Author: WuhuW

HEFEI — Equipped with a remote-sensing satellite, radar, drones and cameras, an intelligent management platform conducts real-time monitoring of the Wuhu section of the Yangtze River.

“With the intelligent equipment and algorithms, the platform can analyze the conditions of passing vessels automatically and notify inspectors if there is illegal fishing, sand mining, or waste dumping,” said Wei Bo, an official with the Wuhu municipal development and reform commission responsible for building this platform.

According to Wei, the intelligent platform was launched in January 2021 based on the data and technical support of multiple departments in Wuhu city, East China’s Anhui province, to jointly protect the Yangtze River in smarter and more efficient ways.

Along the Wuhu section of the Yangtze River, dozens of high-definition cameras were installed to monitor the river around the clock. Radar signals from seven radar stations are shared by the platform to identify and trace illegal vessels, while satellite imagery is used and compared each season to observe the possible destruction of wetlands.

“Thanks to these modern sci-tech methods, we have found more than 20 illegal sand mining vessels and cracked over 120 illegal fishing cases, deterring illegal acts on the Yangtze River and improving the ecological environment of the Yangtze,” said Wei.

The Yellow River and the Yangtze River are the “mother rivers” of the Chinese nation. Amid joint efforts to protect “mother rivers,” multiple sci-tech measures have played an important role.

In East China’s Shandong province, 2,627 video surveillance sites and 219 drones have been applied to monitor and patrol the Yellow River sections passing through this province.

“Through smart equipment, we adopt an integrated patrol method to monitor floods and illegal acts on the Yellow River, which can greatly increase patrol efficiency and reduce related risks in the event of extreme weather,” said Li Mindong, an official with the Shandong Yellow River information center.

Besides intelligent patrol, as more and more ships are encouraged to use onshore power sources to protect the ecosystem of the mother rivers, the construction and application of smart onshore power options have also speeded up at ports along the rivers.

At a port in Tongling city of Anhui, shipowners are scanning QR codes on onshore power piles with their smartphones to supply power to their ships directly, instead of relying on fuel-powered generators.

“On traditional onshore power piles, users need to record the power consumption and calculate the fees manually. Now, they can use and pay for electricity by scanning the codes on smart piles, which is very convenient. The total power consumption of vessels is also available in our system,” said Li Gen from State Grid Tongling electric power company.

Currently, 23 ports in Tongling city have been equipped with onshore power facilities. In 2022, the onshore power consumption of Tongling’s ports reached 769,000 kWh, a year-on-year increase of 33 percent, which is equivalent to a reduction of about 192 tonnes of fuel consumption and 49.9 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions.

According to the administration of navigational affairs on the Yangtze River under the Ministry of Transport, over 780,000 transportation ships from the 11 provincial-level regions along the Yangtze River Economic Belt used onshore power totaling more than 74.9 million kWh in 2022, with both the number of vessels and the onshore power usage reaching a record high.

On March 6th, the inaugural meeting and the first general meeting of Wuhu High-end Equipment Manufacturing Industry Association were held in the Municipal Enterprise Service Center. At present, the association has 64 high-quality member units, involving agricultural machinery and equipment, additive manufacturing, rail transit equipment and other industries.

Manufacturing industry is vital for national economy. In recent years, Wuhu has basically built an agricultural machinery and equipment industrial cluster in Sanshan Economic and Technological Development Zone, a rail transit equipment industrial cluster in Wuhu Economic and Technological Development Zone, and an additive manufacturing industrial cluster in Fanchang District. The relevant person in charge of Wuhu Binjiang Intelligent Technology Co., Ltd. said that they will build a service platform of “business attraction and talent recruitment” to realize the high quality development of Wuhu high-end equipment manufacturing industry with the support of the association.

It is learned from the municipal Economy and Information Technology Bureau that since 2022, Wuhu has accelerated the implementation of key projects of high-end equipment manufacturing industry. Last year, the city attracted 138 new related projects, with a total investment of 142.94 billion yuan. The fund of funds totaling 13.5 billion yuan concerning Anhui high-end equipment manufacturing industry was attracted in Wuhu. Next, the city will gather the leading enterprises, emerging enterprises and cutting-edge enterprises to realize the high-end equipment manufacturing industry of 100 billion sales with the support of the association, the industrial market, and the government.

