You Are Pakistan

By Wang Yongzhan, People’s Daily

Chengdu, a key city in southwest China’s Sichuan province, has become a magnet for foreign businesses and investors, thanks to its rich cultural heritage, convenient location, and strong pro-business environment. Today, more than 4,000 foreign-invested enterprises are based in the city, and over 100,000 foreigners live and work there.

When Dutch national Robert was asked why he settled in Chengdu, he instantly cited the local expression: “Ba shi,” meaning “ideal comfortable.”

In 2008, while attending university in the Netherlands, Robert met his future wife, Chen Ruze, a Sichuan native. After graduating and beginning careers, the couple visited Chen’s hometown Zigong in 2013, extending their trip to Chengdu

Known for its long history and vibrant culture, Chengdu ranks among China’s most compelling cities for international visitors. Robert found himself captivated not only by the city’s famous landmarks but also by quintessential local scenes – citizens dancing in public squares or leisurely drinking tea in traditional teahouses – all epitomizing the city’s signature unhurried lifestyle.

In early 2015, the couple moved to Chengdu permanently. Robert began learning Chinese and adapting to local customs. “Here, you can enjoy both tradition and modernity – historic sites, pandas, Sichuan opera, exhibitions, hot pot, teahouses. There’s always something new to experience,” he said.

Around the same time, Chengdu unveiled its plan to become an international exchange center, rolling out policies to attract overseas professionals and international students. “After conducting thorough market research, we decided to start a company to help foreign talent find jobs in China,” Robert said.

In 2016, Robert founded the company eChinaCareers. The following year, the company moved into an industrial park built for international talent in Chengdu High-tech Industrial Development Zone, benefiting from subsidized rent policies. “We primarily help international schools and foreign enterprises in China with talent acquisition,” explained Chen Ruze.

In 2023, the company relocated to the nearby International Talent Hub, which is also in the Chengdu High-tech Industrial Development Zone. The company continued to enjoy rent-free space.

Leveraging the platform of International Talent Hub, the Chengdu High-tech Industrial Development Zone aims to become a major hub for human resources services in central and western China and a vibrant zone for young global innovators and entrepreneurs.

Chengdu’s international appeal has grown significantly in recent years. According to Ctrip’s 2024 Chinese travel destination heatmap, Chengdu ranked as the top destination for foreign tourists in China. A wide range of talent programs and streamlined mechanisms for attracting overseas professionals have helped Chengdu earn repeated recognition as one of the best Chinese cities for talent and a top destination in the eyes of expats.

This environment also creates opportunities for eChinaCareers, which has helped tens of thousands of foreign professionals find jobs. “More and more foreigners are coming to Chengdu and falling in love with it,” said Robert, adding that his company now also helps local talent  explore international opportunities.

At a Chengdu production facility of Australian medical device company Cochlear, general manager of Cochlear China Li Xinyu was inspecting the latest batch of cochlear implants.

In September 2017, Cochlear approved plans to build a production base in Tianfu New Area, Sichuan. It would become the company’s sole overseas manufacturing site for cochlear implants. With an investment of about $87 million in buildings and equipment, the Chengdu facility officially began operations in 2021.

“Chengdu has an advanced transportation network and serves as a key node along the Belt and Road,” Li explained. “The components we use can be shipped here quickly and cost-effectively by rail or air.”

Soft infrastructure also plays a role. “At every stage of project development and operations, we received robust multi-level support,” Li said. After the project was approved, the local government in Tianfu New Area provided tailored one-on-one assistance with incentive applications. “With institutions like the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, the city offers a deep talent pool, and dozens of top hospitals present huge potential for cooperation.”

Chengdu’s logistical advantages have strengthened since operations began. “Dual international airports enable efficient distribution across China and Southeast Asia,” said Li. With support from customs and other agencies, clearance time for shipments has dropped from two weeks to just one day, significantly reducing logistics costs.

With convenient transportation and an open, business-friendly environment, Chengdu continues to attract foreign investment. In 2024, the city’s international airports handled over 87 million passengers and more than 1 million tons of cargo. In the first four months of this year, Chengdu brought in $656 million in foreign direct investment, ranking first among all cities in western and central China.

By Zhang Bolan, Zhao Yipu, Mang Jiuchen, People’s Daily

Once a niche form of entertainment, Chinese online literature, from serialized novels to adaptations in television, gaming, and animation, is emerging as a new cultural bridge to the world – drawing millions of international readers into its vivid narratives and offering a fresh perspective on contemporary China.

