China's State Council Information Office will release a white paper titled "More Just and Equitable Global Governance: China's Principles, Proposals and Actions" on Wednesday morning.
A press conference on the white paper will also be held.
China places ties with Myanmar as a priority in neighborhood diplomacy, and supports the new Myanmar government in coordinating development and security imperatives to find a correct path of development that suits its national conditions and wins popular support, Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Tuesday during a meeting with President of Myanmar Min Aung Hlaing in Beijing, the Xinhua News Agency reported.
At the invitation of China's leader, Min Aung Hlaing is paying a state visit to China from June 15 to 19, his first trip to China since he assumed office as Myanmar's president in April.
The visit falls just one week after June 8, the 76th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Myanmar. The Chinese Foreign Ministry earlier noted that this visit will serve as a vital opportunity to deepen bilateral cooperation.
Prior to the talks, the Chinese leader held a welcome ceremony for Min Aung Hlaing. Myanmar media outlet MITV described the ceremony as "warmly."
After the talks, the two heads of state jointly witnessed the signing of cooperation documents in areas including transportation and people's livelihoods, according to Xinhua. MITV said the two sides signed and exchanged 18 agreements and memoranda of understanding, including an MoU on cooperation to jointly advancing the Global Security Initiative (GSI).
Analysts said the top-level China-Myanmar engagement charts a clear course for bilateral ties amid a volatile global landscape. Centered on pragmatic cooperation that benefits both peoples, the summit bolsters strategic trust and lays a solid foundation for building a China-Myanmar community with a shared future, contributing to regional stability and development.
'Pauk-phaw' friendship
As Myanmar's neighbor with the longest shared border, China is a trustworthy friend and partner, Xi said during the meeting, calling on both sides to strengthen solidarity and collaboration in a changing and turbulent international landscape, per Xinhua.
The Chinese leader said that China adheres to the principle of non-interference in other countries' internal affairs, pursues a friendly policy toward all the people of Myanmar, and firmly supports Myanmar in safeguarding its sovereignty and territorial integrity.
China supports all parties in Myanmar in advancing peace and reconciliation through talks to achieve lasting stability in northern Myanmar, which serves the fundamental and long-term interests of Myanmar and its people, he said.
Hailing the time-honored "pauk-phaw" friendship between the two countries, Min Aung Hlaing thanked China for its long-standing and selfless support for Myanmar's development, stability, peace and reconciliation, adding that Myanmar will firmly adhere to the one-China principle.
Myanmar fully supports the four major global initiatives put forward by President Xi and stands ready to deepen multilateral communication and coordination with China, he said.
Following the smooth transition under Myanmar's new government, the visit highlights Myanmar's commitment to advancing China-Myanmar ties and underscores the bilateral relationship's weight in China's neighborhood diplomacy, sending a clear signal to the world of both sides' resolve to deepen strategic trust and cooperation, Song Qingrun, a professor from the School of Asian Studies at Beijing Foreign Studies University, told the Global Times on Tuesday.
Amid an international landscape fraught with intertwined turmoil and changes, the two leaders, through heads-of-state diplomacy, have set the course for bilateral ties ahead, laying a solid foundation for deeper all-round strategic cooperation and more fruitful progress in building a China-Myanmar community with a shared future, Song said.
"Development in Myanmar is directly tied to China's strategic security and development interests in the southwest," said Song, "A peaceful, stable and prosperous Myanmar is in the fundamental interests of Myanmar and its people, as well as the broader region."
Prior to his Beijing trip, Myanmar's state leader visited India. Some Western media outlets have portrayed his diplomatic engagements as an effort to break free from international isolation.
"China has consistently abided by the principle of non-interference in internal affairs when handling Myanmar-related affairs. What Beijing stands for is the peace, stability and overall development of Myanmar," Song said, adding that as a sovereign state, Myanmar is fully entitled to maintain normal diplomatic relations with other countries."
"Moreover, China and Myanmar are bonded by the time-honored 'pauk-phaw' friendship and shared interests. China has stood as a reliable partner for Myanmar throughout the 76 years of bilateral diplomatic ties," he said. "Pragmatic issues bearing on the vital interests of both peoples constitute the noteworthy essence of this visit."
