A US government report on Monday found no evidence that foreign governments compromised the vote during the 2022 midterms, but experts said the investigation itself shows the intensifying political divisions in the US have led American politicians to eagerly promote the topic of foreign interference in elections to smear their competitors and win votes. 

"There is no evidence that this activity prevented voting, changed votes, or disrupted the ability to tally votes or to transmit election results in a timely manner; altered any technical aspect of the voting process; or otherwise compromised the integrity of voter registration information or any ballots cast during the 2022 federal elections," the report issued by the US Justice Department and Department of Homeland Security concluded, Reuters reported.

The report represents a declassified overview of the US government's assessment of election security in 2023, according to the AP.

US politicians have a "habit" of describing its external environment as being threatened, so they can constantly create rumors in this regard, while also using these rumors to vilify their so-called competitors, experts pointed out. 

When they spread rumors about foreign interference in elections, they usually point fingers at China or Russia, depending on the preferences of different political parties. They completely fabricate a story based on their own competitive situation, and once it becomes a focal point of public opinion, relevant departments will claim to investigate, but the result is always without evidence, Lü Xiang, a research fellow at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Tuesday. 

This kind of sensationalism is not uncommon, and in recent years, due to intensified partisan struggles, these American politicians are even more eager to tarnish each other by accusing their main rivals of receiving support from foreign governments, in order to gain votes from the electorate, experts said.

However, experts believe that the release of such reports still carry a strong partisan bias to some extent. 

"It is an attempt to shift the blame for their failure of governance onto China and Russia. In the 2024 US election, the narrative of foreign interference, especially Chinese and Russian interference, is unlikely to disappear. On the contrary, it will be hyped up by certain political factions or media outlets in the US because this topic can attract wide attention and increase viewership. Therefore, from the perspective of narrow political self-interest and expanding media influence, such a narrative will continue to proliferate in the US, which actually reflects the extremely unhealthy political and public opinion atmosphere in the US," Li Haidong, a professor at the China Foreign Affairs University, told the Global Times.

The Hangzhou Asian Games were one of the coolest and most beautiful competitions he had ever participated in, Kuwaiti shooter Abdullah Alrashidi said.

In a recent interview with Xinhua, the gold medalist in the men's skeet individual event praised the organization, beauty, and cleanliness of the entire city for the Games.

Alrashidi said he was very pleased that he had won the gold medal, which also matched the world record in the event.

He noted Asia's remarkable progress in the shooting discipline, highlighting its impressive track record of winning numerous world championships.

"Countries such as China, Kazakhstan, Qatar, and Kuwait have a rich history in this sport on both the continental and global levels," he said.

"China is one of the most important and largest countries represented in all sports," said the Kuwaiti shooter, noting that "China has made great progress and consistently won medals in the Olympics and other world competitions."

On Wednesday, Kuwait's Minister of Commerce and Industry and Minister of State for Youth Affairs, Muhammad Al-Aiban, received Kuwaiti players who had won medals in shooting and athletics competitions at the Hangzhou Asian Games.

In a statement, Al-Aiban expressed pride in the outstanding achievements of the Kuwaiti medalists at the Hangzhou Asian Games, where they won two gold, three silver, and one bronze medals.

Pakistan is looking forward to taking the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) into the next phase with greater vigor and hopes to see fruits of the CPEC benefit not only China and Pakistan, but the whole region, said Minister of Planning, Development and Special Initiatives for Pakistan Ahsan Iqbal.

Iqbal was talking to the Global Times in an exclusive interview after a meeting of the 12th Joint Cooperation Committee (JCC) of the CPEC in Beijing on Tuesday.

Iqbal, who has extensive experience and long-standing involvement in the CPEC, said he was overwhelmed at how much has been accomplished by the CPEC in just 10 years.

The beauty of the CPEC is that it is a project between two countries that enjoy a very unique relationship, Iqbal said. "Normally, countries come close when they need to, and they get farther away when they don't need each other. But in the case of China and Pakistan, it has been always spring. There has never been autumn in this relationship."

This year marks a decade of the CPEC. The landmark project was formalized on July 5, 2013.

