Spring Festival consumption to boom amid historical high travel rush GraphicAnalysis: GT

While electricity trade between India and Nepal appears to give the former a commanding advantage against China in Nepal's hydropower sector, there is also growing concern as to whether India's geopolitical game of edging China out could jeopardize Nepal's power projects and energy supply ambitions.

Due to a strategic policy change that India implemented in 2018, India has outpaced China in securing hydropower contracts in Nepal, BNN Breaking reported on Monday.

Media attention to the competition for influence in Nepal's hydropower sector came a few days after Nepal and India reportedly signed a power trade agreement for Kathmandu to export 10,000 megawatts of hydroelectricity to India over the next 10 years, according to Reuters.

Since the hydropower sector in the Himalayan nation has been considered a crucial arena for geopolitical tussles between India and China, the development was touted by some Indian and Western media outlets as evidence of India's growing influence in the region.

Objectively speaking, it is a welcome development that India and Nepal are moving toward strengthening their power trade, which is in the interests of both sides, but that doesn't necessarily mean that Nepal's development should fall victim to India's geopolitical maneuvers. 

Indeed, India's power trade policy, which prohibits the purchase of electricity produced by projects invested by Chinese companies, has cast a shadow on the investment dynamics of Nepal's energy infrastructure.

In 2018, India changed its electricity buying policy to prevent the purchase of power produced via the investment of nations with which it does not have a "bilateral agreement on power sector cooperation." Although it didn't explicitly mention China, hydropower produced by Chinese-funded or Chinese-built plants is actually excluded in power trade with Nepal. As a result, Nepal has removed Chinese developers from six hydropower projects and given four hydro contracts to Indian companies, Reuters reported in May 2023, citing an industrial official in Nepal. 

Indian companies have contracts to build and operate 10 hydropower plants in Nepal, while Chinese developers have such contracts for five of them, according to media reports.

The reason why India's power purchase policy can have such great influence on Nepal is because its power supply has undergone dramatic changes over the past decade, and its generation capacity is now enough to meet domestic needs. 

This also means that Nepal needs to find overseas markets for its surplus electricity during the rainy season, with India and Bangladesh being the target markets. Because of its geographical location, even the power trade between Nepal and Bangladesh requires India's participation.

But such trade needs should not be tools used to exclude other participants for geopolitical interests. It is nothing but narrow-minded for a regional power to be obsessed about the geopolitical significance of its neighbors while neglecting their development needs. 

This approach won't gain positive regional influence for India. Specifically, given the past and current situation of Indian companies' hydropower projects in Nepal, it is questionable whether India has the ability to support Nepal's hydroelectric development, which reportedly has the potential to produce 72,000 megawatts of hydroelectricity.

By comparison, Chinese companies' contributions to Nepal's hydropower development are evident. With the participation and support of Chinese companies, Nepal has turned into a net exporter of electricity. 

China has not only invested in hydropower projects in Nepal, but it has also discussed a cross-border transmission line with Nepal, which may be a solution to Nepal's export needs.

Still, it is our sincere hope that India can have a more open-minded attitude toward Chinese investment in Nepal. If geopolitics is set aside, it will find that there is cooperation space between China and India on this issue, which is beneficial for all parties in the region. 

China has construction and technological advantages in hydropower projects, and Nepal's hydropower development, if smooth, will benefit India and Bangladesh.

In addition to hydropower projects, China and Nepal also have cooperation involving other infrastructure projects, which are also beneficial for regional development, such as the China-Nepal railway that is intended to greatly improve connectivity in South Asia. It would be a pity if India only saw these developments as part of its geopolitical competition with China.

If India is really concerned about its influence in the region, it is advised to invest more and help Nepal and other regional countries with infrastructure development, promoting regional economic prosperity.

The development of South Asia now hinges to a large extent on whether India can adopt a cooperative attitude in the face of the regional needs. This is also the common wish of many countries in the region.