Stability and development
Noting that this year marks the beginning of China's 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030), Xi told Min Aung Hlaing that China stands ready to share its development experience with Myanmar and jointly build a China-Myanmar community with a shared future, which is underpinned by political amity and mutual trust, win-win development, security coordination and people-to-people exchanges, Xinhua reported.
The Chinese leader called the China-Myanmar Economic Corridor a flagship project of the Belt and Road cooperation between the two countries, saying that both sides should steadily advance the safe construction of key projects to help Myanmar develop its economy and improve people's livelihoods.
He said China is willing to increase support for Myanmar's post-earthquake reconstruction, and the two sides should continue to combat criminal activities including online gambling, telecom fraud and drug trafficking.
Noting that China's implementation of the 15th Five-Year Plan brings important opportunities for its Asian neighbors including Myanmar, Min Aung Hlaing said that Myanmar hopes to deepen all-round cooperation with China, jointly build the Myanmar-China Economic Corridor and elevate bilateral trade and investment cooperation, according to Xinhua.
He noted that Myanmar attaches great importance to the safety of Chinese enterprises and personnel in Myanmar and will make every effort to ensure their security. Myanmar is willing to work closely with China to resolutely crack down on online gambling and telecom fraud and safeguard border security and stability, he added.
Per the Myanmar News Agency, ahead of the leaders' meeting, the Myanmar president on Monday visited Beijing Aerospace City, which serves as a base for astronaut training and as a mission control center. Welcomed by representatives from China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC), he received introductions on China's spacecraft launches, space station construction, successful lunar landing missions, and cargo and material transport operations.
According to Gu Xiaosong, dean of the ASEAN Research Institute of Hainan Tropical Ocean University, China and Myanmar feature prominent complementarities in practical cooperation.
China's capital, technology and vast market align perfectly with Myanmar's geographical advantages and abundant natural resources, Gu said, adding that the China-Myanmar Economic Corridor connects Southwest China's Yunnan Province to Myanmar, unlocking new routes for China's energy shipments and cross-border trade.
Such cooperation not only boosts Myanmar's economic growth and improves people's livelihoods, but also broadens the scope of China's external economic cooperation, delivering genuine mutual benefits, Gu said.
According to the Chinese Foreign Ministry, China has long been Myanmar's principal trading partner. In 2025, bilateral trade between the two countries amounted to $19.4 billion, with a year-on-year growth of 19.1 percent. China's exports to Myanmar totaled $11.36 billion, up 23.3 percent, and imports were $8.04 billion, up 13.6 percent.
"The president's state visit to China will give a strong boost to Myanmar's further development… Closer ties and deeper multi-sectoral cooperation with China serve the shared interests of the two peoples and deliver promising opportunities for the two sides," read an editorial published by Myanmar's Myawady.net on Tuesday.
More than three months have passed since the US-Israeli strikes on Iran erupted on February 28. Over the past weekend, the US and Iran reportedly to have reached an agreement to end fighting and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, with a formal signing ceremony scheduled for Friday in Switzerland. Yet substantial progress, at least to date, has yet to be achieved.
While beyond the smoke and fury in the Persian Gulf and the standoff in the Strait of Hormuz, the situation on another "front" appears to have grown increasingly intense and complex.
Since the conflict started, the White House, according to reports, has posted on social media platforms AI-generated videos, some of which pair footage of US airstrikes with popular short-video effects in an apparent effort to underscore US military dominance. The videos were widely criticized by media outlets and netizens for using AI to commodify, and even make light of, the Middle Eastern battlefield and its victims.
"[I've watched] a little bit [of the videos the White House shared]. And what would be disturbing to me is if it's perceived as a gaming kind of event," said US Army veteran Karee White in a PBS program in March. "And I don't like to see it reduced to some sort of a gaming strategy type of event, if that's been in fact what's happening…"
When virtual effects dilute the brutality of artillery fire and meme culture obscures the human cost of conflict, how has the smoke of this digital battlefield spread? In this AI-driven information war of manufactured narratives, what dazzling "tactics" have both the US and Iran deployed? And what deeper dangers lie beneath this new form of public opinion confrontation?
