Foreign

U.S. fallacies about Taiwan question reveal extortionist logic

Published

3 years ago

August 21, 2022

By Zhong Sheng, People’s Daily

Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi’s visit to China’s Taiwan region has escalated tensions in the Taiwan Strait, triggering wide concerns and criticism from regional countries and the international society.
Confronted with the wrongful remarks and actions of the U.S., China has made justifiable and reasonable countermeasures that are necessary to safeguard its national sovereignty and territorial integrity and will effectively maintain regional peace and stability.
As the third highest-ranking figure in the U.S. government, Pelosi turned a blind eye to China’s strong opposition and solemn representations, ignored the wide concerns from regional countries and the international society, and insisted on visiting Taiwan to make a crisis.
It’s clear enough that what’s done by the U.S. House Speaker was allowed and supported by the White House. However, the U.S. side, rather than restraining itself after Pelosi’s visit, continued its wrong practices and blamed the innocent, claiming China’s countermeasures escalated tensions in the Taiwan Strait and had severe impacts on regional peace and stability.
To distort facts, the U.S. even said China’s actions were “at odds” with Washington’s “longstanding goal of maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and in the region.”
Such remarks just revealed to the world more essence of the American hegemony and arrogance, and made more people in the world understand the necessity of China’s resolute countermeasures.
Regional countries and the international society believe that the recent actions of the U.S. have violated China’s sovereignty, breached U.S. commitments and escalated tensions in the Taiwan Strait. They support China to safeguard its legitimate rights and interests and make firm responses to the provocative actions from Washington.
The U.S. has enhanced its efforts to oppress China over the recent years, in an attempt to contain China’s development with the Taiwan question.
Taiwan’s Democratic Progressive Party authorities, who forget their heritage and cling to U.S. support to seek “independence,” as well as some anti-China forces in the U.S. that wish to hinder the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and contain China’s development with the Taiwan question, are the root cause of the current tensions in the Taiwan Strait.
In total disregard of international consensuses, Pelosi said the U.S. will “not allow” China to isolate Taiwan and even called Taiwan a “country,” which bolstered the forces of “Taiwan independence.”
After her visit, some “Taiwan independence” die hard hyped that Taiwan was a so-called “sovereign country,” and the U.S., rather than opposing such practice, even encouraged it both overtly and covertly.
The wrongful practice of the U.S. severely challenges the international order and gravely threatens peace in the Taiwan Strait and regional stability. Had China not taken resolute countermeasures against U.S. provocation and “Taiwan independence” forces, the hard-won regional peace and stability would have been further damaged.
The U.S. is the one that provoked troubles first, but it is “condemning” China’s military drills to whitewash itself, which once again revealed the deep-rooted extortionist logic of the U.S.
The U.S. launches over 100 military drills on the seawater surrounding China each year and often sends aircraft and warships there for muscle-showing and provocations, which seriously threatens regional peace and stability.
For a long time, the U.S. has been running against the principles of the UN Charter and the basic norms governing international relations, launching and instigating conflicts everywhere. The country has created huge turbulence and humanitarian disasters for the world.
Among the 248 armed conflicts that happened around the world between the end of the World War II and 2001, 201 were initiated by the U.S.
Since 2001, the U.S. has initiated and been involved in wars and military actions that killed over 800,000 people and displaced tens of millions.
The U.S. is the one that should be condemned.
It’s so vicious of the U.S. to associate the tensions in the Taiwan Strait with the Ukraine crisis. The Taiwan question and the Ukraine issue are completely different in nature. Taiwan is a part of China, and the Taiwan question is China’s domestic affair. However, the U.S., playing dumb, is trying to make the Taiwan question an international issue. Its true intention is to disorder the Taiwan Strait and the Asia-Pacific region.
However, of course there’s something in common in the Taiwan question and the Ukraine issue. They were both initiated by the U.S.
A foreign political leader noted that the U.S. creates crises, lives off of crises and feeds on various crises in the world. The Ukraine crisis was a result of U.S. instigation. Instead of drawing lessons from it, the U.S. is once again creating a crisis in the Taiwan Strait. It is the U.S. that’s destroying world peace.
The pursuit of peace and development is a common aspiration of all regional countries. The U.S. should respect the aspiration and abandon its scheme of containing China with the Taiwan question as soon as possible. It should get back to the right track of the one-China principle and the three China-U.S. joint communiques, and showcase its sense of responsibility as a major country.
Meanwhile, regional countries must stay alert to the U.S. instigation and expansion of military presence, as well as its attempt to make a bigger crisis.
(Zhong Sheng is a pen name often used by People’s Daily to express its views on foreign policy and international affairs.)

Foreign

Understanding the history of World War II to build a peaceful future

Published

9 hours ago

August 11, 2025

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By Zhu Chengshan

“Dead To Rights,” a film about the Nanjing Massacre during World War II, recently premiered in China to significant acclaim, sparking a surge of interest in domestically-produced war films this summer.

