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Ukraine has received the US-made F-16 fighter jets that had long been on its wish list, which may provide Kiev with more strength to deter the Russian air force, but analysts said the F-16 alone will not reverse the situation in the battlefield. Military analysts also pointed out Russia has the capability of responding to the F-16 deployment, and this military aid is very likely to further escalate the Russia-Ukraine conflict, dampening already dim hopes of peace. 

Ukrainian pilots also need more time to become more skilled at flying the US-made fighter jets, so the F-16s will be mainly used in defending against air strikes from Russia around Kiev, said experts. The logistics system is not very mature at the moment and Russia will make great efforts to strike it, so it's a question of to what extent the fighter jets can change the landscape in the battlefield, they added. 

Ukrainian pilots have started flying F-16 fighter jets for operations within the country, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sunday, confirming the long-awaited arrival of the US-made fighter jets more than 29 months after the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Reuters reported on Monday.

Russia has warned that F-16s, just like any other Western weapons provided to Kiev, will not change the outcome of the conflict and will only prolong it. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said earlier that there is no "magic pill" for Kiev and that it will not have this "panacea" for long, RT reported on Sunday. 

"If I'm not mistaken, rewards [for Russian forces to shoot them down] have already been offered," Peskov said, according to Reuters. 

Built by Lockheed Martin, the F-16s had been on Ukraine's wish list for a long time because of their destructive power and global availability. They are equipped with a 20mm cannon and can carry bombs, rockets and missiles, according to Reuters.

Wei Dongxu, a Beijing-based military expert and media commentator, told the Global Times on Monday that these F-16s will be used mainly in three kinds of missions: first, to protect key locations from Russian air strikes and fight Russian fighters to achieve air dominance in strategically important cities like Kiev; second, to hunt Russian military aircraft within Ukraine's airspace; and third, to provide air support to Ukrainian ground forces.   

The very fact that Ukraine exploiting F-16 fighter jets, which are capable of carrying nuclear weapons, will be viewed by Russia as a Western threat in the nuclear sphere, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in an interview, TASS reported on July 13. 

Wei said that Ukrainian pilots have yet to master flying these fighter jets, so they won't use them to conduct difficult missions. Russia also has advanced fighter jets that can compete with F-16s, and is also capable of spotting the airbase where the F-16s are being deployed, so if those F-16s are shot down or damaged, it will be a challenge for Ukraine and the West to maintain effective and efficient supplies of this weapon, said the expert.

Hopes of peace fading

If the F-16s are used to attack targets within Russia and cause significant losses and casualties, it would very likely lead to a terrible escalation, said a Beijing-based military expert who asked for anonymity.

The US decision-makers are once again putting their own political interests ahead of a peaceful solution to the Ukraine crisis, said experts. 

Ukrainian government has not realized that what the West wants is not Ukraine's victory, but the prolongation of its conflict with Russia, experts said.  

Amid positive signs of peace, including a visit to China by Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban's peace missions to Kiev, Moscow, Beijing and Washington, the US' new supply of F-16s has dampened the hopes of peace and increased the risk of further escalation, they said. 

Chinese scientists from the Qingdao Energy Institute of the Chinese Academy of Sciences have developed homogenized cathode materials, allowing all-solid-state lithium batteries to maintain 80 percent of their initial capacity after 5,000 cycles of usage.

The breakthrough was published recently in Nature Energy titled "a cathode homogenization strategy for enabling long-cycle-life all-solid-state lithium batteries."

The researcher team led by Cui Guanglei and assisted by Ju Jiangwei, Cui Longfei and Zhang Shu, designed homogeneous cathode materials that have revolutionized the paradigm of composite cathodes in solid-state lithium batteries. A solid-state lithium battery constructed with 100 percent active materials maintains 80 percent of its initial capacity after 5,000 cycles.

This innovation has addressed the challenges arising from the traditional solid-state lithium batteries, resulting in the production of solid-state lithium batteries with high energy density and long cycle life. 

