Expats enjoy Chinese New Year in Xiamen By Target Language Translation Services | Updated: 2022-01-28 10:00 Xiamen, a modern and international city in East China's Fujian province, has attracted many foreigners to start businesses, work and live in the area. Some of them are even lucky enough to find their partners and settle down in the charming coastal city. With Chinese New Year just around the corner, most expats have decided to stay in Xiamen to spend the holiday. Jan Laegaard Broni, Danish, 58 years old, vice-president of Meyra Netti Group and general manager of Alu Rehab (Xiamen) Co, is staying in Xiamen to spend the holiday. "This piece of lacquer thread sculpture featuring a dragon and a phoenix is a tailored souvenir for employees who have served in my company for 10 years and over," said Broni. He explained that compared with cash rewards, the characteristic local handicraft is more meaningful and can be preserved forever. There are more Chinese handicrafts in his living room such as a dragon-shaped ornament, a Chinese vase, and Chinese tea cups. Broni's wife, Dai Dongxue, said that her husband is crazy about Chinese culture. "I'm enchanted with Chinese culture, especially those customs during Spring Festival, such as making dumplings with family members," Broni said, adding that they still observe the tradition of hiding coins in the dumplings. They will also invite their foreign friends to have dinner during the festival. Broni acquired a permanent residence permit in 2020. In his view, Xiamen has a boundless sea and green lands, which make him relax and feel at home. Yuki, Japanese, 34 years old, a chef at Jiujiu Rishi restaurant in Xiamen, also chose to stay in Xiamen to spend the holiday. "I will celebrate this year's Spring Festival with my fiancee and her family," said Yuki. He remembers during last year's Spring Festival that his fiancee Huang Peiting's parents prepared many types of food he likes such as mutton hot pot, seafood dishes, and local specialties. "I've been in Xiamen for 11 years," Yuki said, adding that he visited Xiamen for the first time with his father when he was in the sixth grade. He said that he had a special feeling from experiencing the city during that trip and later on after graduating from university, he decided to further study Chinese at Xiamen University. After graduating from Xiamen University, Yuki stayed in Xiamen to work as a Japanese chef. He is strict with ingredients and visits the market to select ingredients one by one. However, some vendors speak only the local dialect, so Yuki always takes a notebook to communicate with the vendors through written words. "Those are old stories. Now Yuki can not only speak standard fluent Chinese, but also sing many songs in Minnan (Southern Fujian) dialect," Huang said proudly. Huang said that Yuki also likes strolling along old alleys in Xiamen to taste the authentic local dishes. "Spring rolls and Shacha noodles are delicious," said Yuki, noting that he...

'Ice-breaking spirit' promotes China-UK ties By Target Language Translation Services | Updated: 2022-01-27 10:00 President Xi Jinping has urged farsighted businesspeople from China and the United Kingdom to uphold the "ice-breaking spirit", and keep expanding mutually beneficial cooperation between the two countries to help advance bilateral ties. Xi made the remark in a congratulatory message delivered to the "Icebreakers" 2022 Chinese New Year Online Celebration hosted by the 48 Group Club, a London-based nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting trade between China and the UK, on Wednesday. The event was supported by the China Chamber of Commerce in the UK, and the China-Britain Business Council. In his congratulatory message, Xi recollected the "ice-breaking trip" made by Jack Perry, father of Stephen Perry, chairman of the 48 Group Club, together with a group of farsighted people from the British business community, in spite of lots of obstacles in the early 1950s. Noting that this year marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations at the ambassadorial level between China and the UK, Xi said that looking back, China will never forget old friends who made historic contributions to the development of Sino-British ties. Looking forward, Xi expressed his hope that farsighted people from China and Britain's industrial and business communities could adhere to the "ice-breaking spirit" to bolster win-win cooperation in order to give fresh significance to bilateral ties and deliver more benefits to the two countries and their peoples. The 48 Group Club is named after a British trade delegation of 48 businessmen, referred to as the "Icebreakers", who traveled to China in 1954 to establish trading relations between the two countries. The organization's motto is "Equality and Mutual Benefit", and it has been working to promote positive Sino-British relations. Addressing the event, Zheng Zeguang, the Chinese ambassador to the UK, called for the business communities in China and the UK to join hands and leverage their respective strengths, and consolidate their cooperation in the traditional areas of trade, investment, finance, manufacturing and infrastructure. He also suggested they should expand into new areas such as healthcare, fintech, green energy, the digital economy and creative industries, and also explore other markets. "In this way, we can create more highlights of cooperation and bring more benefits to the peoples of the two countries and beyond," Zheng said. Philip Hammond, former British chancellor of the exchequer, talked about the huge Chinese market, and said that as the UK feels its way to a new set of post-Brexit trade relationships across the globe, China will be an important partner. Chinese investors can be confident that the things that have made the UK an attractive destination for Chinese investment in the past will continue to do so in the future, he said. This article is reprinted from China Daily....