The CPEC has done a great service to Pakistan, helping it overcome the energy crisis, develop modern infrastructure and restore the country's image as an investment destination. Prior to the CPEC the world used to look at Pakistan as a very dangerous country, the Pakistani minister said.

Pakistan would be facing an extreme energy crisis today without the projects launched under the CPEC, Iqbal emphasized.

Everyone in Pakistan has benefited from the great contribution that has been made by the CPEC, he added. If there was a lack of electricity, factories would be closed and workers would be laid off; patients in hospitals and students in educational institutions would also be stranded.

He mentioned the Thar region of Pakistan, which was once a backward area, saying the CPEC has transformed the region into a source of energy for the country. Local education, employment, hospitals and schools have also flourished.

The projects also empower local women in the region, Iqbal noted. "You will be amazed to see that local women are driving the heavy trucks, which take coal out of the mines." In total, the CPEC projects have created about 200,000 job opportunities.

Iqbal said Pakistan now has a lot more vigor to move forward on the CPEC, adding that many projects that were delayed in previous years were completed in the last year.

He said that Pakistan is looking forward to taking the CPEC into the next phase with greater vigor. "I hope that the next phase will bring many dividends for the wider region beyond Pakistan and China. We hope one day the whole of South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East will benefit from the CPEC."

When talking about the mega projects within the second phase of the CPEC, Iqbal expressed his hope to see the start of major upgrades to the Main Line 1 railway between Karachi and Peshawar with China's help as soon as possible in 2023. Modernization and upgrades are urgently needed for this aging railway line, especially as it was badly damaged by the floods last year.

This $10-billion project was supposed to be done in the first phase, but it got delayed in the last four years, Iqbal said.

Iqbal refuted claims in the Western media that the CPEC has not lived up to expectations and has become a "debt trap," saying that instead it has "outperformed the expectations. The propaganda [from the West] that the CPEC is a debt trap is all false. All the negative propaganda against the CPEC has a political element. It has no reality," he told the Global Times.

Infrastructure was the priority of the first-phase of the CPEC, and the second phase will focus on industrial cooperation and business linkage through increasing investment in sectors such as energy, agriculture, information technology and mining, according to Iqbal.

Pakistan is working on nine Special Economic Zones (SEZs) which will provide more opportunities for Chinese investment. Rashakai, one of the nine SEZs, will be inaugurated later this month, and other SEZs are also in advanced stages, Iqbal revealed to the Global Times.

In the energy sector, Pakistan is actively pursuing solar energy and is hoping to invite Chinese companies to set up solar power production plants, Iqbal noted.

Chinese officials are highly concerned about the safety of Chinese citizens in Pakistan and hope that the Pakistani side will continue to take strong security measures.

On security in Pakistan, the minister said Pakistan is taking extra precautions for the security of Chinese people, and have provided four layers of security dedicated to CPEC projects including deploying a special army force with 10,000 personnel, which has been integrated with police, paramilitary forces and local security.

As the CPEC is a strategic project with big geopolitical implications, enemies are always looking for opportunities to disrupt it either through terrorist acts or creating miscommunication, the Pakistani minister emphasized.

The 19th Asian Games, which represents brilliant Asian civilization and creates new records in Asian sports, ended successfully in Hangzhou, East China's Zhejiang Province on Sunday.

When the guests walked into the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Center Stadium, or the "Big Lotus," they were greeted by a huge lawn with the words "Enduring Memories of Hangzhou" written on it. The creative team of the closing ceremony created the most beautiful garden on a "computer numerical control (CNC) lawn" to hold a relaxing and happy party, leaving precious memories of Hangzhou Asian Games for people across Asia, and even the rest of the world.

The closing ceremony of the Hangzhou Asian Games strived for a simple and valued farewell. In about 90 minutes, four short films, two programs and one carnival were presented to express the sense of celebration and the feeling of parting, and to express China's vision of actively building an Asian community and a global community of a shared future.

The beauty of technology also continued to blossom at the closing ceremony of the Games. After the last athletics event ended on Thursday night, the "Big Lotus," quickly dismantled its competition facilities, leaving only a lawn for the closing ceremony stage. This will be the world's first "CNC lawn," pioneered by the Hangzhou Asian Games.