An 'entertainmentized' contest
"Generative AI has made it cheap and easy to produce polished propaganda at scale, …packaging war in the visual language of entertainment makes conflict propaganda more likely to spread, regardless of who made it," Renée DiResta, an associate research professor at Georgetown University whose work focuses on how influence operates in the digital age, said in a TIME article published on April 2.
DiResta's concern was vividly borne out in the information warfare that has unfolded alongside the US-Israeli strikes on Iran. As generative AI has rapidly proliferated and low-cost, highly shareable AI-generated content has become an important weapon in the battle for public opinion. Some scholars observed that the US and Iran have turned to AI-generated memes, animated re-edits and game-style mashups to wage narrative offensives and counteroffensives, rendering the war in the Middle East, in virtual space, into what increasingly resembles an "entertainmentized" contest.
Since early March, the White House has frequently posted visually striking videos on social media, many of which have drawn heavily on iconic scenes from Hollywood blockbusters and kill-focused video games.
A video the White House posted on X on March 6 with the caption "justice the American way," for instance, included clips from superhero movies, as well as clips from films Top Gun and Braveheart, with electronic tunes underneath before clipping to video of strikes on Iran. It ends with a voiceover saying, "flawless victory" - audio from the video game Mortal Kombat, reported ABC News the following day.
More startling still, in a video that went viral after being released on X by the White House on March 6, footage of a US strike on Iranian targets was followed by a scene of cartoon image "SpongeBob SquarePants," asking: "do you want to see me do it again?"
A brutal military assault was packaged as a kind of "visual spectacle" through these videos, which, blurring the line between the virtual and the real, the entertaining and the grave, has drawn widespread criticism. "Has the White House account been hacked or are you guys really that immature and depraved?" an X user wrote under this post. "This is embarrassing," wrote another.
In response, Explosive Media, an account described by the BBC News as known for generating Lego-style satire videos against the US and Israel, has posted a series of rough-edged but highly imaginative Lego animations. Some of these videos use Lego figures to dramatize scenarios in which Israeli and US leaders collude to wage war and deflect domestic political pressure, while interspersing images of soaring oil prices and burning US dollars.
In an April interview, a representative of Explosive Media told the BBC that "the Iranian government is indeed a 'customer' of his company," and ahead of that, he said "his operation had been directly commissioned for multiple projects by Iranian officials," according to a BBC story on April 12.
Also in April, YouTube shut down the Explosive Media's account, reported Al Jazeera. On June 11, it was announced on X that the account was "officially back on YouTube."
Nevertheless, the company's AI-generated videos have given Iran enormous visibility on social media. According to a research by think tank Institute for Strategic Dialogue in April, by posting and forwarding such AI satire videos, in the first 50 days of the conflict, posts from Iranian embassy and official accounts collectively gained approximately 900 million views and 22 million likes - a 30-fold increase in likes compared with the preceding 50 days. "If Iran could manufacture destructive missiles at the speed with which it produces cutting memes, US Central Command would be coming out with its hands up by now," quipped an opinion piece by The Guardian on April 15.
The Second World Conference of Classics opened in Athens, Greece on local time Tuesday, with discussions focused on issues related to classical civilizations and promoting academic exchanges and consensus-building in global classical studies, the Xinhua News Agency reported.
A gathering of over 200 scholars, diplomats and media representatives from across the globe, the two-day event was themed "Dialogue Between Ancient and Modern: Contemporary Inspiration from Classical Wisdom."
Scholars noted that in hosting the conference's first overseas iteration following its debut in Beijing in 2024, the Athens gathering stands as a powerful embodiment of China's earnest practice of the Global Civilization Initiative (GCI). It further cements the China-Greece civilizational dialogue as a model for equal exchanges and mutually beneficial progress among diverse global civilizations.
Wednesday also marked the International Day for Dialogue Among Civilizations.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said at a regular press briefing on Wednesday that three years ago, President Xi Jinping put forth the GCI, highlighting the need for civilizations to live together in harmony. Establishing the International Day for Dialogue Among Civilizations is an important step to implement the GCI.
