The on-going COP28 in Dubai, the UAE, a conference dedicated to green and low-carbon practices, has also showcased Chinese brands' efforts in global environmental conservation.

Since the start of the conference, Chinese brands such as Higer and BYD have provided electric shuttle bus services to ferry attendees, with about 50 electric vehicles from South China's Guangdong Province offering shuttle services in the conference's "Green Zone," which is open to the public.

This is just a microcosm of the vigorous development of China's new-energy industry on display in the UAE.

The UAE Energy Strategy 2050 aims to increase the share of clean energy projects to 50 percent of its overall energy mix by 2050. Moreover, countries like Saudi Arabia and Egypt have similar goals and visions.

In September 2020, China proposed its goals to peak carbon emissions by 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2060, with top-down societal involvement.

The development of Chinese industries around new energy, including new-energy vehicle (NEV) and photovoltaic unit manufacture, ranks highly in the world and aligns with the transformational development path of the Middle East.

During COP28 in Dubai, the Global Times visited and interviewed some Chinese new-energy enterprises operating in the UAE to understand cooperation efforts in the new-energy field between China and the UAE and how Chinese technologies and products are driving the carbon reduction process in the Middle East.

Rising star

In October 2022, Dubai police held a grand induction ceremony to welcome the new Hongqi E-HS9 police cars from China as additions to the existing police car fleet. Not only were leaders from both Dubai police and Hongqi in attendance at the ceremony, but a ceremonial guard on horseback was also held.

Dubai boasts an all-star police car fleet almost entirely comprised of super sports and luxury vehicle brands, from Ferrari and Lamborghini, to Bentley, and now a Chinese brand.

More notably, Hongqi's high-level debut marks the first independent automotive Chinese brand to join the Dubai police fleet and also the first NEV brand globally to do so.

Dubai also awarded the first Hongqi (EHS9) the prestigious number plate "8," as a sign of respect and recognition.

Local police leadership praised Hongqi's local development and expressed high appreciation for the partnership, wishing the development of Hongqi cars in the UAE and the world well. They said the entry of Hongqi into the Dubai police car fleet is a manifestation of the friendly development of relations between the two countries, with an anticipation for a longer and deeper relationship between China and the Arab world.

It was Oneroad Group Dubai, a Chinese company, that introduced the Hongqi brand to the UAE.

"We decided to introduce Hongqi cars not only because we saw the continuous improvement in independent Chinese-brand car technology but also recognized the reliable strength of China in making electric cars," said Zhang Chenling, Acting Chief Executive Officer at the Oneroad Group Dubai, to the Global Times at the company's offices at the Burj Khalifa.

"We have been making deep inroads in the UAE for more than a decade and believe that we have the capability to introduce Chinese-brand cars into the UAE market," Zhang explained.

Hongqi is a well-known automotive brand in China with a long and glorious history. It was the first high-end sedan to be manufactured in-country since the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949. Hongqi, meaning "red flag" in Chinese, used to be served as the ride of top government leaders, which also had been used as parade cars during National Day parades.

According to Xie Qiyi, General Manager of Oneroad, the group doesn't only represent the Hongqi brand in the UAE. Following the commencement of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), the company also focuses on the overseas services offered by other Chinese automotive brands, such as Dongfeng Forthing and Great Wall Motors in the UAE, Oman, as well as in other countries and regions.
At an automotive sales center near Dubai's Business Bay, the Global Times saw Hongqi and Forthing NEVs on prominent display.

Karam, a local resident, had his eye on a new arrival - a Forthing Friday EV. "The car is spacious, the interior is luxurious, and it has a sense of technology," Karam told the Global Times.

Pan Kuibai, a manager at the sales center, told the Global Times that Chinese NEVs have certain market potential in the Middle East, not only because Chinese technologies and products have received increased recognition in recent years, but also because the Middle Eastern market is not prejudicial against Chinese products or prone to imposing political restrictions as is the case with some Western countries.

