By Wu Yuehui, People’s Daily

Following a mudslide at Gyirong Port, located along the China-Nepal border in southwest China’s Xizang autonomous region, experts have weighed in on whether climate change was a contributing factor.

According to one specialist, the disaster is closely tied to global warming. Rising temperatures have accelerated the melting of glaciers. The combined effects of glacial retreat, local geological and geomorphological conditions, and broader climatic factors are believed to have been the primary triggers. 

The disaster was further complicated by a chain reaction involving ice and rock collapses. These cascading events, together with the inherent difficulties of managing cross-border disaster prevention, make risk reduction in high-altitude regions particularly challenging.

Climate change is continuously reshaping the cryosphere and its ecosystems, environment, and disaster patterns worldwide. On the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, glaciers are shrinking and retreating at an accelerating rate, creating an important backdrop for the increasing frequency of geological disasters in the region.

Drawing on more than six decades of data from three comprehensive glacier inventories conducted in China, researchers have gained a clear picture of this shrinking trend. These findings provide a solid data foundation for monitoring and early warning systems.

The first inventory recorded a total glacier area of 51,000 square kilometers on the plateau. By the second inventory, that figure had declined to 44,000 square kilometers. According to the most recently completed third inventory, the plateau’s glacier area has now dropped to 39,000 square kilometers.

Kang Shichang, director and researcher at the Institute of Mountain Hazards and Environment of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, in Chengdu, southwest China’s Sichuan province, said that glaciers across the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau have shrunk by 24 percent in area over the past 60 years, a decline of nearly a quarter. 

“The retreat has been particularly pronounced in the southern part of the plateau. In areas including the Gangdise Mountains, Nyenchen Tanglha Mountains, and Himalayas, glaciers have shrunk by about 40 percent over the past 60 years. The main driver of this dramatic change is global warming,” Kang said.

The ongoing melting of glaciers has directly led to a substantial increase in both the number and size of glacial lakes across the plateau. This has greatly heightened the risk of glacial lake outburst floods, landslides, and other disasters. There are now more than 14,000 glacial lakes on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, covering a combined area of over 1,100 square kilometers. Overall, these lakes continue to expand rapidly, with associated disaster risks steadily accumulating.

Nie Yong, another researcher at the same institute, said glacial lakes across the plateau have expanded markedly in recent decades, with the most pronounced growth occurring in the Himalayan region along China’s southern border. The area of glacial lakes in the region is expanding by an average of about 1% annually. These continuously expanding lakes have become the primary source of geological disaster risks in high-altitude areas.

By Dai Kairan, Huang Peizhao, Ren Haoyu, People’s Daily

China and Egypt have long been close partners, bound by shared goals and mutual trust. In recent years, their high-quality Belt and Road cooperation between the two countries has produced tangible results, improving Egypt’s infrastructure, boosting local industry, and fostering talent development.

Central Business District (CBD) in Egypt’s New Administrative Capital

Standing atop the 385.8-meter Iconic Tower, the tallest building in Africa, visitors can enjoy a sweeping view. Sunlight filters through the clouds, illuminating rows of buildings rising from the desert, while the outline of a modern city has already begun to take shape.

Located about 50 kilometers east of downtown Cairo, the CBD of Egypt’s new administrative capital is being built by the Egypt branch of China State Construction Engineering Corporation. As one of the core projects of Egypt’s new administrative capital and a key project under high-quality Belt and Road cooperation between China and Egypt, the CBD project comprises 10 office buildings, five residential buildings, four large hotels, and the Iconic Tower.

Senior architecture coordinator Nourhan Amin joined the project team in 2022. Since then, she has witnessed buildings rise from blueprints to reality, a transformation she describes as a source of “great pride.” Egypt has limited experience in constructing super-tall buildings, so Chinese engineers brought advanced techniques to the site. Through a mentorship program, Amin was paired with Jia Fengling, the project’s chief engineer.

“We aim to pass on our expertise to local staff through this program,” Jia noted. Over time, many Egyptian technicians have progressed from learning alongside their Chinese colleagues to becoming independent, capable project managers.

10th of Ramadan Railway project

At Adly Mansour Station, passengers line up in an orderly fashion to buy tickets for the 10th of Ramadan Railway, Egypt’s first electrified inter-city rail line.

“This modern light rail has brought us real convenience,” said a passenger surnamed Ismail.

Built by the consortium of China Railway Group Limited (CREC) and AVIC International Holding Corporation, the railway is Egypt’s first electrified inter-city railway and a landmark project under Belt and Road cooperation between China and Egypt. Its first two phases began operation in 2022, spanning approximately 70 kilometers with 12 stations serving more than five million residents along the route.

One passenger, Ismail lives in El Shorouk City in eastern Cairo and works downtown. He used to commute by privately operated minibuses, a trip that often took over an hour, sometimes longer in heavy traffic.

“Now it takes me about 40 minutes to get to the office by light rail,” he said. He noted the trains run smoothly, the carriages are clean and well-maintained, and the fares are reasonable.

Guo Kaixiang, general manager of the Egypt branch of AVIC International Holding Corporation, said that since the railway began operation, it has run safely for about 1,500 days and made 280,000 train trips, carrying more than 22 million passengers.

Chinese enterprises have rolled out localized talent training tailored to project construction and operational requirements. To date, they have cultivated around 100 local operational specialists for dispatching, train attendant services and station management, plus some 500 maintenance technicians covering rolling stock, signaling, power supply and communication systems. These efforts have helped Egypt build its own workforce for the operation and maintenance of electrified light rail systems.