Historical truth transcends time, possessing both revelatory power and enduring impact. The film portrays 15-year-old Luo Jin, an apprentice at Nanjing’s Huadong Photo Studio, who uncovered harrowing evidence while developing photographs for Japanese officers during the city’s occupation. The images captured scenes of mass killings, rape, and other atrocities committed against Chinese civilians by Japanese aggressors.

At great personal risk, Luo secretly duplicated dozens of the images and compiled them into an album. These materials were later safeguarded by Wu Xuan, a patriotic student, ultimately serving as pivotal evidence at the trial of Hisao Tani, the principal perpetrator of the Nanjing Massacre.

The true history cannot be erased. No matter how relentlessly Japanese right-wing forces or historical revisionists attempt to rewrite the past, their efforts are ultimately futile.

Does that painful chapter of history still carry meaning in our time? The answer is unquestionably yes. Patriotic education remains a lasting theme.

Chinese President Xi Jinping pointed out that the responsibility for war crimes lies with a few militarists, but not the people. However, people cannot at any time forget the severe crimes committed by aggressors. The Nanjing Massacre, committed by Japanese aggressors, was an atrocious anti-human crime and a dark page in the history of humanity.

This blood-soaked memory serves as a solemn reminder: when a nation is poor and weak, its people become vulnerable to the gravest violations of fundamental rights. We must never forget these historical lessons nor allow such tragedies to recur.

History serves both as the best textbook and dose of sobriety. The Nanjing Massacre remains one of the darkest and most harrowing chapters in the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression. This is a historical truth universally acknowledged by the international community.

Throughout the war, more than 35 million Chinese soldiers and civilians were killed or wounded. China suffered direct economic losses of over $100 billion and indirect losses exceeding $500 billion, calculated in terms of 1937 levels.

As China commemorates the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War, we recognize this conflict as modern China’s longest and largest struggle against foreign aggression..Despite paying the heaviest national price, it culminated in the Chinese people’s first complete victory in their fight for liberation – a triumph that belonged not only to China but to all peace-loving people worldwide.

A truthful understanding of World War II history is fundamental to building lasting peace for the present and the future. China’s prolonged resistance tied down vast numbers of Japanese troops, shattering the scheme of Japan joining forces with fascist Germany and Italy to launch a two-front assault and dominate the world.

As the main Eastern battlefield of the anti-fascist war, China’s war of resistance made a critical contribution to its worldwide victory and the cause of justice and freedom for humanity. Franklin D. Roosevelt, then U.S. President, once commented that without China, or if China had been defeated, many more Japanese divisions would have been deployed to other areas.

Today’s world is undergoing profound changes unseen in a century, and these changes are accelerating. Hegemonism, power politics and Cold War mentalities alongside growing economic coercion is on the rise. In the face of these challenges, the Chinese people feel more deeply than ever the importance of patriotism, unity, and self-strengthening.

This makes it all the more vital to confidently share the great significance of the victory in the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, and to highlight the decisive role of the main Eastern battlefield in the global fight against fascism.

To promote enduring peace and stability across the world, we must engage with history in a spirit of sincerity and humility – drawing wisdom from its experiences, and learning from its lessons, so that the true history can guide the way forward for all humanity.

(Zhu Chengshan is a Professor at Changzhou University, former vice president of the Chinese Society for the History of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, and former curator of the Memorial Hall of the Victims in Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders)

Foreign

Chinese products bring coolness to European consumers

Published

9 hours ago

August 11, 2025

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By Li Gang, People’s Daily

With heat waves sweeping across Europe this summer, demand for Chinese-made air conditioners (AC) is rising, signaling a shift in the region which is long accustomed to getting through the season without cooling systems.

Customs data reveals China’s air conditioner exports to EU countries reached $3.76 billion during the first half of 2025, representing a 43.2% year-on-year increase and setting a new record for the period. This growth continues the robust export momentum established in 2024.

Air conditioning is not as widely used in Europe as in many other parts of the world, due to high rental rates, deeply rooted awareness of environmental protection, and the high cost of installation and operation. Drilling into walls is often banned in historic buildings, and landlords generally won’t approve outdoor AC units. Installation must be carried out by certified professionals, often costing several hundred euros, with regular maintenance required.

To cope with the situation, Chinese air conditioner brand Midea has rolled out a portable split-type air conditioner for the European market. Portable, quiet, and comfortable, the product meets the needs of local consumers and is popular in Germany, France, Italy, the Netherlands, and beyond.

“This model has indoor and outdoor units, but unlike traditional split-type AC units, it’s easy to install and can be moved around. Its cooling performance is excellent,” said Zhu Zhou, sales director of Midea Residential Air Conditioners in Europe.

In Northern Europe, buying and installing an AC can cost around 3,000 euros. It’s a bit cheaper in Western and Southern Europe. The portable split-type AC is priced at 1,199 euros, users can save a lot by installing it themselves, Zhu said.

