The international pressure to push Israel to stop collective punishment in the Gaza Strip has been mounting with the death toll of this round of conflict surpassing 10,000. Following Bolivia's decision to suspend ties with Israel, analysts said other nations would move to apply diplomatic pressure on Israel and the US to allow a truce.

At a news conference on Tuesday, Bolivia's deputy foreign minister Freddy Mamani Machaca stated that his nation "decided to break diplomatic relations with the Israeli state in repudiation and condemnation of the aggressive and disproportionate Israeli military offensive taking place in the Gaza Strip." According to media reports, two other South American countries, Colombia and Chile, have recalled their ambassadors from Israel. 

Jordan on Wednesday recalled its ambassador to Israel in protest of Jerusalem's conduct in the war against Hamas, the foreign ministry in Amman announced, media reported.

Bolivia was one of the first nations to sever diplomatic ties with Israel in response to the latter's military activities in Gaza. Together with Chile and Colombia, their actions aim to express discontent to Israel's collective punishment of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and show solidarity and support for the Palestinian people, Tian Wenlin, a professor at School of International Studies of the Renmin University of China, told the Global Times on Wednesday.

In 2009, under the government of leftist President Evo Morales, Bolivia also cut ties with Israel in protest against Israel's actions in Gaza. In 2020, the government of right-wing interim President Jeanine Anez reestablished the ties. Bolivia, Chile and Colombia all have leftist governments.

On Wednesday, Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Lior Haiat said in a post on X that Bolivia is aligning itself with Hamas.

Many of the leftist governments and leaders in the area have chosen to support the underprivileged and base their diplomatic decisions on justice. Moreover, as the Global South has grown and the West declines, more countries from the Global South are gaining strategic autonomy and fighting to protect international law's legitimacy and fairness, said Tian. 

Bolivia, Chile, and Colombia have all brought up the important topic of international law in relation to the current state of affairs in Gaza. For example, Chile Foreign Ministry said in a statement that it decided to recall its ambassador "in the face of the unacceptable violations of international humanitarian law committed by Israel in the Gaza Strip." 

Although these are drastic measures to express disapproval of Israel's activities, severing ties and withdrawing diplomats are not uncommon in the Middle East. Also, nations whose relations with Israel are frozen may decide to do the same, said Tian. 

In addition, Arab nations with diplomatic ties to Israel would come under increased pressure if the humanitarian situation in Gaza worsened. It's also possible that some of these nations may sever ties with Israel in order to placate domestic public sentiment, said the expert.

For Arab nations that maintain diplomatic relations with Israel, deciding whether to sever ties can be more difficult because normalizing relations required a lot of work and they must also take the US into account. However, it is obvious that future negotiations between Israel and other Arab nations on normalization will be more challenging, Li Weijian, a research fellow with the Institute for Foreign Policy Studies of the Shanghai Institutes for International Studies, told the Global Times. 

Before Hamas' sudden attack at Israel on October 7, Saudi Arabia and Israel were on a US-brokered negotiation on normalization of relations. However, Saudi Arabia decided to pause the negotiation and informed US officials, AFP reported on October 14. 

Growing call for ceasefire

As of press time on Wednesday, the death toll from both Gaza and Israel has surpassed 10,000 in this round of conflict. According to the Health Ministry in Gaza, 8,525 have died and among them, 3,542 were children and 2,187 women, while 21,543 other people were injured. 

Israel continued its ground operation in Gaza. On Tuesday, an Israeli air strike is reported to have killed 50 people at Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza, according to the Gaza-based health ministry. But a nearby hospital said it received 400 casualties, including 120 dead.

On Tuesday, the Arab world condemned Israeli airstrikes on the refugee camp. In a Foreign Ministry statement, the United Arab Emirates condemned "the severity of the bombing carried out by Israel on the Jabalia camp in the Gaza Strip, stressing that "the continuation of the senseless bombing will lead the region to repercussions that are difficult to remedy."

Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin said on Wednesday that China is shocked with the great casualties of civilians in the airstrike and strongly condemns such action. 

China urges all parties concerned, especially the Israeli side, to maintain maximum calm and restraint, effectively implement the UN General Assembly resolution adopted on October 27, immediately cease fire, fully protect civilians, open up corridors for humanitarian assistance as soon as possible, and avoid an even worse humanitarian disaster, Wang said. 

Wang emphasized that China will continue to play an active and constructive role in promoting ceasefire, ensuring the safety of civilians, and pushing for an early comprehensive, just, and lasting settlement of  the Palestinian question within the United Nations Security Council.

While China and the international community are intensifying efforts in pushing for a ceasefire, the US continues its one-sided support to Israel. National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby told reporters on Monday that the US does not believe that a ceasefire "is the right answer right now." 

The US has been feeling greater stress from the international community as criticism of the Biden administration on the issue has grown, said Li.  

There have been growing protests against US' one-sided backing of Israel in recent days. On Tuesday, demonstrators covered in fake blood disrupted US Secretary Antony Blinken's hearing on Israel in order to demand a ceasefire in Gaza and demand that the US halt "supporting genocide," causing disruption in the US Congress, according to media reports.  