"Overall, even though these cars are not cheap due to their high configurations, they are still favored by the locals," he said.

According to China Energy News, China's NEV industry chain is attracting the attention of Middle Eastern oil giants. Preliminary statistics show that since the beginning of 2023, NEV industry chain companies such as NIO, HiPhi, and Pony.ai have successively gained the attention of Middle Eastern capital.

Industry insiders believe that as the world's largest NEV market, China's advantages in product technology and industry chain completeness have attracted considerable investments from Middle Eastern capital. Combined with the energy transformation needs of Middle Eastern countries, cooperation and exchanges between Chinese enterprises and Middle Eastern countries in the high-quality NEV sector will deepen and broaden further in the future.

Zhang from Oneroad also stated that as the UAE continues to vigorously and rapidly promote energy transformation and carbon reduction, 50 percent of the country's official and public vehicles will also be replaced with NEVs, which will bring opportunities for Chinese enterprises. "Although local supporting facilities still have much room for development, significant changes will be seen within a few years," she said.

Sharing sunshine

In recent years, the Middle East has witnessed increased advocacy in the diversified development of energy, utilizing its unique sunlight conditions to vigorously develop photovoltaic projects and optimize the electricity energy structure. Against this backdrop, China's leading photovoltaic industry enterprises have targeted local opportunities here and hope to seize the development initiative.

A large-scale Chinese-built photovoltaic power station, which looks particularly spectacular from the air, calls the desert suburbs of Dubai home.

The synchronization of Shuaa Energy 3 900MW PV project is a recent representative project of China's leading photovoltaic enterprise Sungrow in Dubai. According to Thompson Meng, Vice President of Sungrow PV & BESS BG, Sungrow has large landmark projects in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, in the UAE, as well as in Qatar, Oman, and Saudi Arabia, radiating into North Africa's Egypt, Morocco, and Algeria.

Observers noted that in some countries participating in the BRI, green infrastructure such as new-energy and information networks will see rapid growth in the future. Among them, the photovoltaic industry chain will become the most developmentally advantageous sub-sector of China's new-energy cooperation abroad.

In terms of the region, the Middle East has the greatest potential for photovoltaic demand, and it is expected that by 2025, the export of photovoltaic components to the Middle East may account for more than 10 percent of China's total export volume of photovoltaic components, Yicai reported.
According to the Securities Times, many Chinese photovoltaic enterprises are also actively taking root in Saudi Arabia and other countries.

Meng introduced that in addition to abundant light energy and vast land, the policies of governments in the Middle East are also relatively supportive. "They are thinking about transitioning from traditional fossil energy resources to new-energy and future technology manufacturing, so these policies and strategies are very supportive of this industry."

As a leading enterprise in the industry, Meng noted that Sungrow has a 26-year history, with dynamic technology, having undertaken the long arduous journey of development, surmounting challenges, and achieving great results, which now allows the company to export its expertise overseas. In addition, the enterprise has always been forward-looking, engaging in long term planning, and insists on sustainable development amid intense global competition.

Against the backdrop of China striving to achieve its dual-carbon goals and the global response to climate change, Meng also believes that Chinese enterprises, especially those leading the new-energy industry, are taking on their social responsibilities.

"For energy transformation, you need to play a leading role, not just focus on short-term interests. This industry is one that benefits humanity. Whether from the perspective of pollution reduction or carbon reduction, it has a positive significance," he said. "Also, our enterprise needs to focus on cultivating talents with such a vision and mindset, which I think is also a great contribution to society."

Chinese power

During the first days of the COP28, Sultan al-Jaber, the COP28 President, as well as the UAE Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology announced that more than 110 governments have pledged to triple the world's renewable energy capacity by 2030 at the COP28 climate summit. It also included a target to double the global rate of energy efficiency by 2030.

