Foreign
Juncao contributes to treatment of saline-alkali land in Jiangsu province
By Bai Guangdi, People’s Daily
Yancheng, which literally means the “City of Salt” in Chinese, is located in east China’s Jiangsu province. It is home to more than 455,000 hectares of coastal mud flat, which accounts for 70 percent of the total saline-alkali land of Jiangsu province.
Juncao, which in Chinese literally means “mushroom” and “grass”, can be used to grow edible and medicinal mushrooms. In 2019, Zhang Quanxing, academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and professor at the School of Environment of Nanjing University, visited a demonstration base of Juncao in Pingtan county, southeast China’s Fujian province, and learned about the plant’s strong vitality, as well as its high economic and ecological value.
Later, he shared with Lin Zhanxi, chief scientist of the China National Engineering Research Center of Juncao Technology, the idea of planting Juncao grass on the coastal mud flat of Jiangsu province.
In April 2021, Yancheng started growing Juncao grass. Over the past year, the plant has brought about positive changes to the coastal mud flat in the city.
A Juncao test field in Caomiao township, Dafeng district, Yancheng, has planted 10 hectares of Giant Juncao grass, a Juncao grass variety that can grow about five to six meters tall.
The test field was once a piece of salty and barren land where nothing was able to grow.
The Juncao grass is sweet itself, but it tastes salty now because it absorbs the salt in the soil and thus lowers the salt content in the soil, according to Liu Bobin, professor at the Yancheng Teachers University.
Good news from Pingtan county confirmed the impact of Juncao grass. In June this year, a piece of mud flat in Pingtan county saw its salt content drop from 14.7 per mille to 1.3 per mille since it was planted with Juncao grass three years ago by a research team led by Lin.
Yancheng, which has a different climate from Pingtan county, has a higher requirement for the cold hardiness of Juncao grass. At present, researchers are working to cultivate a new variety of Juncao grass that suits the natural environment in Yancheng, so as to better solve the issue of soil salinization in the city.
Apart from improving soil ecology, Juncao grass has also laid a solid foundation for enriching biodiversity in Yancheng.
Yancheng has the world’s largest nature reserve for the protection of elks. Statistics show that over 7,000 elks inhabit the areas along the coastal mud flat in the city, including some 3,000 wild ones.
To ensure the source of food for the animals has always been a topic studied by the nature reserve over recent years, and Juncao grass is considered a substitution for traditional feed.
The nature reserve designated a piece of land as a Juncao test field, and the grass harvested there is fed to some of the elks.
According to Jia Yuanyuan, deputy head of the Yancheng research institute of elks, the animals enjoy eating the Juncao grass. However, it takes further scientific experiments to prove whether Juncao grass can be taken as daily feed for elks, she added.
If the result is positive, it will not only significantly reduce the feeding cost of elks, but also enrich the source of food for wild elk populations, Jia said.
Besides, Juncao grass is also a rich reserve of food for migrant birds staying, breeding or wintering in the city.
The strong capability of Juncao grass in nitrogen and carbon fixation has opened up even bigger prospects for the plant.
It is learned that different from other crops that take in nitrogen from the outside, Juncao grass is able to fix nitrogen in the soil through its photosynthesis, which improves the fertility of the soil and lowers the consumption of fertilizers. It is beneficial to the development of ecological agriculture.
Juncao grass can reduce greenhouse gases as well. “Based on experimental data, the photosynthesis efficiency of Giant Juncao grass is 4 to 21 times higher than that of broad-leaved trees. Each hectare of Giant Juncao grass can absorb more than 100 tons of carbon dioxide each year,” said Lin.
Yancheng would see broad prospects of carbon fixation if it plants Juncao grass on all of its mud flats, the scientist added.
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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