XI ATTENDS COMMEMORATION OF 75TH VICTORY ANNIVERSARY OF ANTI-JAPANESE WAR, WWII

Chinese leaders led by Xi Jinping on Thursday morning attended a commemoration in Beijing for the 75th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War.

The other leaders included Li Keqiang, Li Zhanshu, Wang Yang, Wang Huning, Zhao Leji, Han Zheng and Wang Qishan.

The event was held at the Museum of the War of Chinese People's Resistance Against Japanese Aggression near Lugou Bridge, also known as Marco Polo Bridge, in the western suburb of Beijing.

It was also attended by representatives from all walks of life, including veterans who took part in the war, relatives of military officers and martyrs who fought in the war, and relatives of foreign friends who contributed to the victory of the war.

The commemoration started at 10 am. All participants sang the national anthem and then paid a silent tribute to those who sacrificed their lives in the war.

After the mourning, 14 honor guards laid seven flower baskets, with characters "Eternal Glory to Martyrs Who Died in Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression" on their red ribbons, in the entrance hall of the museum.

Xi and other leaders ascended the steps and stopped in front of the flower baskets.

Xi straightened the ribbons on a basket.

Then, other senior officials and representatives from all walks of life presented bouquets of flowers to martyrs.

CHINA'S LINKS WITH EUROPE STRENGTHENED

China and five European countries have agreed to strengthen joint efforts to bolster unity and oppose "decoupling" to prevent the world from slipping back into the grip of "the law of the jungle".

The countries voiced a strong appeal to safeguard multilateralism, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Tuesday at a joint news conference with German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas in Berlin.

Calling for China and Europe to enhance their support for multilateral institutions, Wang said both sides also agreed to maintain the overall status of China-EU relations and properly manage differences.

He said the countries agreed to strengthen cooperation between China and Europe in the response to the COVID-19 pandemic and restart personnel exchanges and practical cooperation to contribute to global economic recovery.

Germany was the final leg of Wang's eight-day trip−after Italy, the Netherlands, Norway and France−which Wang said involved strategic communication between China and European countries amid rising uncertainties.

The five European countries, which value ties with China, are concerned about the deep recession in the global economy caused by the pandemic, rising unilateralism, attempts to "decouple" and heightened international rivalry, he said.

Wang called for China and Europe to carefully plan high-level exchanges and urged they finish negotiations over a bilateral investment treaty this year and sign a strategic plan for bilateral cooperation for the next five years as soon as possible.

Both sides should also work together firmly to promote international cooperation to tackle climate change and enhance digital cooperation, Wang said.

China and Europe have their own advantages in developing digital economies and share common concerns, Wang said, adding that they should insist on opening their markets to each other and promote the formulation of global digital standards and rules.

In his talks with Maas in Berlin on Tuesday, Wang said China and Europe are partners, not rivals. He said they should tolerate and learn from each other and inject more stability into the world, which is suffering from turmoil.

China and Germany also need to work together to oppose a "new Cold War", take concrete actions to maintain smooth operation of the global supply chain and reject "decoupling" and deglobalization, Wang said.

Maas said during the talks that "decoupling" is not in line with anyone's interests. He said Germany hopes to strengthen political, economic and cultural cooperation with China.

FTZS SUSTAIN FOREIGN TRADE

China's key free trade zones saw robust growth in foreign investment and trade during the first seven months of the year despite mounting downside pressures and a sluggish global economy due to the COVID-19 epidemic, the Ministry of Commerce said on Wednesday.

Tang Wenhong, director of the department of pilot free trade zones and free trade ports at the Ministry of Commerce, said the pilot FTZs have played a key role in stabilizing foreign trade and investment.

"The FTZs have been working on COVID-19 prevention and control efforts and also on resolving any issues that companies are facing with regard to work and production resumption, such as financing and lack of workers," Tang said during a media briefing.

Six pilot FTZs in Shandong, Jiangsu, Guangxi, Hebei, Yunnan and Heilongjiang, as well as Shanghai's Lingang Area, a newly launched section of the Shanghai FTZ, attracted 13.11 billion yuan ($1.92 billion) in foreign investment during the first seven months, accounting for 5.8 percent of the total foreign investment in those areas. Foreign trade in the pilot FTZs reached 660.76 billion yuan, accounting for 10.8 percent of the total foreign trade in the regions.

