XI STRESSES SOLIDARITY, COOPERATION IN GLOBAL VIRUS FIGHT

President Xi Jinping reiterated the need for united action and coordination between different countries in the global fight against the COVID-19 pandemic as he spoke over the phone with the heads of state of Saudi Arabia and Uruguay on Wednesday night.

In his phone conversation with Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud−the third between the two leaders this year−Xi underscored that China is willing to maintain close coordination and cooperation with Saudi Arabia, to enable the Group of 20 countries to work more closely together and help make COVID-19 vaccines a global public good.

It is important to ensure all countries and all people can afford and have access to the vaccines, he said.

China is willing to work with other G20 members to boost aid to developing countries, build an open world economy, safeguard the stability of global industry and supply chains and facilitate the orderly flow of personnel, he said.

The G20 should lead the way in cooperation on digital economy and create an open, fair, just and nondiscriminatory digital economy environment, he said.

Xi expressed China's willingness to use the 30th anniversary of China-Saudi Arabia relations as an opportunity to boost political mutual trust and continue to offer each other support on issues concerning respective core interests and major concerns.

The Belt and Road Initiative can be better aligned with Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 to enable deeper and more concrete cooperation in various areas, he added.

King Salman said Saudi Arabia hopes to deepen anti-epidemic cooperation with China, especially in the research and development of vaccines, and Riyadh is willing to maintain close coordination and communication with Beijing to strengthen unity and cooperation among the G20 members.

Xi's conversation with Uruguayan President Luis Lacalle Pou was the first between the two leaders since Lacalle Pou was sworn in as Uruguayan president in March.

As the world is undergoing profound changes unseen in a century, solidarity and cooperation should be pursued in the spirit of building a community with a shared future for mankind, Xi said.

China will continue anti-epidemic cooperation with Uruguay, firmly support the leading role of the World Health Organization and strive for an early victory against the virus, he said.

Hailing Uruguay as China's trustworthy friend in Latin America, Xi said China is willing to import more high-quality agricultural products and high value-added products that meet its domestic market demand.

The two countries should work toward new growth areas in bilateral cooperation such as e-commerce and service trade and step up exchanges and cooperation in culture, education and sports, he added.

Lacalle Pou said the Uruguayan side hopes that the complementary nature between the two economies can be fully exploited, and cooperation in areas such as agricultural products, infrastructure and innovation can be advanced.

HUAWEI TO USE OWN OPERATING SYSTEM IN 2021 ON SMARTPHONES

Huawei Technologies Co said on Thursday that its in-house operating system HarmonyOS will be used in smartphones next year, marking a breakthrough in Chinese companies' efforts to commercialize self-developed operating systems and to build their own globally competitive software ecosystems.

Analysts said the increasing use of HarmonyOS showcases Huawei's resilience and technological prowess, but challenges still exist as the latest US chip bans weigh on Huawei's smartphone business.

Yu Chengdong, CEO of Huawei's consumer business group, announced the system update HarmonyOS 2.0 at its annual developers' conference on Thursday in Dongguan, Guangdong province, and said the system will be used in its smartphones next year.

HarmonyOS was unveiled a year ago, after Washington restricted Huawei from using Google's Android operating system. HarmonyOS is arguably the biggest push by Huawei to build its own software ecosystem, and it is already used in Huawei's smart TV products.

With the upgrade of the system, HarmonyOS will be used in smartwatches, personal computers and other internet of things devices later, Yu said.

The progress came after the US government expanded a series of chip restrictions on Huawei in the past few months that have limited its access to semiconductor components and equipment produced by companies using US technology.

The US government is also facing mounting pressure from the country's own semiconductor association and chip companies. This may force it to relax the regulations in the near future, experts said.

Boston Consulting Group said in a report that if the US government increases restrictions on semiconductor trade with China, this could endanger the country's own position as a leader in the sector.

BCG warned that if shipments of US chips and chipmaking equipment to China were stopped, and China were to ban imports of US electronics and software, it could cost US companies 37 percent of their annual sales.

To cope with Washington's restrictions on the use of Google Mobile Services, Huawei has also been working hard to build the ecosystem for Huawei Mobile Services, better known as HMS, which is the foundation of its ability to sell smart devices in overseas markets.

