The EU is scheduled to unveil an economic security strategy on Wednesday "to shield key technology from China," Bloomberg reported on Monday. While the US government is abusing the concept of "economic security" and pressuring its allies to participate in its semiconductor war against China, it is concerning that the EU's economic security strategy may be subject to the US influence.

Brussels' economic security strategy is borrowing a concept from the US and Japan, with no less than five initiatives covering investment, export controls and other factors that may follow the footsteps of the US government's arbitrary actions to restrict investment and exports in certain technology areas, according to a report by the Politico.

After the US pressured the Netherlands to impose restrictions on exports of Dutch chip equipment supplier ASML to China, calls have grown for an EU-wide approach, the Politico said.

It should be pointed out that the EU's economic security strategy seems bearing some clear hallmarks of the US government, which is in fact not conducive to EU's strategic autonomy and economic security.

The US, driven by malicious intentions to stymie China's chip industry, is pressuring European countries to impose similar restrictions on European chip equipment exports to China. This will definitely undermine European interests. The issue Europe faces is not Bloomberg's so-called "shielding key technologies from Chinese influence." It is about maintaining economic policy autonomy and protecting European companies' interests from the harm caused by the US' reckless chip war.

In March 2023, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen proposed the concept of "de-risking" in her speech on Europe's strategy toward China. In June 2023, the European Commission brought up the "European Economic Security Strategy," and this week, it plans to unveil the "European Economic Security Package." Europe has been increasingly moving toward "de-risking," but there are concerns that the EU compromising to the US pressure will further undermine trade and economic cooperation with China.

In the current global economic downturn, the damage caused by the US chip war to the global chip industry is becoming increasingly apparent. Europe should fully utilize the complementarity of its economic and trade relations with China, promote mutually beneficial cooperation, and handle competition properly, instead of allowing some politicians to push for actions that may further harm EU-China economic and trade cooperation, which have been mutually beneficial for many years. Such actions will inevitably harm the economies of both sides and will only benefit the US in the end.

As the US is intensifying its economic and tech containment targeting China, it is unwise for the EU to jump onto the US government's' geopolitical bandwagon and gambit.

The economies of China and Europe have a high degree of complementarity. Both sides should strengthen the complementarity of markets, capital, and technological advantages, promote the upgrading of traditional industries and the development of emerging industries, explore new models of cooperation, create new growth points, and work together to improve their shared industrial and supply chains.

There are still major differences among EU member countries regarding "de-risking." The European business community is generally concerned that "de-risking" toward China will harm their interests in the Chinese market. Hopefully, EU policy makers will heed calls from the business community rather than the US lobbying. The risks caused by "de-risking" may outweigh any benefits it may bring.

At a time when the global economy is experiencing a serious downturn, China is leading the global economic recovery from the COVID-19. The activity of the Chinese consumer market is now recovering and gaining more impetus. The opportunities to be provided by China's massive market are crucial for European companies. The continuous expansion of economic and trade cooperation between China and Europe will play a positive role in helping the European economy quickly overcome the lingering impact of the pandemic.

China's real estate market has witnessed some positive signs of stabilization, and its long-term healthy development has a relatively good foundation, Kang Yi, head of the National Bureau of Statistics, told a press conference on Wednesday.

Declines in real estate investment and property sales narrowed last year. Investment in real estate development fell by 9.6 percent year-on-year, with the rate of decline narrowing by 0.4 percentage points from 2022.

The rate of decline in residential housing sales narrowed significantly, Kang said. The sales area of commercial housing fell by 8.5 percent, narrowing 15.8 percentage points from 2022. The sales volume fell 6.5 percent in 2023, down 20.2 percentage points compared with the previous year.

The area of housing completed by developers in 2023 increased 17 percent on a yearly basis.

Kang said that the long-term healthy development of the real estate market has a relatively good foundation, and the rate and quality of urbanization still has a lot of scope to improve. The country has great potential to build a new mode of real estate development, the official noted.

"The urbanization rate in 2023 stood at 66.16 percent, compared with about 80 percent in developed economies, indicating there are still more than 10 points for improvement. China's urbanization remains in the process of continuous growth," Kang noted.