This year's COP has attracted more than 80,000 participants, making it the largest UN climate summit in history. In addition to the Chinese delegation, many institutions, enterprises, and observers from China participated in the conference and set up pavilions, holding related events to provide a platform for participants from various countries to engage in exchanges and understand China's carbon reduction measures and achievements.

For instance, the All-China Environmental Protection Federation also set up the Solar+ Pavilion (Photovoltaic Corner) in the Blue Zone of COP28 with LONGi Green Energy, showcasing the development and innovation of the photovoltaic industry and providing a platform for people of different identities to discuss and achieve energy equity.

Additionally, research institutions such as the China Automotive Technology and Research Center Co Ltd, also held a side event on NEVs and low-carbon transportation at the China Pavilion during COP28, inviting guests from the UN, the UAE, and China to learn about possible cooperation between China and the UAE in new-energy industries.

Analysts said that investments in China's NEV technology by Middle Eastern countries signify a strategic shift toward energy transformation and the finding of new competitive edges in emerging industries. Meanwhile, they emphasized the importance of market-specific adaptations and risk management for Chinese automakers exporting to the Middle East, and the consideration of local climate and consumer preferences.

The 2,000th rail-sea intermodal train of 2024, running along the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor, departed from Qinzhou, South China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region to Chengxiang, Southwest China's Sichuan Province on Sunday.

The trip marked a 16.8 percent year-on-year rise in the number of combined trains year-to-date and indicated that the 2024 first-quarter goals were achieved 14 days ahead of schedule, two facts that signal a successful start to the year, state broadcaster CCTV reported on Sunday.

The train, with 108 containers, carried black sesame from Myanmar, coconut juice from South China's Hainan Province and sugar from Guangxi, among other goods.

As of Friday, the land-sea corridor's extensive network had reached 149 stations in 18 provincial-level regions across China, five more than in January.

The rapid development of the corridor, a trade and logistics passage launched in 2017 and jointly built by provincial-level regions in western China and ASEAN members, shows the growth potential of provinces in the Chinese hinterland and reflects China's robust foreign trade growth in the first two months of the year, despite the complex international situation and rising protectionist headwinds, analysts noted.

The increase in the freight volume of the trade corridor reflects the prosperous trend of economic development in western China, said Bai Ming, a research fellow at the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation.

Bai said that the result shows that trade between Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) members and China has become more optimized, and the China-Laos Railway is also boosting trade cooperation between China and RCEP members.

The trade corridor has continuously optimized its supply structure and service scope this year, bringing many opportunities to regions along the route and driving their economic development, Bai noted.

In terms of seaborne trade under the corridor, 20,539 20-foot equivalent unit (TEU) containers of goods were transported from the Beibu Gulf Port in Guangxi, a surge of 36 percent year-on-year. RCEP member countries shipped 11,023 TEUs via the corridor from January 1 to March 10, increasing 35 percent year-on-year.

ASEAN remained China's largest trading partner in the first two months of 2024, with bilateral trade of 993.24 billion yuan ($139.88 billion), up 8.1 percent year-on-year, customs data showed on March 7.

China should ramp up efforts to promote independent scientific exploration and innovation in artificial intelligence (AI), as the country seeks to pursue a unique path of AI innovation with Chinese characteristics, Xu Jiuping, a member of the CPPCC National Committee and a professor at Sichuan University, told the Global Times. 

"We should give full play to the spirit of Chinese people who always dare to explore and innovate," Xu said.

AI has become a heated topic in this year's two sessions of the NPC and the CPPCC, and the investment and application of AI technology would assist industries and businesses to achieve speedy digital transformation and nurture new quality productive forces for economic growth.

Chinese authorities have always actively supported the development of AI and have been striving to achieve greater self-reliance in technology advances. And AI is deemed as an important engine in driving the nation's economic transformation and upgrading, Xu said.

China is home to a huge market and talent reserve, and the population base and sound software and hardware infrastructure also provide a good foundation for data collection, Xu told the Global Times.