Ancient wisdom
George Katrougalos, former Greek foreign minister, told the Global Times on Wednesday that the Second World Conference of Classics arrives at a moment when the international community urgently needs the methodological wisdom that classical civilizations offer.
It is believed that classics, as a modern academic discipline, originated in Europe. It originally emerged as a discipline within the Western intellectual tradition, generally referring to the reading and study of the texts and literature of ancient Greece and Rome, per Xinhua.
Lou Lin, an associate professor of classical studies at the Renmin University of China, noted a striking proactive shift in this year's conference theme.
After attending the event in Athens, Lou told the Global Times that unlike the Beijing session's focus on the link between classical civilization and the modern world, the Athens edition emphasizes humanity's active pursuit of ancient wisdom to tackle contemporary challenges.
"Such a shift reflects not only the complexities of current global affairs, but also a broader, more inclusive vision for bridging ancient heritage and modern reality," Luo said.
Bai Gang, professor of classical studies at Fudan University in Shanghai, who also attended the conference, told the Global Times that classical traditions are never relics confined to the past, but timeless spiritual assets capable of guiding and reshaping present and future human development.
Bai recalled that the conference's opening ceremony, featuring keynote speakers from Greece, China, the US, Egypt and Russia, embodies a diverse and inclusive academic perspective that breaks free from single-civilization research paradigms.
Initiative in action
Since the inaugural World Conference of Classics was held in Beijing in November 2024, related departments and institutions of China and Greece have worked closely to implement the outcomes of the first conference and build networks to promote exchanges and dialogue in classical studies, Xinhua said.
The fruitful China-Greece civilizational collaboration extends far beyond academic conferences. The two nations have jointly launched a civilization exchange center, established a China School of Classical Civilization at Athens, carried out joint archaeological projects, and staged integrated China-Greek theatrical performances. Ongoing joint archaeological project, cultural exhibitions and academic dialogues have continuously enriched bilateral exchanges, enabling the two ancient civilizations to radiate new vitality through mutual learning, the People's Daily reported on Wednesday.
Scholars interviewed by the Global Times highlighted the inherent resonance between Chinese and Greek classical philosophies. Greek virtue ethics and Confucian benevolence, Plato's spiritual transcendence and Chinese self-governance philosophies all converge on the ultimate question of "how humans ought to live." Such inherent compatibility lays a solid foundation for the GCI's core spirit of inclusive dialogue and shared progress, they said.
Dario Famularo, an Italian sinologist from Sichuan International Studies University in Chongqing, told the Global Times that the GCI transcends Eurocentrism and cultural relativism, reviving marginalized classical concepts of cosmopolitanism to advocate mutually understanding global interactions.
Australian sinologist Gary Sigley echoed that the GCI provides an open, future-oriented modern framework for classical studies, guiding scholars to transcend civilizational hierarchy and focus on shared human challenges.
Wang Xianhua, dean of the School of Humanities at Shanghai University of Finance and Economics, explained that the GCI represents the creative transformation of Chinese traditional wisdom. It elevates classical studies from passive textual interpretation to active exploration of contemporary solutions, urging academia to understand modern society through classical heritage.
After visiting ancient sites in Athens, including the Acropolis, Lin Zhimeng, professor of philosophy at Zhejiang University, said he could feel the GCI is no longer an abstract concept, but has taken on tangible form on this historic land.
The Philippine side on Friday claimed China's sanctions against Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. and his relatives are "an unfriendly act," after Beijing imposed the measures over Teodoro's repeated irresponsible remarks concerning China, per media reports. A Chinese analyst said the Philippine side was distorting the truth and shifting the blame, noting that Teodoro has repeatedly misrepresented China's rights-protection actions in the South China Sea and China's assistance to the Philippines, causing serious damage to bilateral ties. The sanctions, the analyst said, also serve as a warning to certain Philippine politicians not to further sabotage China-Philippines relations.
