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BFA: Asia emerges as a global engine for economic recovery and sustainable growth

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By Qiang Wei, People’s Daily

The Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) Annual Conference 2025 Press Conferencewas held on March 25 in Boao, south China’s Hainan province. The conference unveiledtwo flagship reports: the Asian Economic Outlook and Integration Progress Annual Report 2025, and Sustainable Development: Asia and the World Annual Report 2025 — Addressing Climate Change: Asia Going Green.

Bothreports cast Asia as a stabilizing pillar of the world economy, with green transformation becoming an indispensable driver for sustainable economic development.

Analysts underscored China’s proactive role in spearheading regional growth, economic integration, and green transformation, noting that the nation’shigh-quality development will provide more robust boost to the global economy.

Despite a complex international landscape marred by rising unilateralism and protectionism, “Asian economies, particularly China and ASEAN, are demonstrating strong resilience and vitality,”said BFA Secretary General Zhang Jun.”Asia continues to lead the world in economic growth, goods and services trade, and regional integration, nurturing new potential and fresh opportunities.”

Central to the discussion was the growing influence of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), a free trade area that has brought together the world’slargest population and trade market since its inceptionover three years ago.

The Asian Economic Outlook and Integration Progress Annual Report 2025 observed that by integrating economic and trade cooperation mechanisms in Asia, the RCEP has become an important lever for safeguarding global free trade and promoting regional economic growth.

The International Monetary Fund has predicted that the RCEP region’s GDP will increase by $10.9 trillion from 2023 to 2029, contributing more than 40 percent to global economic growth.

According to the report, Asia’sweighted real GDP growth rate is projected to reach 4.5 percent in 2025, with Asia remaining a key growth engine for the world economy.

Moreover, at purchasing power parity, the region’s share of global GDP is expected toincrease from 48.1 percent in 2024 to 48.6 percent in 2025, said Zhang Yuyan, dean of the School of International Politics and Economics at the University of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.”We have every reason to be confident in the economic future of Asia,” he noted.

Equally compelling is Asia’sunwavering commitment to sustainability.The Sustainable Development: Asia and the World Annual Report 2025 — Addressing Climate Change: Asia Going Green said that to address climate challenges, the region is pursuing a green transition, integrating both climate action and nature-based solutions to chart a new pathway for resilient and sustainable development.

Helena McLeod, deputy director general at the Global Green Growth Institute, noted that strong policy support, a dynamic innovation ecosystem, and significant investment in new energy vehicles, energy storage, and renewable energy have positioned China – and by extension, Asia – as a frontrunner in green technology research and development.

Investment in clean energy across Asia is on a steady rise. In 2023, China’s clean energy investments accounted for one-third of the global total.Erik Berglof, chief economist with the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, lauded China’sachievements in green transformation and technology, describing its progress as a blueprint for sustainable development that other nations might well follow.

With foreign investment continuously flowing into the region, Zafar Uddin Mahmood, policy advisor to the secretary general of the BFA, highlighted Asia’s attractiveness as an investment destination. He noted that China’s proactive approach to openingup and its efforts to coordinate trade across the region are injecting momentum into global economic recovery and sustainable growth.

A survey titled “Global and Asian Economic Confidence”conducted by the forum’sresearch institute revealed widespread optimism about China’s economic prospects. Respondents citedgreen, low-carbon, high-end, and intelligent manufacturing as key drivers of the country’s economic growth in 2025.

BFAchairman and former UN secretary-generalBan Ki-moon noted that in an interdependent global economy, the future hinges on openness and inclusiveness. As economic globalization faces mounting challenges, China’s commitment to high-level openingup remains crucial not just for Asia, but for the world at large, he said.

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Takaichi ‘s provocation on Taiwan Question is never tolerated

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By Zhong Sheng, People’s Daily

Recently, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi publicly asserted in the Diet that a so-called “Taiwan contingency” could constitute a “survival-threatening situation,” implying that might invoke its right to collective self-defense and militarily intervene in the Taiwan question. 

This constitutes a blatant interference in China’s internal affairs, a serious breach of the one-China principle, and a flagrant challenge to the post-World War II international order. 