The urbanization rate increased by an average of 0.93 percentage points annually over the past five years, and more than 10 million rural residents enter cities each year, which will produce rising new demand for housing, the official said.

Kang said that the demand to improve housing quality remains acute, which will also form an important driving force of the real estate market.

The demand for improved housing in the 70 surveyed medium-sized and large cities is obvious, as evidenced by the fact that the turnover of secondhand homes in those 70 cities exceeded that of new homes, according to Kang.

Yan Yuejin, research director at Shanghai-based E-house China R&D Institute, told the Global Times on Wednesday that in 2023, both the supply and demand sides were under pressure, which indicates that the effort to stabilize the real estate sector has to be further consolidated.

"However, some of the financial risk issues have been suppressed or better prevented and resolved, including at the corporate and household levels," Yan noted.

China has made stabilizing the real estate market a top priority for economic work in 2024. The tone-setting Central Economic Work Conference held in December called for active and prudent efforts to defuse risks in the sector, address the reasonable financing needs of real estate enterprises and accelerate the development of a new model for the sector.

"The new mode of real estate development is being actively constructed, which is the fundamental solution to the problem of real estate development," Kang said.

Housing and Urban-Rural Development Minister Ni Hong said at the ministry's annual work conference held in December 2023 that the construction of affordable housing and public infrastructure for both normal and emergency use, as well as urban renewal, will be pushed forward. Another focus will be addressing the housing needs of new urban residents, young people and migrant workers.

Kang noted that these projects will help address problems in the housing market and boost related investment and consumption, promoting the healthy development of the real estate market.

Yan said that in 2024, with the stable recovery of the country's economy and the adjustment of the real estate market, the property market will show healthier development and confidence will be further enhanced.

In keeping with tradition, China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi has traveled to Africa to visit Egypt, Tunisia, Togo and Cote d'Ivoire at the invitation of these countries from January 13 to 18. The visit marks the 34th consecutive year in which a Chinese foreign minister has visited Africa as their first overseas trip at the beginning of the year.

The six-day visit is a continuation of China's ever-deepening relationship with the African continent and builds on previous landmark engagements toward a shared, prosperous future. This particular visit seeks to implement the outcomes of the China-Africa Leaders' Dialogue held in August 2023 in Johannesburg, South Africa.

To chart a path for Africa-China practical cooperation, the Leaders' Dialogue issued a joint statement, with China releasing the Initiative on Supporting Africa's Industrialization, the Plan for China Supporting Africa's Agricultural Modernization, and the Plan for China-Africa Cooperation on Talent Development. Foreign Minister Wang was present at the Leaders' Dialogue.

China's 2024 inaugural visit to four African countries was particularly meaningful as it sets the tone for the next phase of the continent's relationship with its Eastern partner. More so, it comes ahead of the ninth Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) new session to be held in Beijing later this year following the eighth session in Dakar, Senegal.

FOCAC is the epitome of an efficient and effective platform for South-South Cooperation and is a springboard for Africa and China to firmly support each other in strengthening development interests and collaboration in international affairs, as well as multilateral occasions.

Egypt, Tunisia, Togo and Cote d'Ivoire are all China's friendly partners in cooperation. China's foreign ministry has stressed that the visit will also "carry forward the traditional China-Africa friendship and consolidate the momentum of China-Africa solidarity and cooperation." Against this backdrop, there is no doubt that this year will open another remarkable chapter in history, between China and Africa. 

Egypt has a long history of diplomatic relations with China. In 1956, Egypt became the first Arab and African nation to establish diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China and the two have never faltered in their shared commitments since.

China and Egypt have since signed various agreements on trade, cultural cooperation as well as scientific and technological development. The two nations have opened critical economic and strategic opportunities built upon friendship and mutual trust.

Situated at the center of the North African coast, Tunisia is part of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). In line with its aim to connect the globe, BRI countries are spread across all continents and 44 countries are in sub-Saharan Africa, making it the largest BRI block. The second-largest block of 34 BRI countries is in Europe and Central Asia.

