According to Japanese media, Japanese government sources stated on January 15 that Japan and Australia are discussing potential military cooperation in case of simultaneous contingencies in their nearby regions. They also mentioned increasing the sophistication and frequency of joint drills between the Self-Defense Forces and the Australian military and Tokyo has also asked for Canberra's cooperation in using Australia's vast continent as a testing ground for Japanese missiles that are under development, "apparently with China's growing maritime assertiveness in mind."

This reflects the step-by-step implementation of the Australia-Japan Joint Declaration on Security Cooperation signed by Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in October 2022. It is also a result of vigorous facilitation and promotion by the US. Japan and Australia are becoming two pawns in the US Indo-Pacific Strategy, or more specifically, in the strategy to contain China. This can be likened to the sharp claws of a feline extending from concealed pads.

Following Washington's instructions and deployment, the two countries are overtly strengthening military interactions and cooperation with the explicit goal of countering China. The impact of this approach on the regional situation is inevitably disruptive and detrimental, poisoning the regional peace environment, intensifying tensions, and exerting significant efforts to push the Asia-Pacific region into security dilemmas or traps.

The revealed development, particularly Japan's intention to conduct long-range missile launch tests in Australia, is indeed noteworthy. Japan lacks strategic depth domestically and does not have the conditions for testing medium to long-range missiles. It also faces the restricts of the constitution. Utilizing Australia's territory for this purpose is undoubtedly advantageous for Japan. Australia is breeding an inexplicable "sense of insecurity" under the malicious instigation and misleading of the US, blindly cooperating with and supporting Japan's dangerous actions instead of taking precautions. This is very regrettable.

If this comes to fruition, it would represent a fundamental and substantive betrayal and breach of the Constitution of Japan. Many peace-loving individuals in the Asia-Pacific region, including a significant number of Japanese citizens, have long been strongly concerned about and vehemently opposed to such actions. Japanese media has described the US-Japan-Australia defense relationship as "changing the rules of the game." However, the development of long-range missiles by Japan goes beyond merely "changing the rules of the game." For countries that have previously suffered from Japanese militaristic aggression, it is more akin to lifting the seal on a demon.

Japan enacted a peace constitution after being defeated in World War II and pursued a principle of "exclusive self-defense," establishing an image of a "peaceful nation" and embarking on a "peaceful path" to help Japan quickly gain recognition and trust from countries affected by World War II and integrate into the international community. The rapid recovery and development of Japan's economy after World War II are closely related to this. However, when Japan deviates from the path of peace, recognition and trust of the international community immediately turn into vigilance and suspicion, further becoming obstacles and restrictions on Japan's development path.

Medium to long-range missiles are undoubtedly significant offensive weapons. In late 2022, Japan passed "three security documents," which clearly stated Japan's commitment to policies such as having "enemy base strike capabilities," including various types of long-range offensive missiles and the "integrated air and missile defense" system used in conjunction with the US military. From this news, it can be seen that Japan is moving forward along the planned route of the new security documents, and ahead of this path lies a huge crisis.

This road is not only full of dangers but also causes great harm to the people and the economy. Japan's defense budget for the fiscal year 2024 will increase by 16.5 percent compared to the previous fiscal year, reaching a historical high. The Asahi Shimbun commented that such a large-scale budget "has completely exceeded its own needs and is in an inflated state." The high defense expenditure will undoubtedly squeeze out more financial resources related to people's livelihoods, negatively impacting the lives of Japanese citizens.

Since the intensification of global geopolitical tensions, Japan has been distorting the concept, turning regional countries' expectations for peace into tacit approval or even support for its military development. Facts have proven that Japan's actions are seriously stimulating the escalation of regional tensions. As victims of Japan's past militaristic aggression, Canberra and the South Pacific countries should in no way contribute to the growth of Japan's military ambitions.

Australia, located in the southern hemisphere, could have been free from the disturbance of geopolitical conflicts. There is absolutely no need to let military weapons from other countries cast a shadow of war over this land. In December of last year, Australian defense minister refused to send warships or aircraft to the US-led Red Sea coalition, citing "our strategic focus is our region." If Australia truly feels responsible for its surrounding region, this should be reflected in actions that maintain peace and reduce the risk of war. And Australia should demonstrate strategic autonomy through practical actions.

After netizens in several parts of China captured footage of an unidentified flying object in the sky on Sunday, experts stated that this phenomenon was caused by the passivation process of the rocket launched by SpaceX carrying Starlink satellites over North China, according to media reports on Monday.