Insightful figures from both China and Japan have pointed out in clear terms that this is the first time since Japan’s defeat in 1945 that a Japanese leader has officially linked the fallacy that “any contingency for Taiwan is a contingency for Japan” with collective self-defense rights, the first time a Japanese leader has explicitly expressed ambitions for armed involvement in the Taiwan question, and the first time Japan has issued an overt military threat toward China on this matter.

The malicious intent is extremely pernicious, the nature exceedingly egregious, and the consequences gravely severe. The Chinese government and the Chinese people express strong indignation and resolutely oppose these remarks.

Since modern times, Japanese militarism carried out frenzied aggression and expansion abroad, committing countless atrocities in China. In 1895, Japan forcibly seized Taiwan through the Treaty of Shimonoseki and imposed 50 years of colonial rule, brutally suppressing resistance from the people in Taiwan, plundering resources, and causing grave damage to Taiwan’s economy, culture, and people’s livelihoods. 

In 1945, following 14 years of arduous and heroic struggle, China won the great victory in the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression. Japan signed the Instrument of Surrender and accepted the Cairo Declaration, the Potsdam Proclamation, and other international legal documents stipulating that Taiwan be restored to China. China resumed the exercise of sovereignty over Taiwan, a glorious chapter in the Chinese nation’s pursuit of national reunification and an integral part of the post-war international order.

This year marks the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War, as well as the 80th anniversary of the restoration of Taiwan. The one-China principle has long been a consensus widely accepted in the international community.

As a defeated country, Japan should reflect deeply on its historical responsibilities, honor the commitments it has made to China and the international community, and genuinely act to fully reflect on its wrongdoing and respect China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. 

Yet Takaichi is attempting to bind China’s Taiwan region to Japan’s so-called “security interests,” seeking to fabricate excuses for Japanese military interference in the Taiwan question and exposing Japan’s designs and ambitions to intervene militarily in the Taiwan Strait. This sends gravely wrong signals to “Taiwan independence” separatist forces, seriously violates the core tenet of the one-China principle affirmed in the 1972 China-Japan Joint Statement, and runs counter to the common understanding in the fourth political document between the two countries signed in 2008 that the two countries are cooperative partners that do not pose a threat to each other. It severely undermines the political foundation of China-Japan relations.

Takaichi’s fallacies on Taiwan are by no means isolated political rhetoric. Behind them lies the obsession and arrogance of Japan’s right-wing forces in seeking to break free from the constraints of the Pacifist Constitution and pursue the status of a “military power.” 

In recent years, Japan has raced down the path of military buildup, hollowing out its Pacifist Constitution, completely abandoning its “exclusively defense-oriented” policy, and even attempting to overturn its Three Non-Nuclear Principles.

Against this backdrop, linking a so-called “Taiwan contingency” to the exercise of Japan’s right to collective self-defense raises concerns. This linkage appears designed to justify Japan’s military expansion and carries the dangerous signal of a potential resurgence of militaristic tendencies in Japanese policy. 

From her repeated visits to the Yasukuni Shrine, to the denial of the historical reality of the Nanjing Massacre, and the promotion of the “China threat” narrative, mirrors the troubling path of Japan’s past militarism. These actions constitute an effort to whitewash Japan’s history of aggression and honor militarist figures. 

Historically, Japanese militarism frequently invoked the so-called “survival-threatening situation” to justify foreign aggression. This pattern included the brazen fabrication of the September 18th Incident under the guise of “exercising the right of self-defense,” which triggered Japan’s full-scale invasion of China. The revival of such rhetoric today prompts a deeply concerning question: is Japan risking a repetition of its past mistakes?

The great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and national reunification are historical trends that no force can stop. The resolve of the Chinese government and people to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity is rock-solid. The Taiwan question is at the very core of China’s core interests. Anyone who dares to touch this red line will face the resolute opposition of more than 1.4 billion Chinese people and the entire Chinese nation. 