Huawei said the mobile applications integrated with HMS so far have exceeded 96,000. The number of developers of HMS now stands at over 1.8 million.

BLAST, FIRE IN ZHUHAI INJURES AT LEAST 3

At least three people were injured in a gas blast in a store near a hotel in the Doumen district of Zhuhai, Guangdong province, on Friday morning. One of them was burned.

The blast occurred in the district's Baiteng neighborhood at about 9 am, damaging many residential houses and shops in the area, according to a statement released by the district's bureau of public security on Friday.

The ground floor and second floor of the hotel were also seriously damaged, and the smoke continued to billow for some time in the area, the statement said.

"I saw fire after hearing an explosion inside a business while I was walking along the street," a witness told local media. "I later saw the heavy smoke and pedestrians running in all directions."

Fifty-five firefighters and 11 trucks, plus medical personnel and emergency officials, were sent to help rescue any injured people and fight the fire, the statement said.

The fire was under control by about 10 am. The cause of the blast is being investigated, the statement said.

The blast resulted in a heavy traffic jam in a busy commercial area. Traffic police closed the nearby roads to make way for firefighters and rescue personnel.

CHINA RESTATES STRONG SUPPORT FOR UN ON 75TH ANNIVERSARY

China issued a position paper to reiterate its support for multilateralism and the authority of the United Nations on Thursday as the international organization celebrates the 75th anniversary of its founding.

The paper covered a number of issues, including the role of the UN, the international situation, international cooperation to tackle COVID-19 and sustainable development.

Protectionism and bullying are on the rise, the paper said, criticizing "certain countries and political forces" for "putting the world in serious jeopardy" by "playing the blame game, clamoring for 'decoupling', and pulling out of international organizations and agreements".

As a result, the paper called for countries to reject unilateralism, hegemonism and power politics, defend the UN-centered international system and work for international relations that are "more democratic, rules-based and equitable".

All countries are equal, and UN members should take action to make the global governance system better reflect the interests of emerging markets and developing countries, according to the paper, which was posted on the Foreign Ministry's website.

Urging rejection of politicization or stigmatization associated with COVID-19, the paper called for supporting the World Health Organization's "key leadership" and concerted action to tackle the pandemic.

The world needs to pay great attention to the impact of the pandemic on developing countries, the paper said, adding that China, which is working with other G20 members to conduct debt suspension for the poorest countries, called for extending the suspension of debt.

China, a founding member of the UN and the first country to sign the UN Charter, follows a path of peaceful development, the paper emphasized, adding that it will continue the "win-win strategy of opening-up", and hopes to share its development experience and opportunities with other countries.

Wang Yiwei, a professor at Renmin University of China's School of International Studies, said the paper shows China's "sense of responsibility as a major country".

The paper is necessary in terms of reminding the world of the purpose of the UN, which is to work for peace and human development and keep war at bay, at a time when unilateralism and extremism are rearing their heads and international systems are being challenged, Wang said.

CHINESE, INDIAN FOREIGN MINISTERS AGREE TO DEESCALATE BORDER TENSION

Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said China and India have agreed to deescalate border tension and avoid any actions that might intensify the current situation.

Wang made the remarks at a bilateral meeting with Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar in the Russian capital of Moscow on Thursday.

Both officials are attending a ministerial meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Member States in Moscow.

The two senior diplomats agreed that border tension is not in the interest of both sides and border forces from China and India should maintain communication, disengage contact as soon as possible and maintain a necessary distance.

Wang and Jaishankar also agreed to keep using the existing mechanisms to carry out discussions over border issues.

Special representatives on border issues started meeting in 2003 and a bilateral working mechanism for consultation and coordination on border affairs was launched in 2012.

UNIVERSITIES TO TAKE PART IN CIIF

A total of 69 universities will participate in the 22nd China International Industry Fair, which will be held at the National Convention and Exhibition Center in Shanghai from Sept 15 to 19.

Universities such as Tsinghua University, Wuhan University, Fudan University, Osaka City University of Japan, Payap University, and the North-Chiang Mai University of Thailand will be among those in attendance.

