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The Hong Kong Zhuhai Macau Bridge has facilitated over 90 million passenger trips in since its inauguration in October 2018.
That is according to the bridge's border inspection station.
As of September 15th, the bridge's Zhuhai Port has handled more than 90 million travelers and over 1868 million vehicles.
The bridge has experienced robust growth in traffic, with passenger volume reaching 27 million last year.
This year has already seen 21 million passengers, a 19% year-on-year increase.
Moreover, annual trips are projected to surpass 30 million for the first time by year-end.
The expansion of individual travel plans from the mainland to Hong Kong and Macau has significantly boosted tourism across the bridge.
Since the beginning of this year, more than 9 million mainland residents have used the bridge for travel.
The crossing has drastically reduced travel time between Hong Kong and Zhuhai from 3 hours to just 30 minutes, making it increasingly popular among Hong Kong and Macau residents for tourism business, study and family visits.
Trips by Hong Kong and Macau residents surged from 45 million in 2019 to 162 million in 2024, with 2025 numbers already exceeding 127 million.
Full year projections estimate over 18 million trips.
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Beijing ranks among the world's top cities for tourism in comprehensive strength.
That is according to a major industry report released at the World Conference on Tourism Cooperation and Development 2025.
The World Tourism Cities Development Report is a flagship publication of the World Tourism Cities Federation, which has been published annually since 2014.
It ranked Beijing in seventh place globally following a comprehensive evaluation of cities over the last year, moving the Chinese capital up one place from the last report.
Shanghai ranked ninth and Hong Kong came in 11th, with New York, Tokyo and Paris taking the top three spots.
Five Chinese cities, namely Macau, Hong Kong Hangzhou, Shanghai and Beijing, were listed among the top ten globally in terms of city intelligence.
Per the report underscoring the country's progress in smart city development, digital infrastructure and AI-driven travel services.
Notably, Beijing also claimed fifth place on the World Tourism Destination Potential Competitive Index report, which was released by the World Tourism Cities Federation and the Pacific Asia Travel Association.
The report evaluated cities based on 10 criteria, including cultural appeal, livability and safety, tourism infrastructure and accessibility, and smart tourism and sustainability.
It also ranked Shanghai in ninth place.
From january to july 2025, beijing received approximately 292 million inbound tourists a year on year increase of 462 percent.
Peter simone, chairman of the Pacific Asia Travel Association, praised Beijing's blend of cultural heritage and modern technology, as well as its leadership in meetings incentives, conferences and exhibitions tourism, emphasizing its strategic vision as a global tourism hub.
Simone said that Beijing now boasts more World Heritage designations than any other city in the world, which he said is not just a badge of honor, also the result of long-term deliberate policy to preserve, protect and promote cultural assets.
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China's new generation manned carrier rocket, Long March 10, has successfully completed a second static fire test at the Wenchang spacecraft launch site in the southern island province of Hainan.
According to the China Manned Space Agency, the move marks a breakthrough in developing the initial prototype of the Long March 10 series of carrier rockets.
During the test, seven engines used on the test product of the rocket's first stage were ignited simultaneously.
Following this procedure, multiple test processes were completed, with a total test duration of 320 seconds.
This test focused on evaluating the capabilities of the seven clustered engines of the rocket's first stage for low thrust operating condition and secondary restart condition, obtaining complete test data.
According to the agency, the test was a complete success.
Up to now, two planned static fire tests have both been completed.
They have comprehensively verified the design, validity and reliability of the rocket's first stage propulsion system and the working procedure for recovery.
The Long March 10 carrier rocket series is developed to serve China's manned lunar exploration missions.
The static fire tests were carried out with two main goals in mind to verify the performance of the rocket's first-stage propulsion system and to verify its recovery and reuse capabilities.
These tests play a crucial role in mitigating risks associated with the rocket's maiden flight.
China has now entered the lunar landing phase of its manned lunar exploration program, paving the way for astronauts to land on the Moon before 2030.
The agency said that so far, The research and development of the country's manned lunar exploration program is progressing smoothly.
Since mid-June this year, related tests have been carried out in an intensive manner.
The Mengzhou manned spacecraft, the Lan Yue lunar lander and the Long March 10 carrier rocket series have made progress.
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Chinese authorities have unveiled a plan to accelerate the integration of artificial intelligence with the energy sector, aiming to enhance energy security, improve operational efficiency and support the country's green and low-carbon transition.
The plan jointly issued by the National Development and Reform Commission and the National Energy Administration sets targets for 2027 to basically establish an innovation system for AI energy integration and achieve notable breakthroughs in AI-enabled technologies in the sector.