EU at crossroads as it tackles difficult challenges By Target Language Translation Services | Updated: 2022-01-26 11:00 This year, the European Union must tackle some of its most difficult challenges, including the COVID-19 pandemic and achieving strategic autonomy, if it wants to become a more assertive global player, according to experts. While the pandemic continues to take its toll across the continent and ravage economies, global political changes have also created myriad problems for the EU in the past two years, and the situation will worsen if proper action is not taken by member nations, the experts said. In a review, Joseph Borrell, the EU's foreign policy chief, defined 2021 as "a year of transitions". "Geopolitical changes have intensified, with power politics repeatedly challenging the EU and our values. We must respond with all the determination we can muster," he said. Borrell added that the pandemic has persisted longer than imagined a year ago, and the Omicron variant has required the introduction of significant restrictions and has threatened economic recovery. By the end of last year, about 68 percent of the EU's population was fully vaccinated against COVID-19, but there is a need to "do more to reverse vaccination disparities and tackle growing imbalances and inequalities" across continents, Borrell said. In addition to handling the pandemic, the EU has faced one crisis after another, he said. "But being in permanent crisis management mode has sometimes weakened its capacity to address transversal, longer-term issues" that should be at the center of its foreign policy. These include revitalizing multilateralism, handling migration in a balanced way, as well as the energy and climate crises and regulations for digital transition, he added. Ding Chun, director of the Center for European Studies at Fudan University in Shanghai, said the EU's economy, ravaged by the pandemic, saw signs of recovery in the middle of last year, as member countries took measures to tackle COVID-19, such as rolling out vaccination plans and easing restrictions on movement. However, late last year, the highly contagious Omicron variant became the main strain of the virus in EU countries, forcing them to reintroduce restrictions and fueling new doubts over their economies, he said. The EU Commission has forecast a rise of 4.3 percent for the bloc's real GDP this year, down from 5 percent last year. Moreover, EU countries also face months of surging energy prices. Inflation in the bloc has risen consecutively in recent months, reaching a record high of 5 percent in December, and many countries are running public debts well above 100 percent of GDP. "These factors have led to serious pitfalls for the EU's economic recovery," Ding said. In addition to the pandemic, the EU faces challenges and divisions over a series of crises. Member countries have different views on a number of issues, including the rule of law, response to climate change, and energy tran...

Croatia witnesses rebound in visitor numbers By Target Language Translation Services | Updated: 2022-01-25 11:00 Renowned for its Mediterranean islands, medieval towns and natural wonders, Croatia, the southeastern European country depending heavily on tourism revenue, suddenly faced uncertain times after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020. "In February that year, we were booked for almost the entire year," Teo Smrkic, a local tour guide, explains. "Our colleagues from Asia were warning us of the problems that the pandemic could bring about, but it seemed impossible that the whole sector could fall apart. When it did, it collapsed in only a few days. All tours were canceled." For the rest of the year, Smrkic, as well as many other tour guides in Croatia, were out of a job. The Croatian government introduced job preservation measures, but still many employees were forced to leave the tourism sector. In 2020, the country logged a mere seven million tourist arrivals, 64.2 percent less than in 2019. Its gross domestic product contracted by 8.4 percent. "We were jobless until the summer of 2021. When I saw the first tourist in Zagreb in mid-June last year, I was thrilled that things were finally changing," Smrkic says. And it did. The summer season of 2021 brought Croatia more revenue from foreign tourists than any summer season before. According to the Croatian National Bank, tourism revenues in July, August and September last year amounted to 6.8 billion euros ($7.7 billion), an astounding 100-percent growth compared to the same period in 2020. The Ministry of Tourism and Sports said recently that Croatia generated the best tourism results in the Mediterranean with 13.8 million arrivals and 84.1 million overnight stays in 2021. Compared to 2020, this was an increase of 77 percent and 55 percent, respectively. According to the Croatian National Tourist Board, the country has been promoting the image of being a safe country where the pandemic is under control. The main slogan of the board is "Stay Safe in Croatia"-and not without reason. As soon as vaccines became available, people working in the tourism sector were among the first to receive the shot. Moreover, the government offered free COVID-19 tests to all foreigners staying in Croatia. Clear border crossing protocols with minimal restrictions made Croatia even more accessible and attractive. Damir Novotny, an economic analyst, explained the reasons behind the recovery of the country's tourism industry in 2021. "First and foremost, the composition of visitors has changed, as tourists from central Europe discovered Croatia again. This year, many Poles, Czechs and Hungarians visited the country," he says. Before the pandemic, Croatia was a fast-growing tourist destination for visitors from around the world, including from North America and Asia. In 2019, almost half a million Chinese tourists visited the country. However, the exponential growth in the number of visitors from non-Europ...

