A Long March-4B rocket carrying X-ray space telescope to observe black holes, pulsars and gamma-ray bursts blasts off from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China’s Gobi Desert, June 15, 2017. [Photo/Xinhua] China launched its first X-… read more
I do not know how many more times I have to argue the obvious. There is Brexit, or there is staying in the EU. The EU has made it crystal clear you cannot stay in the single market without accepting freedom of movement and paying contributions, two things the people clearly rejected in the referendum and again in the General election. You cannot stay in the Customs Union if you want to have free trade deals with the rest of the world.
The Labour Manifesto in 2017 stated they accepted the decision of the referendum. They set out policies to negotiate a range of new free trade and investment agreements with non EU countries that assume we are leaving the single market and the Customs Union. The Manifesto talked positively about a new trading relationship they wished to negotiate, again assuming the current one stemming from single market and customs union membership had gone. Their document stated that “freedom of movement will end when we leave the EU”. The Conservative and DUP Manifestos also made clear we will be leaving the single market and Customs Union and looked forward to new free trade deals around the world.
So we have overwhelming agreement, endorsed by 86% of the voters in the election, that the UK will run her own immigration policy and her own trade policy on leaving. People in the UK have to grasp that arguing amongst ourselves about what our negotiating position should be, when the government has already set one out, can only help those in the EU institutions who wish to harm the UK. Fortunately most of the member states want access to our market and want good relations with us for a wide variety of reasons. Fortunately also the Lisbon Treaty has in Clause 8 a clear legal requirement that the EU itself seeks an “area of prosperity and good neighbourliness” with us. We know how keen Commissioners are to stick to the law of the Treaty.
I am optimistic about the negotiations. It would help our country if more people got behind the government’s stance. After all what the government wants is what all say they want – good access to the single market, and many collaborations and joint workings based on bilateral agreement. To change stance now would undermine us. We negotiate with the rest of the EU, not amongst ourselves!
read moreA model of the BeiDou Satellite Navigation system exhibited in Zhuhai [File photo/Xinhua] Developers involved with the BeiDou Satellite Navigation system are preparing to make the next step forward in turning the Chinese-produced system into a ma… read more
A maglev train undergoes testing recently on Beijing’s new S1 line, which is scheduled to open later this year. [Photo/China Daily] Beijing’s first mid- to low-speed magnetic levitation railway line is preparing for its debut later this year. Ser… read more
This year Beijing has excavated and protected more than 1,300 ancient tombs of different times in history, unearthing over 3,000 pieces or sets of cultural relics as of May 30.
From February 2 to May 14 this year, the capital city’s sub-center in Tongzhou District has seen 276 ancient tombs excavated over a total area of 99,884 square meters for archaeological prospection. More than 1,000 pieces or sets of cultural relics were unearthed, including pottery, porcelain, bronze, gold and silver wares.
In Yanqing District, on the 2.54 million-square-meter area of archaeological prospection, a total of 1,100 tombs have been discovered, 845 of which have been dug out, including the brick-chambered tombs of the Eastern Han Dynasty, Wei and Jin Dynasties, Tang Dynasty and Jin Dynasty as well as the earth pit tombs of the Ming Dynasty and Qing Dynasty. Among them, seven were well-preserved family cemeteries of the Wei and Jin Dynasties, which are rare in Beijing.
In the first half of this year, during the archaeological excavation of the Ruyuan Garden in the Old Summer Palace, the overall layout including the pavilions, open halls, rockery and roads have been uncovered for the first time. Nearly 1,000 pieces of cultural relics have been discovered in the garden, such as gold bricks, tiles and the stone inscription of Emperor Jiaqing’s handwriting.
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