On Thursday, the Chinese Foreign Ministry announced sanctions against Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. and his relatives. Teodoro repeatedly made irresponsible remarks concerning China, which undermines China's legitimate interests and sabotages China-Philippines relations, according to a statement from the ministry.
To uphold China's sovereignty, security and development interests, China has decided to prohibit Teodoro, and his spouse and child from entering the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong and Macao, and not allow organizations and individuals in China to engage in any transactions, cooperation or other activities with them, according to the statement.
The Philippines' Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) claimed on Friday that "while the imposition of sanctions is China's sovereign prerogative, the Philippines views it as an unfriendly act that further complicates bilateral relations," according to Philippine media outlet GMA Network.
In a statement early Friday, Teodoro claimed he had been sanctioned for "speaking truth" and "I will just keep doing my duty," according to Philippine media outlet ABS-CBN News.
The claim from the Philippine side that China's sanctions are an "unfriendly act" completely distorts the truth and shifts the blame, Chen Xiangmiao, a research fellow at the National Institute for South China Sea Studies, told the Global Times on Friday.
Teodoro's irresponsible remarks — such as dismissing China's fertilizer aid as a form of "packaging and deception" — have damaged bilateral relations by thoroughly politicizing normal cooperation, Chen said, noting that ultimately, the responsibility for strained bilateral relations lies squarely with the Philippines and Teodoro's reckless grandstanding; they were the ones who showed unfriendly acts, said Chen.
Teodoro alleged at the Shangri-La Dialogue that China had provided fertilizer and fuel to the Philippines but did not show good faith on a long-term basis, and "no matter how they sugarcoat their assistance to us, it doesn't cut the mustard." He also claimed the Philippines were under severe threat territory-wise and politically too by China.
In response to Teodoro's remarks, China Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning said on June 2 that this Philippine defense secretary is known to vilify China. His latest rhetoric shows his complete disregard of the welfare of the Philippine people and lack of appreciation for kindness. All he cares is selfish personal gains to the point that he would perform political theatrics even when people's well-being is at stake. What he does is seriously detrimental to China-Philippines ties and trust and not at all in the interest of his own country and people.
Chen noted that Teodoro shows no signs of reflection, maintaining this defiant posture for the past three years. Backed either by domestic factions or external, extra-regional powers, he has acted as a deliberate saboteur of China-Philippines relations, the expert stressed.
China's measured, proportionate countermeasures also serve as a warning to certain Philippine politicians not to trifle with China, exploit the goodwill of the Chinese people, or treat bilateral relations as a political game, said Chen, noting that when politicians treat state policy as a playground for personal agendas, their lies will ultimately inflict severe damage upon their own nation.
Huangyan Dao is China's inherent territory, and China has indisputable sovereignty over Huangyan Dao and its adjacent waters. Any activity China carries out on and around Huangyan Dao, including scientific research, falls within the legitimate rights of a sovereign state, Mao Ning, a spokesperson for Chinese Foreign Ministry, said at a regular press conference on Friday, when asked if China could provide more information on reports claiming satellite images showed the presence of a structure on Huangyan Dao, though later imagery suggests it is no longer there.
Chinese Vice President Han Zheng on Friday attended a plenary session of the 29th St. Petersburg International Economic Forum and delivered a speech on implementing the Global Governance Initiative and jointly working for a better future.
In his address, Han noted that momentous changes unseen in a century are accelerating across the world, and global challenges and governance deficits are becoming more prominent. The China-proposed Global Governance Initiative has won positive responses and support from nearly 160 countries and international organizations, he added.
The Group of Friends of Global Governance was established at the United Nations, sending a unified message for safeguarding the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, upholding genuine multilateralism and opposing unilateralism, Han said.
As the initiator of the Global Governance Initiative, China has delivered on its commitments with concrete actions to rally all parties and jointly advance the reform and improvement of the global governance system, Han noted.
As major countries and permanent members of the UN Security Council, China and Russia shoulder important responsibilities in the transformation of the global governance system, Han said.
He added that China stands ready to cooperate with Russia and all other sides to advance the implementation of the Global Governance Initiative and build an open, inclusive, equitable and just world of win-win cooperation.