Netizens posted videos on Sunday claiming that an unidentified flying object were seen flying across the sky in many parts of China. Internet users in Beijing commented that the unidentified light cluster looked like a moving cloud-like object, but it was definitely not an airplane.

"The glowing object had three light sources arranged in an isosceles triangle, and it dispersed like a mist and disappeared without a trace," another netizen wrote.

People from North China's Hebei and Shanxi provinces also reported seeing the flying object and described it as resembling a large mosquito, and some questioned whether it was a rocket launch.

In response to the doubts of netizens, Zhu Jin, a researcher from the Beijing Planetarium, stated that the unidentified flying object was a phenomenon caused by the passivation treatment of the rocket carrying the Starlink satellites launched by SpaceX at 16:59 on Sunday Beijing time passing over North China, according to the Beijing News on Monday.

Zhu said that passivation treatment can be seen as the process of the rocket discarding unused fuel. When a rocket completes its mission, there is usually leftover fuel, which is not brought back to Earth with the rocket. Instead, the remaining fuel from the final stage of the rocket is vented through passivation treatment to prevent explosions.

According to the China Newsweek, Yang Yuguang, Vice Chair of the Space Transportation Committee at the International Astronautical Federation, further explained that passivation treatment is a common practice by major countries to mitigate the space debris, which includes three aspects: emptying the remaining propellant, releasing gas from high-pressure cylinders, and discharging the electrical energy from its batteries. These three aspects are all aimed at avoiding the danger caused by self-explosion of the rocket's final stage, according to Yang.

The expert stated that currently, humans use multi-stage rockets to deliver payloads, such as satellites, spacecraft and space stations, into orbit around the Earth. The batteries are used in the last stage of the launch vehicle, and once the battery power is depleted, the spacecraft loses all functionality and becomes space junk, which is detrimental to the mitigation of space debris. The space junk may collide with other spacecraft or explode itself, generating more and larger space debris, Yang said.

Under normal circumstances, when people observe the final stage of a launch vehicle passing through a certain area, it appears as a bright spot, which is actually a reflection of sunlight. It can be seen only if the sky is not too bright and it must be able to be illuminated by the sun, so it is more likely to see the artificial spacecraft during dawn and dusk, Yang noted.

According to the SpaceX website, Falcon 9 launched 22 Starlink satellites to low-Earth orbit at 12:59 am Pacific Time Sunday and 23 Starlink satellites at 8:52 pm US Eastern Time Sunday.

China's National Immigration Administration (NIA) officially implements five measures to facilitate foreign nationals coming to China, effective on Thursday, including relaxing visa application requirements and simplifying visa application materials. This move represents that China continues to speed up its opening-up to the outside world.

The sluggish recovery of international flights and Western media's disinformation against China are partly responsible for the slow recovery of foreigners' visits to China, said experts. However, they anticipate a boost in visits to China in the coming year. This increase in tourism not only has the potential to enhance trade and people-to-people exchanges but also allows foreigners to gain firsthand experiences and information in China, thereby dispelling any malicious disinformation propagated by Western media. 

Liu Haitao, an official from NIA, announced the measures at a conference held on Thursday. One of these measures include the relaxation of the conditions for foreign nationals to apply for port visas to China. For foreign nationals who urgently need to engage in business cooperation, visit exchanges, investment and other non-diplomatic and non-official activities, if they are unable to obtain a visa overseas in time, they can apply for a port visa to enter China by presenting invitation letters and other relevant supporting documents to the port visa authorities.

Foreign nationals can transit through Beijing Capital Airport and other designated international airports in China without going through immigration procedures for up to 24 hours. This policy applies to nine international airports, including Beijing Capital, Beijing Daxing, Shanghai Pudong, and Xi'an Xianyang. 

Travelers with international connecting flights within 24 hours can transit through any of these airports to a third country or region without going through immigration procedures and enjoy visa-free transit, said Liu. 

The measures will also allow foreign nationals to apply for visa extensions, replacements, or reissues at the nearest location. Foreign nationals who need to enter and exit China multiple times can apply for reentry visas, as the application process will now be simplified.

For foreign nationals applying for visas, if their accommodation registration records and business licenses can be accessed through information sharing, they are exempt from providing relevant paper documents for verification. For foreign nationals in China applying for short-term family reunion visas, a declaration of kinship by the inviting person can be used instead of proof of kinship.

According to the official, as China's economy continues to recover and improve, and its level of opening-up to the outside world expands, there has been a surge in demand for enhanced immigration management services from both domestic and foreign enterprises and individuals. 

In response, the NIA is proactively collaborating with relevant authorities to address key challenges and obstacles pertaining to the entry of foreigners for business, study, and tourism in China. 

