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China and Europe team up on Einstein Probe for revolutionary space discovery

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WATCH: Natalie Carney investigates what the Einstein Probe will get up to

Black holes have enthralled astrophysicists for decades…as they are one of the most fascinating objects in space. They’re extremely dense with such strong gravitational pull that not even light can escape their grasp as predicted by iconic German physicist Albert Einstein in his theory of general relativity.

One of the latest projects to investigate these cosmic phenomenona is the Einstein Probe, a Chinese satellite incorporating European technology.

“It’s very exciting as it’s opening up a completely new discovery space,” says Kirpal Nandra, Director of the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics (MPE) in Munich.

“The Einstein Probe is designed to look for explosive transient events in the universe and these arise from some of the most energetic processes out there and are usually associated with objects like neutron stars and especially black holes.”

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The Einstein Probe satellite was designed by the Chinese Academy of Sciences and includes two telescopes; a wide-field X-ray telescope which takes broad scans of the sky, and a so-called “follow-up” telescope, modeled after MPE’s successful eROSITA telescope, which zones in on the details of any explosion.

This more sensitive telescope encompasses 54 nested mirrors through which the light passes and on the other side, a special camera with X-ray sensitive detectors, known as CCDs, that are used to produce the images.

“The eROSITA is able to tell us the energy of the X-rays that we are seeing and also very precisely the time at which the X-rays were received,” says Nandra.

Natalie Carney was in Germany to explore the Einstein Probe mission./ CGTN Europe

Aware of the decades of work the MPE has put into building sensitive imaging and spectroscopic X-Ray telescopes, Nandra received a call from the leader of the Einstein Probe mission in China requesting their participation.

“We were delighted to agree,” he adds smiling. “It’s a unique way to use our expertize. It allows us to do things, at least with a factor of 10 more sensitivity then we were able to do in the past and that means there’s a new discovery space that you can open. They might be of a completely different kind that we’ve never been sensitive to in the past.”

In return for their technology, the MPE and the European Space Agency will get access to 10 percent of the data generated by Einstein Probe’s observations.

The Einstein Probe took off from China’s Xichang Satellite Launch Center on January 9 and is expected to spend the next three years collecting images 600 kilometers above ground.

While this is the first executed collaboration between the MPE and Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nandra says another more ambitious project between the two that has been under discussion for some time.

“We are hoping that that will very soon be approved in China…” he says.

Watch this space.

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Tulips create a photogenic vista at Beijing’s Chaoyang Park

As a lively oasis in the heart of Beijing, Chaoyang Park in the capital’s Chaoyang District is a place where visitors can spend a cozy and relaxing time throughout the year. In spring, many flowers– most notably tulips– in the park are in full bloom, effortlessly slowing down the pace of visitors as they capture photos of these beautiful blossoms.

Blooming tulips are pictured at Chaoyang Park in Beijing on April 15, 2024. /CGTN

An aerial view of the blooming tulips is taken at Chaoyang Park in Beijing on April 15, 2024. /CGTN

Blooming tulips are pictured at Chaoyang Park in Beijing on April 15, 2024. /CGTN

The tulip flowerbeds cover the southern, central and northern areas of the park, featuring more than 30 exquisite varieties. It’s also part of the city’s Tulip Culture Festival, with Chaoyang Park being one of seven exhibition areas across the city. Zhongshan Park, the National Botanical Garden and Changyang Park are also among the seven display areas. The tulip exhibitions will last until the end of May.

A flowerbed at Chaoyang Park in Beijing is full of tulips in full bloom on April 15, 2024. /CGTN

Tulips are seen in full bloom at Chaoyang Park in Beijing on April 15, 2024. /CGTN

Blooming tulips of different colors are pictured at Chaoyang Park in Beijing on April 15, 2024. /CGTN

Chaoyang Park is only around a 20-minute bike ride from Beijing’s CBD or a 12-minute ride from Sanlitun, a trendy shopping hub popular with youngsters in Chaoyang District. Don’t miss an opportunity to immerse yourself in the beauty of spring and indulge in the vibrant atmosphere of park life.

Beyond words: Embracing the beauty of Chinese expressions

When we delve into a language, we do more than just learn its words and grammar; we penetrate deeply into the soul and emotions of a culture.

Chinese, one of the world’s oldest languages, boasts rich expressions that convey profound philosophies and delicate emotions. Every Chinese learner harbors a special Chinese phrase in their heart, one that may serve as a bridge connecting them to the stories of Chinese culture, or a window through which they can observe the commonalities and resonances between different cultures.

As UN Chinese Language Day approaches, China Daily website has invited five friends from different countries to share the Chinese expressions that hold special significance in their hearts. Join us in experiencing the boundless charm of Chinese and its cross-cultural resonance!