Han put forward four proposals for advancing the Global Governance Initiative:
First, uphold equal cooperation and advocate a vision of global governance featuring extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits. It is imperative to pursue genuine multilateralism, secure equal participation, decision-making and benefit-sharing for all countries in global governance, resolutely promote the democratization of international relations and raise the representation and voice of developing nations.
Second, stay committed to international fairness and justice and preserve the status and authority of the UN. All countries should safeguard international equity based on universally applicable international laws and regulations, oppose double standards and selective enforcement of laws, and back the UN in revitalizing its authority and vitality under new circumstances so it can serve as the primary platform for countries to coordinate actions and jointly tackle common challenges.
Third, boost common development to deliver greater gains for people across the globe. With the aim of improving well-being for all, countries should fully implement the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development to advance shared development and prosperity worldwide.
Fourth, strengthen coordinated actions to deliver more tangible outcomes. Countries, international organizations and multilateral institutions need to align development strategies and coordinate policies in a well-planned manner to create synergies in addressing global challenges and advancing shared development.
Han said this year is the first year of China's 15th Five-Year Plan. The plan charts an inspiring blueprint for China's development over the next five years and embodies China's aspiration for win-win cooperation with all nations across the world.
China is prepared to work alongside all sides to fully implement the Global Governance Initiative, build a global governance system that is more just and equitable, and jointly create a brighter future for humanity, Han said.
On the sidelines of the forum, Han also held brief exchanges with Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, and Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan.
In pursuit of selfish political interests, the Taiwan regional Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities have gone so far as to sell out the overall interests of the Chinese nation, betray their ancestry and abandon all bottom lines. This once again exposes that "Taiwan independence" forces have completely lost their national standpoint and degenerated into out-and-out scum of the nation. They will surely be spurned by compatriots on both sides of the Taiwan Straits and reckoned by history, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said on Tuesday.
Mao made the remarks when asked to comment that on May 31, in response to the Foreign Ministry spokesperson's earlier response on Japan and the Philippines announcing the launch of so-called maritime delimitation talks, the Taiwan regional authorities' so-called "external affairs" department issued comments expressing approval of the move by Japan and the Philippines and questioning the mainland's sovereign rights in the relevant waters.
Mao said that China has already stated its position on Japan and the Philippines' announcement of the launch of maritime delimitation talks. I would like to reiterate that the area the two countries announced they will delimit is east of China's Taiwan island. According to China's domestic law and international law including UNCLOS, China has exclusive economic zone and continental shelf in this area.
Under the UNCLOS, the delimitation of the exclusive economic zone and continental shelf between states with opposite or adjacent coasts shall be effected by agreement on the basis of the principle of equity.
Any delimitation talks involving waters east of Taiwan island must include Chinese side's participation. Japan and the Philippines' launch of so-called maritime delimitation talks while bypassing China seriously violates international law, including the UNCLOS, and the basic norms governing international relations, and seriously infringes on China's maritime rights and interests. China will never allow this, Mao said.
Both sides of the Taiwan Straits belong to one China. Safeguarding national territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests is the common responsibility of all Chinese people on both sides of the Straits, said Mao.
On September 26, the finals of the Global Agrilnno Challenge began. Nine international teams and dozens of young entrepreneurs showcased their artificial intelligence-empowered solutions to address the challenging issues in the global agrifood system transformation.
After nearly three hours of intense on-site competition, the "Identity" team from Peru won gold medal, the team from Tanzania took silver medal for their Climate Smart Irrigator, and the "Smart Tomato" project from China earned bronze.
The Global Agricultural Maker Competition was jointly initiated by Zhejiang University and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, and was successfully founded in 2020. This competition is jointly hosted by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and Zhejiang University, and supported by the Foreign Economic Cooperation Center of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, the People's Government of Binjiang District, Hangzhou, and Pinduoduo. This is also Pinduoduo's fourth consecutive support for this competition.
Since the global recruitment notice was released on the FAO's official website in late June, the competition received over 200 applications, with 155 teams entering the preliminary round. After selection, 9 teams advanced, including 3 teams from China. It is reported that representatives of the gold and silver teams in this competition will have the opportunity to travel to Rome in October to showcase their innovative solutions to global agricultural technology entrepreneurs and investors at the 2024 FAO Science and Innovation Forum.