The spike in demand has ramped up production. At Midea’s smart factory in Nansha district of Guangzhou, south China’s Guangdong province, assembly of the portable split-type AC units is running in an orderly manner.

“We’ve shipped over 80,000 units so far, with another 20,000 scheduled for production,” said Sun Qi, head of production planning at the factory.

Midea has established dedicated production lines to ensure quality and output. The AC products are shipped to Europe via sea and the China-Europe freight trains. The sea freight route begins at Nansha Port in Guangzhou, passes through the Strait of Malacca, rounds South Africa, and arrives at the Port of Rotterdam, the Netherlands.

The rail freight route begins in Guangzhou, exits China via Horgos Port, and travels through Kazakhstan, Russia, Belarus, Poland and other countries before arriving in Germany. In the first half of the year, Midea’s AC sales in Europe rose 35 percent.

Multiple Chinese brands are gaining traction. The portable AC products of TCL DeLonghi, a joint venture between home appliances groups TCL and DeLonghi, are also selling well in Europe.

“Our sales are up 25 percent this year in the European market,” said Du Quanbin, head of market management at the overseas marketing center of TCL DeLonghi Home Appliances (Zhongshan) Co., Ltd., located in Nantou town of Zhongshan, Guangdong.

Production lines at the company’s production workshop are running at full capacity. According to Du, orders for Europe have already been shipped, and the products being made will be sent to countries such as Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and Argentina, stocking up in advance for summer in the Southern Hemisphere.

Beyond air conditioners, Chinese-made cooling products are becoming common in German homes. German consumers report these offerings combine affordability with innovative features.

Stephen, a Berlin plumber who frequently works in uncooled environments, recently purchased a Chinese-made cooling uniform from a department store. The garment features breathable, heat-resistant fabric with UV protection and specialized cooling technology that maintains body temperatures up to 15°C below ambient conditions – a practical solution for extreme heat.

Shenzhen-based appliance supplier Weikenxiong observed a March surge in European orders for compact electric fans, now selling approximately 200,000 units monthly at over 100 euros each.

“This product was once a hit across Southeast Asia,” said Yu Yuewu, head of Yuecheng Plastic Products Factory in Longdu town, Chenghai district, Shantou of Guangdong. Holding one of the fans, Yu explained that it features an energy-efficient motor for powerful airflow, semiconductor cooling, and a built-in power bank, providing a steady stream of cool air.

The European market places strict demands on energy efficiency and environmental sustainability. “To maintain long-term market growth, the industry chain must push technological boundaries by adhering to high standards,” Yu added, expressing optimism about future prospects.

Foreign

Trump Condemns Killings of Christians in Nigeria, Promises Strong Response

Published

15 hours ago

August 11, 2025

Our Reporter

By: Fabian Apechihin

The United States has issued a strong condemnation of recent massacres targeting Christians in Nigeria and across sub-Saharan Africa, describing the violence as “horrific” and pledging coordinated action with international partners.

The statement follows a series of deadly incidents, including the slaughter of 27 Christians in Bindi Ta-hoss, Nigeria, by suspected Islamist Fulani militants. Witnesses said many victims—women and children among them—were burned alive while sheltering in a church.

“I lost my wife and second daughter in the attack,” survivor Solomon Sunday told reporters. “They were burned alive.”

Just days earlier, on July 27, 49 Christians were hacked to death with machetes during prayers in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. Authorities blamed the ISIS-linked Allied Democratic Forces. Across the region, groups such as Boko Haram and ISIS West Africa are accused of killing, displacing, and seizing land from Christian communities.

“The Trump administration condemns in the strongest terms this horrific violence against Christians,” the White House said, stressing that defending religious freedom is both a moral obligation and a U.S. foreign policy priority.

Human rights organisations have labelled the attacks a campaign of “ethno-religious cleansing.” John Eibner, president of Christian Solidarity International, noted that over 165 Christians have been killed in Nigeria’s Plateau State alone in the past four months. “People are being killed like chickens, and nothing is being done,” added local youth leader D’Young Mangut.

According to Open Doors, more Christians are killed for their faith in Nigeria than in the rest of the world combined. Over the past decade, jihadist violence in sub-Saharan Africa has claimed about 150,000 lives and displaced more than 16 million Christians. In Plateau State, more than 64 communities have reportedly been seized by armed Fulani militants.

Religious leaders warn the violence is systematic. Bishop Wilfred Anagbe, who lost 20 parishioners in a recent attack, accused militants of seeking to transform parts of Nigeria into an Islamic State. Families of victims say they are “tired of condolences” and demand tangible protection.

Henrietta Blyth, CEO of Open Doors UK and Ireland, called for urgent global attention: “For too long, nobody has been talking about the horrific wholesale slaughter of Christians. The Western world needs to wake up and be outraged.”

If you want, I can also make this more hard-hitting in a breaking news format for faster reading while keeping the emotional punch. That would make it sharper for headlines and news feeds. Would you like me to do that?