Sha Xiaolan, general director of the closing ceremony, told the media that the lawn hides nearly 40,000 light-emitting points. During the closing ceremony, the lawn changes to complement the performance, producing patterns such as flowers and tides.

Activating the entire performance was the "Asia" logo formed with the help of virtual AR visual effects, which fell into the stadium together with the surging tide of the Qianjiang River, covering the CNC lawn.

Every one of the more than 12,000 athletes at the Asian Games in Hangzhou is a hero. Over the past nearly 20 days, athletes have fought hard on the field. These moving moments were gathered in the closing ceremony short films.

At the same time, unlike any previous games, the athletes' entrance to the closing ceremony was integrated into the youthful and energetic song and dance performance, and the athletes changed from passive "bystanders" to active "participants," no longer only walking through the venue, but playing in their own stage.

The successful running of a large-scale event cannot be achieved without the hard work of volunteers. At the closing ceremony, the actors formed a "river of memories" to welcome the representatives of the volunteers, thanking them for their warmth and friendliness and leaving precious memories for every guests.

The closing ceremony saw Chinese culture continue to exude its charm. Sunday coincides with the day marked as "cold dew" in the Chinese lunar calendar, which is the time of the year when the lotus and laurel alternately open in Hangzhou. As guests bid farewell to Hangzhou, the carnival conveys the timeless friendship of "Flowers for parting friends" and the aspiration of "The lotus and the osmanthus in harmony," leaving a wonderful memory of Hangzhou Asian Games.

Before the closing ceremony at the stadium, Yasodara Dunuwille Koralege, a reporter from Sri Lanka, carefully flipped through the closing ceremony program.

With cherished memories, Yasodara expressed that when she returns to Sri Lanka, she will share her experience of an unparalleled sporting event in China. She said, "It has been a wonderful experience, and Hangzhou welcomes everyone to visit."

The "digital torchbearer" bearing the enthusiasm of over 100 millions of people across Asia at the opening ceremony made a comeback at the closing ceremony. In his "hand heart" gesture, the fireworks of the main torch tower slowly extinguished. The digital man reluctantly looked back, and finally left the main stadium, stepped on the Qiantang River, and ran into the distance.

It is like this, with the "digital torchbearer" carrying tens of thousands of athletes' memories and stories in Hangzhou, the Asian Games are being led toward a broader and brighter future. As Raja Randhir Singh, the acting president of the Olympic Committee of Asia (OCA), stated to the Global Times, "the legacy left by the Hangzhou Asian Games has set a great example for all future major sporting events."

 US President Joe Biden said on Monday that the diplomatic sprint through Vietnam and India has "strengthened America's leadership on the global stage." However, it doesn't seem to be welcomed by the American public.

Biden's trip may "ultimately do little to alter his political fortunes back home, where his polling numbers are low" and there might be "a tight race against his predecessor, Donald J. Trump," according to The New York Times on Monday.

Some Senate Democrats even said President Biden's moribund poll numbers are "concerning" and "frustrating," and they are doubtful whether "the White House will change how voters view him before the 2024 election."

While there is still time before the climax of the election, Biden's Asia trip has contributed little to helping him win favor within the US. What the president faces back home is a low approval rating and a host of domestic challenges.

Foreign diplomacy doesn't concern the majority of American voters, nor is it a determinant in the general election, unless there is a major diplomatic crisis linked to domestic issues. Meanwhile, problems of real concern to the American public, such as gun violence, ethnic tensions and government shutdowns, have been left hanging.

Sun Chenghao, a fellow and head of US-EU program at Center for International Security and Strategy in Tsinghua University, believes that "it may be too early to judge the direct impact Biden's diplomatic moves may have on the election or his approval rate."

Nevertheless, the current US foreign diplomacy now seems to completely serve its internal policy. The complex situation of US domestic politics and a variety of challenges have scorched the Biden administration, forcing the president to transfer the pressure through external means, for example, creating geopolitical tensions or diplomatic results, to enhance domestic approval. In this way, foreign relations have become a tool for US politicians in partisan struggle. 