Chinese companies employ a sustainable trend in Turkey By Target Language Translation Services | Updated: 2022-01-24 10:00 An increasing number of Chinese companies are operating in Turkey in the energy, construction and transportation fields in recent years with win-win cooperation, a recently released report said. Chinese companies have been contributing to Turkey's sustainable development, dedicated to local photovoltaic projects, hydropower plants, natural gas storage facilities and railway construction in the country, said a report on sustainable development committed by Chinese companies in Turkey released by the State Power Investment Corp in Beijing in December. The companies have been stepping up their presence in Turkey in accordance with China's Belt and Road Initiative, Zu Bin, board director of SPIC, said during the release of the report. State Power Investment Corp, one of China's top five power producers, has vowed to increase its clean energy investment in Turkey. Its first solar energy investment in the country, the Adiyaman photovoltaic project, was built on top of a once barren mountain. The project has generated 71.6 gigawatt-hours of clean power since it was connected to the grid in December 2017, the company said. SPIC also has a contract to build the Hunutlu Power Plant project in Turkey, the country's first thermal power plant without any flue-gas stack. Equipped with advanced environmental protection and ultra-supercritical power generation techniques, the project is expected to have a capacity of 1.32 GW upon completion, including the construction of a power plant and ports designed specifically for coal transportation. It is expected to generate 9 billion kilowatt-hours of power annually after the start of full operations, accounting for about 3 percent of the total electricity supply across Turkey. The company saw its installed capacity for projects abroad reaching 6.65 GW by the end of November, with clean energy accounting for 73 percent of the total. Those under construction reached 2.41 GW. It expects its power generation capacity abroad will exceed 6 GW by 2021. SPIC is not alone. Increasing numbers of Chinese companies have been leveraging their technology in Turkey in recent years to create a green trend for the future, with advanced technologies to create environmentally friendly projects in Turkey. Construction of the Hunutlu Thermal Power Plant in Turkey's southern province of Adana began on Sept 22, 2019. It is China's biggest project with direct investment in Turkey, with a total investment of $1.7 billion. Wang Yundan, former chairman of the Shanghai Electric Power Co Ltd, said its aim is to build a clean, reliable and efficient power plant, which is also expected to help boost the Turkish economy, increase employment and promote sustainable power generation. China Tianchen Engineering Corporation has helped Turkey build a 1-billion-cubic-meter gas depository under Turkey's Lake Tuz with its state-run pipe...

Beijing 2022 to help promote cultural exchange By Target Language Translation Services | Updated: 2022-01-21 12:00 Beijing 2022 will promote a deeper understanding of Chinese culture to the world, according to Spyros Capralos, Hellenic Olympic Committee (HOC) president and International Olympic Committee (IOC) member. Beijing is poised to be the first city in the Olympic Movement's history to host both Summer and Winter editions of the Games. In a recent interview with Xinhua, Capralos emphasized the cultural significance of the Games, saying China's 5,000-year-old civilization is admired and respected around the world. Visitors can see the characteristics of this culture everywhere, from people's behavior and their hospitable attitude, to their artistic expression, he added. "There is no doubt that hosting the Olympic Games will help promote other countries' and peoples' understanding of Chinese culture. Besides, this is one of the main missions of the IOC. The Olympic Games bring people together and promote cultural exchange by removing all barriers of religion, race or language," the official stressed. Capralos said that the world can learn a lot from China and it is a privilege to have the opportunity to experience Chinese culture and learn different aspects of Chinese civilization during the Olympic Games. The Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics will also be one of the greenest Olympic Games, setting an example for future generations, Capralos said. China's role in protecting the environment by staging a green Olympics will set a benchmark for future hosts of the Games, he added. "The whole world is witnessing the remarkable work that the country has done to create what I believe will be one of the greenest events in the history of the Olympic Games," said Capralos. It is most impressive, for instance, that under the Beijing organizing committee's Sustainability Plan, several venues for the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympics will be reused for the 2022 Winter Olympic Games, he continued. China's carbon offsetting measures and green energy methods have sent a clear signal to the world that the country is committed to the mission of advocating carbon neutrality and achieving sustainable development, Capralos noted. It is clear that Beijing 2022 organizers are prioritizing environmental protection, resource conservation and eco-friendliness, he stressed. "I hope that China's strategy will lead the way for the future and revolutionize the entire process of staging and delivering Olympic Games,"Capralos said. Meanwhile, the Beijing Winter Olympics provide an opportunity for the world to rejuvenate and move into a post-pandemic era, said Norza Zakaria, president of the Olympic Council of Malaysia. "With Beijing becoming the first city in the world to host both the Summer and Winter Olympic Games, we are truly honored to be involved in this milestone," Norza said during the flag handover ceremony for the Malaysian delegation on Wednesday. "We congratulate the c...

