Global Pulse

标签： Asia

亚洲

  • HK well-placed to boost AI cooperation

    HK well-placed to boost AI cooperation

    As artificial intelligence continues to transform global industries and deepen existing digital gaps between developed and developing regions, Hong Kong is emerging as a critical linchpin to drive collaborative AI advancement across the Asia-Pacific and advance more equitable, inclusive digital growth, according to senior policymakers and industry leaders gathered at the World Internet Conference Asia-Pacific Summit. The high-level event kicked off Monday at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, bringing together global stakeholders to chart a cooperative path forward for responsible AI development.

    Zhuang Rongwen, director of the Cyberspace Administration of China and chairman of the World Internet Conference, highlighted that the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) holds unparalleled advantages for advancing cross-border digital exchange and partnership. Built on Hong Kong’s longstanding status as a global hub for shipping, international trade and finance, its unique position as a strategic gateway connecting mainland China with the global economy creates natural synergies for AI collaboration that no other regional center can match.

    “Across the Asia-Pacific, nations and regions have universally embraced digital transformation as a core strategy to unlock new growth opportunities and strengthen their global competitive edge,” Zhuang noted, adding that the fast-expanding digital economy has become one of the most dynamic bright spots driving regional integration and cooperation. “China remains fully committed to sharing the opportunities created by its own digital development with countries around the world,” he said.

    Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu emphasized that hosting the WIC Asia-Pacific Summit underscores the city’s growing global reputation as an international innovation and technology hub, while strengthening the city’s deep integration into national development strategies.

    Lee shared that the Hong Kong Park of the Hetao Shenzhen-Hong Kong Science and Technology Innovation Cooperation Zone, which opened to the public last December, has already drawn more than 70 tenants specializing in high-growth sectors including artificial intelligence and data science. Spanning 0.87 square kilometers on the Hong Kong side and 3.02 square kilometers in Shenzhen, the cross-boundary cooperation zone is pioneering new frameworks to enable seamless movement of research materials and other critical innovation resources across the Hong Kong-mainland border, unlocking new potential for collaborative AI research and development.

    Artificial intelligence sits at the core of Hong Kong’s broader innovation and technology development strategy, Lee noted, pointing to the city’s third-place global ranking in the Global AI Competitiveness Index, behind only New York and London. Even as the city leverages its competitive advantages in AI, Lee cautioned that the transformative power of the technology must be balanced by a commitment to responsible, inclusive deployment. “Technology is ultimately a tool, and it can only deliver maximum public benefit when rooted in a spirit of cross-border cooperation and shared creativity,” he said.

    John Hoffman, CEO of GSMA Ltd, echoed this perspective, stressing that the future trajectory of AI will not be shaped by a single organization, industry, region or individual. Cross-border collaboration, he argued, is the most effective path to closing the persistent digital and economic divides that threaten to leave vulnerable communities behind in the AI transition. Hoffman added that China, including the HKSAR, holds a unique position to take a global leadership role in AI development, and its decades of experience driving innovative digital growth can serve as a model for nations around the world.

    Sun Dong, Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry of the HKSAR, observed that AI is entering an unprecedented new frontier driven by the rapid rise of autonomous AI agents, and the Hong Kong government is closely tracking the technology’s rapid evolution. While AI agents hold great promise for expanding AI applications across every major industry, Sun noted that they also introduce new, untested security risks that require proactive governance. “The Hong Kong SAR government’s approach to AI development and regulation is clear: innovation and progress must go hand in hand with thoughtful, risk-based regulation,” he said.

    Samuel Migal, Minister of Investments, Regional Development and Informatization of Slovakia, echoed the call for coordinated global governance, noting that as digital and AI technology advances at breakneck speed, the shared global challenge is building fit-for-purpose new governance frameworks to guide development. While Migal acknowledged that different countries and regions will naturally adopt tailored regulatory models that match their own needs, he stressed that regulatory fragmentation cannot be the end result of global AI governance.

    The summit has positioned Hong Kong to capitalize on its unique geographic, economic and technological advantages to bring together diverse AI stakeholders from across the Asia-Pacific and beyond, laying the groundwork for more inclusive, responsible AI growth that benefits all regions.