China's Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) has approved graphite export applications from multiple entities, a ministry spokesperson said on Thursday, reiterating that its export control mechanism is not a ban.

Exercising exports control measures on certain graphite products is of common international practice and the China's export control rules are aimed at fulfilling international non-proliferation obligations and safeguarding China's national security and interests, ministry spokesperson He Yadong told a press briefing on Thursday.

He made the remarks in response to reports that some Chinese graphite exporters are cleared to export their products to major South Korean battery companies.

China in October announced plans to optimize export controls on some categories of graphite, a key material in making electric vehicle battery, with new rules taking effect on December 1. The export of artificial graphite materials and related products with high purity, high strength and high density, as well as natural flake graphite and associated products, are subject to the new rules.

Due to China's critical role in the global graphite supply chain, the export control measures received immediate attention abroad.

He emphasized that China's export control measures should not been seen as outright export ban and the ministry has approved a number of graphite export applications that that comply with relevant regulations.

The ministry will continue to review other license applications and make decisions in accordance with legal procedures, He said.

Experts said China's export control rules on certain graphite items are restrained and professional and are in line with international practice.

Earlier, the ministry said that China remains committed to maintaining the security and stability of the global industrial and supply chains.

A judge who has just decided that an AI-generated image in an intellectual property dispute was an artwork protected by copyright laws said she is in favor of the innovative development of generative AI and encourages people to use AI tools to be creative.

The remarks were made after the ruling by the Beijing Internet Court in order to encourage the creation of new works, said Zhu Ge, the presiding judge at a public event held in Beijing.

The essentials of people using AI models to generate images are that people use tools to make a creation. In this sense, the creators have the copyright over the generated images and they are protected by copyright law, she said, domestic media outlet thepaper.cn reported on Monday.

The court recognized in December 2021 that pictures generated via AI image generators should be considered artworks and can be copyrighted based on the originality and intellectual input of their human creators, in this case, the plaintiff surnamed Li.

The court therefore required the defendant to issue a public apology and pay the plaintiff 500 yuan ($70.16) in compensation.

The ruling, the country's first case of its kind, is believed to show Beijing's fresh support for AI-driven creativity. It has also responded to questions about whether an AI-generated image is an artwork protected by copyright law, and whether it is regarded as the intellectual output of its human creator.

Against this backdrop, Zhu said the court considered the impact it is likely to have on the development of the AI industry.

Zhu said that the court has fully discussed issues related to the legal attributes and ownership of the AI image generator under the framework of Chinese law, hoping that the case will provide a reference for judgments in similar cases, as well as subsequent AI-related legislation, although it doesn't necessarily mean that all the generative AI-related cases can resort to the same judgment.

Whether AI-generated work can be protected by copyright should be decided on a case-by-case basis, she said.

Generative artificial intelligence (AI) can complete image creation and document writing in seconds, bringing novelty but also causing more anxiety for creators.

The first case of copyright infringement involving AI-generated images in China has recently been finalized, with the plaintiff Li Yunkai winning the lawsuit but waiving the 500 yuan ($70) compensation from the defendant.

Li Yunkai recently told the media that the compensation is not important to him; he rather hopes that the court can provide a clear criterion on whether using AI to generate images constitutes original work and possesses original work of authorship.

In this particular case, the Beijing Internet Court recognized the picture generated via text-to-image AI image generator should be considered original “artwork” under the protection of copyright laws based on the “originality” and intellectual input of its human creator.

However, industry observers noted that the case also emphasized whether the artificial intelligence-generated content (AIGC) constitutes a work with copyright cannot be generalized but should be decided on a case-to-case basis.

Why is that? Observers argued that, to protect AIGC, it is necessary to establish whether the subject of the right is a human being rather than the machine or the AI.

Li Zonghui, the vice president of the Institute of Cyber and Artificial Intelligence Rule of Law affiliated with Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, told the Global Times that the current copyright law defines the subject of the work as the author, citizens, legal persons, and social organizations. It is evident that AI does not meet this requirement.

