NUR-SULTAN, Aug. 23 (Xinhua) -- The Amu Darya Natural Gas Project is located in the Karakum Desert of Turkmenistan, a Central Asian inland country.

The natural gas project has an annual output of over 10 billion cubic meters, with a peak production of 41 million cubic meters per day.

After being extracted and processed, the natural gas is sent to the southern region of Uzbekistan, where it flows into the China-Central Asia natural gas pipeline.

The China-Central Asia natural gas pipeline is China's first transnational gas pipeline.

In Central Asia, some sections of the pipeline run parallel to the ancient Silk Road. Therefore, it's also dubbed the "Energy Silk Road."

Starting from the first station, the China-Central Asia natural gas pipeline winds its way for nearly 2,000 kilometers until it reaches Horgos in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

Here, the pipeline links up with China's West-to-East Gas Pipeline.

According to PipeChina West Pipeline Company, by the end of last year, the China-Central Asia natural gas pipeline had delivered a total of 423.2 billion cubic meters of natural gas to China since its operation in 2009.

The pipeline has provided gas for more than 500 million residents in 27 provincial-level regions and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

Produced by Xinhua Global Service

"Global South countries will benefit from getting united and speak with one voice on key issues of their interests," David Monyae, director of the Center for Africa-China Studies at the University of Johannesburg, told Xinhua.

JOHANNESBURG, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- What is critical to BRICS expansion is for Global South countries to have a global role to play in balancing international relations and building consensuses, a Johannesburg-based expert has said.

"Global South countries will benefit from getting united and speak with one voice on key issues of their interests," David Monyae, director of the Center for Africa-China Studies at the University of Johannesburg, told Xinhua in a recent interview.

BRICS leaders agreed on Thursday to invite six countries, namely Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), to join the group, during a three-day annual summit held here this week.

Debunking the misconception of BRICS as anti-West, Monyae said a glimpse at the history will suffice to tell that BRICS is "a gradual progression of what Global South has been saying from the Bandung Conference in 1955 to for example the Group of 77 and China and now BRICS."

The expansion conveys a simple message that "Global South countries need a say on key issues" including the reforms of the United Nations and its agencies, fair play on climate change, and rebuilding a peaceful, secure international order, he added.

Monyae said that China, a key founding member and growth contributor of BRICS, has a lot to provide for the Global South, including practical cooperation in the areas of infrastructure, trade as well as science and technology under the Belt and Road Initiative, deeming his home country South Africa a beneficiary of partnership with China.

The two countries mark their 25th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties this year and have recently agreed to build a high-level community with a shared future, as agreed by their presidents this week.

A central focus of the summit is how to boost the cooperation between BRICS and Global South countries, and that could extend beyond the spheres of trade, economy and society to be broader and more comprehensive.

That, he said, involves looking at the whole and in a holistic manner, to include not only development but global peace and security, and not just South Africa and China, but the larger African continent and even the entire world.

Underscoring China's contribution to the Global South in terms of pooling wisdom and consensus, he said the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative, and the Global Civilization Initiative "feed into something South Africa itself is also championing to work with other Global South countries to revive," which includes amplifying the voice of the Global South.

Together, these Global South countries will benefit from that amplified voice, Monyae said, adding that "people-to-people exchanges" and "love of civilizations," among others, are what could help build common grounds on global security and reshape the international order for the better.■

HOHHOT, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- The China-Arab International Research Center on Drought, Desertification and Land Degradation was inaugurated Sunday during an international forum on desert control, showcasing China's commitment to sharing its expertise gained from the Kubuqi desert control.

The establishment of the research center was among the outcomes of the first China-Arab States Summit last year.

On Sunday, the center announced the launch of the first batch of projects. The initiatives include planting 10 billion trees, setting up a shrub nursery and building eco-solar desert control engineering projects in Saudi cities.

Nearly 300 participants from home and abroad, including foreign dignitaries, representatives from United Nations (UN) organizations and diplomats, attended the 9th Kubuqi International Desert Forum that concluded Sunday in the city of Ordos in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.

Inner Mongolia-based Elion Resources Group, a leading Chinese green industry enterprise, is among the Chinese partners involved in the China-Arab cooperation projects.

