Category: China

Translation. Region: Russian Federation –

Source: People's Republic of China in Russian – People's Republic of China in Russian –

An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

Source: People's Republic of China – State Council News

HAIKOU, January 18 (Xinhua) — A month after the launch of independent customs operations throughout the Hainan Free Trade Port (HFTP) in southern China, operations continue to be smooth and orderly. Initial successes have been achieved in improving logistics efficiency, passenger convenience, and economic integration, underscoring the country's commitment to high-level openness.

Hainan Heren Pearl Co., Ltd., a company that mainly imports pearls from abroad, has become a direct beneficiary of the Hainan PST policy.

According to the company's chairman, Zhang Shizhong, thanks to the added-processing policy, the company can sell its high-value products to mainland China duty-free, reducing the overall tax rate from approximately 52 percent to 26 percent and using the savings to invest in research and development.

“The PST has great prospects, and we can expect even more political dividends in the future,” said Zhang Shizhong.

One of the notable special customs measures is the provision of “freer first-line access,” which means freer trade between Hainan and areas outside China’s customs border, and “regulated second-line access,” which means maintaining standard customs control over the flow of goods from Hainan Island to the Chinese mainland.

According to data from Haikou Customs, from December 18, 2025 to January 17, 2026, its staff processed 750 million yuan (about 107 million US dollars) worth of zero-duty goods through “first-line” customs clearance, and about 85.9 million yuan worth of duty-exempt value-added goods destined for mainland China through “second-line” clearance.

In Wanning, the production lines of Chia Tai (Hainan) Xinglong Coffee Industry Development Co., Ltd. are operating at full capacity. The company imports green coffee beans from Colombia, processes them in Hainan, and then ships the finished product to mainland China, taking advantage of the 8% tariff reduction under the PTA policy.

"After the launch of independent customs operations throughout the island, Hainan will gradually become a value-added processing center and trading hub with global resource distribution capabilities," said the company's CEO, Ye Jian, adding that businesses will not only pass through Hainan but will also be able to take root here and create higher value.

Attracted by political incentives, more and more companies are choosing to do business in Hainan. According to the General Administration of Customs, a total of 5,132 new foreign trade enterprises were registered in Hainan over the past month, roughly equivalent to the total number of companies registered in the entire quarter of 2024.

According to official data, the total number of registered entities in the foreign trade market in Hainan has exceeded 100 thousand units.

Since the policy came into effect, Hainan's main ports have seen a surge in activity.

A few days after the launch of independent customs operations throughout Hainan Island, a flight from Prague with 115 passengers on board landed in the tourist city of Sanya, marking a breakthrough in the high-level opening up of the Hainan FTA's aviation sector.

The event marked the opening of China's first official passenger route operating under the Seventh Freedom of the Air, which allows foreign air carriers to operate flights between two foreign countries without having to stop in their own country.

The flight is operated by Kazakhstani airline Scat Airlines with one scheduled roundtrip flight per week.

At Yangpu Port, the largest cargo port in the Hainan Free Trade Zone, large-capacity vessels continuously moored, gantry cranes operating around the clock, and container ships moving smoothly have become a common sight.

"Yangpu will serve as the main logistics gateway for the Hainan Free Trade Zone," said Yang Xiaobin, Deputy Director of the Department of Transport, Ports, and Waterways of the Yangpu Economic Development Zone. "The port aims to create an intelligent and environmentally friendly international shipping hub and logistics center."

Yangpu Port's container throughput in 2025 reached 3.31 million standard containers (twenty-foot equivalent units, TEU), up more than 65 percent from the same period last year.

“It is particularly noteworthy that the launch of the independent customs operation regime across the entire territory of Hainan Island occurred during a period of increasing deglobalization and rising global uncertainty,” said Cui Weijie, deputy director of the China Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation (under the Ministry of Commerce).