Typically, solid-state lithium batteries involve using composite electrodes containing active electrode materials, conductive electrons, and ion-conducting additives. But there are difficulties in achieving a perfect match between the different components in terms of chemical, electrochemical, and mechanical properties, leading to various interface issues that significantly degrade the battery's energy density and lifespan.

According to the published paper, the material's ion and electron conductivity surpass traditional layered oxide cathode materials  over 1,000 times of existing technology, with a specific capacity exceeding current high-nickel cathode materials.

The material experiences only a 1.2 percent volume change during the charge-discharge process, significantly lower than the 50 percent volume change seen in traditional layered oxide cathode materials. 

The high conductivity ensures normal charge-discharge without the need for additional conductive additives, while the low volume change guarantees structural stability during the battery's operation.

Both the State Council's Taiwan Affairs Office and China's Ministry of Public Security (MPS) have added a special column to their official websites which list the names of diehard "Taiwan independence" secessionists, a notable change indicating the Chinese mainland's high attention to lawfully punishing diehard "Taiwan independence" secessionists, serving as another warning to these stubborn individuals. 

A total of 10 diehard "Taiwan independence" secessionists including Su Tseng-chang, You Si-kun, Joseph Wu and Hsiao Bi-khim were listed in the special column. 

Apart from the list of the diehard "Taiwan  independence" secessionists, the column of the Taiwan Affairs Office also listed the spokesperson's previous statements, the legal documents including the Anti-Secession Law, and the tip email address for netizens to report secessionists. 

According to analysts, the notable changes on the two departments' websites indicate that the Chinese mainland attaches high attention to lawfully punishing diehard "Taiwan independence" secessionists, which serves as another warning to these stubborn individuals. 

The new columns with the names of a small number of diehard "Taiwan independence" secessionists listed serve both as a deterrent and as a clear message that the criminal justice measures are aimed at a small number of diehard individuals who engage in or incite secession activities, and do not target the majority of Taiwan compatriots, analysts said. 

Chinese authorities issued in June this year a set of guidelines on imposing criminal punishments on diehard "Taiwan independence" separatists for conducting or inciting secession, which allows the death penalty and a trial in absentia in relevant cases and stipulates that those who are found to have colluded with any foreign or overseas institution, organization or individual in committing such crimes should be given a harsher punishment, according to some media reports. 

China's coal imports witnessed a notable year-on-year increase of 12.5 percent in the first half of the year, with a significant rise in shipments from Australia. Experts attribute the growth to improving China-Australia relations, and called for stable bilateral relations to ensure a continued recovery.

China's total imports of coal reached 250 million tons in the first half of 2024, marking a new high for the period, with Australian coal accounting for a substantial portion of overall growth, according to data released by the China Coal Transport and Distribution Association on Tuesday.

Ship-tracking data from BigMint revealed a dramatic escalation in exports of coking coal from Australia to China, jumping from 2.16 million tons in the first half of 2023 to 6.56 million tons in the same period this year. Additionally, thermal coal exports to China also grew by 41.5 percent to reach 29.91 million tons this year.

Industry experts attribute the rise primarily to the improved bilateral relations between China and Australia. The stability of these relations is crucial for the sustained recovery of trade between the two countries, they noted.

Coking coal is an important resource in both the petrochemical and steelmaking industries, and Australia has long been an important source of Chinese coking coal imports. But in the past few years, affected by worsening bilateral relationship, Chinese companies have preferred to replace coking coal imports from other countries, a metal industry expert surnamed Zhang told the Global Times on Tuesday.

Chinese coking coal imports from Australia have only seen a rise this year as a result of improved relations between the two countries, Zhang added.

Zhou Mi, a senior research fellow from the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation, said the complementary needs in the coal sector between China and Australia. The past instability in bilateral relations has caused concerns among Chinese companies about the stability of economic cooperation, thereby reduced coal imports from Australia, Zhou said.

Australia, as a major resource exporter, has greatly benefited from the Chinese market. The rapid growth in China-Australia trade in the past decades have reflected the complementary nature of the two markets, Zhou added.

The stability of the China-Australia economic and trade relationship is very important for the Chinese market, as companies need to set up its future production, logistics and processing plans based on market evaluation. If China-Australia relations become unstable once more, companies will look for alternative source of coals, Zhou explained.

