daily news and analysis we keep you informed and inspired this is world today Lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets.
Today we take a look at how China turns its grain into gold.
Foreign ministers of Mekong countries are gathering in China for the 10th Lanzhou-Mekong Cooperation. and China's digital infrastructure makes great strides over the past five years.
Welcome to Road Today, a news program with a different perspective.
I'm Gaena in Beijing. To listen to this episode again or to catch up on previous episodes, you can download our podcast by searching Road Today.
This year marked the 20th anniversary of the two mountains concept.
The idea that lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets or simply put, that a healthy environment is the true foundation for prosperity.
Over the past two decades, this vision has become a guiding principle for environmental protection across the nation.
In 2024, PM2.5 levels continue to drop, reflecting a sharpest decline in pollution among countries worldwide.
Forest coverage has surpassed 25% with the largest planted forest area in the world, and China has contributed a quarter of all new grain rate worldwide.
Since 2012, China's carbon intensity has fallen by over 35 percent while the country has built the world's largest and fastest growing renewable energy system.
Now, one in every three kilowatt hours of electricity comes from green power.
So to delve into this, joining us on the line is Einar Tengen, Senior Fellow of Taihe Institute and Chairman of Asia Narratives Substack.
Thanks for joining us, Einar. My pleasure.
First of all, how do you interpret the two mountains concept based on your experiences in China over the past two decades?
Well, actually, it coincides with the amount of time that I've spent and been living in China.
So I remember 20 years ago, it was quite a different place.
But to me, it's about, you know, the two mountains theory has evolved from this kind of poetic ideal into a blueprint for green modernization.
It's basically planning and implementation, but it has a compass.
It's really been aiming at a sustainable world.
And, you know, this is for 20 years, so this is not a blip.
This is not some idea. This is just steady, steady work you do.
You mentioned so many of the statistics that are making China greener. and providing economic opportunities, but it's also been very good for the world.
China is really the leader. It is the one that is pushing and allowing you know, good value renewables, electric vehicles, etc., to be part of the world's economy and start addressing the urgent needs of climate change.
Einar, as you said, we've seen some encouraging numbers.
As we mentioned in the beginning, PM2.5 levels kept dropping.
And in 2024, over 90% of China's surface water was rated good quality.
Under the two mountains concept, what other real and on-the-ground measures stood out to you that have been making a difference for the environment?
Well, you know, one of the things that 64,000 square miles have been protected by 640,000 square miles, have been protected by over 63,000 square miles of projects.
This is absolutely astounding when you start looking at the kind of scale we're talking about.
If you're looking at the United States, you're talking about entire states have been added on.
If you're talking about Europe, you're talking about a number of the countries that are there.
And, you know, people think green and they think, okay, it's going to cost me money.
Quite the opposite, by reclaiming arable land, creating agriculture for agriculture.
China is doing its best to have food security.
And at the same time, they're creating tourism opportunities like in Xinjiang.
There's an area there that reforested from 50% to 75%, and now it's a center for birdwatching.
And it added to the individual incomes of the people there 20,000 renminbi on top of what they had before.
Mm-hmm. Einar, we were talking about these dramatic changes.
Over the past 20 years, I think the two mountains concept was introduced. villages like Yucun in Zhejiang have shifted from mining-dependent economies to tourism-driven growth.
How do you view the policy drivers and how have people's mindsets shifted along the way?
Well, I mean, the whole idea of the ecology was when China was just developing, it was not very mature.
But after a time when these foreign companies came in and they were spewing out toxins into the air and the water and the soil, It became a priority.
And this is one of the main differences of China.
When they recognize their priority, they plan and they implement. and they know where they're going with.
It doesn't mean that there are mistakes.
It doesn't mean that they don't recalibrate the plan.
It just means that they have a direction and they're moving along it.
And in this particular case... It all comes down to if we don't take care of the world, the world will not take care of us.
Aynur, let's talk about the new energy vehicles sector.
By the end of 2024, there were more than 31 million on the road in China.
How do you see the two mountains philosophy helping drive the growth of such emerging industries?