In 2024, the overseas market for Chinese online literature exceeded 5 billion yuan ($695.09 million), according to a report by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. The expanding community now includes 460,000 overseas web novel authors and over 350 million readers across more than 200 countries and regions.

In Cannes, France, a mother found inspiration in Release That Witch, a fantasy novel set in an alternate medieval world. Taken by a scene describing a Chinese dessert, she handcrafted “ice-skin baozi” for her children, eager to bring a taste of China into her own home. Thousands of miles away in Quebec, Canada, a young woman working in a kindergarten spends her night translating her favorite Chinese web novels into French, uploading them online to share with fellow readers.

“Chinese online fiction doesn’t just captivate through fantasy. It reflects real emotional and moral concerns,” said Charles Dewees, co‑founder and editor‑in‑chief of Chireads, a France-based online reading community.

Founded in 2017, Chireads has become the largest hub for Chinese web novel translations in the French‑speaking world, attracting nearly one million monthly active users, primarily from France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Monaco, and Canada. On average, users spend more than 50 minutes a day on the site.

The forum has flourished thanks to licensing agreements with leading Chinese platforms such as Qidian and China Literature, enabling high-quality translations that preserve the nuance of the original texts. Comments on the site – “Fantastic!” “Engaging!” “Legendary!” – testify to their growing popularity.

Dewees sees Chinese web literature as both a storytelling powerhouse and a cultural ambassador. “With its thrilling plots, imaginative fantasy, and heartfelt emotion, it resonates far beyond China’s borders,” he said.

For Andeez Ziauddin, a Bangladeshi student at Fudan University in Shanghai, Chinese online fiction played a formative role in her life. Her first encounter came during childhood visits to Guangzhou, south China’s Guangdong province, where her entrepreneur parents often traveled for business. She discovered Chinese novels at local libraries, including web fiction, and was instantly hooked. Even after returning to Bangladesh for secondary school, she continued reading online.

Now 27 and in her seventh at Fudan University, Ziauddin has been a fan of Chinese web literature for over two decades. She believes the appeal lies in shared cultural values. “South Asian readers can relate deeply to Chinese stories about perseverance, destiny and justice,” she said.

In South Korea, translator Park Nu Lee has witnessed the rising appeal of Chinese online literature firsthand. She first found them from TV adaptations such as Joy of Life and Nirvana in Fire, which sparked her interest in the original novels. Today, she works with professional institutions to bring more of these works to Korean audiences through translation.

The influence of Chinese web literature in South Korea has grown remarkably, with adaptations into television dramas winning popularity among young audiences, Park noted.

She said Chinese online literature covers a variety of genres, including history, fantasy, sci-fi, mystery, wuxia and romance. “There’s something for everyone.”

She credits the genre’s growing momentum in part to the strength of China’s online literature industry, which has developed a mature ecosystem of spin-offs and adaptations. “In South Korea, many learn about Chinese web novels through TV shows or animations, then return to the original works. That adaptation cycle – how it loops back to the source – is something quite unique,” Park explained.

By Jia Pingfan, People’s Daily

On April 29, 2025, construction officially commenced on three critical tunnels, Fergana Mountain, Naryn No.1, and Koshtet, along the Kyrgyz section of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan (CKU) Railway, marking a major milestone as the project advances into its mainline construction phase.

Starting from Kashgar in northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, the CKU Railway passes through the mountainous terrain of Kyrgyzstan to reach Uzbekistan. Once completed, the railway will serve as an important transportation corridor connecting the Asia-Pacific with Europe, significantly enhancing regional connectivity and fostering economic and social development along the route.

The CKU Railway stands as a compelling exmaple of pragmatic cooperation between China and Central Asia, and represents a new milestone in high-quality Belt and Road cooperation. From infrastructure and industrial capacity to clean energy and logistics, cooperation between China and Central Asian countries is delivering tangible outcomes across a wide range of areas.

In Kazakhstan, major projects like the China-Kazakhstan natural gas pipeline and the Shymkent Oil Refinery are running smoothly. In Uzbekistan, the Syr Darya 1,500 MW gas-vapor cycle power generation project has been put into production, while the Olympic City project proceeds steadily. In Kyrgyzstan, projects such as the renovation of Bishkek’s municipal road network and a renovated irrigation system are improving local livelihoods. In Tajikistan, the parliament and government buildings aided by China have become new landmarks. These concrete, substantial outcomes are contributing to the sustainable development of Central Asian economies.