  • Primary healthcare to get shot in arm

    Primary healthcare to get shot in arm

    China is rolling out an ambitious national plan to revamp its tiered healthcare system, placing unprecedented focus on expanding primary-level medical capacity to better handle common ailments and chronic conditions such as hypertension and diabetes, according to Chinese health authorities.

    The sweeping reform package was formally detailed in a guidance document released last week by the General Office of the State Council, with the core goal of meeting public demand for accessible, high-quality medical care close to patients’ home communities.

    Under the new framework, policymakers will prioritize closing gaps in geographic access to basic care by guaranteeing every residential neighborhood is served by a fully functional community health center. The three-tier national hospital system will also be restructured to better align institutional capacity with patient needs: secondary hospitals, which occupy the middle tier of the system, will expand their ability to treat routine illnesses while growing specialized services in rehabilitation, long-term nursing, palliative care, integrated medical care and elderly care support.

    Tertiary, or top-tier, hospitals will shift their core focus to treating severe, complex and life-threatening conditions, while enhancing services for patients referred from lower-level facilities, those requiring multidisciplinary specialist consultations, and those needing inpatient care. To optimize the use of limited high-quality medical resources, these leading hospitals will gradually phase out routine outpatient services, including follow-up appointments for well-managed stable chronic conditions and common disease consultations that can be handled closer to patients’ homes.

    A key structural upgrade outlined in the document is the expansion and improvement of integrated medical consortia — collaborative networks that connect large top-tier hospitals with smaller grassroots medical institutions. The plan calls for establishing shared resource centers within these consortia for medical imaging, diagnostic testing, equipment sterilization, laboratory analysis and pharmaceutical supply, to eliminate resource duplication and bring higher-quality services to primary care settings.

    To incentivize patients to seek their initial diagnosis at the primary level, the guidance requires top-tier hospitals within consortia to open dedicated outpatient clinics for common chronic conditions — including hypertension, diabetes and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease — directly at primary-level institutions. Specialist expert clinics will also be extended to grassroots facilities, and eligible patients with stable chronic diseases will now be able to receive long-term prescriptions covering up to 12 weeks of medication in a single primary care visit, eliminating the need for frequent repeat appointments.

    To further boost grassroots capacity, the plan mandates regular rotations of senior medical professionals to primary and rural facilities, and the deployment of additional mobile medical teams to serve regions with historically limited access to care.

    Addressing reporters at a Monday press conference, National Health Commission deputy director Zheng Zhe shared that China’s existing primary care network has already made substantial progress. As of 2026, the country hosts more than 1.1 million healthcare institutions, and over 90 percent of Chinese residents can reach a qualified medical service provider within a 15-minute travel radius. In 2025 alone, primary-level institutions recorded 5.56 billion patient visits, accounting for 52.6 percent of all patient visits nationwide.

    From 2020 to 2025, the volume of two-way patient referrals between large tertiary hospitals and smaller grassroots facilities grew by more than 50 percent, a trend that Zheng said reflects growing systemic coordination and improved convenience for patients.

    Jiao Yahui, head of the NHC’s primary health department, added that primary care institutions already deliver more than 1 billion services annually to high-priority groups including the elderly, children and people living with chronic diseases. In 2025, grassroots facilities across China set up more than 370,000 hospital beds for home-based care, and issued 190 million long-term prescriptions for chronic disease patients.

    Aligning with the new guidance, Jiao outlined that future efforts will focus on expanding chronic disease management capacity at the primary level, while also upgrading grassroots capabilities in pediatrics, rehabilitation, mental health, and ear, nose and throat care. “We will ensure that rural and community clinics have regular access to medical staff from higher-level hospitals, and that grassroots medical workers get structured training opportunities at top-tier hospitals,” Jiao said, noting that policymakers will also explore broader adoption of artificial intelligence-assisted diagnostic tools in primary care settings to improve diagnostic accuracy and efficiency.

  • Novel plant-derived protein puts insect-resistant ‘armor’ on crops

    Novel plant-derived protein puts insect-resistant ‘armor’ on crops

    BEIJING – A groundbreaking naturally occurring insecticidal protein sourced from common plants is transitioning from lab discovery to large-scale agricultural application, marking a major milestone in China’s homegrown crop protection technology, according to a recent report from Science and Technology Daily.