Well, if you start looking by the end of 2024, you've had a 260-fold decline. increase over a decade in terms of any be so basically you went from nowhere to where this year It's over 50% of the cars that are being sold.
And it's technologically driven by innovation, supportive policies.
For instance, the trade-in program, green manufacturing plans, accelerated adoption.
And, you know, it's Green industries, as I said, it used to be something, oh, that's for environmentalists.
They don't have any idea about business.
But that's quite the opposite now. All of a sudden, people realize, going back to your other question, this is an opportunity.
You can now think about this as a ways of making money.
Now, if you're doing new energy, you can produce the solar cells, wind power, batteries, electric vehicles, transformers.
Most people don't realize that in China you have an updated transformer system, these electrical transformers that take from where it's created to where it's needed in most of the countries in the United States.
I mean, in Texas, they have constant brownouts and blackouts. simply because their transformer system is antiquated, old, dilapidated.
They need to restructure it, I mean, to rebuild it.
But they don't because they don't have the money and it's private ownership and there's just endless problems.
But that's what I mean. There's no plan, no implementation.
And there certainly is not a direction that they're going.
And this is one of the built-in issues that China has.
Einer, China is not just applying this two mountains approach at home, it is also helping other countries to go green. like with Mali's Guina hydropower project.
So how do you see China's green experience shaping global sustainable development today?
Well, you mentioned the Mali project, and that's going to provide electricity to a million people across three countries.
And it's going to replace 240 tons of coal annually and cut carbon emissions by 630,000 tons.
This Chinese model blends ecological ethics with practical development aid, and this is so important because As I said, Green has always gotten this bad rap that it was going to just be a a burden on business and on communities.
And when now China has proven That is quite the opposite, that it is an opportunity that is waiting to happen.
When you reclaim lands, when you cut down the amount of sandstorms that are coming into cities, you're preventing damage, you're allowing damage. these cities to continue operating.
The damage that it's done doesn't exist anymore.
And people can breathe easier. There are so many benefits to it.
And it's not just tourism and things like that.
There's a limit to how much tourism you can have.
But those places that have something to offer, they're going to continue to do that.
Like I said, it's an opportunity for cities across China and the world to start looking at green development as an opportunity, not a cost.
The Niner, one last question. Looking ahead with the progress and challenges we see now, what new ideas or strategies could take the two mountains concept to the next level over the next 20 years, making the economy and the environment work even more closely together.
On the government policy side, the 2025-2027 action plan, For low carbon, the manufacturing promotes AI, digital tools, and energy saving upgrades.
So What China is doing is they're doubling down on making sure that not only manufacturing, but living in China is more efficient. referring to making sure that you have electrical grids that are good.
Smart grids, very, very important, especially when you have solar and wind a capacity that are in one area, but the use is in another area.
And of course, there are the International Green Partnerships, This is all about China trying to harmonize economic growth with ecological resilience at home and abroad.
It goes to this issue about a sustainable world, a world in which everybody is sharing a shared destiny for mankind.
Thanks, Einar, for those valuable insights.
That was Einar Tengen, Senior Fellow of Taihe Institute. and the chairman of Asia Narrative's Substack.
Coming up, China and five other Mekong countries meet in its Yunnan province. for the 10th Lanzhong-Mekong Cooperation.
This is Road Today. Stay with us. Hello, my name is Alessandro Golombievski Teixeira.
I'm a professor of Public Policy Management at Tsinghua University in Beijing.
I am a great listener of The Wall Today.
In my opinion, The Wall Today is one of the best China radio programs.
In the world today, we can get the best news and analysis in what is happening now in the world.
So please, come to join us. This is World Today.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has met with his Thai counterpart, Maurice Sangin Ponce in Anning.
Yunnan Province. The Thai foreign minister is in China to attend the 10th Lancang Mekong Cooperation Foreign Ministers' Meeting in the southwestern Chinese city.
The two foreign ministers will also hold an informal meeting with their counterparts from Myanmar and Laos on the sidelines of the event.
The Chinese foreign ministry says Beijing hopes the main meeting will help enhance regional stability and inject new momentum for improving livelihoods. and safeguarding sustainable development.