Back in 2018, the US Copyright Office received its first known copyright registration application for an AI-generated work. But later in 2023, the court rejected the application because AI, as a non-human, is not subject to copyright protections.

In this case, Stephen L. Thaler intended to claim authorship of a visual image titled “A Recent Entrance to Paradise,” which was generated by his developed AI system known as the "Creativity Machine."

“Protecting content generated by non-human beings as works with copyright is fundamentally contrary to the legislative purpose of copyright law,” Li Zonghui noted. In the Beijing case, the court rule was based on the fundamental principle of protecting the rights of “human being.”

According to the court, if an AI-generated image reflects the original intellectual investment of a human being, it should be considered artwork and protected under copyright law. However, determining the extent of the original intellectual investment made by a human being in the creation process poses a challenge.

The Beijing Internet Court believes that the plaintiff Li Yunkai designed the visual elements of the character and its presentation through prompts and set parameters for the layout and composition of the image. He continued to add prompts and modify parameters after obtaining the first image, constantly adjusting and revising, and finally obtained the image. The process reflects the plaintiff's aesthetic choices and personal judgment, the court believed.

Li Zonghui pointed out that if a work is purely generated by AI without any contribution from the user, it may not be subject to copyright infringement. The key factor lies in the prompts and what kind of modify parameters given to the machine and whether they constitute originality.

Some industry observers argue that writing prompts to generate a work is a simple task, resulting in a minimal intellectual contribution to AI-generated image creation.

AI systems have the capability to replicate on a large scale, enabling the generation of a vast number of images or content within a short period. If copyright protection is granted to all of this, it will not foster innovation for society as a whole, stated You Yunting, a Shanghai-based lawyer, in an interview with The Paper.

Machines’ deep learning is essentially a statistical process that involves collecting large-scale data and performing rapid calculations and deductions. Therefore, it is not the same concept as human original expression, Andy Sun Yuanzhao, executive director at The Asia Pacific Legal Institute, wrote on Copyright Theory and Practice recently.

Apart from lawsuits relating to AI-generated images, China has also seen a first legal dispute over a virtual human.

In July 2022, a technology company in Hangzhou uploaded a video to their Douyin account featuring Ada, a virtual human created by Shanghai-based Xmov Technology but failed to acknowledge Xmov as the original creators. The Hangzhou Internet Court later sided with Xmov, ordering the infringing company to pay 120,000 yuan in compensation.

Analysts said there is a connection between virtual humans and works in copyright law and the right of portrait and personality in civil law.

If the character’s appearance is completely newly designed, then the virtual digital human may constitute an artistic work and be protected by copyright law. If the character is based on the modeling of a specific natural person, then the virtual digital human involves the use of the likeness of a real person and requires the permission of the right of personality holder, Li Zonghui told the Global Times.

One judgment of copyright infringement will certainly lead to more subsequent lawsuits. The aftereffects will be the increase cost and market entry barriers for the subsequent development of the AI industry, Sun said.

Given that these lawsuits usually last for a long time, unless the parties can reach a pre-litigation settlement, the entire AI industry is likely to be in a state of uncertainty for a considerable period of time in the future, Sun said.

In a bid to enhance services for flexible workers, China's Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security (MHRSS) issued a comprehensive set of guidelines aimed at standardizing flexible job markets on Monday, aiming to provide workers with transparent and regulated services. The notice is in line with its commitment to integrate this sector into the broader employment public service system. 

In the notice, the MHRSS outlined several key areas related to flexible job markets that require attention and improvement.

China has a vast population of flexibly employed individuals, and the rapid development of the internet industry has sparked changes in the job market, making it easier for young people to find such jobs, but the market remains largely unregulated, Tian Yun, a veteran economist based in Beijing, told the Global Times on Monday.