Israel may continue its operations in the Gaza Strip with the aim of destroying Hamas, but it will encounter additional challenges, including the moral weight of mounting international criticism and the challenges of conducting ground operations in Gaza. Israel may decide to cease if the ground operation has not gone well and resulted in significant losses, but it won't stop for now, said Tian

According to some observers, ongoing military operations in Gaza would only worsen the humanitarian issue and harm Israel's reputation internationally. More humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza is poised to occur as the US takes little action to halt it.

The US, the EU and the rest of the international community are deeply divided on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The world is also made aware of the US and the West's double standards and hypocrisy by the stark contrast between their actions and their boasts of human rights, said Tian, noting that the US has completely lost its credibility. 

On Thursday afternoon, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs once again expressed its strong opposition after the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) hastily released the comprehensive assessment report on the dump plan of nuclear-contaminated wastewater of Japan's Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant.

Wang Wenbin, the spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs further reiterated three points at a press conference on Thursday. Firstly, Japan focuses more on saving cost instead of safeguarding marine environment and protecting people's life and health. Second, Japan did not have full consultation with the international community especially with stakeholders. Third, the dumping plan is a gamble with no precedent and it is full of uncertainties.

After the IAEA released its assessment report on Tuesday, relevant government ministries in China expressed strong opposition.

China's Ministry of Ecology and Environment (National Nuclear Safety Administration) said it has deployed environmental monitoring for marine radiation levels and will issue an early warning in time to effectively safeguard the interests of the country and the public health in case of any abnormalities.

Deng Ge, secretary general of the China Atomic Energy Authority (CAEA) told the media on Tuesday that the safety report by the IAEA on the Japanese government's plan to dump Fukushima nuclear-contaminated wastewater failed to fully reflect the opinions of all experts involved in the review and the conclusions were limited and biased.

Liu Senlin, an expert with the CAEA, who participated in the IAEA's technical working group for the assessment, said that the report, released in the name of the IAEA director general, was released without sufficient consultation with the experts in the technical working group.

He believes that the report released by the IAEA does not represent the IAEA's recognition of the legitimacy of Japan's decision to dump the treated wastewater into the ocean, nor does it represent the IAEA's approval or authorization of Japan's dump of nuclear-contaminated wastewater.

According to media reports, the Japanese government plans to start the release of treated radioactive wastewater from the defunct Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant as early as this August, bolstered by the IAEA's latest report to greenlight its plan.

Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday announced that competent departments of the Chinese government will enhance marine environment monitoring and strengthen inspection and quarantine of imported seafood and other products to safeguard people's health and food safety.

Although the IAEA said the plan "meets safety standards," the public, including local fishermen in Japan, and people in neighboring countries remain skeptical and their unease has not subsided. For example, around 33,000 people from Fukushima, Iwate and Miyagi in Japan have signed a petition protesting the dumping of nuclear-contaminated wastewater into the ocean, making a total of 254,000 signatures collected in these places since 2022 urging the Japanese government to suspend the plan, Japan's Kyodo News reported. Many in Seoul, South Korea also gathered Wednesday in the central Gwanghwamun square to protest Japan's dumping plan despite the IAEA's endorsement, South Korean media reported, noting that the protest has continued for weeks.

In response to Japan's decision to discharge nuclear-contaminated wastewater from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant into the sea, the Global Times has produced a series of cartoons condemning Japan's irresponsible behavior from different perspectives, such as public opposition, the radioactive contamination to marine organisms, and the Japanese government's selfish behavior against the global community.

The Embassy of the Republic of South Africa in Beijing hosted the unveiling ceremony of artwork donated to the Embassy on July 14.

The painting was created and donated by renowned award winning Chinese artist Qu Zhenhui. She has made valuable contributions to female and youth empowerment and to community programs in the field of art.

In 2023, Qu spent half a year to create the giant frescos measuring 3.6 by 2 meters for the embassy and the work now hangs in the parlor of the embassy.

Ambassador Siyabonga Cyprian Cwele attended the ceremony and said, "I truly appreciate Qu's great efforts in the creation of this beautiful piece of art. This impressive piece of art represents Qu's gesture of goodwill and appreciation to our country. We feel honored to have this painting be displayed in the embassy as a constant reminder of our culture and our people back at home."

Such works of art build bridges for China-South Africa cultural exchanges. 

"The South African Embassy in Beijing will continue to promote people-to-people exchanges in the field of art and culture between South Africa and China so as to further strengthen our bilateral friendship relations." he said. 

The 8th Contemporary Mexican Film Cycle will kick off in several Chinese cities, brining filmgoers and Mexican cultural enthusiasts in China six classic Mexican movies, the Global Times learned from Mexican Consulate General in Shanghai.

Started in 2013, the film cycle China is held to celebrate Día del Cine Mexicano, or the National Mexican Cinema Day, which falls on August 15 each year.

The film cycle presents audiences in China with the latest Mexican film productions by some of Mexico's most outstanding directors. They are committed to exploring various forms of film expression, showcasing to the world the colorful and infinite possibilities of today's Mexican film industry, said the Mexican Consulate General in Shanghai

The film cycle will be held in Shanghai, Beijing, and Guangzhou. In Shanghai, the first film - Alamar (To the Sea) directed by Pedro González-Rubio - will be screened on Saturday afternoon at The Miguel de Cervantes Library.

