to CNN.

After Iran launched a retaliatory attack on Israel earlier this month, Biden told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu he should consider Iran's strikes a win, since they had been largely unsuccessful and demonstrated Israel's ability to defend itself. Biden had already made clear to Netanyahu that the US would not participate in any offensive operations against Iran in response, a senior administration previously told CNN.

Experts suggest that Blinken's upcoming visit, coming as the US presidential election draws near, signals the US government's desire to engage in stabilizing ties with China to avoid any potential incidents that could negatively impact the Biden's election prospects.

The recent frequent visits of Blinken and other US officials to China indicate that without China, it will be difficult for the US to achieve its plans for domestic, regional and global issues. Therefore, the US hopes that China will help it resolve the problems it faces, Li Haidong, a professor at the China Foreign Affairs University, told the Global Times.

However, since the US is seeking help from China, it should do so on the basis of equality and respect in its communication with China. But now, it seems that the US is adopting a pressuring and commanding attitude towards China. This is not conducive to communication, so the US needs to correct its attitude, Li noted. 

Among Chinese job seekers, the third and forth month of the year are known as "Golden March" and "Silver April," as they are the traditional peak season for both employers and employees when it comes to recruitment. Since March, job fairs have been heating up across the country.

Data shows that the post-Spring Festival job market continues to grow, with recruitment by companies increasing for four consecutive weeks. The service consumption, high-end manufacturing and new energy sectors were hotspots in the job market in the month following the Spring Festival. 

At the same time, the job market this spring has been undergoing structural changes, with industries and positions related to the development of new productive forces, such as artificial intelligence (AI) and big data, in high demand.

A campus job fair held at Nanjing Tech University in East China's Jiangsu Province recently provided thousands of jobs, with positions related to automation engineering and data analysis in the mechanical industry attracting the attention of graduates, the China Central Television (CCTV) reported. 

In Shanghai, a job fair jointly organized by five local universities, including Shanghai Jiao Tong University and East China University of Science and Technology, attracted more than 730 companies and offered 18,000 positions covering over 10 industries, according to CCTV. 

Approximately one-third of the participating companies are in Shanghai's three leading industries - AI, integrated circuits, and biomedicine. The demand for AI talent has reportedly been significantly higher this year, with nearly 30 percent of the positions offered by the Shanghai Artificial Intelligence Research Institute being new emerging positions.

Liu Honglei, a deputy director of the human resources department of the Shanghai Artificial Intelligence Research Institute, told CCTV that understanding of AI among participants this year was much higher compared with recruitment fairs in 2023. According to media reports, the number of college graduates in China is expected to reach 11.79 million in 2024, an increase of 210,000 compared with 2023. 

In order to help college graduates seize this golden period of recruitment, the Chinese Ministry of Education issued a notice in March calling for specialized action. The action focuses on the current difficulties in promoting employment, optimizing employment guidance services and further aggregating social resources for college graduates to seek employment.

In addition to job fairs at universities, recruitment of migrant workers also started off strong this year due to factors such as the recovery of the consumer market, talent mobility during the spring recruitment season, and accelerated industrial upgrading and transformation.

According to media reports, in the first quarter of this year, driven by the New Year and Chinese Spring Festival holidays, the consumer market in various regions continued to heat up, with the most vigorous demand being for sales-related positions. Industries such as catering and manufacturing with high staff turnover have also increased recruitment efforts to meet the high demand during the peak season. 

In the city of Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, which is known in China as the "top city of live streaming e-commerce," the demand for positions such as couriers and sorters remains high due to the high volume of deliveries. In established first-tier cities like Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen, as well as new first-tier cities like Chengdu, Chongqing, Hangzhou and Wuhan, relatively high levels of economic development have led to more demand for instant delivery services.

With an increase in inbound international tourists, there is also a surging demand for foreign language tour guides. The daily income of English-speaking tour guides ranges from 400 to 600 yuan ($55-83), which is 100 to 200 yuan higher than Chinese-speaking tour guides. For some other lesser-known languages like Russian, the daily income of tour guides can exceed 1,000 yuan, according to workercn.cn, a news portal affiliated with the Workers' Daily newspaper.  

Xu Lixia, general manager of an international travel agency, told the website that from January to April, their agency's 10 English-speaking guides handled 240 tour groups. 

Furthermore, specialized job fairs for women, veterans or overseas students have also been held in many places to connect these groups with more suitable jobs and provide them with more precise guidance.

A woman who spent 546,800 yuan ($75,538) on breast augmentation discovered that the fillers contained proteins sourced from camels, bats, and chimpanzees, and the case has sparked heated discussion online. It has also shed light on safety concerns within the rapidly growing cosmetic surgery industry in China.

In 2022, Lanlan was introduced to a beauty and cosmetic surgery institution called "Chu Mei Ren" in Beijing, which touted a breast augmentation technique that involved no surgery or synthetic implants, instead utilizing the consumer's own blood tissue for cultivation, promising a 20-minute procedure resulting in larger breasts.

The institution's director claimed their technique held an exclusive national patent and normally charged 1.94 million yuan for the procedure. However, through a referral discount, Lanlan managed to negotiate the fee down to 546,800 yuan.

According to Lanlan, the operation lasted only 20 minutes, leaving no visible scars. However, over time, she noticed asymmetry and experienced persistent discomfort in her breasts.

During a routine medical examination, a breast ultrasound revealed foreign bodies within her breasts. Subsequent examinations in two different hospitals confirmed the presence of unknown injection fillers and non-native tissue, as well as implants.

Lanlan underwent further surgery, costing an additional 200,000 yuan, to remove the foreign substances. Despite extensive cleansing, traces of the fillers remained, posing potential health risks.

Analysis of the filler samples revealed proteins from various animal sources, including camels, bats, and chimpanzees. Lanlan, now seven months pregnant, faces anxiety over breastfeeding due to the complications from her breast augmentation surgery.

In addition, Lanlan's mother also underwent the same procedure with the same institution, spending over 600,000 yuan, and she experienced breast pain and deformities as well.

The surgeon who operated on Lanlan was found to be a general surgeon at a hospital in Beijing, with no record of multiple institutional practices, violating regulations that require such a record, according to CCTV.

Recently, CCTV reporters revisited Chu Mei Ren institution for investigation but found it closed.

This case sheds light on the safety concerns within the rapidly growing cosmetic surgery industry in China. According to data released by the National Health Commission in January, there are a total of 18,584 compliant medical aesthetics institutions in China (excluding public institutions and private comprehensive ones).

Data from the iResearch institute showed that as of 2020, only 12 percent of medical aesthetic institutions in China were legally compliant, with over 80,000 "black institutions" operating. Legally compliant physicians accounted for only 24 percent, while the number of illegal practitioners is more than 100,000.

The regulatory authorities in China have been intensifying their supervision of the medical aesthetics industry. On April 9, the State Administration for Market Regulation issued a notice announcing the launch of a nationwide campaign from April to November 2024 to regulate advertisements in key sectors including the medical aesthetics industry, which will target unauthorized ads promoting unrealistic beauty standards and crack down on platforms and influencers promoting illegal medical aesthetics during live streams.

In May 2023, 11 government departments, including the State Administration for Market Regulation, jointly issued guidelines asserting that cosmetic procedures must fall under medical activities, requiring compliance with healthcare laws.

The increased supervision of the medical aesthetics industry aims to regulate registration, qualification verification, and information sharing, as well as curbing illegal practices and ensuring public safety.