Foreign
China to offer more, better services to world through high-quality development

By He Yin, People’s Daily
On Sept. 2, Chinese President Xi Jinping addressed the Global Trade in Services Summit of the 2023 China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) via video.
“In developing the services sector and trade in services, China will work with all countries and parties to advance inclusive development through openness, promote connectivity and integration through cooperation, foster drivers for development through innovation, and create a better future through shared services, in a bid to jointly get the world economy onto the track of sustained recovery,” Xi said.
In his speech, Xi announced a series of measures of China to expand the opening up of the services sector and expounded on China’s important proposals for promoting the prosperity and development of international trade in services. The speech demonstrated China’s willingness and commitment to sharing the achievements of trade in services with other countries.
The world economic recovery remains sluggish today, with less than 3 percent growth for the year as estimated by some international institutions.
Trade in services is a pivotal component of international trade, and the services sector plays a vital role in economic and trade collaboration between nations.
At present, the deepening global cooperation in trade in services and the services sector, the accelerated process of digital-driven, smart and green growth, and burgeoning new technologies as well as new business forms and models would give a strong impetus to advancing economic globalization, reviving global growth and enhancing the resilience of world economic development.
With the theme of “Opening up leads development, cooperation delivers the future,” the 2023 CIFTIS aims to build an important platform for expanding opening up, deepening cooperation and leading innovation, and will inject new impetus into promoting world economic recovery through trade in services.
How will China, the second-largest economy in the world, further contribute to global economic recovery?
Noting that this year marks the 45th anniversary of China’s reform and opening up, Xi reaffirmed the country’s commitment to promoting high-standard opening up and advancing Chinese modernization on all fronts through high-quality development, thereby providing all countries with new opportunities for openness and cooperation.
China will create a “more open and more inclusive” development environment, strengthen the bond of mutual benefit and win-win cooperation, strengthen innovation-driven development, and share the outcomes of the Chinese modernization drive with the rest of the world.
These proposals demonstrate China’s firm determination to follow the development trend of economic globalization, promote development by opening up and seek win-win results with cooperation. They also manifest China’s aspiration to lend new impetus to global development with the opportunities generated by the country’s vast market, and to increase the sense of gains of people around the world.
How will China, a powerhouse of trade in services, further promote international service trade?
Xi noted that China will expand a globally-oriented network of high-standard free trade areas, actively launch negotiations on the negative list for trade in services and investment, and further open up services areas such as telecommunications, tourism, law and vocational examinations.
China’s national integrated demonstration zone for greater openness in the services sector as well as eligible pilot free trade zones and free trade port will be the first to align their policies with high-standard international economic and trade rules, Xi said, adding that the country will widen access to its services sector, advance the opening up in cross-border services trade in an orderly manner, improve the level of standardization of services trade, and steadily expand institutional opening up.
China will deepen cooperation on services trade and digital trade with Belt and Road partner countries. It will accelerate the cultivation of new drivers for the digitalization of services trade, implement pilot reforms on basic data systems, and promote the development of digital trade through reform and innovation.
Besides, it will take the initiative to increase the imports of quality services, and encourage more exports of knowledge-intensive services.
These measures will not only help with the development of China’s service sector and trade in services, but also promote the prosperity of global trade in services and bring more benefits of trade in services to people around the world.
This year marks the 45th anniversary of China’s reform and opening up. The world is seeing a more proactive China in expanding openness and cooperation, and a more attractive China to all countries eager for openness and cooperation.
China is continuously working to improve its business environment, further expanding the industries and areas in which foreign investment is encouraged, offering greater convenience for foreign investors in China, and promoting the signing of more high-standard free trade agreements and regional trade agreements. It has created a series of platforms of opening up including the CIFTIS and the China International Import Expo.
In the first seven months of this year, 28,406 foreign-funded enterprises were established across China, up 34 percent.