“This not only demonstrates China’s unwavering commitment to high-standard openness, but also brings greater certainty and positive impetus to the global economy and international trade cooperation,” Cui Weijie said. -0-

Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source. It represents an accurate account of the source's assertions and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

Translation. Region: Russian Federation –

Source: People's Republic of China in Russian – People's Republic of China in Russian –

An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

Source: People's Republic of China – State Council News

Beijing, January 18 (Xinhua) — In 2025, economic and trade cooperation between China and Central Asia achieved significant success, with trade volume reaching $106.3 billion, up 12 percent year-on-year, the Chinese Ministry of Commerce announced in a statement released on its website on Sunday.

According to the statement, trade turnover between China and Central Asia exceeded USD 100 billion for the first time in history and has shown positive dynamics for five consecutive years.

Last year, China became the largest trading partner of Central Asian countries for the first time. China's exports to Central Asia reached $71.2 billion, an 11 percent increase year-on-year, driven by significant growth in electromechanical and high-tech products. Imports from Central Asia totaled $35.1 billion, an increase of 14 percent year-on-year.

Cross-border e-commerce trade between China and Central Asia continued to grow rapidly, with construction of warehouse and logistics facilities continuing, and cross-border payment cooperation advancing rapidly.

High-quality cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative continued to deepen and yield tangible results. Implementation of a number of major projects in areas such as connectivity, equipment manufacturing, clean minerals, and modern agriculture was accelerated, effectively facilitating the expansion of exports to Central Asia and supporting regional countries in industrial modernization and economic growth.

China's Ministry of Commerce said it will continue to optimize trade structures, develop new forms of business, and promote the creation of higher-level institutional mechanisms in the future. -0-

Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source. It represents an accurate account of the source's assertions and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

Translation. Region: Russian Federation –

Source: People's Republic of China in Russian – People's Republic of China in Russian –

An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

Source: People's Republic of China – State Council News

BEIJING, Jan. 18 (Xinhua) — A team of Chinese researchers has proposed a new data-driven framework for online estimation and analysis of the remaining driving range of electric vehicles in real time.

Despite the increasing number of eco-friendly vehicles on the road, range anxiety remains one of the main concerns faced by electric vehicle drivers. Accurately estimating remaining range can effectively address this issue.

However, in real-world driving conditions, the combined influence of factors such as driving style, ambient temperature, and battery deterioration makes it difficult to accurately estimate the remaining range.

To help drivers better understand the range of their electric vehicles, researchers from the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics (DICP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences have developed a method for calculating energy consumption and battery “health” based on real-world vehicle operating data, according to a research paper published in the journal Applied Energy.

By integrating multiple factors, including driving behavior, ambient temperature, and battery condition, they built a model of energy consumption per mile driven. Based on this model, they accurately estimated the remaining range.

This step-by-step approach can explain which factors influence range and to what extent.

The proposed framework was tested on passenger cars and buses in various cities across the country over a three-year period. Based on real-world operating data covering a total mileage of over 300,000 km, the testing results showed that the range prediction accuracy achieved an average relative error of less than 5.5 percent.

According to the researchers, by adjusting driving style, the range can be increased by more than 30 percent for cars and more than 10 percent for buses.

This framework is designed to support intelligent fleet management, energy-optimized operation, and residual value assessment of electric vehicles. The researchers plan to expand their research to colder regions and more challenging road conditions.

To address capacity degradation and energy fluctuations at low temperatures, they will expand the structure's versatility by incorporating additional environmental parameters such as road surface conditions and humidity.

In addition, according to the DICP, they will promote deep integration of their research with on-board battery management systems and cloud operating platforms to create a safer and more efficient transport system based on new energy sources. -0-

Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source. It represents an accurate account of the source's assertions and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

Translation. Region: Russian Federation –

Source: People's Republic of China in Russian – People's Republic of China in Russian –

An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

Source: People's Republic of China – State Council News

HOHHOT, Jan. 18 (Xinhua) — Several people have been rescued after an explosion at a factory in the western city of Baotou in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, local authorities said.

According to the city's emergency management agency, the explosion occurred around 3:00 PM on Sunday at the Baogang United Steel sheet rolling mill. The exact number of casualties remains unknown.