When it comes to Biden's rival, Sun added that while Trump has received great attention, it's the group of voters in the middle that will ultimately decide the winner. If this group of people chooses Biden, it may not because they support him, but rather because they cannot accept Trump.

Wang Yiwei, director of the Institute of International Affairs at the Renmin University of China, added that "Biden is now trying to prevent Trump from coming to power by taking advantage of people's concerns over Trump, and next year there will be more heated insults. In this way, the internal contradictions in the US will be further radicalized."

At the same time, China-US relations are always a critical issue for both parties in US election. In this regard, Biden has inherited many of Trump's policies toward China, and even further escalated the containment of China, especially in terms of technology blockade.

Although the Biden administration's policy toward China has recently shown a positive signal, the overall tune remains containment. Biden now insists he's not trying to "contain" China, but the high wall is only being built more solid. Taking the defeat of China as the top priority and campaign card will only cause the US to ignore its own internal problems and challenges, waste resources and time, and be plunged into unnecessary confrontation. 

The US electoral politics itself has a string of drawbacks since its birth. Under this political election system, a policy may only last for four years, and bipartisan politics will bring about instability in national policy, be it the China policy, or other foreign policies. As a result, other countries will lower the expectations of the US policy.

Over time, the system has deviated from its original design to some extent, including the details of some rules in election, but it is difficult to carry out an overall reform, which has led to the disordered money-oriented politics in the US election.

The ills of unscrupulous American electoral politics is already a cliché, but they seem to be even more troublesome. Against the backdrop of the US exacerbating geopolitical contradictions, the world will pay for the failures of the American political system and party campaign. This will not only fail to resolve America's own problems, but will also backfire and drag the world into the mire. Therefore, no matter who is elected, we hope that the US will put aside its selfish self-interest and zero-sum mentality, stop the "internalization" of foreign diplomacy, and seek for a win-win future.

Nepali Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal will be on an official visit to China from September 23 to 30, during which he will attend the opening ceremony of the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, and meet President Xi Jinping as well as several other leaders. Dahal believes the visit will strengthen and deepen the traditional friendly relations between China and Nepal. Another aim of the visit is to seek further avenues of bilateral cooperation.

On September 7, the first batch of imported goods under the China-Nepal Transit Transport Agreement, consisting of 15 tons of turmeric powder, arrived in the Nepali capital of Kathmandu after transiting through China. The turmeric powder was imported by Nepal from Vietnam and transported to Kathmandu via Tianjin Port in northern China and the Zhangmu-Tatopani border point. Both China and Nepal have positively commented on this achievement. The Nepali side stated that the successful transportation of the first batch of goods under the China-Nepal Transit Transport Agreement signifies the beginning of a transformative journey toward enhanced economic cooperation, increased trade volumes and shared prosperity. Chinese Ambassador to Nepal Chen Song noted that the successful implementation of the China-Nepal Transit Transport Agreement will diversify Nepal's international trade and facilitate Nepal's trade with the whole world. In the future, the time and cost of importing and exporting goods via China will be further reduced, which will have a positive impact on Nepal's trade.

In contrast to the substantial progress made by China and Nepal in areas such as cross-border transportation, Nepal has been facing ongoing issues with another neighboring country, India, recently. In May, the Nepali government was infuriated by a mural displayed within the newly inaugurated Indian Parliament building. This mural, titled "Akhand Bharat," included the Chinese Tibet region, parts of Afghanistan, as well as the entire territories of Nepal, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Myanmar. As early as May 2020, India inaugurated a road connecting the Indian mainland to the border region, passing through the disputed territory of Kalapani, which is claimed by Nepal.

In fact, the incidents of the mural and road inauguration reflect the ongoing contestation and counter-control between Nepal and India, which has been a longstanding feature of their relationship. For a long time, India has adopted a paternalistic approach in its policies toward Nepal. While providing some support and assistance, India often resorts to rude and unilateral actions toward Nepal.