[The recent new measures] are a game-changer for business, a British national doing business in Shanghai who only gave his name as Barrie told the Global Times on Thursday. "This could open up all kinds of opportunities. I can say from experience that the visa application procedures (even for visiting) had been challenging in the past, this easing of process for foreigners to enter will bring flows of travelers, and workers, and commerce."

Border inspection authorities across China checked a total of 210 million visitors entering the country in 2023, recovering to 62.9 percent of the levels seen in 2019. The number of visitors entering the country will continue to rise in 2024 thanks to the resumption of international flights and cross-border personnel exchanges, said an official from the NIA.

The NIA said the number of new applications and replacements for 'Five-Star Card' that is designated for foreign permanent residents increased significantly. Foreigners with permanent residence permits in China can apply for financial services, including banking, securities, and foreign exchanges, said the administration. 

Open up further and wider

The latest measures are in line with China's offering of visa-free policy to six countries last year and Central Economic Work Conference held at the end of last year, signaling efforts should be made to foster new drivers of foreign trade, Miao Lu, secretary general of Center for China and Globalization, a Beijing-based non-governmental think tank, told the Global Times on Thursday. 

Last month, China rolled out a one-year visa-free policy to ordinary passport holders from six countries - France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Malaysia - starting from December 1, 2023. 

Charles Loke Chee Kin, a Malaysian who has business ties with China, told the Global Times on Thursday, "I used to fly to China once a month. In the past, I had to apply for a visa every time which requires long processing. Now, with the implementation of the visa-free policy between China and Malaysia, it is really convenient for overseas personnel like us who come to China frequently."

Miao said apart from stimulating trade and tourism, the new policies also aim to promote people-to-people exchanges between China and other countries. 

According to experts, there is still significant potential for increasing the number of foreigners visiting China, as the number of visitors entering the country in 2023 only reached 62.9 percent of the pre-pandemic level. Miao suggests that one major factor contributing to this slow recovery is the sluggish rebound of international flights.

By the end of 2023, China's scheduled international passenger flights had returned to 4,782 flights per week, around 62.8 percent of the pre-pandemic level, the Civil Aviation Administration of China said on Monday

The pervasive toxic anti-China rhetoric that prevails in the West has undoubtedly taken a psychological toll on some individuals, instilling fear and apprehension in their minds when considering a visit to China, Zhang Yiwu, a professor of Chinese language and literature from Peking University, told the Global Times on Thursday. 

For example, some foreign media have been hyping China's revised Counter-Espionage Law since April 2023. A piece published in the Wall Street Journal in April 2023 said that the law and "China's detention of foreigners" have made businesses worried and spooked people who plan to travel there.

Zhang expressed his concerns over the Western media's distortion and defamation of China's efforts to safeguard its national security. He emphasized that this has hindered meaningful people-to-people exchanges. He highlighted that the latest measures, coupled with China's warm gesture, will effectively convey the message that the country welcomes individuals with legitimate intentions. Zhang believes that firsthand experiences in China will dispel the unfounded negative portrayal perpetuated by biased Western media reports.

Tilting social welfare policies in favor of young people to encourage new births in the face of a low birth rate has been a common view in Chinese society. However, the idea of offering a house as a gift to young parents upon the birth of a child, proposed by a Chinese professor, hasn't received as much support. The suggestion has ignited a firestorm of online discussions and debates.

Professor Di Dongsheng from the Renmin University of China put forward the proposal in a recent episode of the program "China Is Speaking" aired on Southeast Television, in 2023. 

He began by noting that young women giving birth to children is a valuable contribution to labor and has profound significance for the country and society. He then expressed his belief that the state should provide corresponding subsidies to these young women to recognize their contributions to society.

Di further proposed that such subsidies can be diversified, and one direct way is to provide housing subsidies for young women, adding that the house needn't be big, but rather a modest single-bedroom house to accommodate a one-child family. 

"What if I said yes, would you gift one one-bedroom house to me?" Chenchen, a netizen posted, throwing the question back to the professor, questioning the practicality of the scheme. 

Others opined that such a policy would not move them into parenthood. "It is true that I am tempted, but if marriage protection and psychological care for women are not enough, I still refuse to give birth," Jiuer wrote. "It seems like one house is a once-and-for-all solution for those who don't want a child… [it is useless] unless you sent the money for the milk powder, too," Weile, another netizen commented.

But "some families may force the mother to have one child after another in order to get more houses. Eventually, it may lead to female reproductive exploitation," Liubao, another commenter argued. "It really depends on the city in which the house is located. Presenting me with a house in the middle of nowhere wouldn't prompt me to move in," Lingling said. 