Addressing the forum, Wang Wenbiao, the company's chairman, said that the company would share its water-saving shrub seed cultivation technology which was developed through the desert-control experience in Kubuqi.

Kubuqi is the seventh-largest desert in China and also the desert closest to the national capital of Beijing.

In December 2017, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) honored Wang Wenbiao and five other inspirational environmental leaders with the Champions of the Earth Award for their efforts in the battle against desertification.

Through China-Arab cooperation, the company would also share its innovative photovoltaic plus sand-control technology, which combines photovoltaic power generation and modern agricultural development suitable for desert areas, Wang said. The company would also help build a photovoltaic and sand-control industrial park in Saudi Arabia, boasting a capacity of over 1 million kilowatts.

Khaled Abdullah Alabdulkader, CEO of the Saudi National Center for Vegetation Cover Development and Combating Desertification, said the center had worked with Elion for a few months to select sites in Saudi Arabia.

"There is no place in the entire globe that has been so successful in greening a desert like in Kubuqi," said Erik Solheim, former executive director of the UNEP, speaking at the forum.

"The Kubuqi Desert Forum is a vital international platform to share knowledge and innovations to advance global land restoration efforts. I hope the Kubuqi example will inspire more countries to invest in degraded land and turn it into wellsprings of health and wealth," said Amina Mohammed, deputy secretary-general of the United Nations, in a video speech delivered at the forum.

She said she made a field trip to the Ordos region of Inner Mongolia in June, where she witnessed for the first time the "remarkable, social, economic and ecological restoration and an inspiring example for the regions around the world strongly against land degrading, desertification and desert encroachment."

Since its inception in 2007, the forum has evolved into a crucial platform for nations to exchange experiences in combating desertification and to drive progress in the implementation of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. ■

BEIJING, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- China's internet users totaled 1.079 billion by June 2023, an increase of 11.09 million since December 2022, alongside steady growth in digital infrastructure and internet applications, a report revealed Monday.

China's internet penetration reached 76.4 percent, according to the statistical report on China's Internet development released by the China Internet Network Information Center.

Regarding digital infrastructure improvements, the report disclosed that by June 2023 China had 30.24 million registered domain names, 767 million active IPv6 users and broadband access points totaled 1.11 billion.

The country's total length of fiber optic cables reached 61.96 million kilometers.

Regarding internet applications, as of June 2023, the user scale of instant messaging, internet video, and short video stood at 1.047 billion, 1.044 billion, and 1.026 billion, respectively.

The report highlighted that the number of users for online ride-hailing, online travel booking, and web literature has witnessed significant growth compared to December 2022, with an increase of 34.92 million, 30.91 million, and 35.92 million, respectively. This translates to growth rates of 8.0 percent, 7.3 percent, and 7.3 percent, respectively, making them the applications with the fastest user growth. ■

China's sincere cooperation with African countries has yielded tangible and positive outcomes that foster mutual benefits and shared progress.

LUANDA, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- China's sincere cooperation with African countries yields "tangible and positive outcomes" that foster mutual benefits and shared progress, said an Angolan expert.

During its cooperation with Africa, China has established essential infrastructural foundations for economic and social development across the continent, leading to industrialization and enhancing the continent's commercial value, said Osvaldo Mboco, an expert in international relations at the Technical University of Angola, in a written interview with Xinhua following the China-Africa Leaders' Dialogue held on Thursday in South Africa.

"China, in recent times, has become the leading economic and financial partner for African nations. Beyond laying down infrastructural frameworks, the country sees the African continent as a promising business market, going beyond its role as a mere source of raw materials," Mboco said.

Angola has now emerged as a pivotal market in Africa, experiencing a growing influx of Chinese enterprises establishing or planning to establish industrial production facilities and assembly lines, said the expert, adding that these Chinese companies are helping create employment opportunities for the local Angolan population.

Chinese instructor Jiang Liping (R) and apprentice Horace Owiti walk past a train carriage on the Mombasa-Nairobi Railway in Nairobi, Kenya, May 23, 2023.  (Xinhua/Wang Guansen)

According to data from the Chinese Embassy in Angola, in recent years, Chinese companies, by renovating or constructing 2,800 km of railways, 20,000 km of roads, over 100 schools, 50 hospitals, and more than 100,000 social housing units, have contributed to Angola's progress.