According to Xu, to seek ingenuity in developing more advanced AI innovations means finding a unique way that suits China's actual conditions and industrial development situation, and to better serve new needs and promote China's international competitiveness.

The US investments in exploration of AI in 2023 accounted for 60 percent of the global total investments, followed by China with 12 percent, Xu told the Global Times, adding that China is relatively weak in terms of "AI literacy, talent and research." 

According to information released by the White House, the US government has laid out an ambitious agenda for the country to lead on AI research and development. The Biden administration has been funding groundbreaking research to promote trustworthy AI through America's National AI Research Institutes. 

And, the emergence of ChatGPT and Sora, a large number of AI talent have allowed the US to lead in cutting-edge AI innovation.

To fill those gaps, Xu said Chinese enterprises can learn from the experience and practices of AI pioneers such as US-based OpenAI, while finding its own distinct way to promote AI innovation.

China should advocate independent homegrown innovation, Xu noted. 

"This kind of originality does not mean being complacent or rest on our laurels, but rather adhering to independent innovation, to better serve our development needs and promote our international competitiveness in advanced technologies," Xu said.

More importance should be attached to cultivating Chinese talent in mathematics, computing and algorithm, he added.

China's investment in AI is forecast to reach $38.1 billion in 2027, accounting for 9 percent of the world's total, according to a report released by market consultancy IDC.

"The Chinese market has the world's largest number of users and active data-producing entities, helpful for reshape many new and complex businesses and services," Xu 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."

"We are truly grateful for the policy of the Party, which encourages farmers to develop forestry to alleviate poverty and become prosperous," said Huang Chuanrong, a farmer in Ningde, East China's Fujian Province, who succeeded in escaping poverty through planting.

Ningde is a city located in the northeast part of Fujian Province, with a land area of 13,400 square kilometers. It used to be one of the 18 concentrated and contiguous poverty-stricken areas in the country, making it the dream of the people in the region to overcome poverty and live a comfortable life.

The land of eastern Fujian has undergone great changes and has become a model of poverty alleviation with Chinese characteristics. For decades, the Ningde model of precise poverty alleviation has been formed through unremitting efforts from the grassroots officials and masses.

Enduring efforts

Houyang village is located in Zhouning county in Ningde. The family forest farm initiated by the elderly Huang Zhenfang has not only created a unique path to prosperity through forestry but has also made outstanding contributions to regional afforestation.

"Before the policy of reform and opening-up, our family was very poor. My elderly father was a thin and weak farmer. Since I was 13 years old, I have been helping my father in the fields, hoping to lighten the burden on our family," Huang Chuanrong, Huang Zhenfang's son, told the Global Times.

According to Huang, at that time, there were hardly any trees in the village, and soil erosion was very severe, with heavy rain often causing landslides.

"We really appreciate the Party's policy," Huang sincerely told the reporter, expressing that the opportunity to establish a family forest farm originated from the Party's guiding policy for the benefit of the people.

In 1983, Huang Zhenfang led his whole family to embark on the path of afforestation and land reclamation under the guidance of "No.1 central document." It took three years for the afforestation area to expand from the original 50 mu (3.3 hectares) to 1,207 mu.

"We received recognition from the county Party committee and government, and the villagers saw the positive results coming from the policy of the Party and joined us one after another," Huang Chuanrong said.

However, the development of forestry has the problem of long growth cycles and slow returns.

"To solve the problem of funding shortages, my resourceful grandfather started trying intercropping potatoes, corn, konjac, and tea in the forest, using the short-term growing crops to support the long-term development of the trees. This not only increased the family income but also effectively utilized land resources, improving our family's life as well," Huang Chuanrong's daughter Huang Juanjuan told the Global Times.

At the same time, the quality of the soil improved due to the use of fertilizers for crop cultivation. "It was truly a remarkable idea," she said.

Currently, the Huang family's household forest farm still regards agricultural production as its main business. They cultivate over 100 mu of medicinal herbs such as Huangjing, raise 200 beehives, and grow crops like sweet potatoes.