One online poll, in which over 225,000 people participated, revealed an overwhelming support for the professor's idea among netizens. Out of the total respondents, 141,000 expressed their desire to have a child if they were offered a one-bedroom house as a gift, while the remaining 83,000 opted to not have children .

Demographers reached by the Global Times generally pointed out the fanciful nature of Di's remarks, noting that housing is just one of the factors contributing to young people's reluctance to have children. Boosting people's desire to have children requires a comprehensive strategy on how to build a "birth-friendly society."

A Tianjin-based demographer who spoke on condition of anonymity described Di's remarks as short-sighted and poorly thought out.

Clearly, purely relying on material rewards cannot solve the problem, Peng Xizhe, director of the Fudan University Center for Population and Development Policy Studies, said.

The government's preferential policies should not be aimed at reversing people's attitudes toward childbearing or persuading them to have children. Instead, preferential policies should aim to provide as much support and welfare as possible to those who are willing to have children, Peng told the Global Times. 

Some of the supporting measures reported by the media include granting parental leave, childcare allowances, and flexible work arrangements on a family basis, in order to increase paternal involvement in childcare, reduce employment discrimination against women due to childbirth, and alleviate women's concerns about having children.

Linze County in Gansu, for instance, issued a document to provide annual childcare subsidies worth 5,000 yuan for every second child and 10,000 yuan for every third child until the child is 3 years old.

To actively respond to the population worries and effectively address the dilemma of declining birth rates, Li Ting, a professor at the School of Sociology and Population Studies at the Renmin University of China, suggests an overall practical plan for a "birth-friendly society," establish a long-term, comprehensive, and strategic reproductive support childbirth system.

Peng noted that the most crucial issue is still finding a balance between women's career development and their family responsibilities. This requires not only comprehensive government policies but also the cultivation of a culture that supports childbearing, as well as greater tolerance and support for women from the society as a whole, Peng said.

Developed countries, including Singapore, Japan, and South Korea, have comprehensive policies to encourage childbirth, but their birth rates have not increased significantly. It is more about a change in people's lifestyles and their overall concept, Peng said.

The total number of births nationally was 9.56 million in 2022. Among the births in 2022, second children accounted for 38.9 percent of the total, while the proportion of third children and above accounted for 15.0 percent, according to the National Health Commission.

The market watchdog in a county in Northeast China’s Heilongjiang Province sealed up joss paper shops and confiscated paper money in an effort to eliminate fire hazards, ahead of the traditional Chinese Winter Solstice, or Dongzhi, which falls on December 22 this year, when Chinese people burn ghost money to honor their deceased family members. 

Some joss paper merchants in Huanan county in Jiamusi city, Heilongjiang, told Chengdu-based Red Star News that their shops, warehouses and production workshops were closed down and their commodities were confiscated. 

Some photos provided by the sellers show that large quantities of confiscated ghost money were seen piled up in the courtyard of the local market supervision bureau. 

While the local market watchdog declined the interview request from media, the local government’s citizen service hotline told the media that it was a move to remove security hazards and advocated to discard outdated superstitions. 

A joss paper merchant surnamed Wang told the Red Star News that the shutting down of the paper money businesses in the county started in early December. Several major wholesalers’ shops and warehouses with particularly huge inventories have been closed down. The value of their goods amounts up to 1 million yuan ($139,237). 

According to Wang, the market supervision bureau employee told him that decision to suspend paper money shops came after a fire disaster happened to a ghost money warehouse in Zhaozhou county in Daqing city, Heilongjiang. The Huanan county market watchdog took the action in a bid to remove security risks. 

According to a news report by China Central Television (CCTV), a fire disaster causing seven deaths occurred in an aging wooden warehouse built illegally for storing ghost money in Zhaozhou county on November 20. 

The warehouse was built with poor quality and highly flammable material which was identified for the reason for multiple casualties, thepaper.cn reported on Wednesday. 

A joss paper warehouse operator surnamed Zhao from Huanan county said his processing equipment of joss paper used to produce ghost money provided to surrounding villages and towns. His warehouse was closed down around December 1 and his inventory was confiscated and that he would also be fined possibly. 

According to Wang, the local authorities in Jiamusi issued regulations on the civilized sacrifices and worshipping in 2020. According to the regulations enacted on January 1, 2021, those who produce or sell feudal superstitious sacrificial articles shall be punished with confiscation of their goods by the local market supervision and administration department together with the civil affairs department. They may also be imposed a fine of with the amount of higher than one time and lower than three times the value of the production and sales. 