Alamar was shot at Banco Chinchorro, which was listed as a biosphere reserve by the UNESCO in 2004. It tells the story of a five-year-old Italian-Mexican boy reuniting and going sea fishing with his fisherman father during holidays.

The other five movies scheduled to be screened are: Noche de fuego (Prayers for the Stolen), El camino de Xico (Xico's Journey), Güeros, Post Tenebras Lux (Light after Darkness), and A morir a los desiertos (To Die in the Desert).

El camino de Xico will be screened with a Chinese dubbing track. The remaining films will be screened in Spanish with Chinese subtitles.

The film cycle is jointly being held by the representative office of the National Autonomous University of Mexico in China, the Mexican Embassy in China, as well as the Mexican consulates general in Shanghai and Guangzhou.

The public can register to the screenings in Shanghai through the WeChat account of the Miguel de Cervantes Library

Grace Ruan browses the pages of a shopping website and plans to order baby congee for her one-year-old son. This is a popular Japanese-brand congee that Ruan has bought many times.

But this time she hesitates for a while. She reminds of the alarming media reports about Japan's nuclear-contaminated wastewater dumping plan, the baby congee's country of origin.

Ruan, nonetheless, places the order after careful consideration, as she believes the dumping plan won't affect most Japanese-made products any time soon. "But I may abandon Japanese baby products in the future, maybe after three or four months," the young mother told the Global Times.

Japan plans to start dumping the radiative wastewater as early as the end of this month, and the dumping period may last over 30 years, Japanese mainstream media revealed. This irresponsible move has caused panic among residents in Japan's neighboring countries and regions.

Apart from Ruan, many Chinese parents reached by the Global Times in recent interviews said that they may no longer buy Japanese baby products, which "are likely to be contaminated by nuclear radiation" because of Japan's forthcoming dumping of poorly treated wastewater.

They currently have mixed feelings about Japanese products. "I like the products. But I don't want to risk my baby's health," a mother sighed.

How will the Pandora's Box that the Kishida administration plans to open harm the country's business enterprises? Global Times reporters reached Chinese and Japanese consumers and businesspeople, who shared their concerns and pessimisms about the reckless decision. 

Mounting worries

Ruan used to be a big fan of Japanese products. From camera to skincare products, from instant noodles to baby's feeding bottles, Ruan's home is filled with various kinds of Japanese-brand items.

"I think Japanese products are of good quality, and most products suit our Chinese customers probably because China and Japan are in the same [East Asia] region," Ruan praised.

However, Ruan started to get in touch with more news of the scheduled nuclear-contaminated wastewater dumping early this year. She has searched related information, and found that the wastewater to be dumped by the Japanese government may not meet with the set release standards, and that may lead to a series of unpredictable consequences.

"I personally don't worry too much about Japanese products," she said. "But I have to think of my baby. I may buy him Western- or Chinese-made [products] instead."

Similar to Ruan, many other Chinese mothers told the Global Times that they are anxious about how the planned wastewater dumping may affect the baby products they use regularly, which include but are not limited to disposable diapers, feeding bottles, body oils, prewalkers, and foodstuffs.

A mother nicknamed Lapin recalled that she once found a Japanese-brand baby bottle cleaner on sale at a very attractive discount, but she didn't buy it. "I don't buy any Japanese baby products now," Lapin said.

Such panic and concern has also spread online. On Chinese social media platforms like Xiaohongshu, or little red book, there are many posts that mainly list Japanese skincare, food, baby, and daily product brands, calling for people to no longer buy the listed items due to "possible safety concerns." Many big brands that are familiar to Chinese customers, such as Shiseido, Kao, Suntory, Lion and Pigeon, are usually on these lists.

Many netizens have commented under the posts, either asking for alternative brands from other countries, or slamming Japanese government's shameful move. "The radionuclides in the wastewater can be a great harm to marine organism, and will gradually harm humans," one user wrote on Xiaohongshu. "Why must we pay for their wrongdoing?"

Some nervous customers have even reached out to Japanese brand customer service representatives requesting to be furnished with a nuclear radiation monitoring report for the products they have bought, but the result was not satisfactory most of the time.

A customer in Shanghai, for instance, recently asked for a monitoring report for a Japanese bath cream she bought in July via an online overseas shopping platform. 

"The report the customer service representative sent to me was made as early as January, and it can only vouch that the bath cream's packing has no nuclear radiation," she told the Global Times. "That was far from reassuring to me."

'A crushing blow' to seafood industry

From big companies to small business ventures, Japanese businesses have become one of the biggest victims of the country government's hasty and unreasonable nuclear-containment wastewater release plan.

Those engaged in the food industry, particularly in seafood, have been the first to suffer the effects. Customs in the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong Special Administrative Region announced a ban on the importation of food products from 10 of Japan's 47 prefectures due to safety concerns in July.

Chinese mainland customs authorities said they would also strictly review documents regarding foodstuffs, especially aquatic products. 

Japanese Agricultural Minister Tetsuro Nomura told media in late July that some fishery exports from Japan have been suspended by Chinese customs authorities, and complained that such strict measures were "unacceptable."

