International

Ministry to shore up bottlenecks along transport infrastructure

China will encourage investment in transport infrastructure construction, ensuring unimpeded logistics and helping solve the problems of enterprises to maintain a stable economy, a senior official from the Ministry of Transport said.

“Transportation and logistics are the arteries of the economy and important pillars to support people’s livelihoods,” Xu Chengguang, chief planner of the Ministry of Transport, told Xinhua News Agency.

China’s transport sector operated smoothly in the first quarter of the year, with freight volume increasing by 1.5 percent year-on-year. Cargo handled at ports increased by 1.6 percent, and the sector’s fixed-asset investment saw year-on-year growth of 9.8 percent.

However, since March, the latest outbreak of COVID-19 in China and the Ukraine crisis have brought challenges to the country’s economy. The transport sector saw a drop in passengers and a logistics bottleneck, especially in cross-region freight transportation.

To tackle the problems, the sector will continue to invest in infrastructure construction, building a comprehensive transport network and promoting 102 major infrastructure and transport projects, Xu said.

From January to March, fixed-asset investment in the transport sector amounted to 636 billion yuan ($97 billion), up 9.8 percent year-on-year, according to the ministry.

The growth rate climbed 1 percentage point from the fourth quarter in 2021, providing effective support for stabilizing the macroeconomy, said Wang Songbo, an official with the ministry, at a recent news conference.

The majority of the funds went to road and waterway infrastructure construction, with investment in road construction rising 11.8 percent year-on-year to 481 billion yuan in the period.

Investment in waterway construction came in at 31 billion yuan from January to March, up 5.4 percent.

Xu said the sector will focus on bottlenecks to ensure unimpeded logistics, paying attention to key regions, key enterprises and to ensuring people’s livelihoods.

The ministry has promoted the use of nationally recognized traffic permits and 24 provinces have adopted the use of them for truckers. The permit has a unified format, is recognized by local governments, is easy to apply for and valid at all checkpoints.

Other measures have been adopted such as establishing a white list for truckers, building more logistics transfer hubs, and setting up a white list system for key industrial and supply chain enterprises to meet the logistics needs of those companies.

Three additional hubs to transfer emergency supplies to Shanghai and nearby regions have been established to ensure people’s livelihoods and the production of key industrial and supply chain enterprises.

Gridlocks in the national transport network have been eased but some problems still exist, such as barring trucks from regions categorized as medium and high-risk areas in some areas, Zhou Min, deputy head of the emergency response office from the Ministry of Transport, said at a news conference recently.

China has rolled out policies to relieve the burden on enterprises amid the epidemic, such as tax and rent deductions and reducing unemployment and injury insurance fees. It is also providing financial support such as continuing offering subsidies for the purchase of new energy vehicles and extending dates to repay loans.

The ministry will ensure State preferential policies are carried out in the sector and benefit enterprises.

The ministry will also guide passenger transport enterprises to develop new business, such as tailored services, Xu said.

Xinhua contributed to this story.

International

Washington DC Fifth Graders Learn About Barbados

Last Friday, a fifth-grade class from JC Nalle Elementary in Washington DC, visited Barbados’ Embassy in Washington as part of the Embassy Adoption Program (EAP). The visit was the culmination of a series of sessions which started in November 2024.

The EAP is a global education programme that links fifth and sixth grade classes with embassies and other global entities to provide DC Public School students with a unique opportunity to expand their global awareness.

The class was initially visited by former teacher, now diplomat, First Secretary William Clarke and staffer, Elle Duguid of the embassy. Mr. Clarke and Ms. Duguid taught students general facts about Barbados including its location, history, government, and economy.

During a second visit in December, the students learned about cricket, ‘bajan’ dialect, the island’s festivals, including Crop Over, and also about celebrations held within Barbados.

For the third and fourth visits respectively, the students were informed about We Gatherin’ and Barbados’ geography, nature and landscape. The Embassy concluded its visits to the school with a presentation on climate vulnerability and sustainability in Barbados.

To cap the programme off, students visited the embassy to meet with Barbados’ Ambassador to the United States of America, Vic Fernandes, to whom they made a presentation on what they learned. The students performed a medley of skits and dances highlighting Barbados’ history and culture. After the presentation, Ambassador Fernandes hosted the students for lunch.