The recent improvement in relations has sent a stabilizing signal to the Chinese market, encouraging a resurgence in coal trade, Zhou told the Global Times.

Despite robust trade figures, Australia's coking coal exports to other major Asian markets like India and Vietnam have declined, with shipments to India dropping by 6.5 percent and to Vietnam by a striking 42.5 percent, as per BigMint data. Thermal coal exports mirrored this trend, with a notable 51.2 percent decrease to India and a 9.6 percent drop to Vietnam.

A report commissioned by the Australia China Business Council, highlighted the extensive economic benefits of China-Australian trade, noting a significant boost in disposable income for Australian households linked directly to trade with China.

This report underscores the mutual benefits and potential for future cooperation, enhancing both economies. "China's development represents an opportunity, not a challenge, for Australia. The two countries have much to offer each other and share a promising future for collaboration," said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian at a press briefing on Friday.

A recent report on the 2022 US National Defense Strategy (NDS) was released by the US Commission on National Defense Strategy. The report highlighted that the NDS is "out of date," the US military is not correctly structured and the nation's industrial base is "grossly inadequate," and claimed that these shortcomings make it impossible to simultaneously confront the dual "threat of Russia and China." The report proposed an "all elements of national power" approach and called for strengthening the US military's readiness to operate across multiple theaters of war.

Information from the RAND Corporation shows that the US Commission on National Defense Strategy was created under the US 2022 fiscal year National Defense Authorization Act, with the chair being a former senior member of the House Intelligence Committee, and receiving analytic and administrative support from the RAND Corporation. Therefore, while this report is not an official US government document, it still holds significant reference value due to its bipartisan representation. Specifically, this report, along with some other actions and statements by US officials in the past two years, reveals several throughlines in US policy. 

Firstly, there is the possibility that the US military strategy is shifting away from an expectation of peace to an expectation of war. After the end of the Cold War, the US had long-term plans for dealing with two simultaneous regional conflicts, rather than the expectation of war with major powers. Based on these considerations, the US built a highly advanced and mobile military force, emphasizing global deployment and intervention capabilities rather than long-term combat capabilities. However, with the trend toward a prolonged Russia-Ukraine conflict, the US is changing and adjusting its previous military strategy, leaning toward preparing for "great power wars." 

Secondly, the US is further adjusting its attitude toward China and Russia. At the beginning of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the US strategic community tended to differentiate between China and Russia to avoid pushing them together at a strategic level. However, since the end of 2023, there has been a trend in the US strategic community to treat China and Russia as an almost singular threat. This year, both former and current US Indo-Pacific commanders have made similar remarks. On one hand, this indicates that the US is trying to shape its image as still strong by showing that it is not afraid of "fighting on two fronts;" on the other hand, it also suggests that Washington intends to promote internal unity in the West by forcibly linking China and Russia and exaggerating related "threats." 

Thirdly, there is an attempt to use war expectations to drive the revival of the American manufacturing industry. In this report, the US Commission on National Defense Strategy pays particular attention to the recovery and development of the defense industry. Objectively speaking, in peacetime, defense manufacturing typically operates at relatively low levels, which naturally cannot be compared to the "full throttle" state required to meet wartime demands. Therefore, the US Commission on National Defense Strategy's claim that the American defense industry is not sufficient to meet the "demands of great power conflict" is a deliberate act of pretending to be ignorant. 

Fourth, the report aims to promote domestic national unity. With this report as the latest example, some politicians in the US have been emphasizing the importance of bipartisan and cross-class mobilization, even using the so-called expectation of a "great power war" to promote consensus and unity in American society. Amid growing social division and political polarization in the US, they believe they have discovered a "shortcut" to unite the country quickly. However, in reality, they may be placing themselves in a risky situation and could ultimately face a serious backlash.

Fifth, it indicates that Washington may be reassessing the military threat from Russia. This report suggests that the current US defense strategy "understates the threat from Russia" and recommends increasing US military deployments in Europe. Against the backdrop of the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict, these findings reveal that some in the US may be attempting to elevate Russia's priority in the US national security strategy, emphasizing the threat from Russia as a means to unite domestic and foreign policy consensus.