Tunisia interacts with China and like-minded friendly nations through FOCAC, China-Arab States Cooperation Forum as well as through bilateral engagements, strengthening development and cultural cooperation. 

In 2023, China celebrated 51 years of cooperation with Togo and the Eastern nation is today's Togo's principal commercial partner and one of its principal sources of investment. As China's presence in the Arab world expands in breadth and depth, its footprint in West Africa is notable. 

From a political perspective, Cote d'Ivoire has stood shoulder-to-shoulder with the government of the People's Republic of China. There have been numerous key meetings and dialogues between the two nations leading to the landmark signing of the Comprehensive Strategic Cooperative Partnership Agreement between China and Cote d'Ivoire in 2018.

Over the last decade, China has shown a commitment to boosting Africa's security and visiting North Africa against the backdrop of the Israel-Palestine conflict shows that China is particularly keen to play a role in maintaining peace, security and stability.

Over the last 10 years, China has remained Africa's largest trading partner and also the largest export destination for Africa. Across many fronts - be they economic, infrastructure, education and technology, cultural cooperation and security - it is expected that there will be spectacular milestones reached under the joint effort of a China-Africa partnership.

As the world enters another chapter of turmoil and mistrust, China has reiterated that Africa is not and should not be the backdrop for a power struggle between the West and Beijing, but that rather, Africa presents a big stage and great potential for international cooperation. 

Africa already has the largest share of country representation under the China-led BRI, which is building land and sea trade routes to continents around the world. This already sets the stage for repositioning Africa's place and role in international affairs.

China, through FOCAC and other multilateral and bilateral frameworks, is helping Africa shine on the global stage, by showing that major powers can have a partnership of equals with vulnerable, poor nations in the South.

China’s economy forecast to grow 5.2% in 2023: Chinese Premier

The tourism phenomenon triggered by Harbin, the ice city in Northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, shows no sign of abating and most recently its popularity has led to a fierce competition among tourism authorities in several Chinese cities, as they strive to leverage the internet's potential to convert online engagement into real tourist footfall.

Starting from January 9, the official Douyin account of the Department of Culture and Tourism of Henan Province has seen an increase in the number of videos being posted, with 20 to 30 clips being released per day and a total of 112 in four days, enthusiastically showcasing its cultural and tourism resources. By posting videos such as "Shaolin Kung Fu" and "mutton stewed noodles" to show off its local cuisine, the account gained nearly one million followers within just a few days.

In January, North China's Shanxi and Central China's Henan provinces announced their partnership in tourism, achieving mutual exemption of admission tickets for 114 A-level scenic spots in six cities.

While culture and tourism authorities in Shanxi and Henan provinces are boasting their enriched tourism resources on social media, East China's Shandong Province, famous for being the birthplace of Confucius and the location of the famous Taishan Mountain and the Yellow River estuary, has also attracted much online attention.

The Department of Culture and Tourism in North China's Hebei Province changed their short video official name overnight, from "Hebei Tourism" to "Hebei Cultural and Tourism." This alteration was prompted by the fierce online competition to attract tourists, resulting in the phrase "cultural and tourism" gaining significant popularity across various social media platforms.

More interesting is that the video of the head of culture and tourism in Harbin's Acheng district dancing with performers from Harbin Ice-Snow World, the world's largest theme park of its kind, on short video platforms, has entertained millions of netizens.

These diligent efforts made by the local head of culture and tourism in Harbin to attract tourists to the city were joined by netizens across the country as they playfully boasted about the exceptional skills possessed by their own heads of culture and tourism bureaus, all in an effort to achieve similar success in their own cities.

Netizens from Southwest China's Sichuan Province, known for its giant panda bases, jokingly claimed that their head of local culture and tourism bureau has the extraordinary ability to "give birth to" giant pandas. While, netizens from Central China's Hunan Province proudly boasted that their head of cultural and tourism can devour a staggering 50 kilograms of red peppers. Hunan Province is renowned for its diverse pepper varieties and spicy cuisine, which locals take great pride in.

Netizens from Southwest China's Yunnan Province went as far as bragging that their head of cultural and tourism can consume three kilos of raw wild mushrooms. Yunnan is famous for its different types of wild mushrooms, some of which can be poisonous if not cooked properly.