    Discovered and developed by the Institute of Cotton Research (ICR) under the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, the new protein, named iJAZ, offers a fully independent and controllable new pathway for breeding insect-resistant staple crops. To accelerate commercial rollout of the innovation, ICR has entered into a collaborative development agreement with Guangxi Tianyuan Biochemistry Co., Ltd. The partnership will focus on integrating the iJAZ technology into insect-resistant breeding programs for four high-value major crops: cotton, soybean, eucalyptus, and sugarcane, with the goal of making the novel insect-resistant approach widely accessible to global agriculture.

    Unlike many synthetic or engineered insecticidal traits, iJAZ occurs naturally in a range of everyday plant species, including cotton, pumpkin, and durian. What sets the protein apart from the current industry standard, Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) insecticidal protein, is its completely unique mechanism of action and structural characteristics. Unlike Bt proteins that are constitutively expressed in modified crop tissues, iJAZ remains inactive in plant cells under normal, undamaged conditions. Only when targeted chewing pests begin feeding on plant leaves and causing tissue damage does the protein activate: it then specifically identifies and binds tightly to unique receptor sites found only in the pests’ digestive tracts, triggering its potent lethal effect.

    Independent research data from ICR’s trials confirms the protein’s extraordinary efficacy: it achieves a 99.33 percent resistance rate against cotton bollworm larvae, one of the most destructive and costly pests for global cotton production. Structurally, iJAZ is just one-tenth the molecular size of conventional Bt proteins, a key advantage that allows both iJAZ and Bt proteins to be stacked in the same crop variety. This combined application provides a long-sought solution to one of the most pressing challenges facing modern agricultural biotechnology: the widespread degradation of Bt protein efficacy as pests develop cross-resistance over decades of widespread use.

    To complement the discovery of iJAZ, ICR researchers have also developed a cutting-edge high-efficiency genetic transformation system designed to streamline the integration of the iJAZ trait into elite commercial crop varieties. The new system leverages direct shoot regeneration from the apical stem cells of seeds, cutting the traditional transformation cycle dramatically: what previously took between 6 and 8 months to complete now only requires 2 to 3 months. Even more significantly, the new system overcomes the long-standing genotype barrier that has limited the speed of crop breeding, allowing scientists to directly add insect-resistant protection to existing top-performing commercial varieties rather than breeding new varieties from scratch. This tailored approach drastically accelerates the development and release of new insect-resistant crop varieties for farmers.

    To date, the combined iJAZ and transformation technology system has already been successfully adapted and tested across a diverse range of additional crop species, including peanut, cucumber, and cowpea, demonstrating its broad applicability to global agricultural production.

  • Vietnam’s top leader To Lam arrives in Beijing for state visit

    Vietnam’s top leader To Lam arrives in Beijing for state visit

    BEIJING, April 14 — Vietnam’s highest-ranking leader, To Lam, who holds dual positions as General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee and President of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, touched down in Beijing on Tuesday, kicking off a scheduled four-day state visit to China that will run through Friday.

    A notable detail surrounding this diplomatic trip underscores its strategic importance: this state visit marks To Lam’s first official overseas stop since he was formally elected to the Vietnamese presidency in a recent vote. For decades, China and Vietnam have maintained comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership, with close cooperation spanning trade, cross-border infrastructure, regional security, and people-to-people exchanges. This high-profile visit is widely expected to create new opportunities to strengthen bilateral dialogue, deepen collaborative efforts on shared regional and global priorities, and advance the long-term stable development of China-Vietnam relations.

  • Livestream tipping services to be regulated

    Livestream tipping services to be regulated

    In a landmark move to rein in unregulated commercial practices within the fast-growing online livestreaming industry, China’s top cyber governance authority has unveiled a comprehensive set of new regulations targeting livestream tipping services, with a particular focus on strengthening safeguards for underage users. The 11-point regulatory framework, released on April 14, 2026 by the Office of the Central Cyberspace Affairs Commission, aims to bring greater transparency and accountability to profit-driven livestreaming activities while addressing growing public concerns over excessive spending and exploitative practices.

  • New vlog of Shenzhou XXI crew details advanced in-orbit medical experiments

    New vlog of Shenzhou XXI crew details advanced in-orbit medical experiments

    Nearly six months into their historic stay aboard China’s Tiangong space station, the three-person Shenzhou XXI crew has opened a window into their daily orbital work through a newly released video diary, putting a spotlight on the groundbreaking aerospace medical experiments they are conducting to advance human long-duration spaceflight knowledge.