Their annual income exceeds 300,000 yuan ($42,000), and they have helped more than 50 villagers to become prosperous.

The story of Huang Zhenfang's forest farm has deeply influenced the descendants of the Huang family. Huang Yubin, the grandson of the resourceful elderly man, has helped promote the agricultural and forestry products of Zhouning to a broader market through the development of e-commerce, further consolidating the poverty alleviation achievements of the village.

According to Huang Yubin, he returned to his hometown to start a business in 2021 and established a company focusing on e-commerce in January 2023, listing more than 20 agricultural, forestry, and cultural products. Huang is currently connecting with relevant companies in Fujian Province, trying to use livestreaming to promote sales.

"I used to be a designer, so I thought of creating cultural and creative products, such as turning the herbal medicines into sachets and selling them online," he told the Global Times, expressing his pride in using his expertise to contribute to the revitalization of his hometown.

More rural revitalization channels

There are more cases in Ningde city to promote rural revitalization. Gutian county is the largest edible fungi production base in the country. Since 2012, the county Party committee and government have made efforts to promote the transformation and upgrading of the edible fungi industry.

Among them, one important aspect is to improve the cultivation conditions of edible fungi, aiming to solve the safety hazards and high labor intensity of grass mushroom shed.

After in-depth research on farmers and combining various biological characteristics of edible fungi with current production technologies at home and abroad, a series of edible fungi mushroom shed types have been designed for farmers to choose from.

Constructing photovoltaic mushroom sheds is an important path to explore the combination of the edible mushroom industry and the new photovoltaic industry. It is also an important measure to reduce the cost of standardized mushroom shed transformation for mushroom farmers.

According to Zheng Kuidong, deputy secretary of the county Party committee, since May 2021, a total of nine photovoltaic mushroom shed projects have been implemented in the county. After the completion of the projects, it is estimated that 37,058.4 tons of water can be saved and 23,761.9 tons of carbon dioxide emission can be reduced annually.

"Photovoltaic mushroom sheds can effectively achieve the generation of green electricity and the cultivation of high-quality mushrooms," Zheng told the Global Times.

"Traditional mushroom sheds are made of wooden boards. The conditions of photovoltaic mushroom sheds have improved significantly because they are not affected by typhoons and can maintain a stable temperature range suitable for mushroom growth," Yu Xinkao, a local mushroom farmer, told the Global Times.

He added that the improved conditions of the sheds have significantly increased mushroom production. Yu also mentioned that when encountering technical difficulties, there are designated government workers who can be contacted to provide on-site assistance.

According to Zheng, the county promotes rural revitalization through various channels such as increasing income for mushroom farmers, operating and managing cooperatives led by Party branches, and connecting production and sales through large-scale commercial supermarkets of leading enterprises. "I have great confidence in the continued development of photovoltaic mushroom sheds in the future," Yu said.

A new round of large-scale rain and snow weather should hit the country starting from Tuesday night, and it is expected that from Wednesday to Friday, the central and eastern regions of China will experience another round of large-scale rain and snow, the meteorological departments warned on Tuesday.

In the past two days, northern China, the Huang-Huai region and other areas of China have experienced the first rain and snow storms of the winter. During the day on Monday, this first round of rain and snow gradually weakened and ended. 

However, from Tuesday night to Saturday, a new cold wave is predicted to affect most parts of China from west to east, making it the strongest cold air front so far this winter. Temperatures in most parts of China will drop by 8-12 C, and in some areas, the temperature drop may exceed 14 C, leading Beijing to issue a blue cold wave warning and a yellow blizzard warning on Tuesday.

The heavy snowfall areas in northern China and the Yellow-Huaihe region overlap with the areas that experienced heavy snowfall on December 10, and daily snowfall in these regions is expected to be extreme. Influenced by the cold wave, temperatures in the central and eastern regions will continue to decrease, and the lowest temperature in northern China, the Yellow-Huaihe region and other areas will approach or even break the historical record for this period, according to meteorological departments.