According to a law enforcement notification issued by the Huanan county people’s government, the production and sales of ghost money, joss paper, and gold and silver ingots made of tin foil, paper figures, paper cows, paper horses and all kinds of houses, transportation tools, daily necessities, certificates made of paper and other feudal superstitious sacrificial articles, are prohibited in the administrative area of the county. Burning and using sacrificial articles are prohibited in the whole county under the regulation. 

According to Red Star News, the county has carried out multiple rectification campaigns over the past two years to prohibit business of feudal superstitious sacrificial articles. 

Chinese mainland has detected seven cases of contracting COVID-19 subvariant JN.1 in about one month. The possibility of the variant becoming a dominant strain in the country cannot be ruled out, according to the National Disease Control and Prevention Administration.

Experts suggested the public not to overact about the new variant as infectious diseases are inevitable for all mankind but warned health threats posed by overlapping of various pathogens, including the dominant influenza and mycoplasma pneumonia with COVID-19.

Outside of China, since November this year, the proportion of JN.1 variant as a share of circulating strains has increased rapidly, from about 4 percent in early November to about 30 percent in early December. As of December 10, the variant has been detected in at least 40 countries worldwide.

The proportion of JN.1 variant in Europe was the highest, and its proportion in the US and other continents also showed a rapid growth trend.

On the Chinese mainland, the main strains at this stage are still EG.5 and its subvariants. Since the local JN.1 variant was first discovered in November, as of December 10, a total of seven JN.1 variants have been detected in the country.

"Although the current prevalence level of the JN.1 variant in China is extremely low, due to the subsequent impact of international epidemic strains and imported cases, the possibility of the JN.1 variant becoming a dominant epidemic strain in the country cannot be ruled out," the administration noted.

A Beijing-based immunologist who preferred not to be named told the Global Times more cases of JN.1 variant are expected as virus has no boundary and infectious diseases are the common destiny of all mankind. But it is not a concern of the public because new variants of the novel coronavirus can appear in the future anytime.

Only by improving immunity system can the public manage various pathogens infection and improve overall resistance to respiratory infections, the immunologist said.

Lu Hongzhou, head of the Third People's Hospital of Shenzhen, pointed out that although the immune escape ability of JN.1 had increased, there was no evidence to show that the pathogenicity of JN.1 variant had increased. According to the ministry, the seven JN.1 infections are mild and asymptomatic cases.

Some Chinese experts said people who have had the flu are more susceptible to contracting COVID-19. After being infected with the flu, it takes several months for CD4+ T cells in the body to recover. During the recovery process, the body's immune system is weaker, making it more susceptible to infection with the COVID-19.

According to latest weekly report by China CDC, the positive rate of influenza virus in southern and northern provinces of China slowed down between December 4 and 10, and some provinces showed a downward trend. The subtype A(H3N2) was predominant, followed by B(Victoria).

Year 2023 witnessed a fascinating catching-up game worldwide since OpenAI released ChatGPT in late 2022. In the coming year ahead, Zhou Hongyi, founder and chairman of 360 Security Technology, said he is "still quite optimistic" about the overall development of the artificial intelligence (AI) industry in China.

The speed of development of China's large model is already a miracle. The world needs to be patient with China's large models. The industrial revolution of the internet has been going on for at least 10 years, and the turning point of AI has only emerged in the past year or two, Zhou told the Global Times.

In March, Baidu took the lead by introducing its first extensive language model ERNIE, named as "Wenxin Yiyan" in Chinese. Following its step, on March 29, 360 Security Technology unveiled its artificial intelligence strategy along with the release of Zhinao, or "intelligent brain"

Shortly after, on April 11, Alibaba introduced its "Tongyi Qianwen" large-scale model at the Alibaba Cloud Summit. On May 6, iFlytek launched its Xinghuo large-scale model, with Chairman Liu Qingfeng expressing their goal to surpass ChatGPT in Chinese and catch up with ChatGPT in English by October 24. Additionally, Huawei, JD.com, ByteDance, Sensetime, as well as other companies, have also released their own large-scale model products in succession.

Confidence toward China's AI industry in the coming year is pretty high among Chinese leading AI developers and industry observers, the Global Times found, though facing the fact that Google has also reemerged in the arena, marking its strong comeback with the release of Gemini on December 13.

Zhou admitted that there is still a gap between the Chinese model and ChatGPT-4. But the gap does not prevent China from building its own GPT.