    Released Sunday by the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA), the vlog follows astronauts Zhang Lu, Wu Fei and Zhang Hongzhang as they move smoothly between specialized research racks aboard the orbiting outpost. Clad in standard blue short-sleeved mission polos, the crew demonstrates practiced precision as they handle biological samples, calibrate research hardware, and tick off a packed schedule of experimental and maintenance tasks. Per CMSA’s latest update, all three crew members remain in excellent physical shape, maintaining sharp coordination and steady motivation more than five months into their mission.

    The core focus of the work highlighted in the vlog centers on advancing understanding of how long-duration exposure to microgravity and isolated space conditions impacts human bodily function and performance. To this end, the crew has already completed a battery of cognitive function assessments and emergency decision-making drills, data from which will fill critical gaps in current research on human adaptation to extended space travel.

    One of the most notable experiments showcased in the diary sees the crew using a specialized space-grade Raman spectrometer to analyze metabolic components in urine samples. The insights gathered from this work will allow scientists to refine existing metabolic indicator frameworks and health evaluation standards for astronauts on future long-duration missions. The team also collected and cryogenically preserved saliva samples, which will be transported back to Earth for ground-based analysis of gut flora and digestive system changes in microgravity.

    Following experimental protocols, the crew also successfully drew and processed blood samples for three key lines of research: bone metabolism regulation, integrative omics, and the impact of spaceflight on circadian sleep rhythms. After processing the samples with a specialized on-orbit centrifuge, the specimens were stored securely to await return to Earth for further study.

    Beyond medical research, the crew also continued progress on microgravity physical science experiments during the period covered by the vlog. Tasks completed included replacing research samples in the orbiting laboratory’s fluid physics experiment cabinet, swapping out burners and gas cylinders in the combustion science module, and cleaning research materials from the containerless experimental chamber. When off-duty, the astronauts stick to a structured health maintenance routine, with the vlog capturing them working out on the station’s treadmill and using resistance bands to counteract the muscle and bone density loss associated with long-term microgravity exposure.

    The Shenzhou XXI mission launched on October 31, 2025, from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwestern China. To date, the crew has completed two planned extravehicular activity sessions: the first in December 2025, and the second in mid-March 2026, marking steady progress across all mission objectives.

  • Digital tide drives trade, tourism in rural Gansu

    Digital tide drives trade, tourism in rural Gansu

    Nestled across the arid Loess Plateau of Northwest China, Gansu’s rural communities have long relied on traditional agriculture and small-scale local trade to make a living. Today, a sweeping digital revolution is rewriting this narrative, turning remote villages into connected commercial hubs and breathing new life into local economies through the dual engines of e-commerce and cultural tourism.

    Where farmers once spent early spring only tuning plows and preparing seedbeds, many now split their days between field work and digital content creation. Local producers are mastering new tools: adjusting ring lights for clearer livestream feeds, stabilizing smartphone gimbals to capture sweeping views of the plateau, and speaking to tens of thousands of online customers in their native regional dialects. Women in rural courtyards promote hand-brewed vinegar and crispy traditional fried snacks, while young entrepreneurs trek into rolling fields to stream the plateau’s changing seasons to a global audience.

    One standout example of this shift is Tangqi Village, located in Qingyang City, where a government-backed assistance e-commerce studio has become a local community hub. Village officials have reinvented themselves as livestream hosts, using short-form videos and real-time streaming to showcase homegrown grains, fresh fruits and artisanal snacks to buyers across China. In just 10 days after launching, the studio recorded total sales exceeding 110,000 yuan ($16,016). Today, even 70-year-old villagers bring hand-harvested eggs and sun-dried goods to the studio, accessing national consumer markets without ever leaving their home community. Local data confirms that 135 households in Tangqi have already secured direct income gains from this digital e-commerce model.

    Deep in the Gansu hills, tiny Zhuangzimao hamlet—home to only 22 households—has taken this digital transformation even further. The community established an ecological farm in 2020, and every household now participates in livestreamed commerce. Some farmers demonstrate traditional soy milk grinding and fresh tofu making in real time, while others showcase the process of brewing aromatic yellow rice wine or sun-drying chili peppers into fine powder. Last year alone, Zhuangzimao’s total sales of local specialties surpassed 3 million yuan, with more than half of the village’s households recording annual incomes above 100,000 yuan. Beyond online sales, the village has leveraged its authentic portrayal of rural life online to draw offline tourists.

