Foreign
Bridge, port, road construction mirror drastic changes in China’s transportation

By Han Xin, People’s Daily
The total length of China’s comprehensive transportation network has exceeded 6 million kilometers, with the operating mileage of the railway network reaching nearly 160,000 kilometers and 4.6 million kilometers of rural roads, according to China’s Ministry of Transport.
In recent years, China has made solid strides in boosting its strength in transportation, striving to make transportation development a pioneer in its modernization drive.
A bridge that sets 10 world records
The newly opened Shenzhen–Zhongshan Link, a massive cross-sea passage in south China’s Guangdong province, has seen impressive traffic figures. It witnessed over 7,000 vehicles in the first hour after it opened to traffic, more than 125,000 in the first day, more than 720,000 in the first week, and more than 3 million in the first month.
This feat showcased China’s technical prowess. The Shenzhen-Zhongshan Link starts from Ma’an Island in Zhongshan city, Guangdong province. It begins with the Shenzhong Bridge, which spans 1,666 meters and boasts the world’s highest navigational clearance for a sea-crossing bridge. East of the bridge lies the west artificial island, which is the fastest-built artificial island in the world. Moving ahead, the Shenzhong Tunnel plunges beneath the sea, which is the world’s longest and widest steel-shelled concrete undersea immersed tunnel with the total length of 6.8 kilometers.
Spanning 24 kilometers, the mega project took seven years to complete, featuring two bridges, two artificial islands, an underwater tunnel, and an underwater highway hub interchange. It overcame numerous world-class technical challenges and set 10 world records.
It’s not just about bridges. The Beijing-Urumqi Expressway has become the world’s longest desert-crossing expressway, with a total length of 2,800 kilometers and over 500 kilometers passing through desert and no man’s land. The new Chengdu-Kunming Railway has conquered a series of geological challenges, reducing the travel time between Chengdu and Kunming by about 12 hours. Besides, Qingdao Port in east China’s Shandong province has become fully automated and unmanned.
China is rapidly advancing its infrastructure, improving the scale and quality of its comprehensive transportation network to new heights while also expanding its coverage and accessibility.
By the end of 2023, the operating mileage of China’s railway network amounted to nearly 160,000 kilometers, with the total length of operating high-speed rail tracks reaching 45,000 kilometers, accounting for over two-thirds of the world’s total. The highway network has expanded to nearly 5.44 million kilometers, including 184,000 kilometers of expressways, the longest in the world.
Today, China boasts the world’s largest high-speed rail network, expressway network, and world-class port clusters, with air and sea routes connecting to destinations in every corner of the world.
A port connecting over 200 countries and regions
Since the beginning of 2024, all 20 port areas of Ningbo-Zhoushan Port have been operating at full capacity. In the first eight months of this year, the port handled 26.12 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) of containers, up 8.6 percent year-on-year.
Ports serve as key infrastructural facilities for economic development. Today, Ningbo-Zhoushan Port boasts over 300 container routes, connecting more than 600 ports in over 200 countries and regions.
China has world-leading maritime connectivity, establishing sea transport routes with more than 100 countries and regions. China’s civil aviation transportation has ranked second in the world for 19 consecutive years in terms of scale, with an extensive network of air routes reaching worldwide. The China-Europe freight train service reaches over 200 cities across 25 European countries, serving as a steel camel caravan boosting regional trade and economic development.
With different transportation modes working in efficient synergy, China now sees an average of over 160 million cross-regional passenger trips and about 150 million tons of cargo circulation on a daily basis. Its express delivery system can process up to 700 million packages on peak days.
This massive, interconnected comprehensive transportation system, seamlessly linking Chinese domestic and international networks, has injected vitality into China’s economy. It provides a solid foundation for the steady and long-term development of the Chinese economy.
A road that turns a “village on the cliff” into a “village of happiness”
“With the road reaching our doorstep, our villagers have become more confident. In the past five years, we’ve started growing navel oranges, raising mountain goats, and opening guesthouses. The village’s per capita net income has been increasing year after year. Our ‘cliff village’ has truly become a ‘village of happiness’!” said Jilie Ziri, Party chief of Abuluoha village in Butuo county, Liangshan Yi autonomous prefecture, southwest China’s Sichuan province.
Abuluoha village is surrounded by mountains on three sides and bordered by a cliff on the fourth. Building a road to this village was no easy feat.
In an exhibition hall at the village center, a photograph captures a historic moment: a helicopter carrying a large excavator suspended by a long cable, flying steadily.
That was on December 31, 2019. After 20 months of construction, including three tunnel sections and a steel bridge, the road was finally completed. The 65 households in the village no longer need to climb mountains and cliffs to go out. Now, it takes just over 10 minutes to exit the village and two hours to reach the county center. With this, all administrative villages in China with proper conditions have been given access to roads.
From 2014 to 2023, a total of 2.5 million kilometers of rural roads were built or renovated in China, and over 70,600 villages in 821 townships were connected by paved roads.
Chinese modernization is the modernization of a huge population. From rural roads connecting towns and villages to low-fare slow trains, from expanding urban public transportation coverage to promoting barrier-free renovations of transportation facilities, China is committed to ensuring inclusive, basic, equitable, and sustainable public services.
The country is vigorously promoting equal access to basic public services in urban and rural areas, ensuring that residents have access to transportation and share the fruits of transportation development.
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.
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