The explosion caused noticeable tremors in nearby areas. Rescue efforts are currently ongoing. -0-

Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source. It represents an accurate account of the source's assertions and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

Translation. Region: Russian Federation –

Source: People's Republic of China in Russian – People's Republic of China in Russian –

An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

Source: People's Republic of China – State Council News

BEIJING, Jan. 18 (Xinhua) — General Secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and Chinese President Xi Jinping on Sunday congratulated Vietnamese leaders on the 76th anniversary of the establishment of China-Vietnam diplomatic ties.

In his congratulatory message to General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV CC) To Lam and Vietnamese President Luong Cuong, Xi Jinping recalled his state visit to Vietnam in April 2025.

Xi Jinping noted that during the visit, he and the Vietnamese leadership reached an important consensus on accelerating the construction of a China-Vietnam community with a shared future, which is of strategic significance, and jointly developed a plan for developing bilateral relations in the new era.

The Chinese head of state noted that he was pleased to see that over the past year, bilateral exchanges at all levels have become closer, and cooperation in areas such as political security, trade and investment, as well as cultural and educational exchanges, has yielded more tangible results.

The active events marking the 75th anniversary of the establishment of bilateral diplomatic relations and the China-Vietnam Year of People-to-People Exchanges have brought tangible benefits to the peoples of the two countries and given a powerful impetus to their efforts to modernize the country, he added.

Xi Jinping noted that this year marks the first year of China's 15th Five-Year Plan, and the 14th National Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam will soon take place, ushering in a new era of national development in Vietnam. He emphasized that both China and Vietnam are at crucial stages of their development and revival.

Working together to advance a socialist path suited to each country's national conditions, strengthening good-neighborliness and friendship, and deepening unity and cooperation are in the common interests of both sides and are of great significance for reviving the global socialist cause and promoting the development and progress of mankind, Xi Jinping noted.

He said he attaches great importance to the development of relations between the two parties and the two countries and is willing to work with Vietnamese leaders to take the construction of the China-Vietnam community with a shared future, which is of strategic significance, to new heights and depths, so as to bring greater benefits to the peoples of the two countries and make greater contributions to regional development.

Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source. It represents an accurate account of the source's assertions and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

Translation. Region: Russian Federation –

Source: People's Republic of China in Russian – People's Republic of China in Russian –

An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

Source: People's Republic of China – State Council News

TAIYUAN, Jan. 18 (Xinhua) — Five people were killed in a two-car collision near Zhanglan Township in Jiexiu City in north China's Shanxi Province around 4:00 a.m. Sunday, local authorities said.

One of the drivers, whose blood alcohol concentration was 159 mg per 100 ml, exceeding the legal limit, was detained. The cause of the accident is being investigated.

Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source. It represents an accurate account of the source's assertions and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

Translation. Region: Russian Federation –

Source: People's Republic of China in Russian – People's Republic of China in Russian –

An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

Source: People's Republic of China – State Council News

Conakry, Jan. 18 (Xinhua) — Mamadi Doumbouya was officially sworn in as Guinea's president on Saturday for a seven-year term in accordance with the country's new constitution.

M. Doumbouya's inauguration took place after his election as president. He received 86.72% of the vote.

After taking the oath of office, M. Doumbouya thanked the people of Guinea for their trust in him, noting that his mandate would be primarily dedicated to women and youth.

He also reaffirmed his commitment to respecting the Constitution, laws and regulations of Guinea, as well as judicial decisions. –0–

Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source. It represents an accurate account of the source's assertions and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

Translation. Region: Russian Federation –

Source: People's Republic of China in Russian – People's Republic of China in Russian –

An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

Source: People's Republic of China – State Council News

Astana, January 18 (Xinhua) — Kazakhstan has developed its first large-scale automatic speech recognition (ASR) model for Turkic languages, making it the largest such development in Central Asia. This was reported on Sunday by the Kazinform news agency, citing the country's Ministry of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development.