    Individual local entrepreneurs have also reaped the benefits of digital adoption. In Yangpo Village, Dingxi City, resident Zhou Jingang turned his small family courtyard into a standardized workshop for hand-made potato noodles, a beloved local staple. By building a following on mainstream social media and e-commerce platforms, he has scaled production to 1 metric ton of noodles per day, and now earns 100,000 yuan in annual net income.

    Unlike early rural digital projects that focused solely on direct product sales, Gansu’s current rural development strategy leverages the global consumer demand for authentic rural nostalgia, integrating agriculture, cultural heritage and tourism into a single sustainable growth model. Zhuangzimao’s success, in particular, stems from its commitment to preserving the unpolished, genuine character of traditional village life: residents still plaster walls with local mud and pave courtyards with reclaimed old tiles, leaning into this authenticity to win over online audiences.

    A typical livestream from the village captures this vibe perfectly: “It’s New Year! We’re using a big iron pot and a wood-fired stove to fry traditional dough snacks today,” a local villager says to her camera, surrounded by neighbors dressed in traditional red headscarves and floral aprons. This unscripted, unvarnished depiction of daily rural life has turned online engagement into tangible offline income. Once a remote, little-known hamlet, Zhuangzimao is now a national 3A-level tourist attraction. Last year, it hosted 150,000 domestic visitors, ranging from school study groups to landscape photography enthusiasts, who fill village courtyards to experience authentic home-cooked farm meals first-hand.

    Provincial data underscores the scale of this transformation across Gansu. According to the provincial department of culture and tourism, the region’s rural tourism sector recorded 657 million visitor trips between 2021 and 2025—the 14th Five-Year Plan period—generating total revenue of 201.54 billion yuan.

    Experts note that this shift marks more than just an adoption of new technology: it represents a fundamental change in rural development philosophy. “The core of this strategic support is cultivating a new generation of ‘new farmers’ who understand both the cultural resonance of rural life and modern digital business tools,” explained Mao Jinhuang, an economics professor at Lanzhou University. “This transition from selling agricultural products to selling rural scenery, authentic culture and immersive experiences is a profound shift in how rural communities approach development.”

    To address gaps in digital skills among rural residents, the Gansu provincial government launched intensive targeted training programs in 2025, designed for entrepreneurs returning to rural areas after working in cities. The curricula cover practical skills including e-commerce platform operations, local brand building, and access to small business financing. As digital technology continues to reshape Gansu’s rural economic landscape, Professor Mao emphasizes that nurturing cross-skilled local talent to bridge traditional rural heritage and modern entrepreneurial tools remains the key to sustaining long-term, inclusive growth across the region.

  • New rules aim to spice up Chongqing hotpot sector

    New rules aim to spice up Chongqing hotpot sector

    China’s culinary and economic hub Chongqing is preparing to usher in a new era for its world-famous hotpot sector, as the first-of-its-kind *Chongqing Hotpot Industry Development Promotion Regulations* are set to take effect on May 1. This landmark legislation is designed to standardize fast-growing industry practices, fuel long-term growth, and cement Chongqing’s global reputation as the undisputed “Hotpot Capital of the World”.

    A groundbreaking provision of the new rules enshrines Chongqing hotpot in legal definition for the first time, explicitly recognizing its unique regional origins and distinctive cooking techniques that deliver its signature blend of spicy, mouth-numbing, fresh, and aromatic flavors. According to Lou Zhenxin, director of the Legislative Affairs Office of the Chongqing Municipal People’s Congress Standing Committee — the body that approved the regulations in late March — the legal framework does more than set operating guidelines: it establishes a clear, protected brand identity for Chongqing hotpot and elevates its importance as both a regional cultural asset and a core economic pillar.

    The history of Chongqing hotpot stretches back more than a century to working-class roots. While the broader hotpot tradition spread across China during the Tang Dynasty (618–907 CE) and gained nationwide popularity by the Qing Dynasty (1644–1911 CE), the modern Chongqing style emerged in the late 1800s, when river port porters began simmering affordable leftover offal in bold chili oil and local herbs. The dish moved from street stalls to formal commercial establishments in the 1930s, when the Ma brothers opened Chongqing’s first dedicated hotpot restaurant, Maji Laozhengxing. Today, the Chongqing style is the global gold standard for spicy hotpot: the China Cuisine Association named Chongqing the nation’s official “Hotpot City” back in 2007, recognizing its unmatched concentration of top-rated hotpot establishments.

