Latest news with #Huo
The Star
4 days ago
- Health
- The Star
Chinese medical team, peacekeepers donate essentials to orphans in South Sudan
NAIROBI, May 30 (Xinhua) -- The 12th batch of the Chinese medical team, in partnership with the 11th Chinese peacekeeping infantry battalion in South Sudan, on Friday donated essential goods to orphaned children at the Confident Children out of Conflict (CCC) Orphanage. The group donated milk powder, mosquito nets, maize flour, washing powder, books, school bags, soap, flip-flops, tables, and chairs, among other items. Robert Bida Samson, executive director of the CCC, a charity organization, said support from the Chinese medical teams over the past years has helped ease the burden of taking care of these children. "The Chinese medical teams have stood with the CCC, making sure that all the children receive medical services, screening them both here at the center and also in Juba Teaching Hospital when the sickness is too serious," Bida said during the donation ceremony in Juba, the capital of South Sudan. The ceremony, held under the theme "One Sky One Dream," coincided with the celebration of the 100th visit of the Chinese medical team to orphanages in South Sudan. Established in 2007, the center is home to orphans, abandoned children, and survivors of revenge attacks and gender-based violence. Bida commended the regular visits by the Chinese medical team, noting that these are critical to their longstanding partnership, which has empowered many vulnerable children at the center. "Some of these children are soon finishing school. I urge that through your empowerment, some of them could get employed at Juba Teaching Hospital to share responsibility with you," he said. Gift Gibson Natana, deputy director general at Juba Teaching Hospital, commended the Chinese medical team for their dedication to providing medical services to orphans and communities in remote areas. "These programs benefit tens of thousands of vulnerable people," Natana said. The 12th batch of the Chinese medical team, prior to visiting the CCC, also visited Juba Orphanage and Rock City Orphanage. Liu Hongyong, commander of the Chinese peacekeeping infantry battalion to the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), expressed hope that the support provided to the children would empower them to realize their future dreams. "We wish the children of the orphanage a joyful International Children's Day. May this contribution add color to their lives and wings to their dreams. May they grow up healthy and strong," Liu said. Huo Ying, deputy chief of mission at the Chinese Embassy in South Sudan, expressed her gratitude to the Chinese medical team and the Chinese peacekeeping force for their contribution toward peace and development in South Sudan. "These contributions made by the Chinese medical team have been a valuable legacy in bilateral friendship," Huo said. She noted that the Chinese peacekeeping forces are participating in the UN peacekeeping operations in South Sudan, while the Chinese medical team is protecting the public health security of the South Sudanese. Huo also commended the contributions of Chinese companies toward the development of South Sudan, stressing that the Chinese people will always be the friends of the South Sudanese people.
The Star
22-05-2025
- Business
- The Star
New deal with Asean to lift free trade
The expected implementation of the Version 3.0 China-ASEAN Free Trade Area agreement later this year will send a strong signal to the world in support of free trade and open cooperation, the Ministry of Commerce said on Wednesday. Commerce and trade ministers from China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations jointly announced on Tuesday the official conclusion of talks for this upgraded free trade deal via an online meeting, said the ministry in a statement. China and the 10 ASEAN member states will expedite their respective domestic administrative and legislative procedures and work toward formally signing the upgraded protocol by the end of this year, said the statement. At a time when global trade is facing major challenges, the successful conclusion of negotiations between the two sides reflects the broader trend toward openness and cooperation. It underscores the resilience of free trade and brings greater certainty to both regional and global economic landscapes, said the MOC. China and ASEAN launched negotiations for the upgraded trade deal in 2022. The two sides jointly declared the substantial conclusion of the negotiations in Vientiane, Laos, in October this development, both sides accelerated consultations on the remaining provisions of the upgraded protocol and the chapter on the digital economy. Huo Jianguo, a researcher at the China Society for World Trade Organization Studies, said this move sends a strong message against unilateralism and protectionism, reaffirming both sides' commitment to free trade and open cooperation. By jointly advancing supply chain resilience and connectivity, the upgraded agreement offers a powerful response to external attempts at "decoupling" and supply chain disruptions, while promoting greater synergy across regional industrial and supply networks, said Huo. Version 