The notice emphasized the need to clearly define the service orientation of flexible job markets. The markets, which often operate outside the public service sector, will now be brought under the umbrella of the public employment service system, providing accessible, flexible and inclusive labor services.  

The ministry also said it aims to improve services in the markets, stressing the importance of providing comprehensive services such as job matching, career guidance, and skills training, which is particularly significant in light of China's rapidly evolving job market, where new sectors and opportunities are constantly emerging.

The notice also highlighted the opening and operation of flexible job markets, and called for building service stations and recruiting sites that meet local workers' conditions and demands. It also clarified the roles and responsibilities of various stakeholders in managing and overseeing the markets.

Data analysis is an important part of the notice, as job markets will be asked to publish key indicators, such as the ratio of job seekers to available positions. The information is critical for job seekers and employers in making decisions.

Standardizing service requirements is another part of the notice. The MHRSS has asked local departments to standardize naming rules for local job markets, to unify business processes and service standards, and implement clear regulations to ensure transparency in services. The ministry will soon publish a unified national logo for the markets across the country.  

The notice also underscored the importance of capacity building within the sector, which includes measures such as enhancing staff training and expanding the workforce through multiple channels to cater to the growing demands of this dynamic market.

Many flexible workers lack adequate protection for their labor rights. The notice from the MHRSS provides directional guidance for developing the flexible job markets, but concrete implementation by local authorities is needed to ensure compliance. Regulating flexible employment requires a concerted effort from the relevant authorities, as well as support and cooperation from society, Tian said.

Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin on Wednesday said the world cannot return to a state of isolation and that China opposes all forms of unilateralism and protectionism in response to International Monetary Fund (IMF) warning that fragmentation of the global economy and increasing national security restrictions could lead to a 7 percent loss in global GDP.

Whether it is trade wars or technological battles, the underlying objective is to politicize, instrumentalize, and weaponize economic and trade issues. The aim is to secure a monopoly on their own developmental advantages, impede the growth of emerging markets and developing nations, and deny the 7 billion people worldwide their right to pursue a happy life, Wang said.

Wang said that China is willing to work with all parties to promote universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalization. China firmly opposes deglobalization and overstretching the national security concept, and opposes all forms of unilateralism and protectionism.

The remarks come as the IMF warned that global economic fragmentation could lead to a 7 percent loss in global GDP.

IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva told CNN in an interview aired on Tuesday local time that restrictions related to "national security" are increasing, and geopolitical factors are causing economic divisions worldwide. 

Allowed to continue, this could ultimately reduce Global GDP by 7 percent - roughly equal to the annual output of France and Germany, she said.

"So we are all better off to find ways to reduce frictions, to concentrate on security concerns that are real and meaningful, and not go willy-nilly in fragmenting the world economy. We would end up with a smaller pie," she said.

Wang said that the world cannot return to a state of isolation and cannot be arbitrarily divided. Any practice of seeking selfish gains at the expense of neighbors, any mindset of confrontation between camps, and any arrogance of self-centeredness will not lead to good results.

China will promote equal rights, equal opportunities, and equal rules for all countries, safeguarding the development rights of all countries, and working toward common development and prosperity.

The IMF's report in October 2023 predicted a slowdown in global economic growth from 3.0 percent in 2023 to 2.9 percent in 2024.

China's veteran short track speed skater Fan Kexin kissed the ice surface at the Capital Indoor Stadium again on December 9 at the ISU Short Track World Cup in Beijing, as she returned to competition after a nearly two-year hiatus after the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics.

Fan, who is among China's squad that won a gold medal in the 2,000-meter mixed relay at the home Olympics, finished her events on Saturday with two silver medals.

Fan clocked the women's 500 meters with 43.117 seconds, followed by her younger teammate Wang Ye with 43.176 seconds. At the awarding ceremony for the race, Fans kissed the ice surface again.

"I just love this ice so much," Fan, a three-time Olympian, told reporters after Saturday's races at the ISU short track World Cup event in Beijing. "As long as I have chances to compete, I will do my best."

