Aftermath of Afghanistan: controversy of purpose By Target Language Translation Services | Updated: 2021-8-31 16:00 After the United States wrapped up a hectic, bloody, two-week evacuation siege at an Afghanistan airport Monday, the focus will shift to lessons learned from America's longest war and other military involvements. In announcing the completion of the evacuation and war effort, General Frank McKenzie, head of US Central Command, said the last planes took off from Kabul airport at 3:29 pm Washington time, one minute before midnight in the Afghan capital. He said scores of American citizens, numbering in "the very low hundreds", were left behind, but he believes they still will be able to leave the country. The war in Afghanistan — started a month after the Sept 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in the US — has claimed the lives of more than 2,400 Americans. More than 1,100 troops from US-led coalition countries and more than 100,000 Afghan forces and civilians also have died, according to the Costs of War project at Brown University. The war's frantic conclusion and purpose are expected to generate much soul-searching and calls for congressional investigations as another US intervention has finished in disarray. "The US is a democracy where the administration changes every four years — and with it, war strategy," Torek Farhadi, who served as an adviser to former Afghan president Hamid Karzai, told USA Today. "The result is a mishmash. Nobody knows what the US was doing in Afghanistan for the past 10 years. It hasn't been fighting the Taliban since 2013," said Farhadi, who also has advised the Afghan government on economic policy for the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. "The US tolerated corruption in Afghanistan. The American public was too remote from this to really know what is going on," he said. "The Taliban made a comeback amidst this corruption. Consequences for the US are good — it finally cut its loss. But for Afghanistan, the war and the withdrawal will be devastating." While the US is leaving, it also is leaving behind billions of dollars of sophisticated weaponry, which redounded to the conquering Taliban, an Islamic fundamentalist group, as it swept aside the Western-backed Afghan army over the past two weeks. Farhadi said that "the war in Afghanistan is much more than a failed intervention. It is stark evidence of how counterproductive global military dominance is to American interests. This military hegemony has brought more defeats than victories and undermined democratic values at home and abroad." Professor Jeremi Suri, who teaches history at the University of Texas in Austin and at the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs, wrote in a guest column in The New York Times: "History is clear: We would be better off with more modest, restrained military and strategic goals. US public opinion seems to have moved in this direction, too. Our country needs to re-examine the value of military dominance." Suri said ...

CR20G will become an agricultural industry chain builder in BRI economies By Target Language Translation Services | Updated: 2021-8-30 15:00 Xi'an, Shanxi province-based infrastructure project provider China Railway 20th Bureau Group Corp, or CR20G, will become an agricultural industry chain builder in markets involved in the Belt and Road Initiative during China's 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-25), an executive said. In addition to building railroads, schools and water-conservancy projects, CR20G, a subsidiary of State-owned China Railway Construction Corp Ltd, has assisted farmers in its markets in Mozambique and other African nations in achieving stable and high yields by introducing China's practical agricultural technologies, conducting related services and applying modern machinery to assist them in ensuring grain security. Supported by the China-Africa Development Fund, CR20G built a rice processing plant in Xai-Xai, capital of Gaza province in Mozambique, in 2017. The company has been running this project－which is also China's largest rice planting project in Africa－for more than four years. By the end of June this year, the project completed the harvesting of rice for the 2020-21 planting season, with a harvested area of 36,000 mu (2,400 hectares) and 16,600 metric tons of rice. All of the rice from the harvest has been sold in local markets, said Guo Wei, CR20G's country head for Mozambique. Backed by China's mature rice-planting methods and modern agricultural machinery in local areas, CR20G has been providing technical guidance and services to local farmers to effectively increase their income and ensure local food security. Besides generating a total of 14,000 jobs for local residents in the areas of farming, transportation and rice processing businesses to date, the project led more than 500 cooperative growers to carry out rice planting work. The grain yield per mu has increased from about 200 kilograms to more than 400 kg. To promote sustainable growth of this project, Guo said the company will constantly seek innovative measures, including introducing drones for field management, building modern agriculture and gradually extending the industrial chain in Mozambique in the coming years. Enabling rice planting, production and processing aside, the executive said the Chinese firm will apply more resources to develop an entire industry chain that integrates livestock breeding, greenhouse vegetables, liquor brewing, beef processing and other related services to further enrich the local economy. "We are confident that we can harness the new growth opportunities presented by many countries' plans to build modern agricultural projects, as well as regional transportation and service hubs, upgrade their urbanization and modernize their economies for scale and sustainable growth," Guo said. Such countries have already seen years of infrastructure development under the BRI framework, he added. Supported by over 18,400 employees, CR20G is ...