China’s trade and investment cooperation with Central Asia has also continued to gain momentum. In 2024, trade between China and the five Central Asian countries reached $94.8 billion, a year-on-year increase of six percent. The figure is expected to exceed $100 billion this year.

According to Yang Jin, deputy head of the Central Asia and Caucasus studies office at the Institute of Russian, Eastern European and Central Asian Studies under the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, China-Central Asia relations have made substantial strides in recent years.

Guided by head-of-state diplomacy, the two sides have been deepening political trust. China has established comprehensive strategic partnerships and implemented the vision of building a community with a shared future on a bilateral level with all the five Central Asian countries.

Practical cooperation has been elevated, evidenced by the rapid growth in trade and investment. China and the Central Asian countries are also strengthening coordination in multilateral settings, particularly in efforts to maintain regional peace and stability.

Besides, institutional innovation is gaining prominence. Mechanisms such as the China-Central Asia Summit mechanism, the establishment of the secretariat of the China-Central Asian cooperation mechanism, and a China-Central Asia emergency management cooperation mechanism are enhancing dialogue and coordination.

“Central Asia is rich in natural resources, but its landlocked geography poses challenges to global market access. Meanwhile, China’s rapidly expanding domestic market is highly complementary with the region,” said Xu Tao, deputy head of the Eurasian Social Development Research Institute under the Development Research Center of China’s State Council.

“Our mutually beneficial cooperation is delivering tangible benefits to the peoples of both sides,” Xu added.

On March 19, a freight train bound for Tashkent, Uzbekistan, departed from Beijing’s Fangshan district, loaded with 90 standard containers of auto parts, medicines and other goods from the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region. This marked the official launch of the first Beijing-Central Asia freight train service, creating a new, efficient land corridor for exporting high-value-added, high-tech products.

China and Central Asian countries share common aspirations for economic growth and improving people’s livelihoods. Their cooperation continues to expand in traditional sectors such as trade, finance, infrastructure, and connectivity, while increasingly expanding into emerging areas like the digital economy and e-commerce.

For landlocked Central Asian countries, working with China on water resource management, desertification prevention and control, green transition, and digital development contributes significantly to regional sustainability.

In November 2022, the Luban Workshop, co-founded by China’s Tianjin Urban Construction Management & Vocation Technology College and Tajik Technical University, was officially put into operation, the first of its kind in Central Asia. Since then, additional Luban workshops have been established in Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan, with another under development in Turkmenistan.

These platforms facilitate technical exchanges and mutual learning, promoting talent development and strengthening people-to-people ties between China and Central Asian countries.

From Luban workshops and cultural centers to joint film productions, book translations, and archaeological collaborations, China-Central Asia cultural cooperation is flourishing. Exchanges in education, culture, tourism, and local governance continue to thrive, further reinforcing the foundation of good-neighborly friendship.

“Over the years, China and Central Asian countries have upheld the principles of mutual respect, good neighborliness, solidarity, and win-win cooperation,” said Yang Jin.

“By practicing true multilateralism and a common approach to security, they have set a model for a new type of international relations,” Yang added.

With deepening cooperation across political, economic, security, diplomatic, and cultural sectors, Yang believes the foundation for building a China-Central Asia community with a shared future is becoming ever more solid.

By Li Qiang, People’s Daily

Central Asia serves as a globally significant arid agriculture region. By leveraging their natural resources and geographic advantages, Central Asian nations have implemented strategic policies in recent years to bolster agriculture development, enhance productivity, and expand agricultural exports.

Within this framework, China has steadily deepened agricultural cooperation with Central Asian countries, collaboratively advancing environmentally sustainable and green development practices.

A growing diversity of specialty products from Central Asia are now entering the Chinese market and gaining popularity among consumers, including Kazakhstan’s camel milk, Uzbekistan’s cherries, Tajikistan’s dried fruits, Kyrgyzstan’s honey, and Turkmenistan’s cotton.

Bilateral agricultural trade between China and Central Asian countries has experienced robust growth. Data shows that trade in agricultural products between China and the five Central Asian countries surged from $69 million in 2001 to $2.875 billion in 2023 – a 40-fold increase over two decades.