Fan noted that now she is enjoying skating, thanks to the overwhelming support from Chinese fans.

"Their support means a lot to us. Now we are receiving massive attention from the fans compared to the past, which also boosted our confidence and performances," the 30-year-old said.

Fan's kiss on the ice surface at the Olympics was remembered as one of the emotional moments at the quadrennial event by Chinese short track fans.

Speculation was rampant that the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics would be Fan's swansong, as she had not participated in any competition since.

Her return has been considered a boost for the Chinese women's short track team, which is currently in a rebuilding phase as it aims to return to the sport's top-tier.

Along with her younger teammates, Fan is also among the team that won a silver medal in the 2,000-meter mixed relay at the World Cup event. Her younger teammate Wang, who is just 18, has welcomed her return, crediting Fan who "strengthened" the whole team's confidence with competing.

Speaking about the winning inheritance of the short track team, which is the most successful Chinese winter sports team, Fan said it is not just "talk the talk."

"The inheritance is in their hearts to take on the task and responsibility to grow, rather than just talking out loud about inheritance," Fan said.

"It feels great to compete with my young teammates side by side. I hope these young athletes could participate in the World Cup, World Championships, the Olympics step by step and achieve better results."

Short track competitions are currently the most popular winter sports races in China, as the stadium hosting Chinese athletes often has near-capacity attendance drawn by the chance to witness the star-studded national squad.

Saturday's race saw Team China bag four silver and one bronze medals. The competitions will continue on Sunday, including a highly-anticipated men's 5,000-meter relay final.

A Xinjiang hospital's Key State Lab has signed a deal with the Kazakhstan National Medical Science Center to enhance cooperation on prevention and treatment of high incidence diseases in Central Asia. Additionally, the Xinjiang Medical University Hospital also signed a parallel agreement for surgery and organ transplantation. The signing marks an increased role for China in helping improving the health conditions of Central Asian countries with the support of the China Organ Transplant Development Foundation.

The deal was signed by the Kazakhstan center with The First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University and the hospital's Key State Laboratory of Pathogenesis, Prevention and Treatment of High Incidence Diseases in Central Asia, at the 7th China-International Organ Donation Conference and the Belt & Road Symposium on Organ Donation and Transplantation International Cooperation Development in Nanning, South China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region on Saturday.

After the signing of the deal, Kazakhstan will send medical personnel to study at the Xinjiang Medical University hospital and Key State Laboratory specifically for research and treatment against high incidence diseases in Central Asia, Wen Hao, head of the Key State Lab of Xinjiang Medical University, told the Global Times on Saturday. The laboratory and the hospital are well-equipped and host a wide range of departments, "thus we can answer almost any technical request from the Kazaks. who are also thrilled about it," Wen said.

Wen said that the Key State Laboratory was opened in 2017. It is actively working with five Central Asian neighboring countries on training, as well as studying and treating major diseases in these areas, such as cervical cancer and esophageal cancer. Additionally, zoonotic cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and cerebrovascular diseases are also prevalent and pose the greatest threat to the people's health in Central Asia.

Ever since the Key State Laboratory was established, it has been working to strengthen cooperation with Central Asian countries. Wen noted that China is ahead of neighboring countries in terms of scale, quality, and national standards of medical care, which is one of the reasons these countries are interested in working with China. .

In July of this year, the Xinjiang hospital assisted the Kazakhstan National Medical Science Center in successfully treating a patient with alveolar Echinoccosis by using Exvivo Liver Resection & Autotransplantation (ELRA) for the first time.

Wen stated that in active response to the Belt and Road Initiative, his lab and hospital had dispatched a team of medical experts to Central Asian countries, such as Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan. Through medical technology exchanges, hosting bilateral academic forums, and establishing technology promotion and training bases, the hospital aims to continuously deepen and broaden cooperation with these Central Asian countries, seeking to enable people in these countries to access and benefit from high-quality medical resources.