3.0 covers nine areas, encompassing both existing fields under the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area agreement and emerging sectors with significant potential for cooperation, including the digital economy, green economy, supply chain connectivity, trade facilitation, and economic and technical cooperation, the ministry added. Building on the foundations of the existing China-ASEAN Free Trade Area agreement and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, these advancements significantly expand mutually beneficial cooperation in emerging sectors, enhance alignment in standards and regulations, and promote trade facilitation and inclusive development, said Cai Hongbo, director of the Free Trade Zone Research Center at Beijing Normal University. The upgrade marks a pioneering step toward deeper regional economic integration and reinforces ongoing collaboration between China and ASEAN across industrial and supply chains, said Cai. In the first four months, ASEAN remained China's largest trading partner, with total trade between the two sides reaching 2.38 trillion yuan ($329.62 billion), up 9.2 percent year-on-year, accounting for 16.8 percent of China's total foreign trade value, said the General Administration of Customs. Zhejiang Sharbo Electric Appliance Co Ltd, a Ningbo, Zhejiang province-based household appliances manufacturer, welcomed the conclusion of the version 3.0 negotiations as an encouraging development, according to information provided by Ningbo Customs. "In the past, our exports were primarily focused on traditional markets like Europe and the United States. However, with rising risks of tariff barriers, we have been actively exploring emerging markets. Our air conditioners have already gained a foothold in ASEAN markets such as Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia," said Gao Feiji, the company's foreign trade director. - China Daily/ANN
Time of India
15-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
India must work with Chinese capital, supply chains to become manufacturing hub: Former Intel executive
India's push to become a major manufacturing nation could fall short unless it works more closely with Chinese capital and supply chains, former Intel executive William Huo has said. In a series of sharp posts on X, Huo said India should follow the example of China in the 1980s, when Beijing welcomed Japanese investment and technology to grow its own industries. 'India needs a national industrial policy, not just slogans. 'Make in India' has to mean software, services, chips, cloud, the whole stack,' Huo wrote on Tuesday. 'India should be doing the same with Chinese supply chains. That's the shortcut to industrialisation,' he said. Huo also warned that cutting ties with China completely is not a realistic option if India wants to become a strong manufacturing country. — wmhuo168 (@wmhuo168) He added that the US may not always support India as it grows economically. Once India's economy becomes bigger than Germany's, the US could start treating India as a 'problem' instead of a partner. 'Containment will follow,' Huo said. Live Events Huo also pointed out that India still depends heavily on US technology. If relations with the West worsen, India could struggle. 'Can India survive without AWS, Google, Apple, and Visa? Not yet,' he wrote. Discover the stories of your interest Blockchain 5 Stories Cyber-safety 7 Stories Fintech 9 Stories E-comm 9 Stories ML 8 Stories Edtech 6 Stories To highlight the missed chances for better ties, Huo said the perfect meme would show 'a Chinese monk and Indian sage under a Bodhi tree,' with the caption: 'Why can't we all just get along?'
Economic Times
15-05-2025
- Business
- Economic Times
India must work with Chinese capital, supply chains to become manufacturing hub: Former Intel executive
India's push to become a major manufacturing nation could fall short unless it works more closely with Chinese capital and supply chains, former Intel executive William Huo has said. In a series of sharp posts on X, Huo said India should follow the example of China in the 1980s, when Beijing welcomed Japanese investment and technology to grow its own industries. ADVERTISEMENT 'India needs a national industrial policy, not just slogans. 'Make in India' has to mean software, services, chips, cloud, the whole stack,' Huo wrote on Tuesday. 'India should be doing the same with Chinese supply chains. That's the shortcut to industrialisation,' he said. Huo also warned that cutting ties with China completely is not a realistic option if India wants to become a strong manufacturing country. He added that the US may not always support India as it grows economically. Once India's economy becomes bigger than Germany's, the US could start treating India as a 'problem' instead of a partner. 'Containment will follow,' Huo also pointed out that India still depends heavily on US technology. If relations with the West worsen, India could struggle. 'Can India survive without AWS, Google, Apple, and Visa? Not yet,' he highlight the missed chances for better ties, Huo said the perfect meme would show 'a Chinese monk and Indian sage under a Bodhi tree,' with the caption: 'Why can't we all just get along?'