Nepal is located north of the Himalayas and is surrounded by Indian territory in the west, south and east. It heavily relies on India for economic and external communication, including the transit of essential goods such as food, medicine and fuel through India. India is Nepal's largest trading partner. In addition to the geographical dependence on India for external connectivity, Nepal is also deeply influenced, and even controlled, by India in political, social and security domains.

However, this has become a bargaining chip for India's attempt to control Nepal. In history, India has repeatedly used the agreement on transit through Nepal as a coercive diplomatic tool, threatening and implementing blockades against Nepal to force the Nepali authorities to adopt domestic and foreign policies that align with India's wishes. This has caused serious dissatisfaction among various levels of Nepali society and the government. Nepal has also actively sought alternative transportation routes to reduce its dependence on India. In 2017, Nepal officially joined the Belt and Road Initiative, which was a clear indication to India that Nepal is a country with the right to make independent choices.

Objective conditions determine that Nepal will continue to rely to varying degrees on the transit routes provided by India in the past, present and future, which means that Nepal cannot completely sever ties with India. In this situation, how to handle relations with India without compromising national sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity while ensuring smooth communication between Nepal and the outside world has always been the greatest challenge for Nepal's foreign policy. It is precisely because of this, after Prachanda assumed the position of Prime Minister for the third time, he made his first visit to India. 

In contrast, China strictly adheres to the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence and never interferes in Nepal's internal affairs. All factions in Nepal actively seek development and close relations with China. After assuming the position of Deputy Prime Minister, Narayan Kaji Shrestha stated that the country will "maintain relationships of equi-proximity with both our neighbors," namely China and India, emphasizing that the focus of governance will be on "containing inflation, maintaining reserves, raising capital expenses, narrowing the trade deficit and lowering interest rates" to promote Nepal's economic development. The results of Prachanda's visit are highly anticipated.

Huawei launched new products ranging from smart screens, the MatePad and watches to the new Harmony OS NEXT system at a highly anticipated event in Shenzhen, South China's Guangdong Province on Monday, making a high-profile comeback to the market amid reported a chip breakthrough and years-long US sanctions.

While the event did not reveal the details of the closely watched Mate 60 series, consumers are still enthusiastic about the release, viewing it as a symbolic moment for the Chinese tech giant to regain lost ground in the consumer business and move forward to rival industry giants such as Apple.

The company flooded major Chinese social media platforms under hashtags such as #FarAhead, since the surprisingly presale of the Mate 60 series on August 29. The series has since become a big seller across the country.

The Monday launch event intensified the fanfare across the country, attracting live broadcasts and livestreaming by more than 100 media outlets. Audiences are also crying out "Far Ahead Rivals" in each product announcement on-site. 

Yu Chengdong, CEO of the Huawei Consumer Business Group, said at the opening that the company is ramping up efforts and working overtime to produce its devices, fulfilling market demand for the newly released handsets. "Thanks to Chinese consumers' all-out support to Huawei," Yu said.

Previously, some anticipated a formal detailing of the phone's specs - in particular, the chipsets in the Mate 60 series - at the Monday event, which reportedly utilizes the Kirin 9000s chip, featuring either 7-nanometer (nm) or 5-nm process technology. 

Huawei has kept tight-lipped about the capabilities of the chip. But industry analysts believe that the handset shows that the US-sanctioned tech giant has finally found a way through and will welcome its magnificent turnaround after years of hard struggles, especially in the high-end smartphone market.

Demand for the Mate 60 Pro has been strong since its surprising launch on August 29, and the shipment plan for the second half of 2023 has increased by about 20 percent to 5.5-6 million units. Based on this market trend, cumulative shipments of the Mate 60 Pro are expected to reach at least 12 million units within 12 months after the launch, Kuo Ming-Chi, an analyst at TF International Securities, said in a note.

Huawei's "undeniable influence" on industries and stock markets is coming back, Kuo said. He noted that Huawei's comeback is actually a good thing for consumers. It can force Apple to step out of its comfort zone and innovate more aggressively.

At a time when mobile phone consumption is relatively sluggish, the return of Huawei's high-end mobile phones is a landmark event for the bottoming out of the mobile phone consumer market, Adela Guo, a research director at IDC Asia Pacific, told the Global Times on Monday.