Biden vows revenge as death toll rises to 103 in Kabul attacks, with US evacuation uninterrupted By Target Language Translation Services | Updated: 2021-8-27 16:00 On Thursday, US President Joe Biden said the United States will avenge militarily the bombing attacks earlier in the day in the Afghan capital of Kabul which have killed at least 103 people, adding the ongoing evacuation in Afghanistan will continue uninterrupted. The number of US service members killed in the attacks has risen to 13, with 18 more injured troops currently in the process of being flown out of the country, according to the latest update by Bill Urban, public affairs officer of the US Central Command. "We will respond with force and precision in our time, in a place we choose in a manner of our choosing," Biden said when delivering remarks from the White House, following a deadly suicide bombing attack at Kabul's Hamid Karzai International Airport. The blast at the airport was followed by another one at the adjacent Baron Hotel, whose details are being figured out by the US military. The Wall Street Journal, citing a senior Afghan health official, reported that the explosions left at least 90 Afghan civilians dead. The Afghan Ministry of Public Health previously confirmed the attacks had resulted in over 60 deaths and 140 injuries among Afghans, and were claimed by ISIS-K, a radical affiliate of the Islamic State. Active in Afghanistan, the terror group has been fighting enemies including the Taliban. Biden said he had ordered US military commanders to "strike ISIS-K assets, leadership and facilities," stopping short of elaborating on the specifics. "These ISIS terrorists will not win. We will rescue the Americans. We will get our Afghan allies out. And our mission will go on," he added. Answering a reporter's question as to whether he'll deploy additional troops to Afghanistan in the wake of the attacks, Biden said if the military needs additional force, "I will grant it." Asked about whether he considered it a mistake to depend on the Taliban to secure the perimeter of the Kabul airport given the mass casualty bombings, Biden said it's not a matter of trust but rather the Taliban's "self-interest" that led to US coordination with the Taliban. The president said he has thus far been shown no evidence of collusion between the Taliban and ISIS in masterminding both what happened in the morning and what was expected in the future. The Taliban issued a statement condemning the attacks in their aftermath. Close to the end of his White House appearance, Biden said he would "bear responsibility for fundamentally all that's happened" during the chaotic withdrawal in Afghanistan, while also shifting the blame on former President Donald Trump, whose administration negotiated a deal with the Taliban to get all US forces out of Afghanistan by May 1, 2021. The attacks came as the United States has been scrambling to evacuate Americans and its Afghan partners from Afghanistan since th...

China and Russia show united stance on Afghanistan By Target Language Translation Services | Updated: 2021-8-26 15:00 China and Russia reached an agreement to strengthen communication and coordination on the Afghan issue as President Xi Jinping and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin exchanged in-depth views on the situation in the war-torn country in a phone conversation on Wednesday, Aug 25, 2021. Xi said that China encourages all factions in Afghanistan to establish a broad-based, inclusive political framework through consultation, adopt moderate and prudent domestic and foreign policies, renounce relations with all kinds of terrorist groups and get along with the rest of the world, especially neighboring countries. He noted that China respects Afghanistan's sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity, adheres to noninterference in the country's internal affairs and plays a constructive role in promoting the political settlement of the Afghan issue. During their conversation, Putin said that the evolution of the situation in Afghanistan reveals that external forces' policy of imposing their own political model does not work and will only bring destruction and catastrophe to related countries. Noting that China and Russia share a similar position and common interests with regard to the Afghan issue, Putin said his country is ready to have closer contact and coordination with China to actively participate in multilateral mechanisms related to the Afghan issue and to crack down on terrorism and drug trafficking. His country will also work with China to prevent the spillover of security risks from Afghanistan, resist interference and destruction by external forces and safeguard regional safety and stability, Putin said. Referring to China-Russia relations, Xi said the two countries' strategic coordination and practical cooperation in all aspects have made a series of achievements, which offered significant support for their development as well as the international community's joint efforts to conquer current difficulties. He called on the two countries to innovate their modes of cooperation and expand cooperation to more areas to achieve new outcomes. China is willing to work with Russia to deepen cooperation on COVID-19 vaccine development and production, guarantee the security and stability of global supply chains for vaccines and safeguard the safety and health of people in both countries, thus contributing to the building of a global community of health for all, Xi said. Stressing that only the wearer of the shoes knows if they fit or not, Xi said that only the Chinese and Russian peoples could say which system works in their own countries, calling on the two countries to deepen cooperation in opposing external interference and take their destiny into their own hands. Xi said that China firmly supports Russia following a development path that is consistent with its national conditions and resolutely supports the measures Russia has ...