With the rapid proliferation of social media, Harbin has swiftly become the most coveted tourist destination in the country. Recognizing this trend, cultural and tourism authorities aim to harness the power of the internet to transform online engagement into actual tourist visits.

Cities surrounding Harbin have also attempted to take advantage of the huge tourist flow brought with Harbin by frequently uploaded interesting videos.

Tourism in Harbin hasn't become popular overnight. It is a result of the long-term promotion of ice and snow sports in Northeast China, reflecting the booming popularity of China's ice and snow tourism, Jiang Yiyi, deputy head of the School of Leisure Sports and Tourism at Beijing Sport University, told the Global Times on Sunday.

Jiang believes it might be difficult to reproduce the popularity of Harbin tourism. Its popularity and the booming Zibo barbecue phenomenon in 2023 are the results of unintentional efforts. However, both places have achieved good interaction with the tourists.

These two major tourism events in China and the popularity of a grassroots basketball tournament known as Village BA are not only developed based on the tourism resources in these regions, but also achieved by actively grafting them with local culture, Jiang noted.

Industry observers noted that the key to turning one-time booming tourism into a persistent trend lies in the continuous cultivation of a pleasant destination to visit and fostering a warm-hearted hospitality.

In the beginning of this winter, Harbin has effectively addressed tourists' complaints regarding the organization and services of Harbin Ice-Snow World, as well as overcharging by local restaurants. This crisis management has left a positive impression of the city. Harbin has also taken the initiative to provide considerate services to tourists, media reports said. For example, numerous free warm and comfortable rest stations have been established at major tourist attractions, which have been well-received by visitors.

Both last year's Zibo barbecue and this year's ice and snow fever reflect the fast recovery of China's tourism industry. As winter, the traditional tourism off-season, draws new tourism fever, these events signal the fast tourism development in China, Jiang noted.

The world suffered record-breaking climate disasters in 2023. The frequent extreme weather-related disasters have highlighted an urgency for weather forecasts to be more precise. In China, where the artificial intelligence (AI) is booming fast, scientists are racing to develop models that provide accurate weather forecasts to reduce the cost of climate disasters.

When government officials, scientists, companies and climate organizations gathered at COP28 climate change conference in Dubai, United Arab Emirates at the end of last year, a new model for sub-seasonal forecasts using AI technology was unveiled by a Chinese scientist.

Important value

The model, "FuXi-Subseasonal," developed by scientists from the Shanghai Academy of Artificial Intelligence for Science (SAIS), Fudan University, and China's National Climate Center, has a thousand-fold increase in operational speed, and higher forecasting accuracy and longer forecasting period than existing international authoritative models, according to the team.

Climate disaster warning is another important value of this FuXi-Subseasonal model, Qi Yuan, who is in charge of the research team told media. He said his team has significantly increased the prediction period for extreme weather from 30 days to 36 days, predicting potential climate disaster events as early as possible, and gaining more time for response and mitigation measures.

The model of "FuXi-Subseasonal" represents one of China's mushrooming AI models used for predicting extreme weather.

When typhoon Doksuri hit China last July, Fengwu, a machine learning model developed by the Shanghai Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, surpassed European and American equivalents in predicting its moves.

Between July 21 and July 27 last year, Fengwu's forecast of the tropical cyclone's path was just off by 38.7 kilometers on average, whereas the corresponding data were 54.11 km for a model of the European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts and 54.98 km for that of the US National Centers for Environmental Prediction, Global Times learned from the lab. 

Reducing error by one km in 24 hours can lower about 97 million yuan ($13.54 million) in direct economic loss, so accurate typhoon forecasting is vital in minimizing risks, researchers from the lab said.

Scientists told the Global Times that meteorological forecasting is a highly complex system that involves collecting data from national weather satellites, meteorological stations and other sources. The data is then sorted and subjected to quality control before undergoing atmospheric assimilation, where it is processed and used to establish the atmospheric state required by the forecasting model. Finally, the forecast is made and post-processing is conducted.