In short, this report suggests increasing military expectations and preparations for potential conflict with China and Russia. It proposes that the US will need to make major changes and investments, possibly even "wartime mobilization." It is unclear how these recommendations will be incorporated into official US policy, but the bipartisan nature of the report and similar statements from domestic politicians in recent years serve as a reminder to remain vigilant. We must be cautious of the potential for war implied in these US statements and prepare public opinion and strategic plans accordingly. Additionally, we must maintain our composure, be wary of falling into the trap set by the extreme anti-China faction in the US, and prevent their extreme rhetoric from becoming a reality.

As the world's most important bilateral relationship, the China-US relationship will not easily fall into the new Cold War or even hot war that some individual American politicians are trying to provoke. The complexity of the relationship between the two countries and the constantly changing international environment have led to a variety of voices in this relationship. China must always remain vigilant about the dangerous trends exposed by some extreme voices, such as the further shift toward expectations of a "great power war" advocated by some in Washington. At the same time, we must grasp the overall situation, not be led astray by extreme rhetoric, and continue to shape the China-US relationship in a positive direction.

Throughout world history, many conflicts or wars have often been sparked by misjudgments or miscalculations. Many in the US continue to clamor for a tougher stance against China and attempt to create a certain strategic consensus on this issue, but in reality, voices within the US on how to handle relations with China remain diverse and malleable. We must continue to strive for those rational and progressive forces, while remaining vigilant and critical of extreme and radical rhetoric.

As the hashtag "Radiant post-2000s have started to take responsibility" gains traction on Chinese social media, young Chinese athletes are making youthful waves in Paris. On the global stage of the Olympics, these athletes embody the spirit of the games with their exceptional performances, breaking records and achieving miracles through their determination and perseverance. They pay tribute to the Olympic motto of "Faster, Higher, Stronger, Together" with their best competitive state, setting records and making miracles with a spirit of daring to fight, never giving up, and striving for national glory. Not only are they showcasing their competitive prowess, they are also promoting unity and friendship with athletes from around the world. Whether it's through their sharp or lively responses to media inquiries or their heartwarming interactions with competitors of various countries, these young athletes are presenting China's confident and open image with a "radiant" image.

The outstanding performances of a big team of athletes born in the 1990s and 2000s are undoubtedly making the Chinese delegation a prominent presence at the Paris Olympics this year. The average age of the 405 Team China athletes in this Olympics is just 25, with 11-year-old skateboarder Zheng Haohao as the youngest athlete at this Olympics. These young athletes, called "Brother kid" or "Sister kid" by netizens, have lived up to the expectations, from the first gold medalist Huang Yuting, to the record-breaking Pan Zhanle. The young Chinese athletes have shown their strength at this Olympics, with 10 of the first 13 gold medals won by the "post-2000s." In addition to leaving a mark in terms of results, they are also infusing the competition with their unique style and characteristics.

China's young athletes are more confident, leaving a strong impression on some foreign media staff who have been paying attention to China for a long time. These young athletes are undoubtedly powerful shapers of this impression. Domestic audiences also praise the "post-2000" athletes for being "unyielding and resilient," and are moved and inspired by their sporting spirit and inspirational stories. Some joke that watching them compete requires a strong heart, as they often fall behind by large margins before turning the tables with their fighting spirit. Zheng Qinwen staged a comeback against world number one Iga Swiatek and Fan Zhendong's semi-final victory after a tough start are just two examples. These breath-taking moments showcase the competitive spirit, mental toughness, and strong will of these athletes.

In the arena of competitive sports, aspiring for gold and chasing victory is natural and expected, but from these young athletes, we also see many valuable qualities that transcend gold medals and result. These young Chinese athletes increasingly manage to combine the courage to fight hard with the enjoyment of the competition and the process. "Winning glory for the country" is the phrase these young athletes say most often before and after competitions, and the waving of national flags in the stands has become a source of spiritual strength for these athletes during their arduous battles. Of course, this Olympics has seen some of our athletes being put under considerable pressure due to inaccurate foreign media reports and political manipulation by a few countries. Even so, our young athletes have demonstrated with nearly perfect performances what it means to let their strength and adherence to rules speak for themselves, embodying the spirit of fair competition in sports.