In the short term, it is expected to drive an upsurge in the domestic mobile phone consumer market. It will also make competition in the high-end mobile phone market more intense, Guo said.

Monday also marked two years since the return of Meng Wanzhou in 2021. Meng, now a rotating chairperson of Huawei, was arrested by Canadian authorities in December 2018 at the request of the US government.

Some netizens said a stronger Huawei returning to the center stage of global tech innovation may be considered as "a slap in the face" to the US government's ruthless suppression and attack on the leading Chinese tech company, especially as the planned event date marked second anniversary of Meng's safe return from Canada to China.

"Huawei's mobile phone business, which has been unreasonably suppressed for more than three years, has broken through major obstacles and been completely rebuilt. We can see that all the Huawei partners, Huawei fans and the media are quite excited with a festive atmosphere on scene," Jiang Junmu, a Shanghai-based veteran industry expert and close follower of Huawei, told the Global Times on Monday.

Huawei also unveiled the latest progress of its self-developed operating system HarmonyOS at the event, with the new release of Harmony OS NEXT. 

"A coordination of software and hardware will help Huawei construct a more perfect, complete system that will help it return to the international market," Jiang said.

There are now more than 30 operating systems in China that are based on HarmonyOS open source, covering industry terminals, mobile phones, tablets and home terminals. In total, there are approximately 600 million users, ranking third in the world, Huawei founder Ren Zhengfei said in a recent interview with Liu Yadong, Dean of the School of Journalism and Communication at Nankai University.

Ren said that if China establishes its own standard system, it will definitely be better than that of the US.

Ren compared the system to "clothes," saying that the US clothes were mended again and again, and there were patches everywhere. But Huawei has made new "clothes" in recent years. "We will directly make standards better than those in the US. In addition to being used in China, it is used all over the world," Ren said.

Huawei may encounter more difficulties, but at the same time it becomes more prosperous, Ren said.

The EU's anti-subsidy probe into Chinese new energy vehicles (NEV) is based on subjective assumptions, lacks sufficient evidence and goes against WTO rules, China's Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) said on Wednesday, responding to an EU decision to conduct the probe.

We express strong dissatisfaction and firm opposition to the EU decision, the MOFCOM said in a statement posted on its website on Wednesday.

China will closely follow Europe's investigative procedure and firmly safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese companies, the MOFCOM said.

The EU requires negotiation with the Chinese side under extremely short notice and failed to provide effective materials for negotiation, which has seriously infringed China's rights, according to the ministry.

The ministry noted that in the 10th China-EU High-level Economic and Trade Dialogue, held in late September, the Chinese side clearly stated that the EU's proposed probe is blatant protectionism and aimed at protecting the EU's industry under the guise of "fair trade," the moves of which will seriously disrupt and distort the global automotive industrial and supply chain, of which the EU has a part, and result in negative impacts on China-EU trade and economic ties.

China urged the EU to exert caution in applying trade remedy measures, considering the big picture of maintaining the stability of global industrial and supply chains and the China-EU comprehensive strategic partnership, the MOFCOM said.

"The EU should encourage deepened cooperation in the new energy industry which has NEVs as one of its spearheads, and create a fair, non-discriminatory and predictable market environment for the common development of the China-EU EV industry," the MOFCOM said.

In recent years, China's EV industry has seen rapid development thanks to its unremitting technological innovation and building up of a complete industrial and supply chain. And Chinese EVs have been favored by consumers including those in the EU.

According to auto consultancy Inovev, 8 percent of new EVs sold in Europe as of September this year were Chinese, up from 6 percent in 2022 and 4 percent in 2021.

In 2022, Chinese automakers exported 545,244 NEVs to Europe, accounting for 48.66 percent of all NEV exports, data from the China Passenger Car Association showed.

On Wednesday, the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM) expressed its strong opposition to the EU’s decision.

It is a clear fact that the Chinese EV market is a fiercely competitive market and not one supported and protected by subsidies, the industry association said, adding that the EU’s stubbornness in launching the probe regardless of the fact constitutes a blatant protectionist behavior and will definitely impede the global development of the EV industry and pose hazard to the global carbon neutralization process.