For more on this, let's bring in Dr. John Mi, Senior Research fellow with the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation.
Welcome, Dr. Zhou. Thanks for having me.
So as the Lanzhou-Mekong cooperation marks 10 years, what stands out to you in terms of achievements?
And more importantly, how have these efforts actually improved economies and everyday life for people in the region?
Well, we know that first of all, this cooperation is at sub-regional levels, so we are not just trying to do more collaboration based on the China-ASEAN cooperation.
We are focused mainly on the cooperation between China and the other five countries in this region.
This is started by the river-related or the water allocation-related population.
But we spread this to a much wider range.
We know that in most of the countries, most of the regions when there are some disputes about how can we allocate the river or the water, it may be a lot of troubles.
But for China and the other Mekong region countries, it's really an improvement for us to have a mutual understanding about the cooperation and the importance of that.
So as you mentioned that we have many connectivities, I think that connectivities are trying to improve the logistics and trying to reduce the cost of doing business as we One example is China and the Laos cooperation and the rules between our two countries are really helping the peoples to move freely and in a more efficient way.
I think that corporations are trying to make the laws from the land landlocked country to landlinked countries and connected to the main market in this region.
And we are not only trying just to pay attention on the traditional ways of logistics, we pay more attention on the latest and the new technology related cooperation.
Next, the telecommunication is one example.
So for these interconnectivities, it's not only about the bilateral levels.
Between China and other Mekong countries, we're connecting in this region. and help the people to have a better ability to connect to the digital world.
It's a really important thing because a lot of countries are suffering from the lack of enough information and the current information.
So the corporations are really helping the people to buy the best things in this region and they can also sell their products to the other markets in this region.
Building on that, China has proposed building a more resilient Lanzhong-Mekong Economic Development Belt.
Again, the backdrop of rising unilateralism, hegemony, and protectionism What's the strategic significance of this goal for enhancing the region's economic autonomy and self-reliance?
Yes, it is true that protectionism is one of the main challenges that all the countries are facing.
Well, the challenge is coming not only about the increase, the so-called reciprocal tariffs to United States market, but also about the uncertainty that all the countries have to deal with.
Well, for China and other Mekong countries, they are, you know, most of them are the export-oriented countries.
They want to depend more on the collaboration with other countries.
So how can they just try to have a better assurance about what they are going to do?
I think that is really a problem because in the past, the United States is one of the main market and consumption market for a lot of countries to export to.
But now they are putting new tariffs and some of them are trying to still talk about the so-called It's really a kind of distortion of the collaboration between the countries.
So I think that the collaboration between China and them is a really good opportunity. they are trying to have a better support by entering the Chinese market.
And I think that Chinese consumers also benefit from that.
They can import more things from those countries.
So when they are able to connect with each other by the better connections internationally as an international trade, I think that both sides are not have to worry too much about the uncertain and unreasonable fluctuation of the tariff from the main markets before.
So they have better abilities and the prediction about what they can do to collaborate to deal with the situation.
It's not only about the reconstruction of the supply chain.
It's about innovation-based activities. So as we said about the connectivities in the telecommunication or other areas, they can do more to improve the better use of the resources.
I think that is a really good thing for the people who are in this region, they have more the jobs opportunities and they have better employment in this region.
I think that is really helpful for them to stand in such an uncertain world.
This recent foreign ministers meeting is all about planning for the future.
So given the push for faster growth in all Lanzhou-Mekong countries, Where do you see the next big breakthroughs, maybe in new sectors or completely new areas of cooperation?
Well, as we know that the infrastructure has been, you know, some good examples like the China and the Laos rails, so it may be helpful for other countries to accept this idea which they should not just trying to keep their position in the traditional ways we can improve the of the connectivities in the real network in this region.
I think that is really helpful for us to deal with some uncertainty about the weather, about the different kind of disasters. and it's also helpful for us to reduce the you know the cost of doing businesses well that definitely will be one of the direction that all these countries can benefit from for the second as we discussed about the you know something to do with the digital economy cooperation about the software layer levels or some of these application levels, we are able to create better scenarios for the conceptions to happen.