Bai Lei, a scientist at the Shanghai Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, explained that the "Fengwu" model focuses primarily on the forecasting stage. It utilizes data obtained from atmospheric reanalysis to train the model and obtain more accurate weather forecasts.

AI models such as "Fengwu" use artificial intelligence to analyze the elements provided by atmospheric data assimilation, such as wind speed, temperature and humidity in order to predict future weather. Artificial intelligence can utilize past meteorological elements, such as temperature, to forecast future weather and achieve more precise results, explained Ouyang Wanli, another scientist from the Shanghai lab.

Unlike the traditional physical models that mostly run on supercomputers, "Fengwu" only needs single graphics processing unit to generate high-precision global weather forecasts for the next 10 days in 30 seconds.

Chinese leading technology in using artificial intelligence to predict weather has also gained worldwide recognition. The European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, last year launched Pangu Weather, a model developed by research team from Huawei, capable of predicting global weather on its website, South China Morning Post reported.

It said that the collaboration has seen the Chinese tech company translate the science behind the weather into practical applications, while the European weather agency has begun to embrace AI in its daily forecasts.

According to Huawei, the prediction accuracy of the Pangu model from 1 hour to 7 days has exceeded the prediction accuracy of some meteorological centers in Europe and the US in the same time span, Xinhua News Agency reported.

Provide an alternative

In July last year, the China Meteorological Administration issued a work plan aiming to accelerate the construction of artificial intelligence meteorological application technology system. The plan specifies that by 2025, a roadmap for artificial intelligence meteorological application development will be established and that by 2030, the development level of artificial intelligence meteorological applications will be at the forefront of the world.

Due to its own limitations and the uncertainty of weather, the traditional model of weather forecast still cannot meet the diverse and growing needs of today's users; whilst data-driven AI methods provide very useful tools to bridge this gap, Dai Kan, deputy head of China's National Meteorological Center told the Global Times in a previous interview. 

Local governments in China have already started exploring various ways of using artificial intelligence in weather forecasting.

Currently, the Guangdong Provincial Meteorological Bureau has gained good results in short-term precipitation forecasting based on deep learning using the Alibaba platform. The Beijing Municipal Meteorological Bureau has also applied machine learning methods to temperature forecasting. The Fujian Provincial Meteorological Bureau has promoted the application of machine learning-based objective correction methods for precipitation elements in multiple provincial meteorological bureaus.

However, scientists believe there is still room for training artificial intelligence to improve their weather forecasting abilities.

Dai noted that the current AI technology is mainly focused on short-term weather forecasting, but there is still a lack of support for the entire chain of weather forecasting business, including data quality control and multi-disaster weather early warning capabilities.

Moreover, the field is dominated by professionals with backgrounds in atmospheric science, yet scientists with backgrounds in statistics, computer science and big data mining are also needed to provide more comprehensive translation of the data, he said.

The hope for US' first moon landing in more than 50 years has appeared to have crashed, after a US private company's spacecraft reported "critical fuel leak" hours after Monday's launch. Experts said the failed attempt suggests that commercial space sector still faces challenges in breaking through the threshold of deep space exploration, and could impact the US Artemis program, which faces even more obstacles along the way following several delays and launch failures.

The lunar lander, named Peregrine and developed by Pittsburgh-based Astrobotic Technology, encountered abnormalities shortly after a successful lift-off from Florida. Ground research teams found the spacecraft unable to place itself in a position facing the sun, which prevented it from charging its batteries, CNN reported.

Shortly after the spacecraft became fully operational, it soon became apparent that there was "a critical loss of fuel," further diminishing the chances of a scheduled lunar landing on February 23.

This is the first lunar mission undertaken by the US since the Apollo 17 mission in 1972, and also the first time that a private company has taken on this task.

According to media reports, NASA gave a $108 million funding to the private company to develop Peregrine, which aims to fulfill the space agency's vision to reduce the cost of lunar missions by asking the private sector to compete for such contracts.

Song Zhongping, a space analyst and TV commentator, said the US' adoption of a commercial model for deep space exploration is commendable, as it could indicate a more sustainable development path. The encouragement of private capital to enter the aerospace industry has led to the flourishing development of private space ventures in the US in recent years, and has fostered a healthy cycle of competition, cooperation, and technological collaboration among various players in the industry, the expert told the Global Times on Tuesday.