Airbus will set up sustainable aircraft life cycle services center in China By Target Language Translation Services | Updated: 2022-01-20 10:00 European aircraft manufacturer Airbus will set up its first sustainable aircraft life cycle services center in China in Chengdu, Sichuan province, as it eyes business opportunities emerging from China's increasing number of aging aircraft. Airbus signed a memorandum of understanding with the city government of Chengdu and Tarmac Aerosave for the development of the center. It is also Airbus' first such facility outside of Europe. With an investment of 6 billion yuan ($945 million), the center is located near Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport and is expected to be put into operation by the end of 2023, subject to relevant regulatory approval. A formal agreement to establish and frame the industrial cooperation is planned to be signed between the partners in mid-2022. The center will provide services covering a wide range of activities, including aircraft parking, storage, maintenance, upgrades, conversions, dismantling and recycling for various aircraft types. The 690,000 square meter facility will be able to accommodate 125 aircraft at a time. "This unique center will support the expansion of Airbus' aviation services while enabling the implementation of China's green industry strategy," said Klaus Roewe, senior vice-president of Airbus customer services. "Aircraft phaseout in China is forecast to grow exponentially over the next 20 years. Airbus is committed to investing in the region and this one-stop shop will see Airbus well-positioned in the Chinese aircraft 'second life' services market," he said. In the next two decades, among in-service aircraft in China, the number of aircraft aged more than 12 years will increase by more than 15 percent per year. In the later stages of an aircraft's life cycle, it faces technical and asset management issues, Airbus said. Tarmac Aerosave, a French aircraft-dismantling provider, which dismantled several retired Airbus A380 before, will bring its expertise in eco-efficient aircraft dismantling to the project. Located in the same center, Airbus' subsidiary Satair will acquire aging aircraft and then trade and distribute the resulting used parts to complete the full scope of life cycle services. Airbus said it will continue to deploy its sustainability roadmap for the aviation industry, enabling the increased reuse of aircraft and the recycling of materials and equipment. "Airbus has been constantly exploring local cooperation since we entered the China market. Next, we will continue to increase our investment efforts in after-sales services," said George Xu, Airbus China CEO. "The center in Chengdu is expected to drive the development of related sectors, which include the trade of secondhand aircraft, aircraft maintenance, repair, dismantling, and green recycling of aircraft. The recycled use of dismantled parts is foreseen to help carriers lower their operatio...

Story of 'genius' translator touches millions of readers By Target Language Translation Services | Updated: 2022-01-19 10:00 An article published by Hangzhou Daily has touched many readers with the real-life story of "genius" translator Jin Xiaoyu and his father, Jin Xingyong. The story was published on Monday in the newspaper in Zhejiang province after the paper's editing team received a phone call from a funeral home. The 85-year-old father asked if the editors would publish his son's story. "My son is a genius. He is in a mental hospital and his mother just died today," he said. The story documented the life of Jin Xiaoyu, 50, and his struggle against a mental disorder. Jin has been blind in one eye after an accident and was diagnosed with bipolar disorder at a young age. To help control his condition, he has visited a mental hospital for treatment every year since 1992. In 2010, he started translating foreign books. Over the past decade, he has translated 22 books from English, Japanese and German and read almost every foreign language novel in Zhejiang Library. More than 10 of his translations have been published. Jin employed translation as his "weapon" to fight the mental problem, and he took care of his mother, who had Alzheimer's disease, for the last three years of her life. "This is admittedly a sad story, but it is overflowing with love. A resilient and indestructible love. A love that can give rise to a will that is strong beyond measure and can withstand the heavy pressures of life. Only a father's love can make him believe in his child and not give up on him," the newspaper article's author, Ye Quanxin, wrote at the beginning of the story. The story captured the hearts of millions of readers and began circulating widely online. As of Tuesday afternoon, the article had garnered 2 million reads on Hangzhou Daily's WeChat account and 5 million reads on its Sina Weibo account. The trending topic on Sina Weibo gained 49 million views. "Please have tissues ready before reading this story," a netizen commented under the article. Another Sina Weibo user commented, "The story is so saturated with suffering that there seems to be no room for any more misfortune in the lives of the father and the son, but fortunately there is literature and foreign languages that provide a little haven for them." Jin Xingyong began to receive phone calls offering help after the story ran in the newspaper. According to Hangzhou Daily, readers have offered to renovate Jin's old home, buy Jin Xiaoyu a new computer, introduce well-known psychiatrists, and make long-term financial donations. Jin Xingyong declined all the material support. He said the story's publication in the newspaper is the fulfillment of his "long-held" wish. "I said what was in my heart. Xiaoyu read the story and accepted it. There were things I didn't dare to say in front of Xiaoyu," he told Hangzhou Daily. He also said Jin Xiaoyu has returned home from the hospital and received the draft of...