Xiao Yanghua, a computer science professor at Fudan University, also director of Shanghai Key Laboratory of Data Science, also agreed that "Chinese enterprises should be a smart follower, actively explore our own competition track under the premise of ensuring that we do not lag behind."

Zhou told the Global Times that China possesses great industry dividends, saying the key for China's development of large-scale models is to seize the dividends of various AI-generated scenes.

China has the most comprehensive industrial categories in the world with complete supply chain and industrial chain. The greatest opportunities lie in industrialization, specialization and verticalization of the technology, also move toward deep customization, Zhou noted, calling on the wide utilization of GPT in industries, sectors, and within organizations, combining them with vertical AI-generated scene.

Having one large-model to fit all needs of various industries is way too broad and unrealistic. China's large-model products can be more fine-grained, Zhou said. In one industry, the large model can empower different aspects, specific links and tasks, such as in the financial sector, customer service is a relatively detailed aspect and in the field of intelligent connected vehicles, intelligent cabins, intelligent navigation or intelligent entertainment could be very detailed options.

"Many untapped blue oceans are out there," Xiao also told the Global Times, mentioning embodied large-scale models, medical large-scale models, scientific large-scale models and other specified fields.

But Xiao also warned that ChatGPT has formed a "flywheel effect," where iteration and optimization are pushing the technology into a self-reinforcing phase of rapid development, or possibly leading the industry to a situation in which in the future only one or two models will be the dominant players.

Adopt AI, think later?

Should AI technology, with a mix of fear and awe, progress faster or should it slow down? Or should we develop it while at the same time regulate it?

The Global AI Governance Initiative, proposed by Chinese leader this year advocates upholding a people-centered approach in developing AI and promoting the establishment of a testing and assessment system based on AI risk levels, so as to make AI technologies more secure, reliable, controllable and equitable.

Zhou concluded that the foreseeable challenges brought by AI include technical security issues mainly focused on network security and data security, as well as content security issues caused by the ability of large models to "fabricate" content.

More specifically, AI is at risk of being predominantly utilized as a tool for initiating cyberattacks, producing deceptive media or propagating false information and offensive language, industry observers warned.

Zhang Linghan, from China University of Political Science and Law and a member of the UN High-Level Advisory Body on Artificial Intelligence, told the Global Times China's stance has always advocated active promotion of AI technology development, while attaching importance to security.

Various laws and regulations, including the Data Security Law, regulations for managing internet information service algorithms and deep synthesis, and interim measures for governing generative AI services, have also been established to form a comprehensive AI regulatory framework, Zhang noted.

More risks and threats are expected to emerge, according to industry observers, as now AI industry has accelerated its evolution to "multimodal models."

To address the security issues of large models, "it is necessary to make technological breakthroughs rather than relying solely on the self-discipline of large model enterprises," Zhou said. He attributed this to the fact that large models have capabilities surpassing humans is already evident, and they are on the verge of becoming "superhumans" in the near future.

"We must prevent any 'irreversible' consequences from happening," Zhou emphasized. To realize it, humans should avoid relinquishing control of the system to the large model right from the start. Instead, prioritize the involvement of humans in the decision-making loop and ensure that crucial decisions are made by humans.

He went on to say that safety measures can be implemented in the agent architecture to address security and controllability issues that may arise from the utilization of various knowledge, skills and tools by large models.

Will AI become conscious?

This year, Elon Musk threw a bomb to the world saying artificial intelligence is "one of the biggest threats to humanity." Prominent figures in the sector, including representatives from OpenAI, Google DeepMind, and Anthropic, have united to caution about the potential of AI causing human extinction.

As for the ultimate challenge brought by large models, Zhou believes that AI has not yet reached that stage. ChatGPT-5 will not appear overnight, and ChatGPT also needs to have "hands and feet" to connect with the real world in order to pose a real threat. So it is too early to worry about it now.

However, Xiao brought up a more practical emerging problem which is the addiction to use AI in daily work, simply allowing the machine to replace their thinking.

"Over-reliance on AI for thinking could potentially steer us toward intelligence degeneration, as human intelligence is intricately woven into our evolutionary-driven nature," he said.

"In history, no technology has developed at a speed comparable to AI. If traditional technology is a rifle, AI is a hydrogen bomb, completely different in scale," Xiao said.

But he said human activity protection zones that AI cannot interfere with can be established as a way of prevention measure, such as basic education for minors for the sake of thinking degeneration among young generations.

"When we have delegated a large number of writing tasks to machines, which means deprives ourselves of opportunities for mental exercise, resulting not only in the decline of generative abilities, such as writing, but also in the decline of human evaluation abilities."