"Of course, China would put pressure on Japan as a display of a tough stance, which means that since Japan can ignore the health of the people of coastal countries and the potential for pollution to the ocean, the affected countries also have the right to increase sanctions against Japan," Da Zhigang, director of the Institute of Northeast Asian Studies at the Heilongjiang Provincial Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times.

At a press briefing in July, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning urged Japan to "heed the call of the international community, stop pushing through with the discharge plan, engage in full and sincere consultations with its neighbors, dispose of the nuclear-contaminated wastewater in a responsible way, and accept rigorous international oversight."

Besides the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong, the first and second largest export destinations of Japan's aquatic products in 2022 which, together, accounted for some 40 percent of its overall aquatic exports, dozens of countries and regions have announced to ban on food products from Fukushima and its surrounding areas. 

South Korea, for instance, said that it will stick to its ban on seafood imports from Japan's Fukushima region, as the issue of people's health and safety is something that the "government can never compromise on," the Yonhap News Agency reported on June 21.

The bans have dealt a crushing blow to the Japanese industries and regions involved. 

Junichi Tamatsukuri, a Japanese lawmaker from Ibaraki Prefecture, which borders Fukushima, told the Global Times that if the nuclear-contaminated wastewater from Fukushima is dumped into the sea this time, many industries in his prefecture, such as fishing, agriculture, manufacturing, and tourism, would be affected.

"It [Fukushima] used to be a treasure house for fresh and delicious seafood," said Haruo Ono, a fisherman from the town of Shinchi in Fukushima. "For fishermen living in such island countries, the sea is our god."

"But if the nuclear-contaminated wastewater is dumped into the sea at a time when the fishing situation in Fukushima has just improved, the efforts from the last 12 years will be wasted," Ono said angrily. "This is devastating for the Fukushima fishing industry."

The industry's downstream is at a low ebb as well. 

In Shanghai's downtown area is an omakase restaurant in operation for more than 20 years whose owner and chief cook is a Japanese man who likes to send WeChat messages to his regular customers at times, inviting them to try the newly arrived seafood flown in from Japan, such as sea snails and sea urchins.

From late July, his messages started to conclude with the same sentence: The seafood our restaurant uses doesn't come from the regions China has banned.

In a phone conversation, the restaurant promised the Global Times that ingredients used at the establishment have no radiation risk. "They are from Japanese regions like Hokkaido that are far from the 10 banned prefectures, and undergo hours of extensive inspection at customs," a staffer expertly said, as though she had explained this fact to customers dozens of times.

The staffer acknowledged that the restaurant has been "somewhat affected" by the dumping plan while declining to give further details.

Similarly, according to Wang, a Shanghai resident who enjoyed a buffet at a Japanese restaurant on Saturday night, the restaurant's customer flow had fallen "by half." 

The buffet restaurant in the Pudong New Area used to be so popular that there would routinely be long lines of diners waiting at the door as early as 4 pm at weekends, "but that day no one was waiting outside even during dinner time," Wang recalled to the Global Times.

Antipathy sentiment spreads

Also a casualty of the nuclear-contaminated wastewater dumping plan, Japan's cosmetics industry has also been hard hit in the Chinese market, one of its biggest overseas markets.

Several Japanese cosmetics companies reportedly suffered slumps in stock prices after an increase antipathy toward the dumping plan and warnings issued against the use of Japanese products which has spread across Chinese social media, observers found.

Cosmetics giant SHISEIDO saw a 6.8-percent plummet in stock prices in June, "the biggest weekly drop in nearly 10 months," the Singapore media outlet Lianhe Zaobao reported on June 24. It added that the share prices of other cosmetics manufacturers in Japan, including Pola Orbis Holdings and Kosé, also fell more than 3 percent that month.

China has always been an important market for Japanese exporters in various industries.

"However, although these import and export enterprises have complaints and criticisms [against their government], they cannot control the government's mandatory emissions," Da said.

Even if some neighboring countries have not banned these Japanese products, public sentiment that these products may pose certain risks has gained traction, making consumers more cautious when choosing, he told the Global Times.

More than 80 percent of respondents in 11 countries in the Asia-Pacific region, except for Japan, said Japan's plan to dump nuclear-contaminated wastewater into the sea is "irresponsible," nearly 90 percent of respondents expressed negative sentiments toward the plan, and 94 percent said the move would have a negative effect not only on Japan and Pacific Rim countries but also on the rest of the world, a survey conducted by the Global Times Research Center found.

Editor's Note:

In his report to the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC), Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, proposed to comprehensively advance the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation on all fronts through a Chinese path to modernization - the modernization of a huge population, of common prosperity for all, of material and cultural-ethical advancement, of harmony between humanity and nature, and of peaceful development. 

Advancing Chinese modernization is a systematic endeavor and also an exploratory undertaking. It is through this framework that we wish to illustrate the process of the Chinese path to modernization through a series of landmark projects, touching stories, and visionary plans. 

In this installment, we trace along the stream of the Xin'an River, which flows in East China's Anhui and Zhejiang provinces, some of China's most-developed regions facing the dilemmas of industrial development and ecological protection. Through a collaborative and creative way, a cross-provincial ecological compensation mechanism has been built, setting a model in pursuing harmony between humanity and nature.