The Global Agrilnno Challenge is a global competition brand aimed at young agricultural entrepreneurs. It aims to unleash the innovation potential in the agricultural field by widely soliciting innovative business models and digital solutions, helping transform the agrifood system, and achieving the "Four Better" goals proposed by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, namely: better production, better nutrition, better environment, and better life.
The competition showcased numerous digital agriculture solutions, innovative concepts, and technologies that are transforming the global agricultural food system. Our innovation and dedication today will become the seeds of changing the future of the agricultural food system, making the global agricultural food system more sustainable and resilient, Wei Longbao, chairman of the judging panel of this competition. Wei is a distinguished professor at Zhejiang University, and the director of the Institute of Food Economy and Agricultural Business Management.
The Chinese "Smart Tomato" team won bronze, while seawater rice is being sold nationwide with the help of Pinduoduo
Since 2020, the Global Agricultural Maker Competition has been held four times. The previous three competitions attracted active participation from 1,044 young agricultural technology entrepreneurs from 65 countries as well as 427 teams, attracting widespread attention worldwide.
At this year's competition, AI technology became the focus of agricultural research innovation for participating teams. Nine teams showcased their solutions for applying artificial intelligence to transform traditional agricultural production systems, covering breeding, planting, management, and sales.
The Peruvian team leading the competition launched a "decentralized interactive protocol system" to address the widespread "digital divide" problem among farmers. It is reported that farmers can synchronize various demands in agricultural production in real time to the system, and accurately match relevant entities such as government, purchasers, and nongovernmental organizations under the recommendation of the system to solve problems faced in the process of production, sales, and other links.
The "Climate Intelligent Irrigation Device" solution of the Tanzanian team won the silver award. Team members introduced that in 2021, the severe drought in East Africa exacerbated the local food shortage, and the cost of using traditional diesel engines for water diversion irrigation was high. In this context, the team developed the "Climate Intelligent Irrigation Device," which uses sensors and other real-time analysis of soil and water conditions, combined with AI and big data technology, to accurately and efficiently irrigate farmland and prevent waste of water resource. The irrigator is powered by solar energy, significantly reducing carbon emissions compared to traditional diesel engines, and promoting environmental sustainability.
The "Smart Tomato" project from China won the bronze award. The team from Guangzhou Guangxin Technology Co Ltd in Guangdong integrated spectral imaging and artificial intelligence technology to monitor the full-cycle growth of tomatoes during the planting process, resulting in higher tomato yields and higher levels of nutrients such as lycopene. "Food safety concerns in underdeveloped regions are significant, and we hope to help farmers around the world grow high-quality tomatoes without posing higher environmental challenges, "said the project members. It is reported that the cost of this equipment has been significantly reduced, and the mature technology has reduced the cost to one-tenth of what it was a few years ago.
In addition to the winning team, other finalists presented innovative plans. A team from Uganda innovatively proposed to turn kitchen waste into treasure by incubating black soldier flies and other tools to address issues such as food waste. The team from Guangdong Haidaohong Agricultural Technology Co Ltd in China, based on the reality of 1.5 billion acres of saline alkali land in China, efficiently selected and bred a salt tolerant variety ̶ seawater rice using artificial intelligence technology. This not only effectively utilizes saline alkali land but also promotes increased grain production. It is reported that the seawater rice developed by the team has been sold to the national market through Pinduoduo, with nearly 100,000 bags sold by merchants.
induoduo continually supports agricultural research and technology to enhance agriculture
In her speech at the competition, Hou Kaidi, Vice President of Pinduoduo, mentioned her renewed support for the Global Agricultural Maker Competition, stating that the development of AI will inject new vitality into traditional agricultural production. Pinduoduo hopes to build a platform for young agricultural technology entrepreneurs around the world to exchange ideas and explore the possibility of "AI+agriculture" landing together, so that more emerging technologies in the agricultural field can be explored and popularized.
