Foreign
China’s marine economy continues to expand with diverse highlights

By Kong Dechen
China’s gross ocean product grew 5.8 percent year on year to 7.2 trillion yuan ($1 trillion) in the first three quarters of 2023, indicating that the country’s marine economy has maintained its positive overall recovery momentum.
The country’s traditional marine industries have shown strong growth momentum. In the first three quarters of this year, China remained a global leader in terms of seagoing vessel market share, with new orders for seacraft growing faster and shipbuilding companies seeing continuous rebound in their economic benefits, according to Cui Xiaojian, deputy director of the National Marine Data and Information Service.
“New orders for seagoing vessels, seacraft output, and the number of sea ship orders in the hands of shipbuilders nationwide increased by 40.2 percent, 23.3 percent and 34.3 percent year on year, respectively,” Cui said.
“In particular, there has been a significant increase in the number of high-tech and high value-added ships delivered during the period. And a batch of container vessels with a TEU (20-foot equivalent unit) capacity of 24,000, LNG dual-fuel powered bulk carriers, and gas carriers were also delivered during the first three quarters,” Cui added.
The country’s marine tourism industry has strode into a new stage of full recovery, witnessing a 121 percent year-on-year growth in marine passenger volume in the first three quarters of this year, which has exceeded the level of the same period in 2019.
China’s marine resource supply capacity has steadily improved. In the first three quarters of 2023, 1,219 projects of sea area and island use were approved nationwide, up 4.6 percent year on year. These projects involve combined investment totaling over 600 billion yuan.
The country has made continuous efforts to increase its offshore oil and gas reserves and production. In the first three quarters of 2023, its offshore crude oil and natural gas production grew by 4.6 percent and 9.7 percent, respectively, compared to the same period last year, while multiple projects were completed and commenced production in the country.
The construction of the country’s “blue granary” has been steadily advanced in the first three quarters of this year, when the growth rates of domestic marine aquatic products output and mariculture output both exceeded 5 percent year on year.
The country’s ever-growing emerging marine industries and continuously improving capability of marine scientific and technological innovation have become the highlights of its marine economic growth in the first three quarters of this year.
China’s marine engineering equipment manufacturing industry has continued to improve. The industry’s value of delivered orders for marine engineering equipment increased by 50 percent year on year in the first three quarters of 2023, accounting for 64.3 percent of the international market share of marine engineering equipment.
Meanwhile, seawater desalination projects in Hebei province, Tianjin municipality, Shandong province, Jiangsu province, Zhejiang province and other regions across the country have been steadily advanced, with the scale of projects under construction and newly started exceeding 300,000 tonnes per day.
The country has constantly made breakthroughs in the development of marine renewable energy.
It has accelerated the construction of offshore wind power projects. In the first three quarters of 2023, the combined capacity of relevant projects under construction and newly started was about 19.4 million kilowatts, an increase of about 2 million kilowatts over the same period last year.
At the same time, the capacity of offshore wind power projects newly connected to China’s power grids and the country’s power output from offshore wind power projects during the period posted year-on-year increases of 14.8 percent and 19.2 percent, respectively.
Following the stable commercial operation of tidal energy projects, ocean thermal energy and wave energy have also entered project operation or power generation testing successively.
China has continuously made new progress in its basic research in marine science. It has launched the intelligent test task support ship Xiang Zhou Yun; put into service the undersea seismic data exploration and acquisition equipment Haimai, or “Sea Pulse”; and developed the first domestic 6,000-meter deep in-situ corrosion damage monitoring experimental cabin.
Production technologies in China’s marine industry have also experienced continuous improvement. The country’s first set of domestic 18-megawatt offshore wind turbine main shaft bearings has successfully rolled off production line; its 2,500-tonne self-propelled jack-up offshore wind power installation platform Haifeng 1001 was officially delivered; and the construction of the main hull structure of the Haiyang Shiyou 122, Asia’s first cylindrical floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) facility, has been completed in China.
“In the first three quarters, foreign trade cargo throughput at coastal ports increased by over 10 percent year on year. However, the total value of marine imports and exports decreased by 1.3 percent from the same period last year, due to factors such as falling prices of bulk commodities and exchange rate fluctuations,” said He Guangshun, director of the marine strategic planning and economics department of China’s Ministry of Natural Resources.
China’s maritime trade routes have become increasingly dense, effectively facilitating the development of the Belt and Road Initiative.
Liaoning Port Group in northeast China’s Liaoning province launched a new route shipping steel from South America to Yingkou Port in Yingkou city, Liaoning province; Dalian Port in Dalian city, Liaoning province, put into operation a shipping route linking Dalian and the Philippines; and the opening ceremony of the shipping route between China’s Fangchenggang Port and Cambodia’s Dara Sakor international port was held at Fangchenggang port, a part of Beibu Gulf Port in south China’s Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region.
The infrastructure of coastal ports in China has continued to be upgraded. The Phase II project of a 300,000-tonne crude oil wharf of Yantai Port in Yantai, east China’s Shandong province, was officially put into operation; Beibu Gulf Port has significantly improved port cargo handling timeliness, accuracy and cargo transfer efficiency through its intelligent cargo handling system; Qingdao Port in Qingdao, Shandong province, has officially put into use its first automated ship loader, greatly improving loading and unloading efficiency…
With China’s macro policies continuously boosting the confidence of business entities, the country’s marine industry will enjoy a stronger endogenous driving force, and China’s marine economy is expected to maintain its momentum for steady growth throughout the year, He noted.
Foreign
Trump begins mass layoffs at Voice of America