Xin'an River, which originates in Huangshan, East China's Anhui Province starting at an altitude of 1,629.8 meters, winds its way for over 300 kilometers through picturesque mountains and valleys, and eventually converges in Chun'an county, East China's Zhejiang Province, creating the Qiandao Lake before flowing into the Qiantang River.

With rapid economic and social development, in the early years, the upper reaches of the Xin'an River basin suffered from ecological degradation due to rapid industrialization and urbanization. Industrial pollution, domestic waste, and agricultural runoff expanded sharply, leading to a year-on-year decline in water quality. 

The once clear river water became a source of concern for the people on both banks. The shared fate of drinking from the same river made the people of Anhui and Zhejiang realize the urgency of working together to protect their "mother river."

In the new era, the relationship between key breakthroughs and collaborative governance in major river basins has become a subject of Xi Jinping's Thought on Ecological Civilization, evolving from theoretical innovation to practical exploration. 

"We shall protect ecosystems as preciously as we protect our eyes, and cherish them as dearly as we cherish our lives," Xi has said, stressing that the development model of "killing the hens for eggs" and "draining the lake for fish" is at a dead end, and the future will be illuminated by eco-friendly development that is in accordance with the rules of nature.

As China's first pilot program for cross-provincial ecological compensation mechanisms, the ecological governance of the Xin'an River basin has provided a new approach for cross-regional ecological mechanisms, especially for the local governments facing the dilemmas of industrial development and ecological protection.

From being a pilot to becoming a model, from financial compensation to industrial cooperation, from collaborative governance to mutual development, Zhejiang and Anhui provinces have continuously innovated their cross-provincial ecological compensation mechanism, gradually forging a path of mutual benefit and win-win cooperation.

Explore a new path

The Qiandao Lake is known for its picturesque landscapes characterized by mountains, pristine waters, and an archipelago of islands. The ever-changing scenery of the lake and mountains resembles paradise on Earth. Today, it attracts a multitude of tourists and serves as a habitat for many wild animals.

However, in the past, the area presented a different picture. At that time, Huangshan city was undergoing rapid industrialization and urbanization. Some wastewater and garbage made its way into Qiandao Lake through the Xin'an River, causing deterioration of water quality in certain areas and the proliferation of blue-green algae, which posed a threat to the survival of fish.

How were the emergent pollution issues addressed in the Xin'an River basin? In 2011, Xi gave an important instruction, emphasizing the significance of protecting Qiandao Lake's high-quality water resources, stating that Zhejiang and Anhui should consider the overall situation, control pollution at its source, and pursue a mutually beneficial and win-win path.

"The Xin'an River basin is the pioneer in the construction of ecological compensation mechanisms in China," said Wu Zhixu, deputy director of the Chun'an sub-bureau of ecology and environment in Hangzhou. Wu revealed that the Anhui segment of the upper Xin'an River accounts for over 60 percent of the total inflow into the Qiandao Lake, making it crucial for the lake's water quality.

In 2012, Zhejiang and Anhui provinces initiated the first nationwide pilot project for a cross-provincial ecological compensation mechanism along the Xin'an River. They established a compensation standard system with the philosophy "those who benefit compensate, and those who protect receive compensation." 

The agreement stipulated that as long as Anhui Province achieved water quality standards at the provincial boundary, Zhejiang Province's downstream region would compensate Anhui to the tune of 100 million yuan ($13.8 million) annually. If water quality standards were not met, Anhui Province would need to compensate Zhejiang with the same amount.

During the implementation of this policy, with increasing exchanges between upstream and downstream areas, Zhejiang and Anhui provinces learned from each other's governance experiences, and gradually formed a collaborative work pattern encompassing joint planning, water quality monitoring, garbage collection, law enforcement emergencies, and multilateral exchanges.

Through the joint efforts of both provinces, three phases of pilot projects were conducted in the periods of 2012 to 2014, 2015 to 2017, and 2018 to 2020. Over the course of more than a decade of implementing the Xin'an River ecological compensation mechanism, the central government and the two provinces of Zhejiang and Anhui collectively allocated a total of 5.7 billion yuan in compensation funds. 

Chun'an county received a total of 7.5 billion yuan in ecological and environmental protection subsidies, driving the investment of 11.2 billion yuan in ecological and environmental protection. Additionally, 31 projects were incentivized through specialized financial incentives for green transformation, attracting an investment of 4.52 billion yuan.

Today, the comprehensive governance level of the Xin'an River basin has significantly improved. The Qiandao Lake continues to maintain excellent water quality, and its water source is categorized as one of the first "China Good Water" water sources, earning the honor of being one of the first national-level ecological protection and construction demonstration areas, among others.

Moreover, the two provinces of Zhejiang and Anhui have transitioned from a single fund compensation approach to engaging in diverse explorations. The potential value of the ecological compensation mechanism in driving local economic structural transformation and promoting high-quality economic development has gradually become evident.

For instance, in the agricultural sector, an agreement was signed between Jiukeng town in Chun'an, Zhejiang, and Huangtian town in Shexian county, Anhui, to collaboratively cultivate talent in the field of tea and enhance the cooperative efforts in breeding excellent tea varieties. This has turned tea cultivation and tourism into pillar industries driving rural revitalization in the local area. In the field of culture and tourism, the Xin'an River basin has interconnected multiple 5A-level scenic spots and traditional villages along its course.