"Facing a complicated and grim international situation and severe global economic recession, global trade and investment continues to be at a low ebb," Tang said.

The ministry said it will build pilot FTZs with high standards and grant them greater autonomy in reform and opening-up.

"As China has made considerable progress in preventing and controlling the pandemic, I believe the construction of pilot FTZs with high standards will help further stabilize the foreign trade and investment and build a high-level open economic system," said Tang.

"We will continue to deepen reforms and promote higher standards of opening-up and work toward a new model of development in which the domestic economic network takes the primary role and the domestic and international economic networks complement each other."

Last August, China established the new pilot FTZs, extending strategic trials to border areas to promote trade ties with neighboring countries and create new highland for reforms and opening-up. Till now, nearly 80 percent of the preset 713 pilot reform tasks have been completed, the ministry said.

WAR AGAINST JAPANESE AGGRESSION: 75 YEARS ON

Sept 3 marks the 75th victory anniversary of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression. The war, which lasted 14 years, was an important part of the worldwide anti-fascist struggle.

The victory came at a heavy price, with more than 35 million Chinese killed and injured, but earned China respect from the rest of the world. Today, we reflect on the war to commemorate the heroic sacrifices in the anti-fascist struggle and remember to cherish peace.

US EXTENDS TARIFF RELIEF ON SOME CHINESE GOODS

The United States Trade Representative's office said on Wednesday that it has extended tariff exclusions on a wide range of Chinese goods, including smart watches, medical masks and some medical equipment, till the end of this year.

The original one-year exclusions of such Chinese imports from the Section 301 tariffs imposed by the US government were set to expire on Tuesday. The USTR has extended the exclusion by four months this time.

The products on the list include a number of Bluetooth and wearable data-transmitting devices, such as those imported from China by Apple, FitBit, Sonos and other technology companies.

Other exclusions were for some face masks, respirators, stethoscope covers, cotton gauze sponges, blood pressure cuff sleeves and other medical devices. Products such as upright pianos, liquid crystal display modules and stainless steel watch cases were also exempted from tariffs until the end of this year.

The announcement came after Chinese Vice-Premier Liu He had a phone call with US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin last week. The two sides had constructive talks on cementing macroeconomic cooperation and agreed to push forward the implementation of the phase-one agreement signed in January.

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to plague the US, which is in urgent need of face masks, respirators and protective gowns. Hence it is understandable that the US has extended the tariff exemptions for certain medical supplies imported from China, said Mei Xinyu, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation.

Gao Lingyun, a research fellow at the Institute of World Economics and Politics of the Beijing-based Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said it will be constructive if China and the US implemented the phase-one trade deal smoothly. It will boost bilateral trade, instill more confidence in companies from both sides and spur global economic recovery.

The two countries should take more measures to cut tariffs and remove trade barriers, said Gao.

TYPHOON TO BRING HEAVY RAIN, GALES TO NORTHEAST

Typhoon Maysak, which was expected to land on the southern coast of South Korea at midnight Wednesday, is forecast to bring gales and torrential rains to Northeast China as it moves northwest, the National Meteorological Center said.

The center predicted that gusts of up to 117 kilometers per hour and heavy rainfall are expected to strike Heilongjiang, Jilin and Liaoning provinces as well as the Inner Mongolia autonomous region through Friday night.

"If the typhoon, a tropical system, meets cold air in the north, large amounts of energy will be released, leading to extremely heavy rain," Xue Jianjun, deputy head of the center, said at a news conference on Wednesday.

"Most of the time, people focus on the typhoon's eye, but the center is usually calm and its peripheral section can have a big impact," Xue said. "To prevent damage brought by Maysak, people need to prepare before its eye comes."

On Tuesday, the China Meteorological Administration issued a Level III emergency response to the typhoon−the third highest of the four-tier warning system.

Heilongjiang's meteorological service warned that through Friday there will be heavy rain and gales. Farmers should take precautions to prevent damage to crops, and ferry and highway services should be suspended in advance.

The sustained rainfall that has been affecting the province will cause flooding in the Songhua and Wusuli rivers, the service said.