And the third one is about the green economic operation.
I think that all these regions are having different resources, and they are benefiting by the solar panel and also the wind turbines cooperation and that is helpful for us to fulfill our commitments in the climate change agreement in Paris.
That will also bring more opportunities for the people to have better development opportunities in such an important time when we are trying to fight against climate change.
Dr. Zhao, the Lancel-Macon spirit emphasizes development first and eco-consultation.
Why these two values are highlighted and what unique advantages does this approach offer in tackling the development challenges of the region?
Well, I think one of the reasons is that all these countries are developing countries.
So we have to pay more attention about the real demand from the society about the people. the people do need some more opportunities.
They do not want to be mistrust justified or just treated as different levels from the developed countries.
So when they are putting these different goals of the society development, I think that It is true that development is not that easy, but it also has some potential for all these countries to fulfill that collaboration and cooperation.
And the second, I would say that all these countries have a different status as as we know that Myanmar and Laos are these developed countries, and some of the other countries are better in the development stage.
So we need to consider about this fact, but we respect these differences as we always put it in the multilateral system that all the countries or members, they are equal. they have the equal rights to ask other countries to cope with them.
So based on these principles, I would say that it's the value of the, you know, cooperation in the Mekong regions.
We want to hear from others. We want to hear the suggestion of others, and we also are providing the resources based on the equal position.
I think that is very important when we are discussing in such a world when we are saying many different gaps, including the digital gaps.
So we are able to produce a better potential for all the states including the small and medium-sized enterprises.
Dr. Zhou, on the sidelines, also an informal meeting between China, Laos, Myanmar and Thailand focusing on cracking down on cross-border crime?
Was the current state of such a cooperation in this area and what practical measures might this meeting help advance?
Well, we know that there are several famous crimes in the past that have something to do with the transportation Mekong rivers and there are some cross-border crimes based on the cyber networks.
So I think that it's really hurting things because we cannot just neglect these kinds of crimes.
If we are able to deal with the equal needs and also the fairness of the development rights, we have to address the different challenges.
I think that all the countries agreed that we should do it together to try to to squeeze the space of those crimes.
I think it's maybe not that easy for us to just to destroy or make it disappear, all the crimes, but it is helpful for us to share what we have as the information to stop the spread of the crimes and also try to stop some of the supplies like the electricity or water to some of the crime places.
So we have reached some of these concerns.
I think that is helpful for us to also think about the sustainability because the people do need to have something to make a living.
We can support them by a different way. So based on this cooperation, I think that it's helpful and possible for all the Mekong countries deal with these crime issues and also respect others' requirements based on their demands.
One last question. Briefly, China has called for building a community with a shared future among the six Lanzhong-Mekong countries.
With those bilateral and multilateral ties already in place, how can political trust be further deepened?
Well, we have to respect that all the political position of the countries are supported by its own people.
We respect that. I think that all the other countries respect that.
We were not trying to interfere with the other domestic issues by some of our own ideas. so we can do that more by supporting you know the government and also the people to fulfill their commitments and we also are providing better mechanism on some issues that may be cross-border that maybe need more consultation and also the negotiations i think that we can do more not only just by the meetings uh you know from the different sides but also trying to establish some mechanism like agreements to deal with disputes and provide better abilities for the companies who have to deal with the disputes.
Mm-hmm. Many thanks for your in-depth perspective.
That was Dr. Jomi. Senior research fellow with Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation.
Coming up, China's digital infrastructure makes great strides over the past five years.
This is Grow Today. We'll be back after a short break.
You've been listening to World Today with me, Gaena, in Beijing.
Let's now turn to the digital front, where China is not just keeping pace, but also setting the pace.
Officials say China has made a significant progress in digital infrastructure and technology innovation during the 14th five-year plan period, with its total computing power ranking second in the world.
Liu Lei Hong is the director of China's National Data Administration.
By the end of June 2025, China's total number of 5G base stations had increased fivefold compared and the country's total computing power ranked second in the world, strongly supporting economic and social developments.