As for machine consciousness, Chinese observers believe it is more about blurring boundaries between science and science fiction that people try to get attention from making sensational statements.

But letting the imagination go wild, Xiao said, now, machines possess a brain, known as large models, and further acquire a body, known as embodied intelligence, then they may evolve in human society or virtual worlds, and when a sufficiently large group of machine intelligences learn and collaborate with each other, it is not impossible for consciousness to emerge.

In that case, the bottom line is to set up a forbidden zone for AI cognitive systems. "For AI machines, the identity of human beings, as 'the creator' of the AI world, should be hidden," Xiao said.

The internationalization of Chinese football youth training is very important, said Chinese Football Association (CFA) President Song Kai at a launch ceremony for the Bundesliga Dream project in Shanghai on Wednesday. "We are working on it by both introducing international youth football coaches to China, and sending young athletes and coaches to learn and train abroad, including in Germany," Song told the Global Times.

Song noted the significance of strengthening youth training and overseas cooperation for the development of Chinese football. "Germany's youth football training system is probably the most advanced in the world, and it is worth learning from it," Song said in a speech at the ceremony.

Bundesliga Dream is a cooperative project between Bundesliga International and the CFA. Set to take place between February and March in 2024, a group of talented Chinese players from the U16 national team will train at the youth academies of several Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2 clubs, as well as playing against youth teams from around Germany, according to Bundesliga International.

Under the project, Chinese youth players will follow a structured training plan curated by the CFA in collaboration with the Bundesliga and participating clubs. This plan focuses on several key in-match scenarios, including the transition from defense to attack.

"We also encourage young football players from all cities, especially from our 16 key 'football cities,' to have the opportunity to get trained in countries like Germany," Song said, in response to a question raised by the Global Times at the Wednesday ceremony.

Song mentioned China's 3-0 home loss to South Korea in the 2026 FIFA World Cup Asian Zone qualifying tournament second stage on the previous evening.

"That match made me feel deeply that if Chinese football wants to improve, first, we must do a good job in cultivating the young people; and second, we must examine the development of our youth football from a global perspective," he said.

"So I'm glad to sign a long-term cooperation agreement with the Bundesliga," Song said. "Last night, German Jurgen Klinsmann led the South Korean team to a 3-0 victory over the Chinese team. I hope that one day, there will be a German head coach who leads the Chinese football team to a 4-0 victory over South Korea," he joked, drawing laughter and applause.

Peer Naubert, head of marketing at Bundesliga International, said that the Bundesliga Dream is mostly committed to working with Chinese football in supporting its youth development system and projects on a long-term basis. "We aim to create a long-term pathway for talented Chinese players … hopefully following the path of former Chinese players such as Shao Jiayi, Yang Chen, and more recently Liu Shaoziyang, who signed for Bayern Munich in 2021," Naubert said in a speech at the ceremony.

Renowned Bundesliga stars Shao and Lothar Matthäus also attended the ceremony.

"I'm happy to have this Bundesliga Dream for the Chinese young generation," Matthäus said. When the young Chinese players go to Germany, they will have the opportunities of playing against stronger players, and the competition can make them better, he added.

If you have recently taken an evening walk in a park, you might have come across some young people wearing fluorescent bracelets running and hiding to evade capture. Not only is this nothing to be scared of, but it's the latest sweeping sensation among social games in China.
After frisbee became a phenomenal across the country, young people in China now "invented" a new outlet to channel their stress and socialize: Originating from some college campuses early this year, the live-action cat-and-mouse game has instantly taken many cities by storm.

If you search for the key words "cat-and-mouse game" on platforms such as Xiaohongshu or Douyin, the domestic version of Tiktok, you will find a multitude of online groups organizing the game in parks, plazas and lakes.

It takes only 7 to 19 yuan ($0.9-2.6) to sign up for one game where you will be provided a bottle of water, an insurance, fluorescent bracelets and light sticks. Dozens of participants will be divided into two teams: "cats" and "mice." The cat team is tasked with capturing as many mice as possible within the designated time and game area.

Physical contact is not allowed during the game, however a light touch by the "cat" will turn the "mouse" into a member of the "cat" group and the catcher will be awarded a light stick. The "cat" who got the most light sticks will be crowned the "king of cats." 

Hide-and-seek

The rules of the game are reminescent of hide-and-seek, but technology adds a new dimension to the game and makes it a more intensive exercise. 

All participants are required to turn on location sharing on their mobile phone application so that every body's real-time location is clear at a glance. 