Chinese goods have gained significant popularity in the Angolan market, resulting in mutual trade and investment benefits for both nations.

Regarding the potential direction of China-Africa cooperation, Mboco envisions a trajectory towards high technology, with a particular focus on imminent areas such as artificial intelligence, space technology, and related domains.

"China boasts an exceedingly advanced technological landscape. It stands out among nations with substantial technological advancements," he said, adding that China and other countries can help with Africa's technological progress.  ■

The Japanese government's reckless dumping of the radioactive wastewater sparked waves of anger and concerns over environment deterioration and tourism decline among Fukushima locals, especially fishermen and business owners.

TOKYO, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- Haruo Ono, a fisherman in the town of Shinchi in Japan's Fukushima Prefecture, has been fishing in the sea for 56 years since he was 15 years old.

Shinchi is located in the eastern part of Fukushima Prefecture, facing the Pacific Ocean. The waters here are where the warm Kuroshio Current meets the cold Oyashio Current, thus a natural high-quality fishing ground. Its seafood was once the "darling" of fish wholesale markets in big cities such as Tokyo.

But after a 9.0-magnitude earthquake hit northeast Japan on March 11, 2011, which is also known in the country as the Great East Japan Earthquake, wholesalers at Tokyo's famous Tsukiji fish market were reluctant to purchase fish products from Fukushima. It was not until the past few years that the prices of Fukushima seafood returned to pre-earthquake levels.

Despite the raging opposition of the international community, Japan started releasing nuclear-contaminated wastewater from the crippled Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant into the Pacific Ocean on Thursday, sparking concerns among many fishermen about their livelihoods.

This photo taken on Aug. 23, 2023 shows fisherman Ono Haruo sitting near Tsurishihama Fishing Port in Soma Gun, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan. (Xinhua/Zhang Xiaoyu) 

The 71-year-old fisherman told Xinhua in a recent interview that "for us, the ocean discharge is a matter of survival."

The Japanese prime minister and the minister of economy, trade and industry have visited Fukushima many times, but they have not met directly with the fishermen, nor have they asked for their opinions, Ono said.

Even more unacceptable to fishermen is the government's failure to keep its word. Ono said that fishermen have been voicing opposition, but the government still made a hasty decision, which was unacceptable.

In 2015, the Japanese government and the Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), the operator of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, promised local fishermen that they would not release the radioactive wastewater into the sea "without the understanding of relevant parties."

Yoshio Satomi, who lives in Fukushima's Iwaki City, also said it was unacceptable.

Iwaki City is over 50 kilometers away from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. Satomi, who runs a hot spring hotel with a history of more than 300 years in the city, told Xinhua that after the nuclear disaster in 2011, there were fewer visitors from outside Fukushima and almost none from abroad.

In recent years, the number of tourists has finally started to pick up, but now news of the nuclear-contaminated water discharge has spread all over the world, and Fukushima has been implicated again, Satomi said.

This photo taken on Aug. 23, 2023 shows a deserted fire station in Futaba Town, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan, with the hands of the clock pointing to the time of the tsunami. (Xinhua/Zhang Xiaoyu)

Satomi said, "The government promised the fishermen in Fukushima Prefecture not to discharge nuclear-contaminated water arbitrarily, and now it has decided to discharge it, so the government lied."

The Japanese government claimed that without emptying and removing the tanks storing radioactive wastewater in the nuclear power plant, there will not be enough space for the decommissioning of the reactor and Fukushima will not be able to be revitalized. From Satomi's point of view, this is simply a lie.

In Futaba Town and Okuma Town, where the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant is located, the government has poured money into building many beautiful houses, but only 10 percent are now occupied, and most of those who left Fukushima 12 years ago have long since settled somewhere else.

Satomi said, "So no matter how much money is spent or how the government talks about revitalization, the reality is that people don't come back."

Pediatrician Yoichi Yatsuda is one of the residents who have returned to Futaba since the evacuation order was lifted in August last year. Futaba had a population of more than 7,000 before the accident, but so far only about 80 have returned, Yatsuda said.

