Foreign
Chinese elements shine at Qatar World Cup

By Liu Yao
Chinese elements are seen everywhere at the ongoing 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, from stadium construction and brand marketing to mascot manufacturing, providing strong support for the grand football event.
On the evening of Nov. 22 Beijing time, the China-constructed Lusail Stadium with 92,000 seats finished its World Cup debut, where a match between Argentina led by superstar Lionel Messi and Saudi Arabia took place.
The golden-bowl shaped stadium is located 15 kilometers north of Doha, capital of Qatar. Serving as the largest sporting venue in Qatar and the main venue for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, it will host important matches such as the semi-finals, the final, and the closing ceremony of the World Cup.
China Railway Construction Corporation (International) Limited won the bid to build the centerpiece stadium in 2016. It marked the first time a Chinese enterprise served as a main contractor to build a FIFA World Cup pitch.
The stadium is also the largest and most advanced one among professional football stadiums built by Chinese enterprises overseas.
Boasting the world’s widest-spanning double membrane tensile structure, the Lusail Stadium has a roof cable span of 278 meters. As a green venue, it adopts a double-façade structure to ensure thermal insulation in the scorching days of Qatar.
To make the football pitch and the spectator area cooler and more comfortable, independent cooling stations were built outside the stadium, sending cool breezes into the stadium through the ventilation ducts under the spectator seats.
Hassan Al Thawadi, secretary general of the 2022 Qatar World Cup Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy, said the complex structure proves the great skills and service capability of Chinese enterprises, adding that those who watch the games in the venue should be grateful to Chinese engineers and constructors.
During the World Cup, Chinese new energy buses are offering shuttle services for spectators, officials and journalists between stadiums and hotels. It is reported that Qatar has imported 1,500 buses from China, including 888 electric ones to meet the transportation demand during the World Cup.
It marked the first time for a major global sports event to use Chinese new energy buses in such large quantities, as well as the first time that pure electric buses make up the majority of World Cup fleets.
In 2020, Chinese manufacturer Yutong was selected to provide service vehicles for the Qatar World Cup. The company equipped its buses with a device that shields the motors from sand and mud, employed liquid-cooling power batteries and adopted an intelligent temperature control algorithm for the air conditioners in the buses.
These intelligent and green vehicles are welcomed by local people and will keep running in Qatar as an important part of the country’s public transport system after the World Cup.
In a desert 80 kilometers west of Doha, there is a vast photovoltaic (PV) power station with a total area equal to 1,400 standard football pitches.
Built by the PowerChina Guizhou Engineering Co., Ltd., the 800MW Al Kharsaah Solar Power Plant has over 2 million PV panels that are able to generate 1.8 billion kilowatt hours of clean electricity for Qatar each year. It can supply around 300,000 local households and reduce 900,000 tons of CO2 emissions on an annual basis.
During the construction of the power plant, the Chinese company tailored detailed relocation plans for local animals and plants such as lizards and snakes, in an effort to minimize the impacts on local ecology.
More Chinese elements abound both on and off the field in Qatar. The appearance of referees Ma Ning, Shi Xiang and Cao Yi marks the first time in the recent 20 years for Chinese referees to judge World Cup games.
Chinese companies have put up nearly $1.4 billion in sponsorship deals for the world cup, outdoing the spending by U.S. brands and becoming the top among all countries.
According to the estimation by the sports equipment society of China’s Yiwu, the world’s largest wholesale market in small commodities, 70 percent of World Cup peripheral products were from Yiwu.
Chinese giant pandas Jing Jing and Si Hai, which were sent to Qatar in October this year, made their first public appearance in the country just a few days ahead of the opening of the World Cup. They carry the wishes of the Chinese people for the grand event.
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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