The Chinese and European automotive industries are partners, not rivals, and the development of the automotive industry needs fair competition, not protectionism, the CAAM said.

China has successfully tested a parachute system during a recent launch of a Long March-3B carrier rocket, confirming an ability to narrow the landing area by 80 percent, making the landing more precise, the Global Times learned from the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALT) on Friday.

The test was conducted on May 17 when the rocket was successfully launched carrying the 56th satellite for China's BeiDou Navigation Satellite System.

After analysis of experimental data and debris at the site, the academy found that the parachute system can fly in accordance with arranged landing lines and precisely push the detached part of the rocket to the landing area. The system narrowed the landing area range by 80 percent, according to the academy.

The test laid the foundation for large-scale application of the system in future projects, the academy noted.

According to the academy, the parachute system was independently developed by CALT to improve the safety of the landing area of rocket debris at the inland launch site.

Encased atop one of the rocket's four boosters, the high-tech parachute system was activated after the booster separated from the rocket and fell back to a preset altitude in order to control the separated body's altitude and direction and guide it to the arranged landing area, the academy told the Global Times.

The precise controlling of the system was achieved after various rounds of optimization.

The main optimization was carried out in the electrical subsystem. Engineers integrated the design of the parachute system in the boosters with that of the rocket fairings, and also integrated the electrical equipment within the parachute system, achieving a weight reduction of 30 kilograms, according to CALT.

The dumping of nuclear-contaminated wastewater from the Fukushima nuclear power plant in Japan has raised concerns among Chinese citizens about the state of the marine environment. Chinese environmental authorities on Monday vowed to strengthen the monitoring of marine environmental pollution through multiple means, including conducting baseline surveys of marine pollution and utilizing satellites for monitoring.

China has launched its third marine pollution baseline survey, with the goal of completing a thorough investigation and assessment by 2025, said Wang Juying, the director of the National Marine Environmental Monitoring Center, at the ministry's monthly press conference on Monday.

According to Wang, this survey follows the overall approach of "understanding the current situation, identifying problems, analyzing causes, and proposing countermeasures," and focuses on China's coastal waters and the country's 283 bays, with the aim of understanding the baseline levels of various pollutants in China's jurisdictional waters, the ecological conditions of various bays, and the impact of human activities. 

"The survey aims to comprehensively grasp the basic state and trends of the marine ecological environment," Wang said.

China previously conducted the first and second national marine pollution baseline surveys in 1976 and 1996, respectively.

Hu Songqin, deputy director of the Department of Marine Ecology and Environment of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, mentioned during the conference that the recent successful launch of a satellite to serve environmental protection and disaster management will significantly enhance data support and emergency response capabilities for sudden water environmental pollution events.

She stated that the Ministry of Ecology and Environment will actively collaborate with relevant research institutions and coastal regions, making effective use of data sources from monitoring systems. 

"These will provide crucial technical support for addressing sudden environmental events, pollution incidents, investigations of key risk sources, and enhancing marine ecological environmental governance capabilities," she noted.

In response to Japan dumping the contaminated water from the Fukushima nuclear plant into the ocean, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment has stated the specific measures that China has taken in terms of marine radiation environment monitoring.

At present, the ministry is actively conducting marine radiation environment monitoring in areas under China's jurisdiction for the year 2023, guided by a focus on critical regions, comprehensive coverage of jurisdictional waters, and a thorough understanding of key pathways, according to the ministry.

The ministry also vowed that in the future it will continue to strengthen relevant monitoring efforts, closely track and assess the potential impact of of contaminated water from the Fukushima nuclear plant on China's marine environment, and effectively safeguard the national interests and public health.

In 2021 and 2022, the ministry organized marine radiation environment monitoring in areas under China's jurisdiction, which provided insight into the baseline condition of the marine radiation environment in these regions. The monitoring results indicated that there were no abnormal levels of artificial radioactive isotopes in the seawater and marine organisms in China's jurisdictional waters, and overall, the concentrations remained within the historical fluctuation range.