Expert: 2024 growth target is achievable

China’s economic outlook is poised to improve in the following months, buoyed by robust fiscal spending, and the country’s growth target of around 5 percent for 2024 is achievable, according to a renowned economist.

Huang Yiping, dean of Peking University’s National School of Development, told China Daily in an exclusive interview that the nation’s economy is relatively stable. “There is hope that the economy may continue to improve, given that the government will expand its fiscal spending and provide more support to economic growth in the coming months.”

Huang called for more efforts to further boost economic recovery and stabilize the employment rate, which will bolster consumer confidence and increase incomes for households.

Click the video to learn more.

Exhibition lauds cases of solid work to build beautiful, better China

Songs of the Earth, a survey exhibition at the China Millennium Monument, hails those who carry out social reforms under the banner of “beautiful China”. [Photo provided to China Daily]

In his poem The Song of the Land of China, Chilean poet and Nobel laureate Pablo Neruda (1904-73) wrote: “The land of China, I wish to speak to you, only in the language of land, only in the free language of paddy, only in the crimson language of flame …”

The passion mixed with a deep sentiment underlying the lines of Neruda has touched the hearts of the people in the country, and these days, members of different social sectors are “speaking” to their homeland by endeavoring in the extensive fields under the banner of “Beautiful China”.

Canton Fair an epitome of China, world helping each other succeed: Global Times editorial

Purchasers take a photo outside the 135th China Import and Export Fair exhibition hall on April 15, 2024. Photo: VCG

The 135th China Import and Export Fair (Canton Fair) opened on April 15. On the basis of last year’s record high exhibition area and number of participating companies, this year’s Canton Fair has once again seen a significant increase in scale, with a total of 29,000 exhibiting companies, continuing the overall trend of becoming more lively year by year. According to media statistics, just one hour before the opening, over 20,000 overseas purchasers flooded in, with 40 percent of them being new purchasers. Against the backdrop of turmoil in the Middle East causing market worries, the grand and bustling opening of the Canton Fair has brought certainty to global trade.

Themed “Serving High-Quality Development, Promoting High-Level Opening-up,” this Canton Fair is held offline in three phases. As China’s barometer and compass for foreign trade, the outside world first perceives the strength and determination of China’s development and opening-up from the Canton Fair. In fact, since 1957, the Canton Fair has been held twice a year without interruption, which is unique among major countries in the world. China’s consistent goodwill and sincerity toward the world are tangible and visible.

Now, the Canton Fair has grown from a window of Chinese manufacturing to a platform for world manufacturing. In particular, the first phase of the exhibition, themed “Advanced Manufacturing,” highlights advanced industries and technological support, showcasing new quality productive forces. Over 5,500 high-quality characteristic enterprises with titles such as national-level high-tech enterprises, champions in manufacturing industry categories, and specialized and innovative “Little Giants” have participated, representing a 20 percent increase compared to the previous session. This is not only a natural presentation of China’s manufacturing industry climbing to the high end of the global industrial chain and value chain, but also will benefit the world, creating more opportunities and dividends. This is the true interaction between China and the world.

This kind of interaction is by no means a one-way output from China to the world. In the descriptions of some Western public opinions, China has been accused of dumping excess cheap goods to the world, squeezing the development space of other countries, and profiting from it. However, anyone who visits the Canton Fair exhibition site and takes a look around will easily understand why doing business with China is so popular. Take this session of the Canton Fair as an example, the number of top retailers and major businesses from various countries and regions has significantly increased. Among them are Walmart, Best Buy, and Amazon from the US; Auchan, Carrefour, and Schneider from France; Tesco from the UK, and Metro AG from Germany. Nearly 200 leading companies have confirmed that they will form groups to participate in the fair. If these companies that truly engage with China were to paint a picture of China, it would be completely different from the portrayal by many “keyboard warriors” who have never been to China. Compared to their speculative predictions, the substantial deals made at the Canton Fair should be a more reliable indicator of the Chinese economy.

At the same time as the opening of the current Canton Fair, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is leading a large delegation on a visit to China. Meanwhile, the Chinese Ministry of Commerce delegation was discussing economic and trade cooperation issues with their Italian counterparts. At a broader level, projects in countries along the Belt and Road are being launched one after another, and flights to and from China are carrying business elites from around the world. Cooperation with China has become a trend that few Western politicians can intimidate or stop.