Translated by Wang Mengxiao from Foreign Affairs Office of Wuhu Municipal People’s Government

The seventh China Grand Awards for Industry were announced on March 19 in Beijing and Conch Group was named as winners. 

The China Grand Awards for Industry are the highest in China’s industrial field with the approval of the State Council, which are organized by China Federation of Industrial Economics and presented every two years. The awards aim to recognize enterprises and projects that have made outstanding achievements and contributions in adhering to the path of new industrialization with Chinese characteristics, leading the high-quality development of China’s industrial economy. After rigorous evaluation, a total of 19 enterprises and 19 projects have been selected for the awards.

Our province insists on putting the focus of economic development on the real economy, promoting new industrialization, implementing the action of expanding advantageous industries and cultivating high-quality enterprises in gradient. Conch Group adheres to innovation-driven strategy, technology empowerment, traditional cement industry transformation and upgrading, and green emerging industries cultivation and expansion. For four consecutive years, Conch Group has been ranked among the world’s top 500 enterprises, and has been selected in the list of world-class demonstration enterprises created by the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council.

In recent years, Conch Group has implemented a number of forward-looking scientific and technological innovation projects. It has built the world’s first cement kiln tail gas carbon capture and purification project, the world’s first cement whole-process intelligent factory, China’s first autonomous driving project of open-pit cement mine cars, and has made a number of major scientific and technological innovation achievements, effectively promoting technological progress, structural adjustment, transformation and upgrading of China’s cement and building materials industry.

Translated by Yuan Mengwen from Foreign Affairs Office of Wuhu Municipal People’s Government

A BYD car rolls off the production line in Hefei, Anhui province, on June 30, 2022. [Photo/VCG]

China witnesses a large scale auto price decrease with prices of over 86 models sharply decreasing, Sina Finance reported on Saturday, citing data from Southern Metropolis Daily.

After Dongfeng Motor cut prices by up to 90,000 yuan ($13,091) and BMW reduced prices by 100,000 yuan, Toyota even advertised “buy one get one free” to promote auto sales.

Apart from BYD and Changan Auto, Chery also joined to cut the prices of their automobiles on March 11.

The price cuts are expected to continue until after the May Day holiday and the performance of the second quarter is especially critical to auto manufactures, traditional car manufacturers told Jiemian News.

Industry insiders said that the main reason for the large-scale price reduction is to remove inventory and it may also be related to the implementation of State VI B emission standards.

Meanwhile, the auto price cuts will have a direct impact on the second-hand market, which will face considerable challenges this year, according to industrial insiders.

The 38th municipal science and technology innovation competition for teenagers kicked off on March 12 at Jiuzi Primary School. Chen Yi, a municipal superior inspector and chairman of the Association for Science and Technology, attended the opening ceremony.

The theme of this competition is “Innovation, Experience and Development “. More than 500 young athletes and technology instructors from more than 140 schools of Wuhu participated in the competition. A total of 311 entries were received in the competition, including 281 science and technology innovation achievements projects for teenagers (128 in the primary school group, 87 in the junior high school group, and 66 in the senior high school group), and 30 projects for science and technology counselors.

It is reported that the youth science and technology innovation competition for teenagers has developed into one of the city’s most influential youth science and technology activities. It is an important platform for the gathering and exchange of scientific and technological education achievements, and also a stage for the display and exchange of young technology enthusiasts and vast numbers of scientific and technological educators. This competition is jointly sponsored by the Municipal Association for Science and Technology, the Municipal Bureau of Education, the Youth League Municipal Committee, the Municipal Women’s Federation, and the Government of Jiujiang District. It aims to cultivate innovative talents as well as further to encourage teenagers to actively participate in scientific and technological innovation activities and strive to improve their awareness and ability of scientific and technological innovation.

Translated by Yuan Mengwen from Foreign Affairs Office of Wuhu Municipal People’s Government

Employees check cars rolling off a production line of an automaker in Yibin, Sichuan province. [Photo by Zhuang Geer/For China Daily]

China-made new energy vehicles are gaining in popularity globally, which automakers and experts said is a sign of the country’s leading position in the burgeoning sector.

Chinese and foreign carmakers exported 170,000 electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids from China in the first two months, up 62.8 percent year-on-year, said the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers.

Chen Shihua, deputy secretary-general of the CAAM, said made-in-China vehicles are benefiting from an enhanced image thanks to their competitive edge in electrification and cutting-edge onboard functions including autonomous driving.