China's central bank vowed to supply small businesses By Target Language Translation Services | Updated: 2021-8-25 15:00 The real economy and small businesses in China are likely to get more funding from the banking sector in the coming months, as the central bank vowed more actions to ensure stable credit growth and reallocate the supply of loans, analysts said on Tuesday, Aug 24. The latest policy signal from the central bank may indicate a targeted easing of credit, while the overall monetary policy, being prudent and stable, is unlikely to shift to a massive stimulus, according to insiders from some commercial banks. A group of State-owned commercial bank and policy bank leaders joined a meeting on Monday chaired by Yi Gang, governor of the People's Bank of China, the central bank. The PBOC chief vowed to maintain a stable monetary policy and make it more forward-looking and efficient. Financial institutions should put the task of serving the real economy "in a more prominent position", according to a statement issued after the meeting. According to the statement, the central bank will maintain proper growth of credit supply to support high-quality economic development and aid the recovery of small and medium-sized companies, as well as those in vulnerable sectors, to ensure economic growth is within a reasonable range. The messages from the meeting may hint at a rise of growth pressure in the second half of this year, indicating that policy fine-tuning is possible, some industry insiders said. They predicted that the PBOC will keep liquidity at a stable and ample level, while the issuance of bank loans may accelerate in the remainder of the year. Some foresee one more cut of banks' reserve requirement ratio, or the amount of cash they must deposit in the central bank, as one of the options by the end of the year. "The credit supply will focus on structural adjustments, which doesn't mean a broad monetary easing," said Lou Feipeng, a senior economist at Postal Savings Bank of China. The PBOC disclosed that more funds should flow into sectors such as technological innovation, green development, small and private businesses, and new categories of agricultural business. Guangzhou, Guangdong province, has established a credit fund pool to hedge risks for medium-sized and small technology enterprises. As of early May, the fund pool had supported 4,030 enterprises by issuing 44 billion yuan ($6.8 billion) in loans, with 99 percent of the loans flowing to private businesses. More credit loans will be supplied to these small businesses in the coming months, said Shi Wei, an official in the city's technology bureau. When it comes to the speed of loan issuance, the messages released from the meeting were interpreted as meaning that the needed credit and loans should be issued just in time to meet actual market demand, avoiding the situation of being too fast or too slow, in the second half of 2021 and the first half of next year. As domestic consumptio...

Back on the medal trail: About Paralympics By Target Language Translation Services | Updated: 2021-8-24 16:00 The Tokyo 2020 Paralympics open today, Aug 24, after a yearlong pandemic delay and under rigorous virus rules, including a ban on almost all spectators. Here are some questions and answers about the Games and how the event will unfold in Tokyo: Rich history The first Paralympic Games took place in 1960 in Rome, featuring just 400 athletes from 23 countries. The name Paralympics is aimed to indicate an event happening in parallel, alongside the Olympics. The Paralympics grew from the Stoke Mandeville Games, a tournament organized in Britain in 1948 for 16 male and female wheelchair athletes, some of whom were World War II veterans. It was the idea of Sir Ludwig Guttmann, who oversaw the spinal injuries unit at a hospital in Stoke Mandeville, Buckinghamshire that treated veterans. New additions A total of 22 sports will be contested at the Games, including new additions badminton and taekwondo. Most sports are common to the Olympics and Paralympics, including athletics and swimming. Some that feature in both Games involve modifications in their Paralympic form, such as wheelchair rugby. Two sports, boccia and goalball, are unique to the Paralympics. Myriad of categories Paralympians compete in various categories within a given sport based on their particular impairment. The Paralympic Movement covers 10 impairment types that fall broadly into three categories: physical, vision and intellectual. Some sports are open to athletes in all categories, while others are reserved for specific impairments. Within each category, athletes are assessed to see whether they meet a minimum impairment level, to ensure a fair playing field－although there have been controversies over some placements in recent years. In some sports like athletics, they are placed in a certain sports class, again pitting them against athletes with similar impairments to ensure equity. Athletes may be reclassified over their lifetime as their situation changes. Behind closed doors Like at the Olympics, most events will take place behind closed doors to minimize infection risks. An exception is being made for a program to bring schoolchildren to events, but some areas have already said they won't take part because of the record high infections being reported in Japan. Paralympians will face rigorous measures during their stay, and are allowed to move only between their accommodation, training sites and Games venues. They will be tested daily, with confirmed positive cases put into isolation and unable to compete. Gold standard Tokyo, which is the first city to host the Paralympics twice, will welcome 4,400 athletes from around 160 countries and territories. Just a week before the Games, Afghanistan's team－made up of two athletes－announced they would not be able to take part because of the turmoil in the country. The Games will feature a refugee team composed of six athletes, incl...