Meteorologists said that this cold wave will be fierce, with a large drop in temperatures and severe snowstorms, which may put significant pressure on transportation and lead to an increased risk of accidents. Moreover, special attention needs to be paid to safety hazards caused by snowstorms, Ma Jun, director of the Beijing-based Institute of Public and Environmental Affairs, told the Global Times on Tuesday.

To cope with the snowy weather, the Beijing municipal bureau of public security traffic management has established a snow road traffic emergency support command center. According to the department, they have initiated a high-level duty plan to strengthen the deployment of police forces and traffic maintenance guidance in key areas, roads, bridges, intersections, as well as areas with steep slopes and that are prone to icing. Also, they have actively coordinated with emergency response units for snow emergencies and promptly implemented ice removal and snow melting measures to minimize the impact of snowfall and icing on traffic.

In addition, the new round of rain and snow has entered a more complex phase. Freezing rain may occur in the central part of Northwest China's Shaanxi Province, southern part of North China's Shanxi Province, and central-northern part of Central China's Henan Province, so extra attention should be paid to the dangers brought by blizzards and freezing rain and snow. 

It is also worth mentioning that the cold air will not influence the south of the Yangtze River and South China regions from Wednesday to the Thursday, and temperatures in these areas will still be high. For example, the highest temperature in cities like Nanchang and Fuzhou will reach 26 C. However, these areas will soon be hit by a strong "pressure" from the cold air. It is expected that around Saturday, the highest temperature in these areas will generally drop to around 5 C. 

The meteorological departments reminded the public not to underestimate the power of this new cold wave. People in the above-mentioned areas should closely monitor local warning and forecast information, take measures to keep warm and pay attention to fire and electrical safety.

Experts said that overall the world is experiencing a warming trend, and the rising sea temperatures caused by El Nino have increased the moisture content in the air. As such, the precipitation and snowfall this round will be quite unique, with a higher water content, resulting in wetter and heavier snow. 

In case of a sharp drop in temperatures during the cold wave, areas should prepare for freezing rain, especially in mountainous areas where temperatures may be lower than in the plain areas. This is highly likely to have a serious impact on infrastructure such as the electrical grid and agriculture, so local authorities need to make advance preparations, Ma warned.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has urged all-out efforts in emergency response and ensuring a warm and safe winter for the people.

While a 6.2-magnitude earthquake jolted Jishishan county in Linxia Hui Autonomous Prefecture, Northwest China's Gansu Province, on Monday at midnight, another 5.5-magnitude earthquake occurred near the city of Artux in the Kizilsu Kirgiz Autonomous Prefecture, the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, on Tuesday morning. 

Analysts said that the two earthquakes have no direct connection. However, Artux is located in the Pamir-Tian Shan orogenic belt while Jishishan is located in the Qilian Mountains-Qinling orogenic belt, so both regions are affected by the northward subduction of the Indian Plate, which results in strong tectonic activity on the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau.

Experts have called for increased proactive efforts to alleviate earthquakes' impact, such as promoting the mapping of China's seismic zones and increasing public understanding of disaster reduction and prevention.

As of press time, the earthquake in Gansu has caused 113 local deaths and 14 deaths in the adjacent Qinghai Province. Full-scale rescue efforts are being conducted, according to a press conference on Tuesday. Meanwhile, there have been no reports of any casualties or property damage from the one in Artux in Xinjiang. 

Jishishan county in Gansu Province is located on the eastern edge of the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau, which is part of the North-South seismic zone. The earthquake was a reverse fault earthquake with the fault along the northwestern ridge of Laji Mountain, Xu Xiwei, director of the National Institute of Natural Hazards and also professor at the China University of Geosciences, told the Global Times. 