The CIFTIS this year has attracted 59 countries and 24 international organizations to set up exhibitions and conferences, with more than 2,400 companies participating offline. More than 500 Fortune 500 companies and industry leaders attended the event, and over 20 percent of participants were from outside China.
This fully proves the confidence of the international community in the Chinese economy, and the great importance it is attaching to the vast opportunities presented by the Chinese market.
The global economy thrives in openness and withers in seclusion. China will unswervingly expand high-level opening up, and work with all parties to uphold the hard-won free trade and multilateral trading regime, share in the historic opportunities in the development of global trade in services, and unite for an even brighter and more prosperous future for the world.
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.
Foreign
Chinese democracy in action:a village bench meeting shapes national law

By Wei Zhezhe, Liu Botong, People’s Daily
In a modest corner of Jiangmen, south China’s Guangdong province, residents of Weidong village are experiencing firsthand a form of democracy that starts at the grassroots level and reverberates all the way to Beijing.
Wu Tengxin, a local villager who relies on a scooter for daily mobility after contracting polio, recalls a time when the village’s public spaces were ill-equipped for people with disabilities. Now, thanks to a simple suggestion made during a meeting, his everyday life has changed.
In November 2022, a team from a local legislative outreach office – a branch of China’sNational People’s Congress (NPC) – visited Weidong village and set up a “bench-style meeting.” Residents, including the elderly and those with disabilities, gathered to voice their concerns about inadequate accessibility.
Amid the conversation, Wu offered a straightforward proposal: “I hope rural accessible facilities can be improved to make mobility easier for people with disabilities and the elderly.” His words were relayed verbatim to lawmakers.
The response was swift. On June 28, 2023, at the third session of the 14th NPC Standing Committee, legislators passed a law on building a barrier-free living environment. The law stipulates that improvements”shall align with social and economic development levels, coordinate urban and rural progress, and gradually narrow the gap in infrastructure between urban and rural areas.”
Today, Wu observes that the village’s main roads and public squares have been upgraded with accessibility features that make getting around considerably easier.
This episode illustrates what Chinese officials call “whole-process people’s democracy” – a system where citizen input is woven into every stage of policy development.
Jilie Ziri, head of Abuluoha village in Butuo county, southwest China’s Sichuan province, remarked that for young generations in China, democracy has become a lived experience. “Villagers are the masters of village affairs,” he said, emphasizing how active villager participation has injected new vitality into local governance.
Experts point to consultative democracy as a cornerstone of this process. Tao Kaiyuan, vice chairman of the Central Committee of the China Association for Promoting Democracy and vice president of the Supreme People’s Court, underscores the important role of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, whose members hail from every stratum of society and bring a wealth of expertise and connections.
Their regular forums, field research, and public consultations have created robust channels for citizens to contribute ideas and forge consensus.”This approach gathers collective wisdom and transforms public voices into policy,” Tao said.
Another crucial manifestation is the effectiveness of China’s political party system. Under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, Chinese democratic parties actively fulfill their duties, offering recommendations that often translate into concrete policy decisions. This integrated approach demonstrates the unique strengths of China’s political system and the advantages of whole-process people’s democracy.
Tao emphasized that whole-process people’s democracyhas evolved into an efficient and dynamic democratic practice – one that not only reflects the essence of socialist democracy but also presents a pioneering model of political civilization, contributing Chinese wisdom and solutions to global governance and democratic development.
-
Foreign13 hours ago
Judge blocks Trump from deporting non-citizens using wartime law
-
News13 hours ago
Obasanjo bemoans selection process of traditional rulers in Nigeria
-
News13 hours ago
SERAP sues Akpabio over ‘failure to reverse unlawful suspension of Natasha Akpoti’
-
Metro13 hours ago
4 abducted victims rescued as police neutralise wanted kidnap kingpin
-
News13 hours ago
Market associations, women groups knock el-Rufai, rally support for Tinubu, Gov Sani