    For the local economy, the hotpot sector is far more than a tourist attraction — it is a foundational growth engine. Latest data from the Chongqing Hotpot Association shows that by 2025, the city was home to nearly 20,000 hotpot enterprises operating close to 40,000 restaurants across Chongqing. Nationwide, roughly one in three of China’s more than 500,000 hotpot restaurants trace their brand and heritage to Chongqing, and Chongqing-style hotpot outlets have expanded to more than 50 countries and 200 regions across the globe. In 2025 alone, the industry’s total output hit 360 billion yuan (equivalent to roughly $52.7 billion), accounting for 11.6% of Chongqing’s total annual GDP and supporting more than 1 million direct and indirect jobs. Back in 2023, the city formally integrated the hotpot ingredients segment into its official modern manufacturing cluster strategy, highlighting its outsize role in regional food processing and agricultural development.

    Even with this explosive growth, the sector has faced growing pains that threatened its long-term viability: inconsistent quality across operators, a lack of unified industry standards, and stagnant product innovation have held back scalable, sustainable expansion. To address these gaps, the Chongqing Hotpot Association began laying the groundwork for legislation back in 2022, conducting industry-wide research and translating on-the-ground needs from small restaurant owners and large manufacturers alike into the formal legal framework now set to take effect.

    “The core mission of these regulations is to clear the bottlenecks holding back industry growth through legal mechanisms, and push the sector toward transformation into a standardized, scalable, high-quality industry,” explained Pan Ling, deputy secretary of the Chongqing Hotpot Association. Pan added that the rules also set a precedent for food industry regulation across China, integrating cultural preservation and brand building alongside economic development. The regulations support the creation of iconic hotpot-focused cultural infrastructure, including dedicated hotpot food streets, a hotpot-themed museum, and annual industry events such as hotpot culture festivals and trade expos. It also prioritizes the preservation of traditional cooking techniques by supporting their inclusion on national and local intangible cultural heritage lists.

    To strengthen the entire supply chain, the regulations call for the development of specialized production bases, wholesale markets, and national consumption hubs, while incentivizing technological innovation in key areas such as seasoning manufacturing, soup base preservation, and cold-chain logistics. For global expansion, the rules encourage local businesses to build overseas ingredient storage facilities, open international chain locations, and develop cross-border e-commerce channels, pairing product exports with targeted cultural outreach to grow global recognition of the Chongqing hotpot brand.

    In addition to the new legal framework, Chongqing has led national efforts to develop unified standards for the hotpot sector over recent years. Existing standards already cover professional skill requirements for hotpot chefs and evaluation systems for master chefs and restaurant managers, while work is ongoing to finalize national standards for hotpot soup base products and consistent grading systems for spiciness and numbing flavor. A comprehensive national talent training and certification system is also outlined in the new regulations to ensure a skilled workforce for the growing sector.

  • Observers in Taiwan say KMT leader’s mainland visit fruitful

    Observers in Taiwan say KMT leader’s mainland visit fruitful

    TAIPEI, April 14, 2026 – Six days after concluding a landmark visit to the Chinese mainland, Kuomintang (KMT) chairperson Cheng Li-wun and her delegation touched back down in Taiwan over the weekend, with cross-Strait observers across the island unanimous in hailing the trip as a productive breakthrough for bilateral ties and shared economic opportunity.

    The visit marked the first time in 10 years that a sitting KMT chairperson has led a party delegation to the mainland, a moment that carries profound weight for future interactions across the Taiwan Strait. The delegation followed a packed schedule across three major mainland regions: Jiangsu province, Shanghai, and Beijing, where they paid respects at the mausoleum of Sun Yat-sen, the founding father of modern China and a revered figure for the KMT, and toured key economic and industrial sites including Yangshan Port, one of the world’s busiest container shipping hubs, and an automated automobile manufacturing facility operated by Chinese tech giant Xiaomi.