Unlike the traditional hide-and-seek where the "mice" hide in one place and wait to be found, the "mice" of this game have to keep moving and evade capture in the dark. Within an area about five kilometers wide, running and taking advantage of stairs, woods and shelters looks like a live version of Fast and Furious.

The game has quickly become a phenomenon in more than 50 cities across China including Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu, Hangzhou, Guangzhou and Shenzhen. 

One social sports mini program on WeChat has launched a particular column for people to sign up for the game. On October 23, dozens of spots were available in Beijing, Xi'an and Chengdu and some 40 people signed up for a Halloween-themed event in Beijing's Chaoyang Park. 

Bao Jun, a 33-year-old who recently played the game in Beijing's Haidian district, told the Global Times that the game evoked his childhood memories.

"I had a lot of fun while running two kilometers that night. It's an opportunity to make new friends and relieve work pressure," said Bao. 

Chen, an organizer in Hangzhou, East China's Zhejiang Province, said the game has gained instant popularity in Hangzhou around the National Day holidays. 

"Selecting a proper spot is key to ensure enjoyment of the game and safety. Being able to socialize while doing exercise in a fun way is appealing to many young people. It's a new pastime after work or study," said Chen. 

Compared with frisbee and flag football, the game is not competitive and is widely accessible. Whether one is a "cat" or a "mouse," the game allows participants to run a lot and socialize with teammates while discussing strategies to win the game, which gives participants a sense of accomplishment.

Social tool

Humans are "social animals," and people's study, work and entertainment are often group-based. Playing "cat and mouse" is innate to human nature, according to Ding Daoshi, an internet analyst. 

In the post-pandemic time, it's one of the examples of people releasing their pent-up social emotional demands, just like the rebound of tourism industry. In essence, this is a social game, said Ding. 

Nie Xiaojing, a psychologist with The Fourth People's Hospital of Chengdu in Sichuan Province, said that the game is an escape from the real life. 

When people are engaged in this game, there is no pressure. It doesn't matter whether you win or lose. 

The sporty nature of the game is also different from regular exercises. With goals to achieve in the game, it allows participants to exercise while having fun. In addition, the social aspect is particularly important. Participants have to stick together, which is an important interpersonal link and provides a sense of belonging. 

"When you try to complete a task together, the interpersonal relationships will be promoted through verbal, physical and emotional connection," said Nie.

The game went viral across the country because it is well known to the public and does not require any technical training. In addition, the adult participants experience a cognitive contrast as it is perceived to be a children's game. Without professional requirements, the set up cost of the game is quite low, according to the social sports mini program.

However, it remains a question whether the craze will survive the upcoming winter when it's too cold to play such a game outdoors, especially in northern China.

"The number of participants is likely to drop in winter. But we are trying to enrich the game with new elements. I believe the game will come back stronger in spring," said the organizer Chen.

The Hangzhou Asian Games was full of bright and impressive sports victories of participants. Among them, the national team of Uzbekistan won 71 medals - 22 gold, 18 silver, and 31 bronze medals - entering the top 5 of Asian countries and regions.

In recent years, Uzbekistan has consolidated the image of a country with outstanding athletes - chess players, boxers, judoists, weightlifters and the like. At the Asian Games in Hangzhou, the audience witnessed the appearance of Uzbek sports stars in boxing, taekwondo, athletics, fencing, rowing, etc.

Observers noted that this was the result of the development of sports in the country. An effective system of training professional athletes, coaches, medical staff and judges has been created in Uzbekistan, a spokesperson of the Uzbek Embassy in Beijing told the Global Times. The implementation of these goals in every way contributes to the wide promotion of a healthy lifestyle, the education of comprehensively developed youth, and the further development of physical culture and sports.

Measures for the development of physical culture and sports are defined in the Development Strategy of the New Uzbekistan for 2022-2026. In 2022, expenses allocated for the development of sports in Uzbekistan increased five times from 2017, according to the embassy.

One hundred and eighteen large sports facilities have been put into operation in the country and 110 more facilities have been reconstructed. Thanks to the sports infrastructure, Uzbekistan has become a venue for major international competitions, including the World and Asian championships in boxing, taekwondo, freestyle wrestling, fencing and other sports. Preparations are underway for the Asian Youth Games in 2025.

A healthy lifestyle is widely approved among young people in the country, and mass sports are provided. Uzbek athletes, achieving victories at prestigious international competitions including the Hangzhou Asian Games, demonstrate the high sports potential of Uzbekistan. The results achieved by athletes in Hangzhou vividly present Uzbekistan to the sports community of the world as a country where sports are developing at an accelerated pace, the spokesperson told the Global Times.