The Canton Fair has opened a door for mutual achievement between the world and China, and it is undoubtedly quite successful from any perspective. It can be fully anticipated that the transaction volume of this year’s Canton Fair will have a promising increase. This is not only the result of internal logic, but also the inevitable outcome of the current international political and economic situation. In the global industrial structural transformation, it is easy to see that China has the most powerful driving force for upgrading and transforming the national economy. For the world, especially in the current situation of continuous local conflicts and turmoil, such a comprehensive international trade fair with a wide source, good transaction results, and considerable reputation is also an important public product contributed by China. The more turbulent the world situation is, the more prominent the value of such a trade fair becomes.

Down the wrong path

Illustration: Carlos Latuff

GT Voice: To reassure Chinese investors, Philippines needs to do more

Illustration: Chen Xia/GT

If the Philippines wants to reassure Chinese companies about investing in the country, it may need to take tangible steps to mitigate risks for Chinese investors, rather than just providing optimistic rhetoric.

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr said that business deals that the Philippines secured at a summit with Japan and the US will not affect China’s investments in the country, Reuters reported on Friday.

Despite the diplomatic shift, the Marcos government may still hold some pragmatic thoughts on maintaining economic and investment ties with China due to the Philippines’ economic needs, but pressure from Washington and Tokyo could pose a dilemma.

It is not hard to see that in collusion with the US and Japan to serve their strategy of containing China, the Philippines has plunged itself into a geopolitical tug-of-war, which other ASEAN countries have been trying to avoid in their regional diplomacy.

Given the Philippines’ recent tough attitude toward China and its hype about the “China threat” at a trilateral summit with the US and Japan, it is impossible to expect that such developments won’t dampen Chinese investors’ confidence in the country.

Yet, no one can easily deny the importance of trade between China and the Philippines, especially at a time when the Southeast Asian country is grappling with multiple challenges such as inflation, energy security and outdated infrastructure.

Like other ASEAN members, the Philippines maintains strong economic and trade ties with China, a vital trading partner and investment source. Chinese investment, particularly in infrastructure, plays a critical role in the economic development of the Philippines.

Take China’s State Grid’s investment in the National Grid Corp of the Philippines as an example. This is a landmark project that underscores China’s important role in infrastructure development in the country. State Grid Corp has successfully operated the national transmission grid in the Philippines using its management experience and relevant technologies, contributing stable support for the country’s electricity supply and bringing tangible benefits to the economic and social development of the Philippines.

If anything, this is a prime example of why Marcos still tries to tread a fine line with Chinese investment. Normal economic and trade relations with China are still in line with the interests of ASEAN countries.

Under such circumstances, it is up to the Marcos government to stabilize economic and trade ties with China, especially Chinese investment in the Philippines.

A conducive environment is essential for any investment to thrive. However, excessive political risk can undermine investment confidence. Unfortunately, this is what many Chinese companies may fear in investing in the Philippines.

Even in the case of State Grid, the project has encountered political obstacles, highlighting the complexity of Chinese investment in the Philippines. In May 2023, Marcos reportedly backed a probe to determine whether the government should take over the country’s sole power grid operator, in part due to national security concerns, Nikkei Asia reported.

Obviously, the investment environment could become more complex and unpredictable. While the US and Japan promised some economic assistance to the Philippines during the trilateral meeting in Washington last week, they also urged the Philippines to diversify supply chains to reduce reliance on China. It is apparently an attempt to push the Philippines to “decouple” from China.

For instance, the three countries agreed to forge ties to strengthen supply chains for nickel, a critical mineral essential for the batteries used in electric vehicles, a move aimed at creating a supply chain that is not overly dependent on China, The Japan News reported on Sunday.

As an ASEAN member, the Philippines should keep pace with ASEAN members in economic and trade relations with China. If the Philippines wants to rely on military alliances with the US and Japan to resolve the South China Sea issue, it will be hard to reassure Chinese investors about the investment environment in the Philippines.

At the same time, the Philippine government must implement concrete measures to mitigate risks for Chinese enterprises and foster a conducive investment climate, rather than offering oral promises. These actions should include, but not be limited to, bolstering legal safeguards with clear, transparent and business-friendly policies, as well as ensuring a stable political and economic landscape.

UN chief calls for restraint after Iran’s retaliatory attacks on Israel

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres (C, front) speaks during an emergency meeting of UN Security Council held at the UN headquarters in New York, April 14, 2024. /Xinhua

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Sunday called for maximum restraint after Iran’s retaliatory attacks on Israel over the latter’s deadly assault on the Iranian consulate in Syria.

“The Middle East is on the brink. The people of the region are confronting a real danger of a devastating full-scale conflict. Now is the time to defuse and de-escalate. Now is the time for maximum restraint,” he told an emergency meeting of the Security Council.