On May 21, China and Kazakhstan signed a new agreement permitting the entry of Kazakh poultry into the Chinese market. To date, over 2,500 Kazakh agricultural enterprises have secured authorization to export 29 categories of agricultural products to China.

Kazakhstan, endowed with abundant agricultural resources and robust production capacity, ranks among the world’s leading grain exporters. In 2024, bilateral agricultural trade between China and Kazakhstan reached $1.4 billion, a 10.5% year-over-year increase. Notably, Kazakhstan’s exports to China alone stood at $1.05 billion, with key commodities including animal feed, grains, oil crops, and vegetable oils. Impressive growth was observed in specific sectors: animal feed exports surged by 485%, vegetable oils rose by 26%, and rapeseed oil exports increased by 57%. In the first quarter of 2025, bilateral agricultural trade hit $430.5 million, marking a 45% increase year on year. China now serves as Kazakhstan’s largest market for agricultural exports, solidifying the strategic partnership between the two nations.

To streamline cross-border trade, China Customs has established 8 dedicated “green channels” for accelerated clearance of agricultural products from Central Asia, primarily facilitated through land ports. These measures provide robust logistical support for enhancing agricultural exports from Central Asian nations to China.

China is concurrently deepening agricultural science and technology partnerships with Central Asian countries under the frameworks of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). Chinese enterprises and universities have collaborated with Central Asian countries to launch demonstration farms and technology centers, significantly improving the quality and yield of local agricultural output.

A notable example is Northwest A&F University, based in northwest China’s Shaanxi province, which has co-established 8 overseas agricultural technology demonstration parks with Kazakhstan, and other Central Asian countries. These facilities focus on joint efforts in crop breeding, water-saving irrigation systems, and soil enhancement technologies, thereby elevating regional agricultural productivity. Additionally, China provides onsite training programs, remote technical guidance, and capacity-building programs to empower agricultural professionals.

Professor Zhang Zhengmao of Northwest A&F University, who has conducted field research across 10 regions in Kazakhstan, highlighted the country’s agricultural potential. He noted Kazakhstan’s fertile soils and abundant sunlight – ideal for wheat cultivation – but emphasized that local wheat varieties often lack disease resistance and face issues of lodging. “This is precisely where Chinese agricultural research expertise can address regional challenges,” he stated.

To develop wheat varieties better adapted to Kazakhstan’s environmental conditions, Professor Zhang’s research team is collaborating with breeding institutions in China’s Gansu province and Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region. They employ a method called cross-regional shuttle breeding, systematically selecting and testing wheat strains across diverse ecological zones to enhance adaptability and productivity.

“Our trials demonstrate that the selected varieties exhibit marked improvements in grain count, kernel weight, and uniformity,” he noted.

The deputy general manager of Kazakhstan’s Aiju agro-processing and logistics park in Kazakhstan noted that Chinese high-yield wheat varieties have significantly boosted both output and quality of local crops. “The products are now exported to China and have gained strong market acceptance among Chinese consumers,” he added.

In Kyrgyzstan, the China-Kyrgyzstan fruit breeding technology demonstration park, also established by Northwest A&F University, is focusing on expanding increase apple production.

While apples are a staple fruit in Kyrgyzstan, their cultivation is hindered by the country’s hot, arid summers. Professor Zhang Dong of Northwest A&F University and his team, after nearly seven years of research, have developed rootstock-scion combinations through selective breeding.  These hybrids outperform traditional seedlings in water efficiency, survival rate, and yield, increasing output by over 300 kilograms per mu (667 square meters).

“In Uzbekistan, we harnessed the abundant sunlight to introduce solar-powered sprinkler systems and smart irrigation technologies that integrate water and fertilizer delivery,” explained Professor Zhu Delan of Northwest A&F University.

This system replaced conventional flood irrigation, resulting in a 50% increase in cotton yields,  a 50% reduction in water use, and a 40% cut in investment costs,” Professor Zhu revealed.

Kazakh Minister of Agriculture Aidarbek Saparov underscored China’s role as a vital and expanding market for agricultural exports from Kazakhstan and other Central Asian countries. He  highlighted the tremendous potential for deepening agricultural cooperation between both sides, emphasizing mutual benefits in trade and technical exchange.

By Li Xinping, People’s Daily

At 8:32 am on June 10, the whistle of a train pierced the morning air at Jiaozhou Railway Station in Qingdao, east China’s Shandong province. Train No. 75052, a China-Europe freight train loaded with electronic displays and household appliances, rolled out on its transcontinental journey toward Europe.