Yatsuda and his wife found it hard to leave their hometown behind, so they returned shortly after the evacuation order was lifted, although their children chose to stay in Sendai, a city in Miyagi prefecture.

This photo taken on Aug. 23, 2023 shows a view of an empty beach in Yotsukura Town of Iwaki City, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan.  (Xinhua/Zhang Xiaoyu)

Ono, a lifelong fisherman, said he has no other career choice and will continue to be a fisherman even if the price of fish is low. "This is both a fisherman's pride and a wish for consumers to taste delicious sea fish... Do politicians understand this? The sea is not a dustbin."

Ono said that he has joined the plaintiffs to take the Japanese government and TEPCO to court to stop the release plan and will file the lawsuit in the Fukushima District Court in early September.

Ono's three sons are all fishermen. "I stand against it now so that my sons will not be forced to struggle to live in the future." ■

On the occasion of the visit of the Algerian training ship “La Soummam” to the port of Piraeus, MARDIPLO had the honour to participate in a reception on board the ship on the 4th of August 2023 and to organise a guided tour to the Cape of Sounion for the female crew members of the vessel.

The kind invitation of H.E. Mr. Mahieddine Djeffal, Ambassador of the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria to the Hellenic Republic, and General Reda Guerouahane to the reception on board the "La Soummam" provided an invaluable opportunity to gain a first-hand insight into the Algerian Naval Forces. It was also a unique chance to meet the bright new generation of Marines.
MARDIPLO was also delighted to invite the female crew of "La Soummam" to discover the beauty of the Athenian Riviera and the "Sacred Cape of the Athenians" on 5 August 2023. In the lively company of the young ladies, marveling at the ancient Temple of Poseidon at sunset over the Saronic Gulf and Attica was a captivating experience.

The vibrant female marines of "La Soummam" also reminded us of the importance of women's empowerment and inclusion in modern armed forces worldwide. MARDIPLO wishes them every success in their careers.

During this memorable event, MARDIPLO was honoured by the presence of Colonel Moumene Amel and the Secretary of Foreign Affairs at the Embassy of the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria in the Hellenic Republic, Mrs. Adra Benboudiaf.

Driving Sustainable Growth Through Port Tech Investment & Partnerships in Africa

The world’s leading port and cargo supply chain event series – TOC Worldwide – welcomes you to the second TOC Africa, taking place from 20 - 21 September 2023 in Tangiers, Morocco – home of both Africa and the Mediterraneans’ largest container port.

Port efficiency across Africa has come a long way since the early 2000s. The continent now stands on the cusp of a revolution, with a range of factors now coming into play to propel the market forward, from long overdue investment capital into essential infrastructure to the expansion of BOT ownership models, leading to the continent’s ports being as efficient as anywhere in the world.

TOC Africa is built upon the expertise of TOC Worldwide’s 40+ years of connecting and informing the leaders, technology experts and policymakers at the centre of today’s highly-complex global container supply chain, and will be bringing together from the region and beyond leading shippers, logistics providers, shipping lines, 3PLs, ports, terminals and more, to drive forward port development and break the bottlenecks that have held the continent back in the past.

TOC Africa is your gateway to Africa’s ports and logistics supply chain – join us and let’s shape the future of this exciting region by building a stronger, more sustainable and more efficient industry together.

Your window of opportunity has now opened – find out how you can get involved.

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Connecting global maritime & logistics professionals in Saudi Arabia.

Following on from a highly successful event in 2022 which saw an international audience of 3,757 visitors take part, the 4th edition of the Saudi Maritime Congress promises to offer even greater influence within the region’s shipping industry.

This two-day exhibition and conference attract key maritime executives, leading suppliers of marine equipment and services, and crucially, those responsible for shaping the KSA maritime landscape for the future.

Great for discovery, perfect for networking - join us at Saudi Maritime Congress 2023.

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Marketing AI: A Double-Edged Sword?

Join us as we explore and learn the fundamentals of utilising AI in marketing strategies and discover how crucial adaptation is as we progress into the future. With expert speakers and insightful discussions, the team at Marketing in Maritime promises this event to be an invaluable experience for professionals looking to stay ahead of the curve in maritime marketing.

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