Law actively responses to people's concerns for raising children By Target Language Translation Services | Updated: 2021-8-23 16:00 A resolution on the amendment of the Population and Family Planning Law, which includes the third child policy, was passed by the National People's Congress Standing Committee on Friday, Aug 20. It is the legal right of couples in the country to have three children, and the country should implement finance, tax, insurance, education, housing and employment measures to support families raising three children to reduce the financial burden on them according to the revision. That it takes the top legislature less than one month to translate the central authorities' decision into law shows its active response to people's concerns. It is good to see that the revision has removed the regulations on the social maintenance fee and other punitive rules that had served as legal foundations for grassroots family planning departments to fine couples breaking the family planning policies. That move has pulled the teeth out of the previously rigid and harsh family planning policies. Moreover, the series of supporting measures the law requires governments of various levels to take to protect childbearing women's rights and ease the financial burden on families. Which will serve to make people rest assured that the authorities have changed their thoughts and are trying to encourage couples to have more children. Now is the time for local governments, especially the family planning departments, to change their role from ticket writers to baby boom boosters by helping to materialize the support the law stipulates child-raising families should receive. Only acting with an efficiency matching that of the lawmakers can the governments demonstrate their wholehearted support for the third child policy. The revision of the Population and Family Planning Law has made people truly feel that the State is establishing a thorough system arrangement to ease the burden on families raising children. Through the system design, the gradual adjustment and improvement of the childbirth policy is conducive to the long-term balanced development of the population. This article is reprinted from China Daily. If there is a copyright, please inform us in time, we will delete it right the first time.

China-Arab expo sees 277 cooperation projects By Target Language Translation Services | Updated: 2021-8-22 18:00 The fifth China-Arab States Expo has brought a bonanza with agreements for as many as 277 projects that will likely entail 156.67 billion yuan ($24.1 billion) in investments. This indicates the annual event, which opened on Thursday and will close on Sunday in Yinchuan, capital of Northwest China's Ningxia Hui autonomous region, has become a successful platform to promote trade among the different participating countries, attendees and event hosts said on Friday. "The 277 projects show the expo's role in promoting economic relations among the countries and regions involved in the Belt and Road Initiative. Going forward, the expo will add new vitality to the BRI, bring new opportunities to economic cooperation between China and other BRI economies, and add a strong momentum to the high-quality development of the Ningxia Hui autonomous region," said Zhao Yongqing, vice-chairman of the region. The 277 projects cover a range of areas: digitalization, clean energy, new materials, environmentally friendly agricultural products, cooperation in production capacity, internet-based healthcare and tourism. Eight are national-level projects which include a photovoltaic project with Indonesia and a smart energy project with Saudi Arabia worth 11.18 billion yuan. Twelve projects worth a combined 7.43 billion yuan were signed between eight provinces from China and Arab states as well as countries and regions involved in the Belt and Road Initiative. The rest 257 totaling 138.06 billion yuan were signed between the Ningxia Hui autonomous region and other countries and regions. Zhou Mi, a senior researcher at the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation in Beijing, said the expo provides a good platform for companies in the BRI footprint to showcase their latest technologies and products, and seek new opportunities in trade and economic cooperation. This year's expo is featuring meetings and exhibitions on technologies and products utilized in healthcare, clean energy, digital economy, and environmentally friendly farming. It has attracted over 1,000 companies that are participating either physically at the event venue or virtually online. "Arab countries have been vital trading partners and major energy suppliers to China. Both sides have strong needs to deepen economic relations and strike agreements on developing mutual interests. Going forward, there will be more fields, including finance, low-carbon development, infrastructure, and transportation, that are likely to see an increase in cooperation,"Zhou said. "Both sides are also working for mechanisms to guarantee safe and stable economic activities to avoid risks from geopolitical conflicts." Nowadays the country is the largest trading partner of Arab states that have also collectively become China's largest overseas supplier of crude oil, according to the Ministry of ...