According to the Shanghai Education Commission, the universities have brought 708 innovative achievements covering the fields of epidemic control research, industrial automation, artificial intelligence, intelligent manufacturing system, new energy and other aspects to the exhibition.

A special exhibition area dedicated to epidemic control will be set up in the exhibition this year to showcase scientific research contributions made by colleges and universities in the prevention and control of the COVID-19 epidemic.

For example, Nankai University from Tianjin has developed a COVID-19 CT imaging screening system based on interpretable artificial intelligence technology that can perform a diagnose by analyzing CT data in just 20 seconds.

As of March 26, the system has been deployed in 52 hospitals in Hubei province and other countries such as Japan, Italy, the United States and Germany, diagnosing over 153,608 cases.

The commission pointed out that the university and college exhibition area will strengthen the relationship with the science, technology, and the economic management department of the Yangtze River Delta by organizing tours of the exhibition for professional visitors. Roadshows and working seminars will also be arranged.

9 TRAPPED AFTER TUNNEL COLLAPSE IN GUANGXI

Nine people have been trapped since the roof of a under-construction tunnel in Leye county, Baise city of Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region collapsed around 6 pm Thursday, and rescue efforts are underway according to local authorities.

As of 5 am Friday, no signs of life has been found after 10 hours of searching, the Baise city fire rescue team said.

Among the trapped, the oldest is 54 years old and the youngest is 24.

Over 400 people from multiple departments, including hospital, transport and fire departments have been organized to undertake the rescue.

Experts from the national emergency management bureau have reached the scene to guide the rescue.

CHINESE MAINLAND SEES 29M VISITS BY TAIWAN RESIDENTS IN 5 YEARS

From 2015 to 2019, the Chinese mainland recorded 29.37 million visits by Taiwan residents, according to the Chinese exit and entry administration Friday.

The last batch of paper travel passes for Taiwan visitors to the mainland will expire on Sept 20, and they will be supplanted by a more convenient electronic version, the bureau of exit and entry administration under the Ministry of Public Security said in a statement.

Residents in Taiwan can also apply for a single-entry pass for their mainland travels, the bureau said.

The mainland started issuing travel passes for Taiwan residents in 1992, and as of 2019, more than 23 million passes had been issued for over 11.6 million Taiwan residents, the bureau said.

To further improve the safety and efficiency of border inspections and facilitate the arrival of Taiwan residents, the mainland in 2015 began issuing electronic long-term passes.

LOGISTICS FIRMS TO GAIN FROM NEW POLICY MOVES

Share prices of logistics companies surged on Thursday after the central government said it would develop a modern distribution system to bolster economic development, with experts expecting more upswings after detailed measures are announced.

Speaking at the eighth meeting of the Central Committee for Financial and Economic Affairs on Wednesday, President Xi Jinping said coordinated efforts are needed to advance the construction of a modern logistics system to provide strong support for a new development pattern.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, said the distribution system plays a fundamental role in the national economy, and constructing the modern logistics system should be seen as a strategic task.

Zhangjiagang Freetrade Science and Technology Group Co Ltd shares surged by the daily limit of 10 percent, while SF Holding Co Ltd shares rose by 1.53 percent. Sinotrans Ltd rose by 1.6 percent while CTS International Logistics Corp Ltd gained 0.31 percent.

"The President's remarks underscored the development of logistics as a national strategy. The creation of a modern transportation system and the other national development schemes as well as the Belt and Road Initiative will foster a new round of economic advancement in the nation," said Lin Guolong, director of the Logistics Research Center at Shanghai Maritime University.

Logistics is already playing a substantial role in Chinese people's daily life, and it is fundamental to maintaining stable supply chains. More efforts should be focused on balanced development, enhancement of technology inputs, as well as terminal distribution improvements, said Lin from the Shanghai Maritime University.

A statement released after the meeting said that cargo capacity on high-speed railways and international flights must be increased so as to build a safe, efficient logistics network connecting internal and external markets.

Major Chinese courier firms have been constantly expanding their overseas network and are slowly seeing a growth in their overseas business.

China will also develop a number of globally competitive businesses in the distribution sector and promote their capabilities in transformation and integration with digital and smart technologies.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

But what is happiness except the simple harmony between a man and the life he leads? - Albert Camus