On the Olympic stage, we have also seen young athletes' multidimensional understanding and practice of the Olympic spirit and competitive sports. Although Zhang Yufei didn't win a gold medal, she proved that Chinese athletes are not flashes in the pan. Yang Siqi, 15, the first Chinese athlete to compete in Olympic surfing, expressed her desire to "show the vitality and confidence of Chinese youth on the broader ocean." The Chinese women's rugby team exclaimed, "We made it to the top six!" All this demonstrated the charm of the Olympics that goes beyond winning and losing. Some young athletes see the Olympics as a stage for promoting their niche sports, while others see it as a platform for exploring the world. These attempts are continually deepening the connection between China and the Olympics, and between the Olympic spirit and ordinary people.

From the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics to the 2024 Paris Olympics, from the "post-1950s" to the "post-2000s" generation, Chinese athletes have consistently built upon and passed down their legacies at the Olympics. Time and again, their resilient performances have proven that "the younger generation truly has immense potential." These young athletes carry on the fine traditions of Chinese sports on the Olympic stage, while also showcasing a new image of confidence, vitality, and openness in contemporary Chinese sports. They are confident yet ambitious, patriotic yet global-minded, eager for success yet accepting of failure. In fact, these confident and open young Chinese athletes are a natural reflection of the confident and open Chinese sports community and the entire country, as well as a manifestation of the deep integration of China and the Olympic spirit.

The Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Eastern Theater Command released videos in commemoration of the 97th founding anniversary of the PLA. In one video, segments of four countermeasure missions against "Taiwan independence" secessionist forces were included. 

Drawing on classic historical battle examples in China, the video "Battlefield at maritime frontier," adapted from the Peking Opera song "Dingjun Mountain," conveys the message of soldiers being ready to fight at all times and able to engage in battle at any moment.

The video that lasts two minutes and 16 seconds has garnered numerous likes online since its release late Wednesday. The video features classic images of the PLA Eastern Theater Command's combat preparedness patrols and major military operations in recent years.

Among them are segments of the PLA Eastern Theater Command's four countermeasure missions against "Taiwan independence" secessionist forces.

The video showcased the crushing strength of the Eastern Theater Command against the "Taiwan independence" secessionist forces and their military equipment, demonstrating the capability of destroying their "support pillars," striking their "main base," and cutting off their "supply lines."

It conveys the message that each provocation from "Taiwan independence" secessionist forces is met with a step forward of PLA's counteraction.

The ending, presented through fast-paced visuals with a wealth of information, reviews the glorious journey of the PLA from its inception and its course of fighting in the flames of war, and its image in the new era. 

It concludes with references to the five famous mountains in Chinese mainland, scenes of Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan island, and the Great Wall, expressing that the PLA Eastern Theater Command will not forget its original intentions, continue its traditions, remain loyal to its mission, and serve as the iron Great Wall in safeguarding national unity and territorial integrity.

"I cannot tell your name, but in times of hardship, I know that I'm safe; amidst crowds, I feel a sense of security," read the opening lines of another heartwarming video released by the Eastern Theater Command.

This video resonated with the public, highlighting the role of the PLA in safeguarding peace and stability. The narrative continues, "In this war-torn world, you have made peace and beauty a part of my daily life... Though your name remains unknown to me, I know you are the PLA."

Chinese scientists from the Institute of High Energy Physics (IHEP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) reported on Thursday their discovery of a gamma-ray line with an energy of up to 37 million electron-volts from an extremely bright gamma-ray burst. This represents the highest energy spectral line feature ever emitted by celestial objects in the universe, according to information from the IHEP shared with the Global Times.

The scientists also found that the gamma-ray line evolves according to a power-law function over time, providing crucial clues to unraveling the mystery of the line.

Their paper was published as a cover story in Science China Physics, Mechanics & Astronomy on Thursday.