The Xin'an River basin, serving as an exemplary model, is transitioning from the "joint protection of one river" to the "shared prosperity of one region," providing one of the finest illustrations of the Chinese path to modernization, showing that Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era is the "master key" for analyzing and resolving issues.

An inspiring reference

Experiences in the cross-provincial ecological compensation practice in the Xin'an River-Qiandao Lake region also provides a good reference for many other cities and villages in the Yangtze River Delta region.

Xiayang village in Zhejiang's Anji county, for instance, is a popular camping destination with a plethora of natural attractions. It received more than 5,000 camping tourists in 2021, with annual tourism income reaching 2.13 million yuan ($293,324).

But that year, while happy with their booming tourism, some local villagers were also worried about a possible decrease in tourists in the near future because of the then polluted Xiayang stream flowing through the village. 

"The industrial wastewater and household waste discharged from the upstream villages can cause pollution and hurt the water environment, and that may discourage campers and affect our village's tourism business," Bao Xin, secretary of the Xiayang village branch of the Communist Party of China (CPC), told the Global Times.

The upper reach of Xiayang stream passes through several villages in Anhui's Guangde city. Due to problems including inadequate communication and different water protection standards, it was difficult to carry out cross-provincial water pollution control work initially, Bao recalled.

The "Xin'an River mode" inspired Xiayang's villagers, who voluntarily went to the upstream villages at the beginning of 2022 and discussed joint management and protection of Xiayang stream's water environment with the residents there. After eight months of concerted efforts on both sides, they issued a series of water quality assessment measures, which involve four villages in Zhejiang and Anhui through which Xiayang stream flows.

According to the measures, each month, the downstream Xiayang village tests the quality of the water in the stream's cross-provincial sections. If the quality reaches the agreed-upon standard, Xiayang village will pay the involved upstream villages 300,000 yuan that month as an ecological compensation.

Encouraged by eco-compensation policy and the consensus on green development, the upstream villages started to work harder in improving Xiayang stream's water quality. In 2022, one of the villages, Shijun, spent 800,000 yuan in building two sewage treatment terminals, and local villagers spontaneously set up a volunteer team to patrol along the stream. Now the clear stream has become Shijun village's popular water rafting destination, bringing it new opportunities to develop ecotourism.

Xiayang stream is a part of the Xitiao Stream - an important tributary of the Taihu Lake. Traversing Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces, the 2,445-square-kilometer Taihu Lake is China's third-largest freshwater lake, as well as an essential "water tank" for people in the Yangtze River Delta region.

From the previous blue-green algae's "hard-hit area" to the current boundless clear water, Taihu Lake is a good example of Yangtze River Delta provinces and cities working together to improve water quality and the ecological environment in recent years.

Since 2007, Jiangsu's Wuxi city has spent 110 billion yuan in improving the water environment of Taihu Lake. It has salvaged a total 20.55 billion tons of blue-green algae between 2007 and 2022, accounting for more than 90 percent of the whole blue-green algae being salvaged in the lake.

In Zhejiang, Huzhou city shut down or relocated all the industrial companies within five kilometers of Taihu Lake. It has also removed more than 1,000 mu (0.67 square kilometers) of aquaculture nets from Taihu Lake and its surrounding waters.

More cross-provincial policies and measures were carried out to better protect water quality. In September 2022, Shanghai, Jiangsu, and Zhejiang together released an announcement to establish and improve an integrated mechanism in protecting local cross-border water sources. Earlier in September 2020, the three sides jointly introduced a special protection plan for the cross-border waters there.

Ecological conservation is of vital importance for the sustainable development of the Chinese nation, Xi said as the country marks its first National Ecology Day on August 15, calling it a major political issue that concerns the mission and purpose of the CPC as well as a major social issue that bears upon public wellbeing.

He noted that on the new journey of building a modern socialist country in all respects, efforts should be made to maintain strategic resolve in advancing ecological progress and promote high-quality development in sync with high-standard protection.

Li Junjie and Dou Hao are People's Daily reporters; Shan Jie and Huang Lanlan are Global Times reporters

A giant engraved "Great Stone" stands at the entrance of the China-Belarus Industrial Park in Minsk, capital of Belarus. Advertisements for "Great Stone" can also be seen on highways linking the city center to the park. The name "Great Stone" was given by Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko to the park as it embodies "the cornerstone of the friendship between the peoples of China and Belarus." Nobody could ever have imagined the forest would one day turn into a shining pearl of the Belt and Road Initiative.
From a "piece of white paper" to "a shining new city," what has made the industrial park what it is today? What difficulties did the park weather to keep thriving amid today's complicated geopolitical atmosphere? Reporters from the Global Times entered the largest foreign investment project in Belarus to find out the secret of its prosperity. 

Miraculous development 

At the entrance of the park, there's a giant display board that says "time is money, efficiency is life" in both Chinese and Russian. In Belarus, local people, amazed by the speed of construction of the industrial park, developed an idiom that says, "You will never step into the same China-Belarus Industrial Park."

The park is located near the center of Belarus and sits on transport links within easy reach of the Moscow-Berlin international highway to Russia and Central Europe. The Belarus government set up a customs office inside of the park, to speed up customs clearance and provide quick service for commerce, bonded warehouse storage and others.