However, some experts pointed out the pickle of this model. As a project is usually co-developed by several ventures, there is a wide gap in the technological capabilities among them with many still insufficient to support such deep-space endeavors, Wang Ya'nan, chief editor of Beijing-based Aerospace Knowledge magazine, told the Global Times on Tuesday.

"Lunar explorations are highly complex. It involves precise trajectory selection, stringent spacecraft design, and the ultimate hurdle of a soft landing on the lunar surface. Peregrine's failed attempt also sounded the alarm that commercial enterprises may still lack technological feasibility to achieve such feats," Wang said.

By far, only four countries have made it to the Moon, namely the Soviet Union, the US, China, and India. Since the 21st century, only Chinese and Indian spacecrafts successfully landed on the lunar surface, while others from Israel, Russia and Japan all crashed.

While the Peregrine mission is considered part of the wider Artemis program with NASA placing several flying experiments onboard, experts said it is unlikely to cause major setbacks for NASA, but could hint at even more obstacles along the way, after experiencing repeated delays of the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket launch and the failed liftoff of SpaceX's Starship rocket.

Song called for the US to abandon its Cold War mentality and open up its arms to cooperate with China, as the latter can offer a variety of assistances to its grand lunar return, for example, crucial scientific data from the previously retrieved lunar soils by the Chang'e-5 mission.

In December 2023, NASA greenlighted and urged scientists it funds to apply for access to China's Chang'e-5 lunar samples in an exception to the Wolf Amendment, which prohibits such bilateral activities with China.

"The Wolf Amendment is originally intended to create barriers for latecomers. However, time has proven that it has not hindered China who has been following its own path through independent innovation. With China's research capabilities constantly advancing, it can be said that China is at least on par with or even partly ahead of the US in certain fields, including lunar exploration," Wang noted.

"Eventually, the clause only ends up a constraint on their own development. In fact, many from the scientific community in the US are questioning the necessity of this clause," the expert said.

At a 10,000-square-meter warehouse, almost full, in Guangzhou, South China's Guangdong Province, workers are busy packing goods and loading them onto trucks.

The parcels will then be exported by train via the China-Europe Railway Express, as shown in a video shared with the Global Times by Wang Dong, a Guangzhou-based logistics agent.

"We didn't stop working even during the New Year's Day holidays so that our warehouse wouldn't run out of space. We now only have room for one container on our freight train to Germany in early January and bookings for China-Europe freight trains are almost full until early March," Wang told the Global Times on Wednesday.

Wang was among thousands of Chinese foreign traders who experienced a busy start to the new year. 

Many people used the holiday break to buy new products for their pets. The number of product inquiries was large, and the livestream salesroom was watched by many people, Zhu Qiucheng, CEO of Ningbo New Oriental Electric Industrial Development, told the Global Times on Wednesday.  

Zhu said that his company will focus more on livestream sales in 2024, which will be an important channel to explore international markets.

According to statistics from Alibaba sent to the Global Times, since 2023, the number of overseas buyers watching cross-border livestreaming has increased by 127 percent year-on-year, and the growth of business opportunities for Chinese foreign trade merchants has been as high as 156 percent.

Chinese exporters are also flying abroad to seek customers. For example, Zhao Lei, owner of Lianyungang-based King Garden Paper & Plastic Products Co, will soon visit overseas customers in North America, Europe, the Middle East and Australia to expand cooperation.

"Workers are rushing to produce products such as corrugated cups that will be sold to markets in Europe, the US and Southeast Asia. The disposable paper products we produced during the New Year's Day holidays were for orders signed at the Canton Fair in October, and we have a short time left," said Zhao.

Exporters and analysts said that with the active exploration of these foreign trade enterprises and the all-around support of policies, China's foreign trade is expected to continue to withstand the pressure of declining global demand, overcome the impact of falling prices and a relatively high base, and show strong resilience in 2024.