"These findings provide new and important clues for unraveling the mysteries of gamma-ray bursts and relativistic jets, marking a milestone in the study of gamma-ray bursts," corresponding author of the paper Xiong Shaolin told the Global Times.

Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are the most energetic explosion phenomena in the universe, which can be produced by either the core collapse of a massive star or the collision of two compact stars, such as neutron stars and black holes.

The abovementioned discoveries of the Chinese scientists were made on the so-called brightest of all time GRB, named GRB 221009A, which belongs to the former category and arrived on Earth on October 9, 2022, and was observed by many telescopes all over the world, according to the IHEP.

Researchers from the IHEP of CAS, the Yunnan observatories of CAS, Hebei Normal University, and Guizhou Normal University have formed a collaboration team and executed a comprehensive analysis of the observation data from two space gamma-ray monitors named GECAM-C and Fermi/GBM. The CAS-funded GECAM-C provided an accurate measurement of the low energy band spectrum of this GRB, while the Fermi/GBM covered the high energy band where the gamma-ray line showed up.
In particular, this burst is so bright (too many gamma-ray photons in a short period of time) that the Fermi/GBM detector suffered data loss during the bright part of the burst, making reliable data analysis very difficult. GECAM-C did not experience such a problem thanks to its dedicated design of the instrument; thus, the GECAM-C data was used to correct the Fermi/GBM data, the IHEP noted.

After the very challenging analyses of the data issues, instrumental effects, and background modeling, the research group managed to derive the reliable spectra of the GRB and further identify a series of gamma-ray lines throughout the burst, including the surprising gamma-ray line with energy up to 37 million electron-volts detected during the bright part of the burst. Interestingly, they found the line energy varies as a power-law function of time, while the ratio of the line width to line energy remains almost constant. Such features provide solid proof of the reality and the GRB origin of these gamma-ray lines. These discoveries shed a new and unique light on the physics of GRBs and their relativistic jets, according to the IHEP.

Editor's Note:

Chinese people believe that letters are as valuable as gold. For thousands of years, letters, across mountains and oceans, have been delivering the writers' sentiments and conveying friendship and expectations.

Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and Chinese president, has managed to find time to reply to some letters from different sectors of the society and different parts of the world despite his busy work schedule.

Through his letters, Xi has corresponded with international friends from all walks of life on numerous occasions, part of a series of excellent stories of China's international exchanges in the new era. The letters have also added vivid color to the diplomacy between China and other countries.

The Global Times traced and contacted some of the recipients of Xi's letters to hear the inspiring stories behind the letters and their communications with the Chinese president.

In this installment, Serbian steelworkers share with the Global Times their excitement at receiving Xi's reply letter before the Chinese president's visit to Serbia and the story of how close cooperation between the two countries revived the century-old Smederevo steel plant.
At around 8 pm on April 30, 2024, when Serbians were ready to embrace the May Day holiday and the Orthodox Easter, Nenad Cvetanovic, head of operations at the hot mill at HBIS Smederevo steel plant, or Hesteel Serbia, got a phone call asking him to stay in the plant because the Chinese Ambassador to Serbia Li Ming would "come to share something with us."

"That was amazing," Cvetanovic and his colleagues thought when they got to know what the surprise was - Chinese President Xi Jinping had replied to their letter days before his second state visit to Serbia after eight years.

Cvetanovic first had the idea to write a letter to Xi in February 2024 when he read a media report saying that the Chinese president might be visiting Serbia again. The idea was widely embraced by his colleagues.

In the letter signed by workers from different departments at the steel plant, they expounded on the latest developments at the plant and its important role in the local economy and people's livelihoods, and they thanked Xi for his care and support for the joint venture located in Smederevo, a small city about 60 kilometers southeast of the Serbian capital Belgrade.

In his reply letter dated April 29, Xi recalled his visit to the plant in June 2016 when he deeply felt the workers' support for the mutually beneficial cooperation between China and Serbia, and their high expectations for a bright future for the steel plant, according to Xinhua News Agency.

It is a great pleasure to learn that the steel plant has turned losses into gains quickly after the investment of a Chinese-funded enterprise, with the jobs of more than 5,000 employees guaranteed, and thousands of families enjoying a peaceful and happy life, Xi said in the letter.