Foundation of the park was laid in 2014. Since the second half of 2015, the China-Belarus Industrial Park has developed rapidly. Developed within the framework of the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), the park has witnessed rapid expansion.

In an exclusive interview with the Xinhua News Agency earlier this year,  Lukashenko noted it is the largest project attracting investment in Belarus and a landmark cooperation project within the BRI framework as it was promoted by the two heads of state personally and prized by the two governments.

As of August, a total of 114 enterprises had settled in the China-Belarus Industrial Park, involving various fields such as machinery manufacturing, e-commerce, new materials, traditional Chinese medicine, artificial intelligence and 5G network development. Intended investment exceeds $1.3 billion.

If there's any secret behind the park's rapid development, it is the high-quality coordination between China and Belarus, as well as support from leaders from both countries, head of the park's administration Alexander Yaroshenko told the Global Times. 

Yaroshenko once served as deputy minister of the Ministry of Economy of Belarus and was appointed as head of the park's administration in 2016. 
"When President Lukashenko handed me this job, he told me, 'We have a bunch of deputy ministers, but we have only one China-Belarus Industrial Park, so your job as head of the park's administration is very important.' So you can see how much importance he attached to the industrial park and his high expectations," said Yaroshenko.

Rapid development of the park also mirrored the elevation of bilateral ties. According to statistics, the bilateral trade volume between China and Belarus in 2022 reached $5.08 billion, setting a new record. On a diplomatic level, the two countries established an all-weather comprehensive strategic partnership in 2022.

Special appeal 

Enterprise in the park come from 16 countries. Apart from China and Belarus, there are companies from the US, EU, Switzerland and Singapore, Yaroshenko, standing in front of a world map, introduced to the Global Times reporters. "Our industrial park is very international."

One of Yaroshenko's favorite stories when it comes to attracting investment goes like this. "Six years ago, owners of a US company came to the industrial park by private jet. Said he wanted to see the park with his own eyes. Later he told me he made a huge mistake, for he bought too little land in the park. 'I should have bought land twice as big here!'" 

Apart from the advanced infrastructure, the park's considerate policy services are also what makes it so appealing to companies. The park has a "one-stop" efficient service system for enterprises. All approvals involving enterprises are completed in the park, providing full-process services such as investment negotiation, company registration, project access and land transfer.  

"In the one-stop service hall, companies can complete all procedures within one or two hours. Yet in other places, it may take seven hours to a month," Deputy Director General of the Industrial Park Development Company Ren Fei told the Global Times. The one-stop service hall is a lesson learned from China's Suzhou Industrial Park. Moreover, companies who settle in the China-Belarus Industrial Park can enjoy preferential policies on visas, customs clearance and taxes. 

The Belarusian company Human Craft, which manufactures medical prostheses, settled in the park at the end of 2022. Anton Naczyński, general manager of the company, told the Global Times that the reason the company chose this park is because the park's management helps every company develop and expand into the overseas market. He hopes that within such an environment, his company and Belarus' medical prostheses can reach the world's advanced level.

New Silicon Valley 

However, the park has encountered challenges from COVID-19 and the Russia-Ukraine crisis in recent years. Yet Ren brushed off the impact of those events on its development.

"In 2017, there were 10 companies in the park. Since 2018, the number of companies settled in the park stayed at 18 to 20 annually. Despite the impact of COVID-19, 20 new companies chose our park in 2021, and the number in 2022 was 19," said Ren. He expects a record 23 or 24 new companies will be landing in the park this year. 

The reason for such growth is the park's timely adjusting of measures to weather the impact of geopolitical shock and Western countries' sanctions. Ren said since the Russia-Ukraine crisis, the park has adjusted the source structure for attracting investment. 

"Previously, many enterprises that came here were oriented toward the European and US markets. Now, the focus is mainly on the Eurasian Economic Union market, as well as investments from member countries of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization," said Ren. 

Meanwhile, when facing sanctions from the West, several banks in Belarus have also received assistance from the park in accessing the Chinese yuan payment system. This has helped resolve many payment difficulties for enterprises through bilateral currency settlements, said Ren.

He also told the Global Times that they are intensifying efforts to address transportation issues through the China-Europe Railway Express, partially offsetting the impact of disrupted maritime shipping in Belarus following the Russia-Ukraine crisis. 

In the eyes of many, the park is not only an industrial park, it is also an "intelligence new city" that is endowed with a beautiful and pleasant environment.

In the medium to long term, the park aims to attract more than 100,000 industrial population and become an international comprehensive development zone.

Shymanovich Aliaksandr, an employee from the China National Machinery Industry Corporation (Sinomach)'s Belarus branch, told the Global Times that the park is full of happiness because there are many green trees here, and one can breathe the freshest air at any time. The production space, living space, and natural space are also all well integrated.

Alexey Kliuchnikov, chief of the R&D department of YTO Technology, a leading agricultural machinery supplier in China that also opened an office in the industrial park, said that working in the company not only offers a significantly higher income compared to the average level in Minsk, but also provides many opportunities to exchange ideas with Chinese counterparts and learn the latest technologies.

"Our goal is to make this place a 'new Silicon Valley in Central and Eastern Europe,'" Ren said proudly. In his eyes, the park is not just a project, but a manifestation of the passion and ideals of a group of people.