China has 811 products ranking first in global exports in terms of scale, and its trade competitiveness is strong in mechanical and electrical equipment, organic chemicals and other fields, media reports said.

The main exports from China are changing from traditional commodities, such as clothing and furniture, to the "new three" products - new-energy vehicles, lithium batteries and solar batteries, Lian Ping, president of China Chief Economist Forum and vice president of the Shanghai Economist Association, told the Global Times on Wednesday.

Now the world is intensifying its attention to green and low-carbon development, and China has a greater advantage in the supply of the "new three" products, which means large room for export growth, said Lian.

"Looking ahead to 2024, we should not only see the uncertainty and instability of the external environment, but also see the accumulation of favorable conditions for the development of China's economy and foreign trade," He Yadong, spokesperson of the Ministry of Commerce, said on December 28 during a regular press conference.

He noted that the world economy is still in the process of a difficult recovery, and global trade is picking up slowly, which is shown by the estimate of UNCTAD - a 5 percent year-on-year decline of global trade in 2023.

The organization estimated that global trade in the year 2024 will be "highly uncertain and generally pessimistic."

From the Adora Magic City's completion of its maiden commercial voyage on Sunday to Chinese shipbuilders obtaining the most orders from global clients in 2023, China's high-end manufacturing sector, represented by the steadily progressing shipbuilding industry, has become a new driving force in the country's economic development. 

The Adora Magic City, China's first domestically built large cruise ship, completed its maiden commercial voyage on Sunday after taking more than 3,000 tourists from 16 countries and regions for a seven-day trip to destinations in South Korea and Japan. 

China has been advancing its shipbuilding technology especially in high-value added segments with strong international competiveness. The ability to build ultra-large container ships and use green fuels is also leading the world, Zheng Ping, chief analyst with industry news portal chineseport.cn, told the Global Times on Sunday. 

Last year, Chinese shipyards won the highest number of global orders, with deliveries as far off as 2028, according to media reports. 

The delivery dates for Guangzhou Shipyard International Co run into 2027 and 2028, as fleet operators worldwide are attracted by the company's strengths in green production and environmental protection, said Li Hao, an official from the company, as China Media Group (CMG) reported on Saturday.

More than 60 percent of the company's on-hand orders are methanol-powered dual-fuel ships or LNG- fired (liquefied natural gas) () dual-fuel models. Compared with conventional container ships, ultra-large container ships powered by dual-fuel sources can reduce carbon emissions by 20 percent, nitrogen oxide emissions by 85 percent and sulfur emissions by 99 percent, CMG reported.

In 2023, Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding Group delivered 17 vessels, which was 106 percent of the annual plan. The number of medium- and high-end vessels exceeded 90 percent of the total deliveries, the company said in a statement it sent to the Global Times earlier. Hudong-Zhonghua is now building 16 LNG vessels simultaneously, and it plans to deliver nearly 50 LNG carriers in the next five years.

China has basically closed the technological gap with South Korea in building high-value added ships, Zheng said, and China's shipbuilding boom will persist this year.   

In 2023, Chinese shipbuilders won the most new orders worldwide for a total of 24.46 million compensated gross tons (CGT), 59 percent of the total, data from UK-based Clarksons Research showed. South Korea was second for the third consecutive year with 10.01 million CGT. 

China's shipbuilding industry is striving to advance its high-quality development through intelligent and green technology. 

The intelligent transformation has also boosted the efficiency of shipbuilding, which is traditionally a labor-intensive process. Through intelligent transformation, the entire workshop for building a ro-ro passenger ship with more than 20,000 square meters can be reduced from 200 people to 50 people by integrating more automation and robotics technology, according to the CMG report. 

Intelligent ports are becoming popular in China with the expanding utilization of autonomous trucks and other types of smart equipment, Zheng said. 

He said that the domestic industry is still in the early stages of smart development, and  more emerging technologies will be  integrated into future manufacturing.  

From January to November 2023, China completed ships totaling 38.09 million deadweight tons (dwt), up 12.3 percent year-on-year, according to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. 

New orders rose 63.8 percent to 68.45 million dwt, and orders on hand totaled 134.09 million dwt as of the end of November.