Investment in digital infrastructure has created huge market demand, driving innovation in the ICT industry and fueling new business models.
China also holds 60% of global AI patents and it has seen robust growth in AI capabilities. the data industry has emerged as a new growth engine with over 400,000 enterprises in 2024 and a market size of over 5.8 trillion, or around 820 billion US dollars.
That's more than double the amount of previous planned period.
So for more on this, let's have Dr. Yao Shujie.
Changhong Professor of Economics at Chongqing University.
Welcome, Professor. Hello, Anna. Professor, China's data industry hit nearly 6 trillion yuan last year.
117% higher than just five years earlier.
What's been powering this kind of explosive growth?
There is a critical demand in the Chinese market.
The market is big because of the population size.
Another issue is technological progress. in terms of the digital technology, particularly mobile phone, mobile users, and also the 5G station. the digital infrastructure development.
And government policy also have been geared toward supporting all the ICT sector, which become more and more advanced global level is highly competitive, not only the size, but also the contents of technology have been improving all the time.
This is explaining behind China's economic transformation. from the traditional low-level manufacturing to high-level services and also high-level manufacturing which are digitalized with the data economy. embedded in different corners of the country and also different sectors of the society.
So this is a fairly new rapidly expanding periods of China's development on digital economy and infrastructure or the ecosystem. which are highly competitive, not only in the domestic market, but also compared to the most advanced country Professor, with 4.55 million 5G base stations and 226 million gigabit broadband users China has a clear lead in scale.
But how is that digital infrastructure improvement shaping the economy and everyday life nowadays?
And when these technologies reach smaller counties and rural villages, what kind of transformation are we actually seeing on the ground?
Over the last five years, the penetration rate of the 5G station as well as the household broadband the big wide broadband adopted in the domestic market have been widely but not only in the urban areas, but because the government is supporting the investment in the whole country's network. of the IT industry and also the internet of things across not only in the city, but also in the counties and rural area.
So more and more rural people, households are connected to the internet. are connected to a mobile voice system.
So the country is equalizing or reducing the divide between the urban digital economy and the rural digital ecosystem.
So this is why China exports the so-called vast scale of marketing economy. in terms of this platform development and also the digital ecosystem expansion. across the whole country.
Professor, according to reports, China's computing power is now the second largest in the world.
What does that really mean in practice, and how could it turbocharge new industries in China?
Computing power is now the key of the advanced countries such as the United States, Europe, and other developed countries, and now including China.
Although China on per capita level, the income is not as high as Western Europe in the advanced economy.
But the Chinese society is developing very rapidly in terms of the new technology level and the computing. capability not only supported by the domestic innovation, the domestic computing constructors and development, but also the interconnection of computing stations across the whole country.
This created a very large computing system or computing network in the domestic market. in China also have become the major manufacturing of computer equipment.
For example, a fairly large share of not only the laptops but also desktop computer and now large computer which have high power, it is competing directly which the most advanced country in this case is the United States.
And this is certainly one of the dynamics and also the power of China's emerging to become a major competitor in the ICT sector.
Professor, speaking of the United States, in areas like chips and operating systems where China once faced real bottlenecks, How much progress have we made toward being self reliant?
I have to say that these are still two areas of weakness in the Chinese industries and also the Chinese economy.
China have to rely on import of the high-end chips from the United States and the rest of the world.
But in terms of the basic chips, I think China is making a significant advance. at the relatively bigger chips, like, you know, like 10 or 14, you know, mu m. but these kinds of sites for the smaller one is still under, you know, the control by the device economy.
But because of the international trade and technological embargo, over the last few years that give a stimulus for the Chinese manufacturer and the Chinese government a different level to put a lot of investment to create an innovation capacity to tackle the difficult issues, not only the ecosystem, but also the chips which are that's pretty required for the further expansion of the Chinese economy, especially the data industries.
Now, China has made huge progress, but they are still bottlenecked, I think.
With time goes by, these kinds of bottlenecks will be broken one by one in the near future.
Then looking to the future, where will China focus next in digital infrastructure?
And how do they keep the scale advantage while also boosting innovation and making the whole supply chain more resilient?