    Local scholars and cross-Strait policy analysts point out that the engagement between the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the KMT, rooted in the shared commitment to the 1992 Consensus and opposition to Taiwan independence, has cleared a path for expanded, future-oriented exchanges between the two parties. Yang Kai-huang, a senior researcher at Taipei-based Ming Chuan University, noted that this high-level interaction reopens avenues for collaboration that have been stalled for years, creating new possibilities for constructive dialogue on issues ranging from economic cooperation to people-to-people ties.

    Teng Tai-hsien, secretary general of the Straits Economic & Cultural Interchange Association, emphasized that the delegation’s on-site visits to major mainland economic facilities gave the KMT delegation, and by extension the broader Taiwan public, a firsthand look at the mainland’s rapid development over the past decade. The tour, Teng added, makes clear the enormous untapped potential for mutually beneficial industrial cooperation between the two sides of the Strait.

    Coinciding with the KMT delegation’s return, the Taiwan Work Office of the CPC Central Committee announced a sweeping new package of 10 policies and measures designed to expand and strengthen cross-Strait exchanges and cooperation. The policy package includes provisions to fully resume regular direct passenger flights across the Strait, restart the individual travel scheme for mainland residents from Shanghai and Fujian to visit Taiwan, and streamline entry approval procedures for qualified Taiwan food manufacturers to export their products to the mainland market.

    Speaking to reporters shortly after her arrival in Taipei, Cheng emphasized that her core goal for the visit was to help the Taiwan public see the tangible benefits of peaceful cross-Strait development, a outcome that she says the visit has helped advance.

    You Chih-pin, deputy secretary general of Taiwan’s New Party, pointed out that the new policy package will not only open up high-quality employment opportunities for Taiwan’s young people, but also deliver direct, widespread benefits to key sectors of Taiwan’s economy including agriculture, fisheries, and tourism.

    Among Taiwanese industry groups, the island’s tourism sector has emerged as one of the most enthusiastic supporters of the new policy measures, particularly the plan to resume individual travel from the mainland. From 2011, when the individual travel pilot program was first launched, to 2019, when it was suspended amid escalating cross-Strait tensions under the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), mainland independent travelers formed the backbone of Taiwan’s tourism industry, supporting hundreds of thousands of jobs across the island.

    Ringo Lee, chairman of Taiwan’s High Quality of Travel Association, said the new policy reflects the mainland’s sincere goodwill toward the Taiwan people and will inject much-needed new momentum into Taiwan’s struggling tourism sector. Lee called on the DPP-led Taiwan authorities to prioritize the interests of the island’s economy and public livelihood, and heed the growing calls from industry and ordinary citizens to support cross-Strait exchanges.

    Tang Yu-shu, former head of the tourism department for Hualien County, an eastern Taiwan destination that relies heavily on visitor spending, echoed Lee’s remarks. Tang emphasized that local communities across Taiwan are eagerly awaiting the full implementation of these favorable policies, and urged the DPP administration to step aside and avoid creating unnecessary obstacles to progress that would benefit all Taiwan residents.

  • Hong Kong to ban public possession of alternative smoking products

    Hong Kong to ban public possession of alternative smoking products

    HONG KONG – The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government has announced a sweeping new regulation that will criminalize the public possession and use of alternative smoking products across the territory, imposing stiff fines and potential prison time for violations starting at the end of this month.

    Under the new rule, both local residents and visitors found carrying or using banned alternative smoking items – which include electronic cigarettes, e-liquid cartridges, and herbal cigarettes – in public spaces will face legal consequences. Penalties for offenders reach up to 50,000 Hong Kong dollars, equivalent to approximately 6,384 U.S. dollars, and can include a maximum six-month prison sentence.

    Unlike many new regulatory rollouts that include a grace period for public adaptation, the ban will take full effect immediately on April 30 with no transition period. Enforcement will follow a strict “one strike you’re out” framework, meaning violations will result in immediate penalties regardless of whether it is a first offense.

    This ban represents the next phased implementation of the Tobacco Control Legislation (Amendment) Ordinance 2025, which was formally gazetted by the HKSAR government in September 2024. The territory is continuing its broader push to strengthen public health through strict tobacco control measures, with two additional key policies already scheduled for rollout in the near future: a mandatory duty stamp system for all traditional cigarettes, and a full ban on flavored conventional tobacco products.

    The series of regulatory updates underscores the HKSAR government’s commitment to reducing tobacco-related public health risks and curbing the growing popularity of alternative smoking products among local populations, particularly youth.