BEIJING, Oct. 16 (Xinhua) -- An understanding reached by China and the European Union (EU) on hybrid vehicles is reciprocal and mutually beneficial, a spokesperson for China's Ministry of Commerce said Friday, noting that claims that EU pressure had yielded results are entirely unfounded.The understanding, reached on the basis of three principles agreed upon by both sides -- compliance with World Trade Organization (WTO) rules, respect for facts and non-discrimination -- has effectively safeguarded the practical interests of Chinese enterprises, addressed the EU's concerns and prevented an escalation of China-EU trade frictions, the spokesperson said in response to a question.The purpose of China-EU economic and trade consultations is to properly handle differences and address each other's concerns through dialogue and consultation, the spokesperson said, stressing that both sides should demonstrate sincerity in resolving problems.The EU should not expect to gain benefits by exerting pressure, nor should it underestimate China's determination and ability to safeguard its own interests, the spokesperson said.The spokesperson urged the EU to meet China halfway and promote the sound and steady development of China-EU economic and trade relations. ■

A maiden voyage ceremony for southbound travel of yachts from Guangdong province was held on Friday in Hong Kong, marking the official implementation of a new scheme to facilitate yachts travelling between Hong Kong and Guangdong.Speaking at the ceremony, Michael Wong Wai-lun, acting financial

CHENGDU, Oct. 16 (Xinhua) -- Luo Lan first came to Hongyuan in southwest China's Sichuan Province by chance, only to find that its landscape reminded her of Scotland, where she had studied.In 2021, she visited the county with fellow alumni to do charity work. Having studied in Glasgow, Britain, she felt an immediate sense of familiarity. And the locals were warm, sincere and honest, she recalled.Located in Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture and established in the 1960s, Hongyuan County commemorates the Long March with its name, which literally means the grasslands the Red Army crossed.From 1935 to 1936, the Red Army climbed snow-capped mountains and crossed grasslands and swamps in what is now Hongyuan County, one of the Long March's most treacherous stretches.The grasslands are often dubbed the sea of death. The perils of the grasslands were no surprise, wrote Harrison Salisbury in The Long March: The Untold Story. Beneath the flowers lurked bogs that could swallow a man in a minute.Today, Hongyuan is home to numerous monuments and memorial halls honoring the Red Army. To help local farmers and herdsmen boost their incomes, the county has also developed tourism around its vast grasslands.Luo became part of that transformation.One year after her first visit to Hongyuan, Luo, then working for a real estate company, saw an opportunity to develop a hotel featuring movable wooden cabins. The houses are elevated on stilts to avoid damaging the pasture, she explained.Starting with just five rooms, the hotel proved an immediate success, with bookings filling up throughout the travel season in its first year.This land attracts travelers from far and wide hoping to experience a slower pace of life, Luo said. Away from the hustle and bustle of the city, they can feel the vastness and tranquility of the Hongyuan grassland, enjoy the wind, the starry sky and the sunset.When her company later withdrew from the project, she refused to give up and launched...

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on Thursday in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, on the sidelines of the Seventh Summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia.Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the

Japan cannot deny the ironclad facts of the war crimes committed by its invading army in China during World War II, a Chinese military spokesperson said on Friday, responding to a documentary about Unit 731.Chen Xi, a spokesperson for China's Ministry of National Defense, made the remarks at a

Chinese authorities on Friday began soliciting public opinion on a revision to the catalog of technologies that are subject to export bans or restrictions, with plans to add some technologies in artificial intelligence (AI), biomedicine and photovoltaics to the list.The adjustment, initiated by the

The second meeting of the China-EU trade and investment consultation mechanism has produced a series of consensus and outcomes that provide stability and certainty for business cooperation between Chinese and European companies, a Chinese commerce official has said.Ling Ji, vice minister of