I think China has to have a clear strategy of where to go.
First of all, I mean for the basic chips and basic ecosystem, operation system, especially the navigation system.
China is making huge progress and it is becoming a major exporter of the basic chips and other ICT components.
But the further effort, as I said, you have to break the bottleneck. like the smaller chips, the high-quality chips, and also build up the ecosystem like the home of the Huawei system. which would be you know greatly mature and then adapted to more and more prices so that you know sooner or later I think that all the domestic appliances will try to replace this domestic system with the the competitor, particularly from the United States, which have lots of trouble for China over the last few years.
China has to be independent in those areas to be able to compete with this kind of country in a level playing field in terms of technological innovation and development in order to release energy. for the entire society and for the entire economy.
So investment in the search of innovation in the key strategic areas, is the most important policy issue that needs to be considered.
Another issue is consolidating what China has and exploiting, the market scale as we just mentioned at the beginning, because China has an absolute advantage in terms of the scale economy and scope economy.
Once the technological change has been made and applied quickly, to the society, then China can turn the disadvantage into an advantage in many areas that we just discussed.
Thanks, Professor, for your enlightening perspectives.
That was Dr. Yao Shujie, Chang Kong Professor of Economics at Chongqing University.
This is Road Today. We'll be back. Hello, I am Dr. Digby James Wren, a political analyst and international relations scholar specializing in China area studies.
World Today offers unmatched in-depth perspectives on China's politics, economics, business, technology and society.
World Today's team of reporters and contributors provides valuable information from all of the world's major economies.
I hope you can join me on World Today for the very best insights and news from China, on China, and help to build a better understanding of China's role in the world today.
Hamas has signaled its willingness to resume Gaza's ceasefire.
The group made the statement during a meeting with Egyptian mediators in Cairo. but violence continues on the ground.
Local medical sources say Israeli strikes in northern Gaza have left more Palestinians dead as Israel moves to seize Gaza City.
Humanitarian convoys are facing delays and rejections at the border, with new Israeli laws increasingly used to block foreign aid groups.
Ongoing military actions and aid restrictions have deepened shortages of food, water and medicine in the region.
For more on this, Zhao Ying spoke with Dr. Zhang Chuchu, deputy director of the Center for Middle Eastern Studies at Fudan University.
With recent talks in Cairo following earlier failures in Qatar, how much genuine momentum is there for a ceasefire in the near term?
Well, currently we can see that Egypt, Qatar and also the other regional and extra-regional powers have very strong motivation for promoting a ceasefire because nobody wants to see a further deterioration of what's going on in Gaza. and nobody wants to see a spillover effect.
But unfortunately, although there are a lot of recent talks, they face challenges. while mediators like Egypt, Qatar and United States are actively pushing for revival for a 60-day truce plan which focuses on hostage releases, increased aid, and a temporary halt to hostilities.
So far, these moves do not go very well.
And despite the efforts of the mediators, it's still very hard to bridge the fundamental disagreements between Hamas and Israel.
Also, I think sources indicate no breakthrough is imminent as previous rounds have repeatedly collapsed. over core issues like disarmament and Israeli withdrawal.
And overall, while diplomatic channels remain open, the parallel military actions and historical failure suggests that the moment is still very fragile.
Okay. Well, Hamas says it's open to stepping aside from governing Gaza in favor of a technocratic government. but it refuses to disarm before a Palestinian state is established.
So I mean, how do you view this position and how might it shape the prospects for ending the war?
Personally, I am quite pessimistic. Right now, I think it's extremely difficult for Israel and Hamas to make concessions towards each other.
And this can actually lead to further escalation of conflicts.
Juanita Niejo has kept on insisting on Hamas's disarmament and to its governance in Gaza.
And for him, this is critical for his objectives of demilitarization of Gaza.
Right now, I think he's changing his position to an even more hotline position. attitude and his position is that, okay, if you refuse, then I'm going to keep on the military actions and force you to do so.
So therefore, I think the positions of the two sides could actually complicate the geopolitics and can potentially prolong the efforts to end the ongoing conflict.