The new AI model is designed with the linguistic characteristics of the Turkic language group in mind and is not an adaptation of English-language solutions, which distinguishes it from technologies previously used in the region. The project was implemented with the support of the Astana Hub and the relevant ministry, using Microsoft's GPU infrastructure.

The model is reportedly trained in Kazakh, Turkish, Uzbek, Kyrgyz, Azerbaijani, and Tatar languages, and is also capable of correctly recognizing mixed Turkic-Russian speech, which is widely used in everyday communications, business environments, and in the provision of public services.

The developers note that the new ASR model is robust to noise, accents, and language switching within a single utterance, and demonstrates high accuracy across a variety of applications, from financial services and telecommunications to logistics and e-government.

According to the agency, the implementation of this technology will reduce costs in customer support systems and ensure 24/7 availability of voice services in national languages. –0–

Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source. It represents an accurate account of the source's assertions and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

Translation. Region: Russian Federation –

Source: People's Republic of China in Russian – People's Republic of China in Russian –

An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

Source: People's Republic of China – State Council News

Astana, January 18 /Xinhua/ — The Law "On Artificial Intelligence" has entered into force in Kazakhstan, establishing the legal framework for regulating the development and application of AI technologies. This was reported on Sunday by the Kazinform news agency, citing the country's Ministry of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development.

The law took effect 60 days after being signed by President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev in November 2025. The document enshrines the priority of individuals, their rights, and freedoms in the creation and operation of artificial intelligence systems.

The law establishes principles of legality, transparency, and explainability of algorithms, accountability, personal data protection, and the security and reliability of AI systems. AI is classified by risk level, with high-risk systems in critical areas being treated as state-owned systems in terms of information security requirements.

The document prohibits the use of AI for manipulation, discrimination, and violation of personal data laws, and introduces mandatory labeling of synthetic content. Works created using AI are recognized as copyrightable only if they contain a human creative contribution.

The agency emphasized that the law is aimed at creating a responsible and human-centered model for the development of artificial intelligence in Kazakhstan. –0–

Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source. It represents an accurate account of the source's assertions and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

Translation. Region: Russian Federation –

Source: People's Republic of China in Russian – People's Republic of China in Russian –

An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

Source: People's Republic of China – State Council News

BEIJING, Jan. 18 (Xinhua) — China has taken a series of measures, ranging from increasing budgetary allocations to upgrading standards, to improve its childcare services, shifting the focus from simply "affordability" of such services to "high quality."

There are currently 126,000 childcare facilities in the country, providing a total of 6.66 million childcare places. The average cost of full-day childcare nationwide has fallen by 29 percent, significantly reducing the financial burden on families.

As childcare becomes increasingly affordable, new measures are being taken across China to improve its quality. For example, Shanghai, a major city in eastern China, is seeking to provide full coverage of neighborhood-level kindergartens to make it easier for families to find temporary and hourly childcare. Meanwhile, Chengdu (the capital of Sichuan Province, southwest China) is working to promote standardized, regulated operations while simultaneously developing its own brand of "intelligent childcare."

Nine provinces have implemented childcare subsidy systems, while 1,315 counties have implemented support measures such as facility construction subsidies and operational financing.

In December 2025, the draft Law of the People's Republic of China on Childcare Services was submitted to the first reading of the 19th session of the Standing Committee of the 14th National People's Congress (NPC) for consideration.

The bill, which sets strict and comprehensive standards in areas such as institution licensing, personnel management, process monitoring, and emergency response, comprehensively ensures children's safety and thus effectively addresses the concerns of Chinese parents.

According to a document released by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, from 2026 to 2030, the country should expand demonstrations and trials of subsidized childcare services, provide support for public childcare services, integrated nurseries and childcare services, and take steps to improve relevant systems.

To further improve its childcare services, China will attract more talented professionals to the sector and establish comprehensive oversight mechanisms with inter-agency coordination, according to the National Health Commission. -0-

Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source. It represents an accurate account of the source's assertions and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.