Borneo Post
28-04-2025
- Science
- Borneo Post
In South China Sea, a marine researcher finds depth of life in shallows
This photo taken on July 6, 2024 shows a sea turtle rescue and conservation center in Sansha City, south China's Hainan Province. (Xinhua/Sun Ruibo) HAIKOU (April 29): At midday, sunlight pierces the rippling surface of the South China Sea, scattering golden flecks across the one-meter-deep shallows. Lying prone on the seafloor just off Yongxing Island, Huo Da remains as still as a strand of seagrass. Wearing a dive mask and snorkel, clad in a stinger suit, and holding a waterproof camera, he documents the hidden wonders of the ocean: a rare seagrass flower that blooms just once a year, an octopus that extended a curious arm to brush his hand, a green sea hare perfectly hidden among the blades of grass. This 33-year-old, who grew up in a rural village in Baoding, an inland city in northern China, has now found a sense of belonging among the tropical seagrass beds of the south. 'Here on Yongxing Island, you don't have to dive deep or go far,' he said. 'If you look closely, life is right beneath your feet.' Each of Huo's dives lasts one to two hours. After surfacing, he returns to the Xisha Marine Environment National Observation and Research Station on the island. As a researcher there, he spends most of his time collecting data on water quality and marine life, studying the patterns and changes in the surrounding waters, and compiling his findings into detailed reports. Founded in 2009, the station is home to nine resident researchers who monitor and study oceanic environmental dynamics and reef island ecosystems, providing scientific support for the ecological conservation of the Xisha Islands. ROAD THAT LED TO THE SEA Born in 1992 in Baoding, Huo spent his childhood surrounded by fields rather than waves. Yet from an early age, he was drawn to the mystery of tropical oceans. He studied aquaculture at a university in Wuhan, central China, and later moved south to Guangzhou for his graduate studies, where he began researching Holothuria leucospilota, the black sea cucumber. It wasn't until a 2016 scientific expedition to the South China Sea that he saw one in the wild. 'Seeing a sea cucumber in its natural habitat, not in a farm or a lab, was an entirely different experience.' Two years later, after earning his master's degree, he came to Yongxing Island and joined the Xisha station, becoming an observer and chronicler of this tropical marine world. 'The ecological environment in Xisha is excellent, with rich biodiversity. It's a paradise for marine scientists,' he said. As China's southernmost city, Sansha has made marine ecological conservation a top priority since its establishment in 2012. The city has introduced regulations such as the marine environmental protection provisions and the sea turtle conservation regulations. It has encouraged fishers to shift to alternative livelihoods, carried out regular coral reef restoration and seagrass bed surveys, and established a sea turtle rescue and conservation center. Huo uses his camera to capture life beneath the waves. He has photographed and filmed more than 400 species of marine creatures, including sea hares, stonefish, octopuses, floating anemones, hermit crabs, and sea turtles. Some species on his laptop still await classification. 'Every time I dive, I come across one or two species I've never seen before,' he said. 'Marine creatures are truly fascinating. Octopuses are intelligent and curious. They swim toward me, reach out their tentacles, and gently touch my fingers. Their nervous systems are spread throughout their bodies, allowing them to change color constantly,' Huo said. Some fish are also capable of changing color. Once, he saw a gray conger eel. At first, it had dark spots on its body, but then it turned completely white and spread its wide, translucent dorsal fin. 'I couldn't help but wonder, is this still a fish?' Sea cucumbers are considered highly evolved creatures. Some species, when threatened, expel their internal organs as a defense mechanism, and later regenerate them. There are over 100 sea cucumber species in the South China Sea, he said. 'The more time you spend underwater, the more you begin to recognize them,' Huo said. 'Day versus night, young versus old, you start piecing together their life stories. And eventually, you feel a deep reverence for life.' Among all the aquatic creatures, Huo's favorite is the gently swaying seagrass beds. They play a vital ecological role — purifying the water, capturing and storing carbon, stabilizing coastlines, and providing food and shelter for marine life. Seagrass is highly sensitive to water quality, and around Yongxing Island, he has seen it grow more plentiful. 'In places with poor water quality, seagrass dies off,' he said. A DIFFERENT WAY OF SEEING The ocean covers more than 70 percent of the Earth's surface and serves as the cradle of life. China is one of the world's richest countries in marine biodiversity, with over 28,000 recorded marine species, accounting for about 11 percent of all documented marine life globally. Over the past decade, China has made significant progress in marine ecological conservation, pollution control, and biodiversity protection. A national action plan released last year set a clear goal: by 2030, the area under China's marine ecological protection red line will reach no less than 150,000 square kilometers. Still, Huo believes humanity knows far less about the ocean than it does about the moon. Part of the reason, he said, is perspective. 'We often view the sea through a land-based, human-centered lens. We call marine animals sea cucumbers, sea hares, sea horses, but you never hear of anything on land called a 'land something.'' 'Some people still see all marine life as seafood,' Huo said. 'No matter how magical or beautiful the creatures I share online are, someone always asks, 'Can you eat this?'' To Huo, true conservation begins with understanding. 'If you know nothing about the ocean, and someone suddenly tells you to protect it, it's like being asked to protect aliens,' he said. 'People need to first understand their environment; only then will they begin to care about it.' To help bridge that gap, Huo started sharing his underwater photography and marine knowledge on social media. His posts have drawn unexpected attention: a documentary filmmaker reached out, hoping to visit the island for filming. One viewer, inspired by Huo's footage of seagrass beds, learned about the ecosystem for the first time and even decided to join seagrass conservation efforts. Huo is now co-authoring a book on South China Sea marine life with a friend. On the Chinese short-video platform Douyin, his profile tagline reads: 'Life is water.' He once read a fable where a young fish asks its mother, 'What is water?' The mother replies, 'Water is like the air we breathe. It's so natural we don't even notice it.' His WeChat nickname, Merapi, comes from Mount Merapi, a volcano on Indonesia's Java Island that he summited in 2016. 'Life is like water, which is colorless and tasteless. Everything we go through is life itself. It can be deeply felt, and it can be given meaning,' Huo said. 'Even if life feels as plain as water, we should always keep a fire burning in our hearts.' – Xinhua China conservation environment sea turtle