As we know, Israel's Security Cabinet has approved this plan to seize Gaza City, which has sparked international condemnation.
But do you see this move as primarily a bargaining tactic in ceasefire talks or as a firm military objective?
Personally, I think it's not just a bargaining tactic because Netanyahu has already made lots of hardline statements right over the past. two years, right?
And in fact, negotiations can hardly move on since they're last spaced for compromise.
So if it's just a bargaining tactic, I think he has already tried it many times and it didn't work very well.
And also you can imagine that if one party in a negotiation aims to eliminate the other party, then it is very difficult to achieve any results in the negotiation.
Netanyahu currently perceives this move to seize the Gaza city as a way to conclude the war on Israel's terms, potentially overriding diplomacy if talks falter.
And in doing so, I think he tries to serve to several objectives. because on the one hand, he tries to dismantle the infrastructure of Hamas in the short term. so as to establish the so-called political achievements for himself.
And on the other hand, in the long run, I think he's tries to use this tactic as a way to reshape the geopolitical and security landscape in the region.
Okay, so if this is a foreign military objective, then how realistic do you feel? about this plan, especially given the moral pushback from international community.
Right. So I think right now the aspects are encouraging or facilitating the exit of the Palestinians from Gaza. it's definitely against international law.
And obviously right now there has already been a lot of criticism from the international society, from different state actors and non-state actors.
And we have to keep in mind that there are almost 2 million Palestinian residents in Gaza.
And they cannot, all of them leave this land.
It's impossible. And also they are unwilling to leave because actually many residents originally lived in the West Bank.
And they were forced to relocate to the Gaza Strip due to the war.
And right now they have nowhere to go. And they know very clearly that if they leave, they might never be able to return to their homeland.
And in addition, I think if the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip continues to deteriorate, it will also bring about spillover effects.
For example, the neighboring countries such as Egypt may face an influx of refugees And for Acer itself, I think in the future, it's also going to face a lot of costs. and if the humanitarian crisis deteriorates in Gaza,
It also means that the post-war arrangements and post-war governance is going to be particularly difficult.
Well, we've seen Germany suspend some arms exports to Israel and the UK, Opaline called the Gaza City Plan wrong, but the U.S. remains largely supportive.
So how might this split among allies influence Israel's decisions?
Well, indeed, right now we can see a huge gap and a huge difference between the United States and its European allies.
Because whereas the United States has reaffirmed its support for Israel's right to self-defense against Hamas The European nations like Germany, the UK and France have condemned the operation as a violation of international humanitarian law.
And it is not just about the European countries.
Australia has also expressed its intention to recognize our Palestinian state.
But while signalling a shift towards balancing support for Israel with Palestinian aspirations, I think the effectiveness of Europe or Australia's approach is very limited because on the one hand, more important leverages have so far not being taken by these countries. and they have not imposed tangible pressures such as like reconstruction aid or sanctions to foster meaningful progress toward peace.
So in that case, I don't think it's going to change much.
And on the other hand, the other Western states position will not have an obvious impact on Donald Trump's decision making.
And as long as he continues his unconditional support for Israel, the United States, has its veto rights in the Security Council of the United Nations.
It will always stand by Netanyahu's Also, we have to keep in mind that a while ago, Trump even warned Canada by threatening to impose tariffs.
That was Dr. Zhang Chuchu, deputy director of the Center for Middle Eastern Studies. at Fudan University.
Coming up, air conditioning sparks political debate in France amid record heat waves.
This is Road Today. Stay tuned. Hi, I'm Einer Tangen, a political and economic analyst and senior fellow at the independent Taiher Institute.
World Today is news without the hype and business commentary that is informed and up to date.
Presenting the facts and asking incisive questions.
So join us if you are someone who needs to know what is happening in China as it is happening.
Welcome back to world today now turning to Europe in France a debate over air Conditioning has become a political battleground between the right and the left Far-right leader Marine Le Pen has proposed a nationwide air conditioning installation plan arguing that it's essential for public health and criticizing the government's inaction.
In contrast, France's environment minister and left-wing parties oppose widespread air conditioning, citing environmental concerns.