The development of the steel plant could not have been achieved without the dedication and hard work of the workers, who have been working diligently for the quick growth of the steel plant and have written a new chapter for the iron-clad friendship between China and Serbia.

I give you the "thumbs up," Xi said.

The reply letter shows that our efforts are recognized and appreciated and we feel honored and encouraged, Bojan Popovic, head of department of materials management and maintenance at the Hesteel Serbia, told the Global Times.

"It reinforced our belief that the strong bond between China and Serbia is built on the efforts of ordinary workers like us," Popovic said. "We are proud to be part of this partnership and to contribute to the growth and success of our steel plant, and thus, to the development and strengthening of our economic ties."

Rebirth of a plant

The steel plant, first established in 1913, has long been a pillar of former Yugoslavia's metal industry, but it encountered difficulties in the 1990s. The plant then entered two decades of struggle of survival and, in 2012, then owner US Steel Corporation sold the plant to the Serbian government, leaving it with more than 5,000 employees and massive liabilities.

The Global Times learned from senior workers of the steel plant that production was frequently halted at that time. The first thing they would do after waking up in the morning was to check whether smoke was rising from the plant's chimney or not. People did not dare to get married or have babies because they feared they would lose their jobs as the factory could close at any moment.

The light of hope arrived in April 2016 when China's Hesteel Group purchased the plant at a price of 46 million euros ($49.55 million), months after China and Serbia signed in November 2015 a memorandum of understanding within the framework of the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

During President Xi's state visit to Serbia in June 2016, he made a trip to the steel plant and interacted with workers in the dining room, encouraging them to work hard to bring benefits to local residents.

The purchase and Xi's visit greatly boosted the morale of all the workers; smiles returned to their faces and they started to "plan for the future."

The Global Times learned that Chinese executives from Hesteel did a thorough investigation, finding out that the factory possessed quite good industrial bases and could produce some competitive products even with its then outdated equipment; but the implemented cost control was ineffective.

Therefore they enhanced the management of the steel plant, combining Chinese experience with local practices, streamlined the production process, increased workers' salaries, upgraded equipment and expanded recruitment, and made efforts to tackle the pollution problem.

Upholding the principle of localization of corporate culture, personnel, and benefits, the 13-member Chinese executive team and 5,000-strong Serbian managers and workers' body strived in solidarity to revive the plant and raise it to new heights.

Through unremitting efforts by and from both sides, the plant turned losses into profits in just a few months by year-end of 2016, made a record production volume of 1.77 million tons in 2018, marked a best-in-history revenue of 200 million euros in 2021, and the output value reached 1 billion euros in 2022, Song Sihai, executive director of Hesteel Serbia, told the Global Times.

Joint efforts for future

Plant worker Aleksandar Duncevic recalled all the changes brought about by the takeover and the joint efforts by the Chinese buyer and local Serbian staff, which gave Duncevic "a strong sense of certainty and security," and allowed him to "make plans for the future."

Felic Nenad, who was among the crowds to welcome Xi in 2016, described the China-Serbia cooperation as a "light at the end of the tunnel."

"Now we have new production lines, higher output, and cleaner air… It made a big difference for our city and our country," Nenad told the Global Times.

The Global Times learned that after an investment of 300 million euros to enhance energy efficiency and environmental protection in 2022, the company marked a new milestone in 2023 by dropping dust pollution to 34.8 mg/Nm3, the first time in the plant's history and way lower than EU standards.

Cvetanovic was obviously excited when talking about the plant's new gasholder, upgraded furnace, and finishing mill - industry terms that are concrete evidence of Hesteel Serbia's bright future.

Stefan Nesic, head of temper mills, cutting, packaging, and shipping in the cold rolling mill, started to work at Hesteel Serbia in late 2017. But through conversations with colleagues who were there during Xi's visit, he got the impression that "the visit was of great importance for the morale of the entire factory and has kept encouraging the Serbian workers to join hands for an even better future."