The CAAM’s statistics show that by the third quarter of 2022, there were 411 models available in China with driving-assist functions including automatic parking, and most of these were NEVs.

“Destinations of exports tell something. In the past we mainly exported vehicles to South America and Africa. Now, our NEVs are selling well in new destinations that we failed to get a foothold in previously, like Europe,” said Chen.

Both established giants and startups now consider Europe, where modern vehicles were invented, as a priority market in their global campaign.

New York-listed Chinese startup Nio entered Europe in 2021 with Norway as its first stop. In 2022, it expanded into four other European countries including Germany and Sweden.

Its electric sedan ET7 was named late last year as the best model in the “Medium and Upper Class” category in the 47-year old Golden Steering Wheel competition in Germany.

The award made Nio the first Chinese automaker to win the much-coveted accolade, which is usually won by German and Japanese brands.

SAIC Motor said its MG4 Electric is now available in around 800 dealerships in dozens of European countries, with monthly orders now exceeding 10,000 units.

The model was the result of its Chinese and British teams focusing on new car quality standards in different countries, said the carmaker.

Chinese bus maker Yutong sat atop the list of popular electric bus brands in Europe in 2022, beating local giants including Mercedes and Volvo.

A total of 479 Yutong e-buses were registered in Europe last year, up 58 percent year-on-year, seizing an 11.5 percent share of the growing market, according to consultancy Chatrou CME Solutions.

Yin Tongyue, chairman of Chery Automobile, said the popularity of China’s NEVs is backed by the country’s sound supply chain, from electric motors to batteries.

There were 723,000 companies in China’s NEV sector by the end of February, of which 80 percent were established within the past five years, according to Chinese corporate information provider Tianyancha.

South Korea’s SNE Research said that six out of the world’s top 10 makers of power batteries used in NEVs in 2022 were Chinese, with CATL sitting atop the list for six years in a row.

The availability of experienced workers in the NEV sector is another factor in China’s increasingly competitive edge.

Grace Tao, vice-president of Tesla, said “99.9 percent” of its employees in China are local Chinese. Tesla’s plant in Shanghai is one of its global export hubs.

On March 10th, 2023 Anhui Automobiles and Auto Parts Output and Demand Matchmaking Meeting was held in Wanzhi District, Wuhu City. Ke Wenbin, deputy director-general of Anhui Provincial Economy and Information Technology Department, and Cai Yi, vice mayor of Wuhu, attended the meeting and delivered remarks.

With the theme of “Linking New Industrial Ecology and Realizing New Automobile Development”, the matchmaking meeting invited 200-plus key enterprises of complete vehicles and auto parts, financial enterprises and colleges and universities. Product supply and demand contracts of 14.8 billion yuan, and major investment projects of 11.4 billion yuan were signed at the meeting. In addition, some key automobile manufacturing enterprises signed strategic cooperation agreements with banks and financial institutions, and targeted personnel training agreements with universities. During the meeting, Wanzhi District promotes the development of the auto parts industry. Representatives from eight enterprises introduce the growth of enterprises and their new products.

In recent years, Anhui has vigorously implemented the development strategy of building a strong manufacturing province, and aimed to develop the automobiles and auto parts industry into a trillion industry. At present, Wuhu automobiles and auto parts industry has attracted 371 enterprises above the designated size, planning the whole industrial chain. In 2022, the output value of automobiles and auto parts industry in the city exceeded 200 billion yuan, up 30.8% year-on-year, and the total sales volume of automobile manufacturing industry ranked first in the province.

Translated by Wang Mengxiao from Foreign Affairs Office of Wuhu Municipal People’s Government

A high-speed train depot on the railway between Shanghai and Nanjing. [Photo by Bruce Connolly/chinadaily.com.cn]

The goal for China’s railway system in the next five years and beyond is for it to promote high-quality development and take the lead in achieving modernization to support the government’s stated goal of turning the country into a modern socialist country in all respects, a top railway official said.

With the goal of laying 165,000 kilometers of track by the end of 2025, 50,000 km of which will be high-speed, the key is to develop a modernized railway system, concentrating on infrastructure, transportation services, innovation, safety, effective operation, management and governance, said Liu Zhenfang, president of China State Railway Group, the national railway operator.