Next month, the JC Nalle Elementary students will participate in the EAP’s Mini United Nations simulation representing Barbados. There, the students will debate the important topic of climate vulnerability and deliver a final presentation showcasing what they learned throughout the programme. (PR/GIS)

Caption: Barbados’ Ambassador to the United States, Vic Fernandes (right), and staff of the Embassy of Barbados in Washington, D.C., pose with fifth graders of JC Nalle Elementary

International

CHINA ANNOUNCES VISA FREE TRAVEL FOR SOME LATIN AMERICA & CARIBBEAN COUNTRIES

China plans to expand its visa-free policy for five Latin American/#Caribbean countries and offer 3,500 scholarships and 10,000 training opportunities, as part of a five-programme plan to advance shared development and revitalisation with LAC countries. source Caribbean News UK

International

President Xi Jinping urges solidarity, deeper cooperation at China-CELAC meeting

Chinese President Xi Jinping said China is willing to strengthen solidarity with Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) countries and announced five major programs to jointly pursue development and revitalization with LAC countries on Tuesday.

The five programs, solidarity, development, civilization, peace, and people-to-people connectivity, were announced by Xi while delivering a keynote speech during the opening ceremony of the fourth ministerial meeting of the China-CELAC (the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States) Forum in Beijing.

On the solidarity program, Xi said China is willing to strengthen solidarity with Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) countries and continue to support each other on issues concerning their core interests and major concerns to firmly safeguard the international system with the UN at its core and international order underpinned by international law and to speak with one voice in international and regional affairs.

In the next three years, China will invite 300 members from political parties of CELAC member states every year to visit China to facilitate exchanges on national governance best practices, Xi said.

Regarding the development program, Xi said China is willing to work with LAC countries to implement the Global Development Initiative, resolutely uphold the multilateral trading system, ensure stable, unimpeded global industrial and supply chains, and promote an international environment of openness and cooperation.

Noting that the two sides should foster greater synergy between their development strategies and expand high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, Xi said China will import more quality products from LAC countries and encourage Chinese enterprises to expand their investment in the region.

On the civilization program, Xi called for the joint implementation of the Global Civilization Initiative. He said both sides should uphold the vision of equality, mutual learning, dialogue, and inclusiveness between civilizations, champion humanity’s common values of peace, development, fairness, justice, democracy, and freedom, and enhance China-LAC civilizational exchanges and mutual learning, including through a conference on China-LAC inter-civilizational dialogue.

For the peace program, Xi called for the joint implementation of the Global Security Initiative. He said both sides should cooperate more closely in disaster governance, cybersecurity, counterterrorism, anti-corruption, narcotics control, and combating transnational organized crime to safeguard security and stability in the region.

Regarding people-to-people connectivity, Xi said in the next three years, China will provide CELAC member states with 3,500 government scholarships, 10,000 training opportunities in China, 500 International Chinese Language Teachers Scholarships, 300 training opportunities for poverty reduction professionals, and 1,000 funded placements through the Chinese Bridge program, initiate 300 “small and beautiful” livelihood projects, and support CELAC member states in developing Chinese language education.

China has decided to offer a visa-free policy to five LAC countries and will expand the policy to cover more regional countries in due course, Xi said.

Gustavo Petro, president of Colombia, the CELAC rotating chair, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Chilean President Gabriel Boric, and Dilma Rousseff, president of the New Development Bank and former Brazilian president, respectively, addressed the event.

The special representative for Yamandu Orsi, president of Uruguay and the incoming CELAC rotating chair, read out the president’s congratulatory letter.

Faced with a world full of uncertainties, LAC countries and China should work together to promote continuous new progress in building a community with a shared future, they said.

Both sides should respect each other and firmly support each other in safeguarding sovereignty and choosing their own development path, they said, calling for strengthening the synergy between the development strategies of LAC countries and the Belt and Road Initiative and promoting cooperation in trade, investment, infrastructure, agriculture, science and technology, new energy and education.

The two sides should also promote exchanges and dialogues among civilizations, safeguard the authority of the UN, support multilateralism and free trade, and oppose unilateralism, protectionism, power politics, and bullying to safeguard the common interests of the Global South, they added.

CAPTION: Chinese President Xi Jinping delivers a keynote speech during the opening ceremony of the fourth ministerial meeting of the China-CELAC (the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States) Forum, Beijing, capital of China, May 13, 2025