Meanwhile, Typhoon Haishen, which formed in the Pacific Ocean on Tuesday, is expected to head northwest to Japan and South Korea with winds as strong as 261 km/h on Saturday. However, it is still uncertain how much it will affect Northeast China, the National Meteorological Center said.

The center also forecast that another typhoon will form in the next week and affect the East and South China seas.

Jia Xiaolong, deputy head of the National Climate Center, said that from 1949 to last year, about 21 percent of super typhoons that affected China occurred in September on average.

"Over the past seven decades, Septembers have had about 90 super typhoons affecting our country, accounting for the most among other months, but only five of them landed in China," he said. "We can't rule out the possibility that there will be powerful typhoons landing in our country in September."

LAST TWO TYPE 051 DESTROYERS DECOMMISSIONED

The last two destroyers in the Type 051 class, the first generation of guided-missile destroyers developed and built by China, have recently been decommissioned in Zhanjiang, Guangdong province.

The People's Liberation Army Navy said in a statement that a decommissioning ceremony for the CNS Zhanjiang and CNS Zhuhai was held at a naval port of the South Sea Fleet on Friday, marking Type 051's final retirement.

The Zhanjiang will be handed over to its namesake city while the Zhuhai will be delivered to a privately owned museum in Chongqing. Both ships will be open to the public for national defense education, the Navy said.

It is common practice for the Navy to transfer its decommissioned hardware to local governments or museums for public display.

Before the Zhanjiang and Zhuhai, the Navy retired four Type 051 ships under the North Sea Fleet-CNS Zunyi, CNS Guilin, CNS Kaifeng and CNS Dalian−in May 2019 at a naval port in Lyushun, Liaoning province.

China started designing the Type 051 class in the mid-1960s to conduct escort missions for the nation's long-range ballistic missile tests because such operations could not be conducted by the PLA Navy's four Gnevny-class destroyers that were purchased from the Soviet Union in the mid-1950s.

Construction began in 1968 on the first ship in this class, CNS Jinan, which was completed in 1971 and delivered to the North Sea Fleet.

A total of 17 Type 051 destroyers were built and underwent several rounds of modernization on their radars and weapons throughout their service.

The Zhanjiang and Zhuhai were delivered to the South Sea Fleet in 1991. The Zhanjiang was the Navy's first destroyer equipped with a modern combat command system.

In 1997, the Zhuhai became the Navy's first combat ship to sail across the Pacific and set a record of the longest and farthest voyage made by a Chinese naval vessel.

Right after the two vessels' decommissioning, the eighth Type 055 and the 25th Type 052D guided-missile destroyers were unveiled at a shipyard of the Dalian Shipbuilding Industry on Saturday.

Type 055 is China's newest generation of guided-missile destroyers. It has a displacement greater than 12,000 metric tons and is equipped with the country's most advanced air defense, missile defense and anti-ship and antisubmarine weapons, according to the Navy.

Each Type 055 ship has 112 vertical launching cells that can fire various kinds of missiles, including the long-range land-attack cruise missile. Its firepower is thought to be twice that of the Type 052D, the largest and most powerful surface combat ship in the PLA Navy before the Type 055.

CHINA'S FLOOD RESPONSE SEES IMPROVED RESULTS

China has seen flood-related casualties this year so far almost halved from the average of the past five years, despite the wider impact of flooding on people's lives and economy, according to the Ministry of Emergency Management.

"A vast stretch of areas has been affected by floods this year," said Zhou Xuewen, vice-minister of both emergency management and water resources at a news conference organized by the State Council Information Office on Thursday.

About 70.47 million people in 28 provincial regions have suffered floods so far this year, up 17 percent from the average of the past five years, he noted.

The long-lasting floods this year have resulted in total direct economic losses of almost 214.31 billion yuan, 27 percent more than the past five years' average, he added.

He said, however, there has been a sharp decrease in casualties as the ministry attached greater importance to evacuation.

The number of people left dead or missing in floods decreased 49.8 percent from the five-year average to 271. About 4.7 million people have been urgently evacuated so far this year, 47.3 percent more than the average of the past five years, he noted.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

But let's put it this way: You got to be willing to change. Once you harden, the arteries do. - Allan Gurganus