They argue that air conditioning intensifies energy consumption and urban heat islands.
Instead, they advocate for sustainable solutions such as improved building insulation and green urban planning.
France is grappling with one of its hottest summers on record.
So for more insights on this issue, my colleague Xu Yawen spoke with Dr. Wang Yiwei, Jean Monnet Chair Professor at Renmin University of China.
Dr. Wang, the left and right wings have different views on whether to install air conditioning across the country.
So how is this political division affecting the country's approach to addressing the issue?
Firstly, there are climate change. impact the daily life of the French people are so serious, particularly in these recent years.
So everything to be politicalized as the air conditioning is politicalized also.
Secondly, I think it's the right win, we say, actually these challenging, we say the orthodox of the modern French philosopher, you know, French Revolution impact the modern European politics so much, Equality Day, Liberty Day and Fracturing Day, uh politically for the liberty liberty so french people prefer the liberty but now the liberty uh not just for political meaning but also You know, we say ecology, meaning whether the use of the air condition in this regard, I think, is not just a technician problem, it's about the French, redefine French philosophy for the Republicans or the French seems pretty for the fifth Republicans.
It seems like the debate affects people very differently.
Wealthy people in Paris can escape to the countryside while Low-income families, they have to endure extreme heat in top floor apartments.
So, does this kind of disparity suggest that the decision to install air conditioning disproportionately impacts low-income families?
Indeed, so-called freedom to use of the air-conditioning or not actually is related hugely for the social welfare statue.
Some rich people can live in the countryside, they have their, we say, enjoy the summer, during the hot season.
But the poor people living in the urban city, they do not have the air conditioning.
It's a big problem for them. So what measures has the government taken to resolve this issue?
Shouldn't cooling be treated as a public health issue at this point?
For anything in front is so complex. For instance, in China, actually, we say air conditioning is just for your personal choice.
But in France, firstly, the building, because so many heritage, mesons and you cannot use air condition.
And secondly, the French people enjoy so-called freedom of life, They think about protecting the environment against the air condition.
It's also about your personal liberty and the costs of the social liberty, because the air conditions if you use, you actually you polluted your your environment so your freedom of the a good environment at the cost of others.
This is also a big problem now. The different parties are also fighting each other for that.
Thirdly, of course, about the subsidies from the government.
If the government encourages people to use air conditioning, And then maybe about social equality and different people in a different way. places in urban and suburban areas also have this disparities.
So that's the reason it's so simple air conditioning problem, but now to be politicalized.
Dr Wang, we have also learned that in Italy and Spain, ear conditioning is more commonly used, for instance, for about 40 to 50% of the households are using it.
Whereas in France, only about 20% of the families are using it.
What's your take on the different approaches adopted by these European countries?
For France, I think that nearly 80% of the electricity comes from the nuclear.
So it's quite actually, it's a new energy.
So that's really the right-wing party leaders say air conditioning is not as so-called the we said destroy the environment as some political leaders a party's clan so that's I think uh really after the Ukraine war uh french not so much uh atrocity not so much uh impacted by the the war and others maybe must suffer more from the energy connection with Russia.
And lastly, Dr. Wang, with forecasts predicting temperatures in Paris could reach 50 degrees Celsius.
How much longer can political battle and cultural resistance persist?
Indeed, not just in South Europe, but now in Western European countries, like France, also suffered a lot from the climate change.
The hot season is more and more popular.
This year, people claim that the temperature actually is reaching the historic higher.
Maybe it's not at the end, maybe just people write about it, it's just at the beginning.
So how about the French in the future still enjoy the traditional freedom of life or just adapt the new environment.
So just maybe next year with the political campaign, there'll be another problem also related.
That was Dr. Wang Yiwei, Ramonet Chair Professor at Renmin University of China.
That's all the time for this edition of World Today.
To listen to this episode again or to catch up on previous episodes, You can download our podcast by searching Word Today.
And for further discussion, you can also follow us on X is at CGTN Radio.
I'm Gaena in Beijing. Thank you so much for listening.
Bye for now.