With this departure, the total number of China-Europe freight train trips, including return trips, officially surpassed 110,000. Together, these trains have transported goods worth over $450 billion.

The China-Europe freight train service was launched in 2013 following the introduction of the Belt and Road Initiative. In 2016, it was brought under a single unified brand. By 2024, the annual number of trips had reached 19,000 – a 10.4-fold increase from the 1,702 trips recorded in 2016 – marking an average annual growth rate of 35%. The service has become a highly sought-after international public good.

The time required to operate every 10,000 trains has been reduced dramatically from 90 months at the start to just 6 months today. Currently, a China-Europe freight train departs roughly every 30 minutes，reflecting comprehensive upgrades in planning, coordination, and logistics.

A well-developed network of freight corridors now spans the continent. Domestically, China has established three major rail corridors: western, central, and eastern routes. Internationally, the network extends across northern, central, and southern corridors. So far, 128 Chinese cities have launched services linking to 229 cities in 26 European countries and over 100 cities in 11 Asian countries.

China’s border ports have also undergone major capacity upgrades. In recent years, railway authorities have expanded capacity at five key ports—Alashankou, Horgos, Erenhot, Manzhouli, and Suifenhe – and developed the new Tongjiang North Railway Port. These six ports can now handle up to 184 train exchanges per day, marking a 45% increase from their 2016 levels.

For a long time, customs clearance posed a significant bottleneck. To address this, the railway sector introduced a digital port system, enabling border stations to pre-process customs paperwork based on departure data. Additionally, an express clearance mechanism has been rolled out to dramatically improve efficiency.

With this fast-track clearance system, companies no longer need to complete customs transfer declarations, releases, or reconciliations, explained Wang Shengyuan, general manager of a trade company in Ulanqab, north China’s Inner Mongolia autonomous region.

“The system enables data sharing among customs, railways, and logistics operators. As a result, clearance time has been slashed from half a day to under 30 minutes – in some cases, just a few minutes,” Wang noted.

Today, the China-Europe freight train service has evolved beyond simple rail lines. It has become a multi-modal logistics corridor connecting East Asia and Southeast Asia with Europe, integrating seamlessly with the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor, coastal ports, and the Yangtze River golden shipping route.

On May 10 this year, a land-sea intermodal train carrying LCD TVs produced in Jakarta, Indonesia, departed from Qinzhou in south China’s Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region. The cargo was transported to Chongqing in southwest China, where it underwent expedited customs clearance before joining a China-Europe freight train bound for Europe via the Horgos port in northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region. The full journey is expected to take just 20 to 25 days.

“In the past, goods from Indonesia could only reach Europe by sea,” said Zhong Chaowen, deputy director of marketing at Guangxi Yanhai Railway Company. “Now, with intermodal rail-sea transport, the logistics timeline is more reliable.”

Other innovations, such as the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan road-rail intermodal transport service, are extending the freight train network’s reach even further.

Recently, a train fully loaded with general merchandise arrived at Kashgar North Railway Station in Xinjiang. The goods were then transferred by truck and exited China through the Irkeshtam Port, en route to Tashkent, Uzbekistan.

“This route saves about five days in transit time and cuts costs by nearly 30% compared with traditional routes,” said Fang Zijun, operations manager of a Kashgar-based logistics company.

The range of goods transported by China-Europe freight trains now includes 53 major categories and over 50,000 types of products – ranging from whole vehicles and machinery to furniture, textiles, and electronics. In 2024, high-value goods such as automobiles and auto parts, machinery, and electrical appliances made up more than 60% of outbound cargo.

Outbound and return trips are now roughly balanced, and the comprehensive ratio of loaded containers stands at nearly 100%. The annual value of transported goods has surged from $8 billion in 2016 to $66.4 billion in 2024, with the cumulative trade value exceeding $450 billion.

Beyond cargo, the trains are reshaping the regions they connect. In Europe, cities like Lodz in Poland, Duisburg in Germany, and Madrid in Spain – key hubs for China-Europe freight trains – are modernizing infrastructure and energizing related industries. In Kazakhstan, the freight train service has opened new maritime access points, allowing the country to export staple products like wheat to Southeast Asian markets via China.

This is a vivid example of win-win cooperation in action. Crossing mountains and rivers, the China-Europe freight trains continue to create new opportunities for development.