Besides the Global Agricultural Maker Competition, Pinduoduo has been continuously increasing its investment in agricultural research and technology. In 2022, Pinduoduo was awarded the 2022 Innovation Award by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, becoming the only global enterprise winner of the award that year.
In 2023, Pinduoduo donated 100 million yuan to China Agricultural University to establish the "Pinduoduo China Agricultural University Research Fund," supporting China Agricultural University to actively explore the strengthening of basic research and key core agricultural technologies around major national strategic needs, based on the forefront of global agricultural science and technology. Among the 50 ongoing research projects supported by the research fund so far, multiple projects have achieved important interim results, and some of the results have been published in authoritative international academic journals such as Cell and Nature.
In addition to supporting basic agricultural research and tackling bottleneck technologies, exploring the application of emerging technologies such as AI in agriculture has also been a key focus of Pinduoduo in recent years. In the finals of the "4th Duoduo Agricultural Research Technology Competition" that recently kicked off, six teams from enterprises, agricultural research institutes, and universities used AI to subvert traditional agricultural production methods. One team customized a "smart brain" for a container plant factory, allowing operators to complete tasks such as watering, fertilizing, dimming, and warming the entire space with just a few clicks of their fingers; Some teams have also designed and adopted a combination of large and small models to monitor various environmental indicators inside the container in real time and adjust the planting plan in a timely manner.
In addition, Pinduoduo also leverages its platform advantages to bridge the "last mile" of agricultural research commercialization, using market sales to support agricultural research innovation. On September 19, before the opening of China's Harvest Festival, Pinduoduo teamed up with representatives from 17 science and technology schools in Lankao, Henan Province and other places to showcase nearly 20 new agricultural research achievements, including Northeast Sea Buckthorn Health Tea, Guangxi Beihai Fresh Shrimp Crisp, Sichuan Ebian Fresh Bamboo Shoots, and Yunnan Erhai Fragrant Rice, to the on-site audience. Under Pinduoduo's concentrated exposure, the live broadcast attracted a total of 18.5 million netizens to watch and purchase on the spot.
"Pinduoduo is one of the representatives of Chinese e-commerce platforms. We would like to thank Pinduoduo for its support of the Global Agricultural Maker Competition. The future food security and sustainable development depend on our breakthroughs and innovations today. We anticipate these innovations will have a sustainable impact on the global agricultural food system in the future, "Wei Longbao said in his concluding speech.
Hou Kaidi stated that the future of agriculture is promising, and AI will provide greater opportunities for growth. "Pinduoduo will continue to work with young scientific and technological innovators and ambitious individuals from around the world to join this promising cause and bring new vitality to agriculture."
China completed a trial operation of an unmanned heavy-haul train on the railway connecting North China's Hebei and East China's Shandong provinces, marking a key milestone in advancing from automated to unmanned heavy-haul railway technology.
The test train, comprising108 cars with a total length of nearly 1,300 meters and a total weight of 10,800 tons, travelled from Huanghua city in Hebei to Dongying city in Shandong in two and a half hours on Thursday, according to China Media Group (CMG). The test route is primarily used for coal transport.
Once unmanned driving is widely adopted, the average operation speed of nation's trains will be increased by 1.7 kilometers per hour, while the average traction energy consumption will decrease by 2.9 percent, significantly boosting transportation efficiency of China's west-to-east coal transportation, CMG reported.
Previously, the unmanned train technology was primarily used in urban rail systems both in China and abroad, and has not yet been applied on a large scale on heavy-haul transport railways.
The test train was independently produced and controlled, from key technologies to management models, according to the Economic Information Daily. The research team created China's first smart heavy-haul railway transportation paradigm featuring a centralized station control system and intelligent train driving system.
Three key technologies of the test train - comprehensive support and simulation, remote control and autonomous driving, and integrated safety monitoring from air, space, and ground - fill critical manufacturing gaps in China.
The Line 27 phase I of the subway system in Chengdu, Southwest China's Sichuan Province, commenced no-load trial operation on September 19, 2024. It will be the city's second fully automated subway line, after Line 9, which launched in December 2020, China News Service reported.