In May of this year, China and five Central Asian countries jointly signed the Xi'an Declaration of the China-Central Asia Summit, which was held in Chinese city of Xi'an. In the declaration, all sides agreed to further deepen health and medical cooperation, promote the construction of traditional Chinese medicine centers, and carry out herbal planting and processing cooperation to create a healthy "Silk Road."

After China has improved its own work on organ donation and transplantation, sharing expertise with countries participating in the Belt and Road Initiative has also become very important. Aims include pushing forward their development in this regard, and assisting them with the development of local medical systems and technology, Huang Jiefu, chairman of China Human Organ Donation and Transplantation Committee and Chair of COTDF Advisory Board told the Global Times on Saturday.

Wen said that in recent years, countries such as India, South Korea, Japan, and some Western countries, have been trying to exert influence over Central Asia. He mentioned that Abay Baigenzhin, Chairman of the Management Board of Kazakhstan National Medical Science Center, told him that cooperation with Western countries usually involves big promises but little action. However, after enhancing cooperation with China, Kazakhstan appreciated that China not only kept its promises, but also had the ability to implement projects.

Wen also noted that now China is offering preferential policies for medical students from Central Asian countries, which has facilitated medical exchanges between China and the region. "Such cooperation is helpful for people-to-people exchanges between China and those countries; and there is no basis for attacking or smearing efforts to help people cure diseases."

"In the next two years leading up to 2025, we should expect to see more practical cases of collaboration, inspiring stories, and data to support our cooperation in organ transplantation and donation with Central Asian countries. These developments will further bolster our contributions to the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of prevalent diseases in Central Asia, as well as the promotion of public health across the region regions," said Wen.

China's first mass-produced WZ-16 turboshaft engines were recently delivered, marking yet another achievement in the country's aero engine sector, which used to trail behind the global top standard, experts said on Sunday.

A delivery conference was held in Harbin, Northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, on Friday, according to a press release from the state-owned Aero Engine Corporation of China (AECC) published on its WeChat account on Saturday.

The press release did not give details on the delivery, including the engine's customers or the number of engines delivered. At least three engines can be seen in a photo attached to the press release.

This marks a key step in the industrial development of the AECC's aero engine products for civilian purposes, and fully displays China's capabilities in research and development as well as marketing in this high technology sector, the AECC said.

The WZ-16 is a latest type of turboshaft engine that was strictly developed and certified in accordance with airworthiness regulations, the AECC said, noting that with a takeoff power of more than 1,240 kilowatts, a weight of less than 223.5 kilograms, a fuel consumption rate of less than 294 grams per kilowatt-hour and a service ceiling of 6,000 meters, the engine's overall performance has reached an internationally advanced level with high reliability and a long overhaul interval.

Having obtained type certification in October 2019 and production certification in March 2021, the WZ-16 can be equipped by seven ton-class twin-engine helicopters such as the AC352 (also known as the Z-15) and see wide applications in fields such as search and rescue, offshore drilling operations, personnel transport, medical aid and commercial flights, the company said.

The Z-15 medium-sized, multipurpose helicopter was awarded a qualification certificate by the Civil Aviation Administration of China in July 2022, marking the successful development of this type of chopper, which is now eligible to enter China's civilian market, the Global Times learned from the state-owned Aviation Industry Corporation of China, the helicopter's maker.

China's aero engine technology used to lag behind the world's top standard for decades, and now it is seeing significant achievements in many fields, a Chinese aviation expert who requested anonymity told the Global Times on Sunday.

In recent years, China's top military aircraft like the J-20 fighter jet and the Y-20 transport aircraft have converted to using domestically developed turbofan engines, and now civilian helicopters are getting advanced turboshaft engines, the expert said, noting that Chinese aero engine developers' efforts are beginning to bear fruits, and that more advanced engines are likely under development.