The Trump administration has initiated sweeping layoffs at Voice of America (VOA) and other U.S.-funded international broadcasters, effectively dismantling institutions long seen as critical for American influence abroad.
On Sunday, contractors working for VOA received an email notification that their employment would be terminated by the end of March. “You must cease all work immediately and are not permitted to access any agency buildings or systems,” the email read, according to multiple staff members who confirmed the development.
The move, which comes just a day after all employees were placed on administrative leave, disproportionately affects non-English-language services, where contractors make up a significant portion of the workforce. Many of these contractors are not U.S. citizens and may now face visa issues, further complicating their status in the country.
While most full-time staff remain employed for now, they have been told not to work, leaving VOA and its sister organizations in a state of uncertainty. Some services, unable to produce new programming, have resorted to playing music.
VOA, founded during World War II, has been a critical tool for U.S. public diplomacy, broadcasting in 49 languages to audiences in countries where press freedom is restricted. However, President Trump signed an executive order on Friday targeting its parent organization, the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), as part of broader federal budget cuts.
The cuts extend beyond VOA, affecting other U.S.-funded media entities such as Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Radio Free Asia, Radio Farda (which broadcasts in Persian to Iran), and Alhurra, an Arabic-language network launched after the 2003 Iraq invasion. The administration argues that taxpayers should not fund what it calls “radical propaganda,” despite VOA’s longstanding editorial independence.
Liam Scott, a VOA journalist covering press freedom and disinformation, expressed concern over the decision. “I’ve covered press freedom for a long time, and I’ve never seen something like what’s happened in the U.S. over the past couple of months,” he wrote on social media.
The move has drawn international attention, particularly from China and Russia, which have been expanding their own state-funded media efforts. The Chinese state-run *Global Times* reacted with an editorial declaring that “the monopoly of information held by traditional Western media is being shattered.”
Trump’s administration has pursued aggressive cuts across federal agencies, including eliminating most foreign aid and significantly reducing the Department of Education. With input from tech billionaire Elon Musk, Trump has focused on reducing government size to facilitate tax cuts.
As the global media landscape shifts, the dismantling of U.S.-funded broadcasters leaves a vacuum that could be filled by rival state-controlled networks. Whether Congress or legal challenges will intervene remains to be seen, but for now, the future of America’s international broadcasting efforts hangs in the balance.
Foreign
Judge blocks Trump from deporting non-citizens using wartime law

A federal judge has temporarily halted the Trump administration’s attempt to deport migrants allegedly linked to the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua under a wartime law.
US District Judge James Boasberg issued a restraining order preventing the administration from using the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to expel undocumented migrants accused of gang ties. The order initially protected five individuals challenging the deportation but was later expanded to all affected noncitizens in US custody.
Boasberg also directed that any planes carrying these migrants be returned to the United States. “Any plane containing these folks that is going to take off or is in the air needs to be returned,” he ruled. The restraining order will remain in effect for 14 days or until further court action.
The Trump administration invoked the Alien Enemies Act, citing Tren de Aragua as a terrorist organization that has “unlawfully infiltrated the United States” and is engaging in hostile actions. However, civil rights groups, including the ACLU, argue that the gang’s activities do not meet the legal definition of an invasion.
The Justice Department has appealed the ruling, while the case continues in court.
Foreign
China’s new chapter in global innovation

By Gu Yekai, Liu Yiqing, People’s Daily
At a smart construction project site managed by China State Construction Engineering Corporation, a quiet technological revolution is underway. Amid cranes and concrete, engineers are deploying advanced artificial intelligence (AI) systems that could fundamentally reshape the construction industry.
Li Fengjian, an AI specialistwith Xianyuan Technology, detailed how the company’s latest intelligent system – built on a large model – adapts to complex construction environments.”Engineering machinery equipped with intelligent agents can adjust its operations automatically in response to weather conditions,” Li explained, adding that a spatiotemporal sensing network further enhances the system, providing real-time tracking of both personnel and materials throughout the construction site.
In February this year, Xianyuan Technology rapidly integrated its self-developed model with DeepSeek-R1, effectively blending a general-purpose framework with industry-specific models. This integration, Li noted, has produced a solution capable of delivering expert-level performance in challenging, dynamic environments. The firm is based in the Shanghai Foundation Model Innovation Center, aburgeoning AI incubator that now hosts over 200 innovative enterprises.
China’s technological transformation extends well beyond the construction sector. Overthe past three decades, the country has evolved from its initial forays into internet connectivity to becoming a key player in global digital innovation.
Here, a steady stream of technological innovations are emerging, from the early days of emails and web browsing to the cutting-edge technologies represented by DeepSeek and the dynamic evolution of social media.
Wu Jianping, an academician at the Chinese Academy of Engineering and headof the Zhongguancun Laboratory, pointed out that while China had introduced only one internet standard before 2005, it now contributes to over 200 worldwide. Such strides illustrate the country’s concerted push toward high-level technological self-reliance – a journey marked by both persistence and determination.
Beyond the digital realm, China is makingsignificant inroads in aerospace, new energy, and other high-tech sectors. It has transitioned from being a follower to standing shoulder-to-shoulder with global leaders, and in some areas, even taking the lead. Wu attributed these achievements to a dynamic ecosystem of policy reforms and talent cultivation that encourages creativity and technical expertise at every level.
Amid intensifying international competition, collaborative research and the integration of new technologies with traditional industries are central to China’s high-quality economic development.
Mei Linhai, a researcher at China’s State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Intelligence, remarked that the age of AI calls for continuous exploration. “In this era, everyone is an innovator. Only by persistently pushing the boundaries can we remain at the forefront of both technological and industrial development,” Mei observed.
In the field of general-purpose AI, Mei emphasized that independent innovation is paramount. He advocates for a self-driven industrial ecosystem that leveragesbreakthrough technologies to boost productivity and unlock new possibilities, Mei said.
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