Haier Egypt Ecological Park

At a Haier home appliance store in Madinaty, eastern Cairo, refrigerators, washing machines, air conditioners and televisions are neatly displayed. Many of the appliances are manufactured at Haier Egypt Ecological Park in 10th of Ramadan City.

Covering 200,000 square meters, the park is Haier’s first integrated industrial park investment in the Middle East and Africa. Phase I, whichproduces air conditioners, televisions and washing machines, has an annual capacity of about one million units and officially began operations in May 2024. 

Construction of the refrigeration and freezer plant under phase II is under way and is expected to begin production in October this year. Once fully operational, the park’s annual capacity will exceed 1.5 million units.

“In just two years since Phase I began, Haier’s air conditioners have become the third-largest brand in Egypt by market share, while our washing machines and televisions rank among the top five,” said Hu Ganggang, general manager of the park. “This shows that our products have won recognition and acceptance from local consumers.”

In the first half of this year, Haier Egypt also achieved localized manufacturing of large commercial air-conditioning systems, becoming the first company in Egypt capable of doing so.

The current phased target for localization rate across the eco-park’s production lines is 60 percent, while the air-conditioning line has already reached 63 percent.

Ahmed Abdel-Rashid, head of the household air-conditioning business at the park, is particularly proud of the achievement.

“Localization means we can rely more on local suppliers, technicians and manufacturing capabilities and respond more quickly to demand in the Egyptian market,” he said.

Nasser Mandour, president of Suez Canal University in Egypt, said, “In recent years, high-quality Belt and Road cooperation between Egypt and China has continued to deepen. It not only responds to the practical needs of Egypt’s economic and social development, but also focuses on strengthening the country’s capacity for independent development, injecting new impetus into Egypt’s modernization drive.”

By Qi Yukun, Shen Tongrui, People’s Daily

At around 10:30 a.m. on Aug. 26, a severe mudslide triggered in Nepal caused major casualties and left several people missing at the Gyirong Port in Gyirong county, Xigaze, southwest China’s Xizang autonomous region.

The valley shook as rocks and debris lay scattered across the landscape. The main road leading to the worst-affected area was buried under the mudslide, while secondary hazards, including falling rocks, landslides, and the overflow of a barrier lake, continued to pose serious risks to rescue operations.

China’s national comprehensive fire and rescue force quickly mobilized to search for and rescue those who remained unaccounted for. Following every lead and searching every possible area, the rescuers left no stone unturned.

“The roads are completely cut off, leaving us without predefined search paths. We have no choice but to launch multiple search operations simultaneously,” said Wang Haitao, commander-in-chief of the on-site fire and rescue command center.

Breaking down organizational barriers among different units, the command center divided the operation into three specialized teams for land, water, and air searches. A coordinated, three-dimensional approach was adopted: teams advanced on foot across difficult terrain, boats pushed forward along waterways, and aerial equipment conducted reconnaissance and delivered supplies — all aimed at maximizing search coverage.

— On land, firefighters trek through dense forests and steep mountains.

Carrying life detectors, satellite communication equipment, and other search-and-rescue gear, rescuers made their way through mountain forests where slopes approached 60 degrees.

The ground beneath them was slippery with mud, falling rocks threatened from above, and many sections had no passable roads at all. Using both hands and feet, the rescuers clung to rock faces and shrubs as they painstakingly made their way forward. On particularly dangerous cliff sections, they had no choice but to use ropes to rappel down to reach the target areas.

“Knowing that there were still people waiting to be found, none of us stopped,” said rescuer Xu Hui.

After reaching the hardest-hit area with his teammates, Xu immediately joined a systematic, grid-by-grid search without pausing to rest.

— On water, inflatable boats navigate rushing currents.

The river was fast-flowing, with rocks scattered throughout the channel and muddy water hiding dangerous currents beneath the surface. At any moment, the boats could collide with rocks or be swept into powerful currents.

“Conditions in the water can change in an instant. We have to be bold enough to move forward, but we also have to proceed with caution. We carefully assess the risks along every section of the waterway,” said Benpa Tsering, head of the water search-and-rescue team.

Because sediment had accumulated along the riverbed, the boats could not reach every section directly. Rescuers often had to leave their boats and go ashore to conduct thorough searches along riverbanks, shoals and backwater bends.

The high altitude quickly drained the rescuers’ strength, while intermittent rainfall continued to heighten geological risks. Every step forward in the search and rescue operation required tremendous effort.

— In the air, drones conducted reconnaissance and delivered equipment.

Mountain ridges blocked the view and created numerous communication blind spots for ground teams, making aerial operations crucial to filling information gaps .

At the site, multiple drones took turns flying nonstop reconnaissance missions. Thermal imaging payloads detected faint heat signatures in buried areas, while mapping modules rapidly generated three-dimensional models of the disaster zone, providing the command center with a clear view of terrain and signs of burial that could not be seen from the ground.

“We transmit aerial images and three-dimensional models back to the command center in real time, allowing commanders to see the entire valley at a glance and avoid deploying personnel blindly,” said commander Wang Yongming.

Weather conditions can change rapidly in high-altitude valleys, and drone operators must contend with strong winds, signal attenuation and other challenges, repeatedly adjusting flight altitudes and routes.

Through a closed-loop operational process of risk assessment, task organization, on-site operations, and review and evaluation, the rescue teams have established a systematic approach to search and rescue.

“Although dangers keep emerging, as long as there is even the slightest hope, we will never stop searching,” said rescuer Zou Mingqi, his clothes and body covered in mud, his voice firm and resolute.