We again sternly warn the Japanese side: If Japan dares to attempt an armed intervention in the cross-Strait situation, it would be an act of aggression and definitely meet a firm response from China. The Japanese side must correct its wrongdoing at once and retract the unjustified remarks. Otherwise, all the consequences arising therefrom must be borne by the Japanese side.

Eighty years ago, the Chinese people defeated Japanese militarist aggression. Today, the Chinese nation has the firm will, full confidence, and sufficient capability to thwart any attempt at “Taiwan independence” and any external interference. Those who play with fire will surely perish by it. Any forces attempting to obstruct China’s complete reunification are engaging in futile resistance against an unstoppable tide — they will face resolute countermeasures and meet with utter failure.

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Seizing historical initiative in development of information revolution

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By He Yin, People’s Daily

This year marks the 10th anniversary of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s proposal to build a community with a shared future in cyberspace. 

From Nov. 6 to 9, the 2025 World Internet Conference (WIC) Wuzhen Summit was held in Wuzhen, east China’s Zhejiang province. 

At the event, Chinese and foreign participants reviewed the fruitful outcomes and vivid practices achieved over the past decade in building a community with a shared future in cyberspace, discussed ways to promote win-win cooperation in global cyberspace, and pooled wisdom and strength for the sound development and governance of the Internet.

The vision of building a community with a shared future in cyberspace was proposed by China and belongs to the world. In 2015, Xi creatively put forward this important initiative in response to the pressing question of “where the global Internet should head.” 

The vision conforms to the trend of the information age and the overarching trajectory of human progress, while addressing the risks and challenges facing cyberspace. It calls for respecting cyber sovereignty, safeguarding peace and security, promoting openness and cooperation, and maintaining good order, while aiming to speed up the building of global internet infrastructure and promote interconnectivity, build an online platform for cultural exchange and mutual learning, promote innovative development of cyber economy and common prosperity, maintain cyber security and promote orderly development, and build an internet governance system and promote equity and justice.

It also stresses the importance of achieving shared development, ensuring common security, realizing joint governance, and enjoying benefits together, and advocates giving priority to development, sharing weal and woe, and promoting mutual learning among civilizations. 

The Chinese initiative provides systematic answers to key questions such as “for whom should the Internet develop” and “how should it be governed,” offering a clear and comprehensive conceptual framework as well as practical pathways for action. It has gained growing recognition and support from the international community.

By spearheading cooperation through pioneering practices, the WIC has become a platform for pooling global wisdom and building broad consensus. 

During this year’s Wuzhen Summit, a wide range of innovative technologies, including autonomous driving vehicles, eye-tracking input solutions for accessibility, and AI-powered painting, were showcased. 

The event honored 17 cutting-edge projects covering frontier areas such as large-scale AI models, intelligent Internet systems, embodied intelligence, and quantum computing with the WIC Awards for Pioneering Science and Technology. Additionally, 12exemplary cases of jointly building a community with a shared future in cyberspace were unveiled. The WIC continues to serve as a bellwether for global Internet technology innovation.

So far, more than 210 institutions, organizations, enterprises, and individuals from over 40 countries and regions have joined the WIC as members. In recent years, the conference has expanded its global network through initiatives such as the Nishan Dialogue on Digital Civilization and the WIC Asia-Pacific Summit, strengthening its role as an indispensable platform for international dialogue and cooperation.

Since China gained full access to the global Internet more than 30 years ago, it has actively contributed to cyber peace, progress, and governance while benefiting from worldwide internet development. 

China participated in the UN’s cybersecurity processes, including treaty negotiations, and supports the UN’s central role in global cyberspace governance. With extensive experience and cutting-edge technologies in mobile internet applications, digital payments, and short videos, China actively shares these advancements through international cooperation, helping more countries and their citizens share the benefits of internet development.

In global Internet development and governance, China has always upheld true multilateralism and firmly safeguarded international fairness and justice. 

It insists that the building of a community with a shared future in cyberspace should be based on multilateral and multiparty participation and consultation, respect for cyber sovereignty, and a spirit of partnership.