According to the latest reports, Iran on Saturday launched hundreds of drones and missiles from its territory toward Israel, with most intercepted. Several missiles reportedly struck within Israeli territory, one of which damaged an Israeli military facility in the south of the country. Overall, a few civilians were injured, said Guterres.

Iran’s permanent representative to the United Nations, Amir Saeid Iravani, in a letter to the president of the Security Council, stated that Iran’s action was taken “in response to the Israeli recurring military aggressions, particularly its armed attack on April 1, 2024, against Iranian diplomatic premises (in Damascus).”

Guterres reminded all member states that the UN Charter prohibits the use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state and that the principle of inviolability of diplomatic and consular premises and personnel must be respected in all cases in accordance with international law.

“It’s time to step back from the brink. It is vital to avoid any action that could lead to major military confrontations on multiple fronts in the Middle East,” said Guterres. “Civilians are already bearing the brunt and paying the highest price.”

The international community has a shared responsibility to actively engage all parties concerned to prevent further escalation, to secure an immediate humanitarian cease-fire in Gaza, the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages, and the unimpeded delivery of humanitarian aid, he said.

The international community also has a shared responsibility to stop violence in the occupied West Bank, de-escalate the situation along the Lebanon-Israel border, and re-establish safe navigation in the Red Sea, he said.

“We have a shared responsibility to work for peace. Regional, and indeed global, peace and security are being undermined by the hour. Neither the region nor the world can afford more war,” he said.

Source(s): Xinhua News Agency

How China is building a safe, peaceful country and a more secure world

April 15 marks the 10th anniversary of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s proposal for a holistic approach to national security.

Originating the approach in 2014, Xi called for acquiring an accurate understanding of the new developments and trends of the national security situation, adhering to a holistic view and developing national security with Chinese characteristics.

Emphasizing coordination between “self-security” and “common security,” the approach promotes establishing a vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security and building a community with a shared future for mankind featuring universal security.

Dai Bing (3rd L, front), charge d’affaires of China’s permanent mission to the United Nations, speaks after the UN Security Council adopted a resolution to boost humanitarian aid access to Gaza at the UN headquarters in New York, U.S., December 22, 2023. /Xinhua

For a more secure world

Mounting global security challenges now are a constant reminder that the global community faces a momentous and urgent choice between a vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security and the Cold War-style paradigm that merely caters to the hegemony of one and absolute security of a few.

The Global Security Initiative (GSI) proposed by China has provided a solution to complex security challenges, promoting world peace and stability.

Last April, the foreign ministers of China, Saudi Arabia and Iran shook hands in Beijing, marking significant milestone in Riyadh-Tehran relations. The two countries’ resumption of diplomatic ties under China’s mediation signaled the possibility that humanity can rise above conflict and achieve reconciliation for the common good.

The historic thaw came almost a year after the GSI proposal, which advocates a new path to security featuring dialogue over confrontation, partnership over alliance, and win-win over zero-sum.

China has cooperated with various parties in international peacekeeping, counterterrorism, combating climate change, disaster prevention and combating transnational crime and dispatched multiple batches of peacekeeping troops to Lebanon, Mali and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), injecting impetus into world peace and stability.

Chinese peacekeepers attend an awards ceremony at the Chinese contingent’s engineering company camp on the outskirts of Bukavu, the capital of the eastern province of South Kivu, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, April 9, 2024. /Xinhua

On November 15, 2023, the first resolution since this round of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict broke out was adopted under China’s presidency of the UN Security Council, beginning initial steps toward a ceasefire.

China has also released “China’s Position on the Afghan Issue” and sought to further consolidate the consensus and synergy among regional countries to stabilize and assist Afghanistan, playing a constructive role in the political settlement of regional hotspot issues.

“Promoting dialogue and consultation, defusing and resolving disputes have become the defining feature of the GSI,” Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Chen Xiaodong said on March 28 at a session on the GSI at the Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference 2024.

Police conduct aerial inspections using drones in Zhoushan, east China’s Zhejiang Province, April 9, 2024. /CFP

For a safe, peaceful country

Over the past decade, China has enacted or revised a series of laws to safeguard national security, including those covering the country’s national security, food security, countering foreign sanctions, counter-espionage, anti-terrorism, cyber security, biosecurity, data security, as well as the Law on Safeguarding National Security in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

The country has also achieved rapid economic development and long-term social stability by insisting on coordinating development and security over the past 10 years.

In 2023, China’s grain output rose 1.3 percent year on year to a record high of 695.41 million tonnes, further consolidating the country’s foundation of food security.

During the central financial work conference held last November, the prevention and control of financial risks was put in a more important position, aiming to hold the red line of forestalling systemic financial risks.

Solid efforts have been made to ensure stable performance in employment, foreign trade, foreign investment, domestic investment and market expectation.