Standing on the observation platform of the Jawa 7 coal-fired Power Plant in Indonesia, one enjoys a panoramic view of the lush and vibrant mangrove forest, where numerous marine birds frolic and mate. It is difficult to associate this idyllic scene with the image of a traditional power plant, billowing black smoke engulfing the surroundings and causing air pollution. And yet the image couldn't be further from the truth as this is one of the most efficient, stable and environmentally friendly power plants in Indonesia, co-built by Chinese and Indonesian constructors under the framework of Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

On December 13, 2019, Unit 1 of Java 7 was put into power generation four months ahead of schedule, and the whole plant was put into commercial operation on July 8, 2021. The project, built through a joint venture between China Shenhua Energy and Indonesia's state-run power company PT Pembangkit Jawa Bali (PJB), consists of two sets of 1050 mW-generating units, with an annual power generation capacity of approximately 15 billion kilowatt-hours, marking it the largest single capacity, highest parameter, and most advanced power plant in Indonesia.

The main environmental indicators are considerably superior than the local emission standards, and it has become a model for local low-carbon and environmentally friendly power generation with advanced technology, Zhao Zhigang, head of the plant's developer PT Shenhua Guohua Power Jawa Bali, told the Global Times.

"The project placed significant emphasis on environmental protection during construction and operation, resulting in the creation of this wetland landscape where people and nature coexist in harmony," Zhao said. He noted that in Southeast Asian countries, local residents attach great importance to environmental protection and consider the good natural environment to be an important foundation for sustainable development. Based on this common recognition, protecting the region's mangrove forest has become a shared responsibility for Chinese and Indonesian operators of the power plant.

To safeguard the rare mangrove forest from harm, a series of measures have been put into action, including the planning of mangrove ecological protection zones, the reintroduction of dominant mangrove tree species, the installation of mangrove protection signage, and the appointment of dedicated personnel to oversee mangrove preservation in various regions. Chinese contractors also take the initiative to seek cooperation with local mangrove conservation agencies, and the company spends more than 200,000 yuan ($27,443.12) a year on mangrove protection, Zhao said.

Zhao mentioned that throughout the construction period, any large construction machinery had to follow alternative routes to circumvent the mangrove forest.

When Global Times reporters visited the power plant in July, the area of the mangrove forest had expanded from 9 hectares when the construction began to approximately 17 hectares. It has become an ideal home for marine birds, lizards, mongooses, and other animals. Nearly 3,000 different marine bird species nest in this mangrove forest. Lizards, otters, snakes, crabs, fish, and other species safely reproduce here.

As the sun sets, a 4-kilometer-long pipeline, coated in seven-color anti-corrosion paint, comes into sight, representing the coal transport facilities. It serves as the "lifeline" of the power plant, connecting it to the dedicated coal terminal like a rainbow ribbon. Zhao elaborated that the coal conveying system on the bridge employs a green and environmentally friendly enclosed conveyor belt, significantly reducing coal dust emissions. "It is the longest and fastest pipe belt conveyor for coal transportation in Indonesia," said Zhao.

Additionally, the power plant utilizes new generation low-nitrogen burners, and seawater desulfurization processes, achieving an overall desulfurization efficiency of up to 99.65 percent, significantly higher than local standards. The company has also left room for further optimization of emission standards.

Indonesian President Joko Widodo inaugurated Jawa 7 in 2017. "The PLTU adopts ultra-supercritical technology which is environmentally friendly and allows higher energy conversion efficiency compared to the previous PLTU conventional technology," the Indonesian Energy Ministry spokesman Dadan Kusdiana stated in a press release upon Widodo's visit.

Zhou Lisha, a researcher with the research institute of the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of China's State Council, believes that as the first independently developed supercritical million-kilowatt thermal power unit with independent intellectual property rights, the Jawa 7 will be practical in showing the world that China's international energy cooperation under the BRI is not about exporting outdated production capacity, but about exporting the most advanced and efficient clean energy technologies.

Indonesia is strategically located between the Pacific Ocean and the Indian Ocean, with unique advantages in location, population, market, and resources, and holds enormous potential. However, the shortage of electricity supply has been constraining its development.

As of the end of 2022, the plant has generated a total of 31.5 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity and paid $45.64 million in taxes. It greatly alleviates electricity shortages in the Java region, and is also a strong driver for local economic growth and social development.

The Global Times has learned that the power plant is an industry reliant on advanced technology; however, Indonesia faces a shortage of relevant academic programs in universities and talent development systems to support it. Job opportunities provided by Chinese companies are seen as good learning opportunities for many local people after graduation. It is estimated that during the operation period, it has provided nearly 700 jobs for local graduates.

Rizka Anggraini, a local employee at the project, told the Global Times that currently, Indonesian employees account for about 70 to 80 percent of the project's workforce. After graduating, she chose to join a Chinese company in the hope of seeing how traditional energy technologies in China achieve near-zero emissions.

"We implement a mentorship system in the project, and my Chinese mentor provides me with detailed guidance. Indonesians also have good opportunities for promotion," Anggraini said.

She also mentioned that Chinese companies annually organize visits for top Indonesian employees to power plants in China for educational purposes, and she eagerly anticipates the chance to participate in one of these visits.