By that point, the railway sector will have fulfilled the targets set in the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25) for development, said Liu, who is also a deputy to the 14th National People’s Congress.

“To build a modern railway transportation service, we will speed up efforts to create a smart, efficient service system and use the high-speed railway network to assist in the development of a modern logistics system,” Liu said.

By the end of 2025, 99.5 percent of cities with more than 200,000 residents will have access to the general railway network, and 98 percent of cities with more than 500,000 residents will have access to the high-speed railway network.

To create a modern technological innovation system, the sector will follow major national strategies promoting the development of its industrial system and expanding the advantages of China’s railway sector around the world, he added.

Last month, a railway science and technology innovation alliance was set up in Beijing. The group will gather resources to conduct research on key technology, promote the industrial application of railway innovations and enhance technological communication and training.

The alliance, led by China State Railway Group, consists of key companies, universities and research institutes, with the goal of deeply integrating the academic, research and industrial sectors.

Through its research, the alliance hopes to make breakthroughs in key technologies. It will allocate resources to contribute to national strategic plans, and will study global technological problems, take up key tasks and promote technological and innovation capacity.

China’s railway network has undergone rapid development over the past decade and has made great accomplishments, Liu said, adding that it ranks among the best in the world, particularly for high-speed lines, high-altitude lines, lines in extremely cold climates and heavy-load lines.

The cross-border freight train linking China and Europe connects 108 Chinese cities and 208 cities in 25 European countries. Since its opening in 2011, the service has run 65,000 China-Europe services and transported 6.04 million containers.

Over the course of the last 10 years, 4.3 trillion yuan ($617 billion) has been invested in building railways in remote and less-developed areas, accounting for 78 percent of the overall investment in railway construction, and bringing rail services to more than 130 counties.

“These achievements have not come easily. They are the result of the continual efforts of 2 million railway workers,” Liu said.

Gu Xueming, a member of the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), is interviewed ahead of the opening of the first session of the 14th CPPCC National Committee at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 4, 2023. [Photo/Xinhua]

The Belt and Road Initiative has created new growth points for global economic development and provided fresh opportunities for international cooperation, said Gu Xueming, a member of the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, on Saturday.

Speaking ahead of the opening of the first session of the 14th CPPCC National Committee in Beijing, Gu, also President of the Beijing-based Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation, said that the BRI has maintained strong momentum over the past decade.

The trade expert said that China has signed over 200 cooperation agreements with 151 countries and 32 international organizations, doubling its goods trade with countries involved in the initiative and is increasing its direct investment in their markets by 80 percent.

Citing an example of a Chinese company investing in and building a pharmaceutical factory in Mali, he said that with the production expansion of this plant, Mali has ended its dependence on imported drugs and significantly lowered market prices for products of this kind, while driving the growth of related industries.

The factory currently has a local employment rate of over 90 percent and exports drugs to eight neighboring countries, greatly alleviating the problem of the medicine shortage in West Africa.

China’s trade in goods with the BRI-related economies doubled from $1.04 trillion (7.18 trillion yuan) in 2013 to $2.07 trillion in 2022, with an average annual growth rate of 8 percent, according to data released by the Ministry of Commerce earlier this week.

Two-way investments between China and countries and regions participating in the BRI exceeded $270 billion during the period, said the ministry.

Gu stressed that opening-up is China’s basic national policy, and that the country has continuously made breakthroughs in institutional innovation through the development of pilot free trade zones.

A few days ago, the reporter learned from Anhui Port Group Wuhu Co., Ltd. that in 2022, Wuhu Port completed the port throughput of 22,615,800 tons, the container volume of 1.250,200 TEU and the vehicle transportation volume of 276,200 units，which hit a record high. Wuhu is more prominent as a shipping hub connecting the central, western regions and the Yangtze River Delta.

In the New Year, Wuhu Port will anchor the mission objectives and focus on the work priorities with the drive of “the beginning is the decisive battle” and the effort of “the start is the sprint”. In January this year, Yuxikou Branch achieved a good performance of over 700,000 tons of coal handling capacity, with a year-on-year increase of 11%; The container throughput of Wuhu Port Company achieved 100.44% of the monthly plan, with a year-on-year growth of 5.07%; The volume of packing and unpacking increased by 96.16% year on year.

Translated by Yuan Mengwen from Foreign Affairs Office of Wuhu Municipal People’s Government