Today, the global distribution of Internet development resources remains uneven, and cybersecurity threats are increasingly complex. In response, all stakeholders must embrace digital transformation trends – prioritizing innovation as the key driver, security as the fundamental requirement, and inclusivity as the core value. Accelerated efforts are needed to advance cyberspace development that is innovative, secure, and inclusive.

China actively promotes international cooperation and encourages countries around the world to complement each other’s strengths and achieve shared progress in cyberspace. A series of initiatives, including the establishment of a Cooperation Network of Chinese Internet Enterprises in Africa, the China-CELAC Internet Development and Cooperation Forum, the China-ASEAN Information Harbor Forum, and WIC-GET — a global Internet talent excellence program, vividly embody the vision of building a community with a shared future in cyberspace. These efforts inject momentum into joint development and help bridge the global digital divide.

As digital transformation accelerates, cyberspace carries humanity’s shared aspiration for a better future. China will, as always, deepen exchanges and practical cooperation with all countries, seize the historical initiative in the development of the information revolution, and work hand in hand with the rest of the world to advance the building of a community with a shared future in cyberspace, so that the Internet can better benefit people across the world.

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Revealing Earth’s subsurface: China’s technological advancements in oil, gas exploration

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By Ding Yiting, People’s Daily

Approximately 70 percent of China’s undiscovered oil and gas resources are located in ultra-deep formations, complex geological structures, and unconventional fields. Locating and accurately mapping these resources presents significant technical challenges.

Recently, People’s Daily visited BGP Inc., a subsidiary of China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC), to explore how advanced geophysical technology is driving breakthroughs in exploration.

According to Wen Jiamin, chief engineer at BGP Inc.’s geophysical research center, more than 95 percent of the world’s oil and gas reserves have been discovered through seismic exploration, akin to conducting a CT scan of the Earth. Artificial seismic waves are generated to collect raw data, and the resulting data is processed into 3D imagery for geological analysis and identification of potential drilling sites.

As exploration moves deeper underground, conventional seismic techniques face limitations in penetration and signal clarity. To overcome these challenges, BGP Inc. has developed wide-frequency, wide-azimuth, and high-density data acquisition technology and equipment. These innovations function much like advanced photography, capturing clearer, more comprehensive subsurface images through broader frequency ranges, multi-angle coverage, and high-resolution sampling.

This capability requires robust equipment. At BGP Inc.’s simulated acquisition site, 30-ton broadband seismic source vehicles, independently developed by the company, use five-ton vibrators to generate deep-penetrating low-frequency signals. These extend the effective detection depth from around 5,000 meters to over 10,000 meters.

Ma Lei, a senior expert at BGP Inc., highlighted the development of a new data acquisition system capable of recording up to 300,000 channels, up from 10,000, while increasing synchronization accuracy from milliseconds to microseconds.

Once seismic data is collected, it must undergo extensive processing and interpretation. Transforming increasingly massive datasets, often several times larger than before, into clear, actionable geological imagery requires advanced, large-scale seismic processing and interpretation software.

Historically, China relied on imported software for this critical task. In 2003, BGP Inc. Broke new ground by independently developing China’s first large-scale integrated seismic data processing and interpretation software with proprietary intellectual property rights. In 2015, the company introduced an upgraded version, the world’s first five-dimensional data processing and interpretation software, offering significantly enhanced functionality. Today, it stands among the world’s three leading geophysical software systems.

In recent years, BGP Inc.’s research and development team has integrated AI into the software to enhance accuracy and efficiency. One notable advancement is in velocity spectrum picking, a crucial step in data interpretation. Previously requiring up to two months of manual work, the process can now be completed within days or weeks using AI-assisted automation, greatly accelerating turnaround while enhancing data quality, according to Geng Weifeng, head of the company’s AI research unit.

Over the past five years, BGP Inc. has helped confirm domestic reserves of three trillion cubic meters of natural gas zones and 500 million tons of oil. The company has also supported the successful siting and drilling of China’s two ultra-deep scientific exploration wells, each reaching depths of 10,000 meters. Internationally, BGP Inc. has delivered services to over 300 oil companies across more than 80 countries and has ranked first in annual operating revenue within the global geophysical services sector for several consecutive years.

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