China is located on the Eurasian Plate, with the southern part being squeezed by the Indian Ocean Plate, and the Pacific Plate subducting westward, squeezing the central and eastern regions of the country. China is simultaneously affected by the compression of the three major plates, with active faults in some areas. The Qinghai-Xizang Plateau and Xinjiang are located in the forefront of the collision between the Indian Ocean Plate and the Eurasian Plate, according to Xu.

There is no direct connection between the two earthquakes that happened in Gansu and Xinjiang. In terms of geological structure, Gansu and Xinjiang are both located on the North-South seismic belt while occasional earthquakes are a normal part of crustal energy release, Wang Tun, head of a key earthquake early warning laboratory in China's Sichuan Province, told the Global Times.

Xu noted that the major reasons for the casualties in the Jishishan earthquake are due to various factors, including the relatively dense population in the affected areas, and people being asleep during late night, making them unable to take cover in time. 

He noted that more basic work for earthquake disaster prevention should be carried out, including promoting the mapping of active faults in China to provide a scientific basis for urban planning, construction, and seismic design of engineering projects. Buildings should also be constructed away from active fault lines, avoid steep slope areas and incorporate enhanced seismic resistance facilities.

Moreover, public awareness of earthquake prevention and disaster reduction should be improved to reduce casualties during disasters, said Xu. 

For the past two decades, China has worked to strengthen earthquake resistance capacity of rural areas. Wang noted that Gansu and Sichuan also fall within the scope of this improvement drive, with buildings in many areas seeing improved earthquake resistance compared to the past. However, the earthquake in Gansu shows that more efforts should be made in this field.

In recent years, China has also strengthened the issuance of earthquake early warnings to the public through television, mobile phones, loudspeakers, and other means. The Earthquake Early Warning System, jointly developed by the Institute of Care-life and the China Earthquake Administration, issued early warnings for this earthquake, providing warning to the Linxia Hui Autonomous Prefecture located 56 kilometers from the epicenter 12 seconds before the quake, and more than 20 seconds in adjacent regions, including Gansu's capital city Lanzhou. 

This earthquake is the 80th destructive earthquake successfully predicted by the Earthquake Early Warning System since 2011. Wang said that promoting earthquake early warning services is also an important way to reduce casualties in disasters.

The Chinese university badminton team, facing strong pressure from the Chinese Tapei team, maintained their lead in the sport at the FISU Games on Monday, as they totaled four gold, three silver and one bronze medal in badminton.

China's female singles player Han Yue continued her fine form on ­Monday as she won the women's singles title with a stylish 2-0 victory over her opponent Kim Ga-ram of South Korea.

Coasting to the final by winning all the previous four matches by straight 2-0 wins, Han said she gave her all for the final.

"As it is the final of the tournament, I have to go all out. I prepared for a tough match but it turned out to be an easy one," the Tongji University student told reporters. 

"I feel honored to have participated in the University Games during my college years. This is a very valuable experience."

Speaking about the home advantages she enjoyed at the Chengdu Games, Han, 24, said she had to channel the pressure into impetus for the home game.

"Certainly, there is pressure since it's a home game. But the gold medal is important to me so I have to push myself more," Han said. 

"I'm thankful to coaches Li Xuerui and Wang Shixian for providing me with valuable advice during the matches."

Li is a former Olympic champion, while Wang has won several major international accolades for China. 

Han has already set her sights on the badminton world championships that kick off on August 21 in Copenhagen, Denmark. 

"I will focus on preparing for this year's event as it is already very close," Han said. 

Also on Monday, Team China secured the doubles gold and silver medals as Chinese pair Liu Wenmei and Liu Xuanxuan defeated teammates Xia Yuting and Du Yue 18-21, 21-19 and 21-14 in the women's competition. 

Ren Xiangyu and Tan Qiang overshadowed peers Zhou Haodong and He Jiting 23-21 and 21-16 in the men's event.

In the men's singles final, the last match of the badminton tournament, China's Wang Zhengxing defeated Thailand's Teeraratsakul Panitchaphon 21-16, 21-14 claim gold.