Beijing promotes culture under B&R Initiative

The Mutianyu section of the Great Wall in Huairou, a mountainous district in the north of Beijing, capital of China. [Photo by Cui Can/China.org.cn]

Reporters from home and abroad were invited to visit the International Culture Village of the Great Wall at Mutianyu ahead of the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation on May 13, as part of Beijing’s efforts to better demonstrate the capital’s achievements on protecting cultural relics and building beautiful villages.

Attracted by the charm of the Mutianyu Great Wall, lots of foreigners have settled in nearby villages. Located at the foot of the Great Wall, the International Culture Village covers an area of 17.8 square kilometers and consists of four villages—Mutianyu, Beigou, Tianxianyu and Xinying.

The culture village has attracted 30 foreign entrepreneurs to settle down and establish businesses since 2005.

Jim Spear and his Chinese wife Tang Liang run a hotel named “The Brickyard” at the village. Mr. Spear gave an introduction to their design ideas — “enjoy the luxury of simple comfort,” which means getting close to nature and using existing buildings to realize sustainable development.

He also stressed the importance of respecting ancient culture in building new villages. With Spear’s help, local villagers have re-decorated their own houses reflecting a mixture of old and the new, and also East and West. They then rent the houses to foreigners. A unique town with international characteristics has gradually taken shape here.

The Mutianyu Great Wall was built on the ruins of a previous structure from the Northern Qi Dynasty (550-577), becoming a quintessence of the Great Wall developing during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). As one of the best-preserved parts of the Great Wall, the Mutianyu section draws masses of tourists attracted by its beautiful scenery and traditional culture. Over 70 percent of visitors come from overseas.

Wang Zhigang, deputy manager of Financial Street Holdings Co.Ltd., delivered a welcome address to visiting reporters, pointing out the importance of the Mutianyu Great Wall in promoting international cultural exchanges, as well as describing efforts to protect ancient cultural relics.

“Under the background of the Belt and Road Initiative, we are going to deepen the historical relic’s development, and to provide a better travel experience for visitors,” he said.



Cyberspace authority warns of ransomware attack

China’s cyberspace authority Monday warned computer users to install and upgrade security software to avoid being hit by the global ransomware attack.

A statement issued by the cybersecurity coordination bureau of the Cyberspace Administration of China said the “WannaCry” ransomware attack, which began to spread worldwide Friday, has affected some enterprises and government offices in China.

Police, authorities in the industry, information technology, education, banking and cyberspace sectors as well as some computer security companies have taken response measures, the statement said.

Media reports have also helped increase public awareness of the virus and contain the spread of the attack, it added.

The authority said this global cyberattack has once again shown the unprecedented internet security challenges, calling on all sectors to address to cybersecurity issues.



China sets up national lab developing brain-like AI technology

China’s first national laboratory for brain-like artificial intelligence (AI) technology is inaugurated Saturday in Hefei. [Photo/cnr.cn]

China’s first national laboratory for brain-like artificial intelligence (AI) technology was inaugurated Saturday in Hefei, capital of East China’s Anhui Province, to pool the country’s top research talent and boost the technology.

Approved by the National Development and Reform Commission in January, the lab, based in China University of Science and Technology (USTC), aims to develop a brain-like computing paradigm and applications.

The university, known for its leading role in developing quantum communication technology, hosts the national lab in collaboration with a number of the country’s top research bodies such as Fudan University, Shenyang Institute of Automation of the Chinese Academy of Sciences as well as Baidu, operator of China’s biggest online search engine.

Wan Lijun, president of USTC and chairman of the national lab, said the ability to mimic the human brain’s ability in sorting out information will help build a complete AI technology development paradigm.

The lab will carry out research to guide machine learning such as recognizing messages and using visual neural networks to solve problems. It will also focus on developing new applications with technological achievements.



Remarks by Jyrki Katainen, Vice President of the European Commission at the High Level Dialogue Session of the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation

It is a pleasure to be here to discuss Connectivity – the driving force of the twenty-first century.

The Asian Development Bank estimates that Asia faces a $26tn infrastructure gap until 2030. Done the right way, more investment in cross-border infrastructure links could boost sustainable growth for all. That is why it is in Europe’s interest to be part of this Initiative. China is at one end of the Belt and Road – Europe at the other. Our Trans-European Networks (TEN-T) are already extending East and South. We want to be better connected to our neighbours and partners. We want to build bridges – not walls. As China and the EU are both developing transport initiatives, coordination between us is essential.

This is the role of the EU-China Connectivity Platform. Looking ahead we should ensure that any ambitious scheme to connect Europe and Asia should adhere to the following eight principles – “Eight” being a homonym for prosperity in Chinese:

First, transparency on plans and activities, together with open, rules-based public tenders and reciprocal market access. Second, inclusiveness by ensuring that all parties and countries have a fair say on priorities. We should use multilateral frameworks, like ASEM, to make this a reality. Third, long term vision. We cannot deliver with a piecemeal approach. We need a robust feasibility study with a strong focus on economic and environmental aspects. Fourth, this will help to avoid the mistakes of the past. We have learnt the hard way how to assess the impact on the environment and on the local communities who will be most directly affected. Fifth, we must mainstream the principle of sustainability in line with the 2030 Agenda.The Paris Agreement provides Asia and Europe with opportunities to invent new and better ways to produce, consume, invest and trade. Sixth, cost effectiveness. Transparent, non-discriminatory and open procurement will minimise the fiscal burden, reduce the risk of misappropriation and ensure a level playing field. We need to apply global standard lending disciplines but also bring in a more innovative approach to financing, including public-private partnerships and risk sharing. Seventh, we must involve multilateral banks like the European Investment Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the Asian Development Bank or the World Bank. Their decades of experience make them an invaluable partner for new institutions like the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank.

Finally our eighth and perhaps most important principle should be reciprocal benefits for all. Not only for countries, but also a fair chance for economic operators from all sides.



Building a better Scotland

This week marks 10 years since the SNP first took office.