Nesic also told the Global Times that he appreciates the company's comprehensive support for employees from steady paychecks and an improved working environment, to future career development, including his own pursuit of doctoral studies in metallurgical engineering at Belgrade University.

"Our expectations for the future are very positive and optimistic, as the factory shows that it cares about process improvement, new investments, environmental protection, and the quality of its personnel," Nesic said, expressing his hope that Hesteel Serbia will be an increasingly competitive entity in the European and international steel markets.

In 2016, factory workers presented a round plate with the silhouette of the steel plant to President Xi as a gift, writing the first chapter of this time-weathered factory's new story featuring China-Serbia cooperation.

Now, the success of Hesteel Serbia is an embodiment of this "ironclad" friendship and continues to tell success stories of the BRI cooperation.

"Future" is a word that appeared frequently in conversations with Smederevo steelworkers, which is in sheer contrast with the uncertainty and insecurity of the past.

The future of the steel plant is being authored by every Serbian and Chinese personnel in pursuit of a better life; the future of China-Serbia relationship is to be determined by numerous Serbian and Chinese people who have made contribution to boost the warm bilateral exchanges and stronger ties in trade, economic cooperation, culture, and beyond.

Recently, upon entering the production workshop of Roselot in Ningjin County, Dezhou City, Shandong Province, people would find 200 robotic arms and 180 intelligent machining centers independently processing. In the flickering flames, fitness equipment is gradually being assembled.
The increasingly stable power supply has given us the confidence and determination to introduce high-tech and promote 'Robots instead of Labor'. Currently, the workshop has been able to achieve 24-hour on-site unmanned automated production, saving nearly 500 workers, reducing operating costs by 30 percent, reducing product defect rates by 23 percent, and increasing production capacity by nearly 5 times compared to ordinary production workshops.

Since the beginning of this year, Ningjin County has pursued the path of "Digital Economic" development, centering on the traditionally strong local industries of "Hardware and Furniture," focusing on enterprise "Intelligent and Digital Transformation," adhering to innovation driven growth, accelerating the promotion of industrial enterprises "Going cloud-ward to empower intelligence with data."

That is to promote the transformation and upgrading of traditional manufacturing industries with "intelligence" and "digitization", and help the overtaking of county's digital economy through government attracting platforms which to empower enterprises. The upgrading of industries cannot be separated from the support of a stable power grid.

In order to fully ensure the electricity supply for production in the park, State Grid Dezhou Power Supply Company strengthens its visits to enterprises in the park, to understand their electricity needs, assist them in identifying safety hazards, and develop electricity plans based on the current production situation of the enterprise to ensure the safety and reliability of electricity supply for production.

"In order to meet the development needs of the industrial park, we have also planned ahead and increased the construction of the power grid," said Li Haimeng, a representative of State Grid Dezhou Power Supply Company. "A new 110 kV substation and 13 kilometers of 10 kV transmission lines have been built for the industrial park, fully ensuring the development and electricity demand of the industrial park."
Overlooking the industrial park, new photovoltaic panels are scattered on top of each factory building, shining brightly in the sunlight and illuminating the path of Ningjin's fitness industry to prosperity.
"After the introduction of photovoltaic power generation, the roof area of the factory has been effectively utilized, the monthly electricity expenses have been greatly reduced, and the net profit of the enterprise has also been further improved." The person, in charge of Maibaohe Fitness Equipment Co., Ltd. in Ningjin County, Dezhou City, Shandong Province, said happily.

"By implementing TOU price and cooperating with enterprises to reasonably introduce photovoltaic new energy, the average monthly electricity cost for business can be reduced by tens of thousands of yuan, helping enterprises to lower costs and increase income." said Wang Haitao, a marketing representative from State Grid Dezhou Power Supply Company.
In recent years, State Grid Dezhou Power Supply Company has implemented "fixed person, regular, and customized" services to deeply understand customer power needs. It provides one-on-one energy-saving consulting, comprehensive energy efficiency analysis and other electricity services to solve customer electricity problems, help enterprises optimize energy consumption methods, reduce energy costs, and inject sufficient electricity into efficient production. In 2022 alone, the total output value of the local fitness equipment industry was about 8.76 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 6.2 percent.