By 2030, China aims for its AI applications in the energy sector to reach a world-leading level overall, with a more advanced mechanism for coordinating computing power and electricity supply.
The plan emphasizes breakthroughs in key technologies such as data, computing power and algorithms, outlining measures to optimize data sharing mechanisms, establish a deeply integrated mechanism for coordinating computing power and electricity, and drive deeper integration of AI and software in the energy sector.
The plan adds that more efforts are needed.
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China has unveiled a two-year work plan to stabilize auto sector growth, targeting sales of approximately 323 million vehicles in 2025, up around three percent year on year.
The plan, jointly issued by eight government departments, including the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, projects sales of new energy vehicles to hit around 155 million units this year, marking a year-on-year increase of around 20.
Other targets include steady growth in auto exports and a 6 rise in the added value of the auto manufacturing industry this year.
By 2026, The industry is projected to sustain robust growth, with enhanced efficiency, quality and scale.
The plan outlines over 60 measures across four key areas, which include stimulating domestic demand, strengthening supply chains, as well as optimizing the business environment and deepening opening up and cooperation.
On the demand side, the plan outlines measures to accelerate new energy vehicle market expansion and advance intelligent connected vehicle technologies.
It specifies that over 700000 additional new energy vehicles will be deployed in sectors including public transport, taxis and logistics in 25 countries pilot cities.
The supply side initiatives target technological innovation to drive consumer demand and standard upgrades to improve product quality.
The plan focuses on breakthroughs in automotive chips, operating systems, artificial intelligence and solid state batteries.
To optimize the industrial ecosystem and strengthen global cooperation.
The plan stresses cost surveys and price monitoring, product consistency checks, timely payments by major automakers and orderly overseas expansion.
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China's national lawmakers have voted to adopt a new law dedicated to promoting the high quality development of national parks.
The National Park Law passed at a session of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress will take effect on January 1 2026.
National parks encompass the most vital parts of China's natural ecosystems, marked by unique landscapes, exceptional natural heritage and unparalleled biodiversity.
China is currently developing the world's largest national park system.
The first group of established parks, including the Sanjiangyuan National Park, the Giant Panda National Park, the Northeast China Tiger and Leopard National Park, as well as the Hainan Tropical Rainforest National Park and the Wuyishan National, is home to nearly 30 of the country's key terrestrial wildlife species.
The law sets advancing ecological civilization as a legislative objective, explicitly prioritizing ecological protection while balancing conservation and development.
Yang Rui, a professor at Tsinghua University, said that ecological protection first is a core footing of national parks, adding that all efforts should prioritize preserving the authenticity and integrity of natural ecosystems.
The law also emphasizes the establishment of a unified, standardized and efficient national park management system and encourages public participation in the protection of national parks.
This is Special English.
That's the end of this edition of Special English.
To recap, I'm going to read two of the news items again at normal speed.
Please listen carefully.
The Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge has facilitated over 90 million passenger trips since its inauguration in October 2018.
That is according to the bridge's border inspection station.
As of September 15, the bridge's Zhuhai port has handled more than 90 million travelers and over 1868 million vehicles.
The bridge has experienced robust growth in traffic, with passenger volume reaching 27 million last year.
This year has already seen 21 million passengers, a 19% year-on-year increase.
Moreover, annual trips are projected to surpass 30 million for the first time by year-end.
The expansion of individual travel plans from the mainland to Hong Kong and Macau has significantly boosted tourism across the bridge.
Since the beginning of this year, more than 9 million mainland residents have used the bridge for travel.
The crossing has drastically reduced travel time between Hong Kong and Zhuhai from 3 hours to just 30 minutes, making it increasingly popular among Hong Kong and Macau residents for tourism business, study and family visits.
Trips by Hong Kong and Macau residents surged from 45 million in 2019 to 162 million in 2024, with 2025 numbers already exceeding 127 million.
Full-year projections estimate over 18 million trips.
Chinese authorities have unveiled a plan to accelerate the integration of artificial intelligence with the energy sector, aiming to enhance energy security, improve operational efficiency and support the country's green and low-carbon transition.
The plan jointly issued by the National Development and Reform Commission and the National Energy Administration sets targets for 2027 to basically establish an innovation system for AI energy integration and achieve notable breakthroughs in AI-enabled technologies in the sector.
By 2030, China aims for its AI applications in the energy sector to reach a world-leading level overall, with a more advanced mechanism for coordinating computing power and electricity supply.
The plan emphasizes breakthroughs in key technologies such as data, computing power and algorithms, outlining measures to optimize data sharing mechanisms, establish a deeply integrated mechanism for coordinating computing power and electricity, and drive deeper integration of AI and software in the energy sector.
The plan adds that more efforts are needed to boost financial support and help cultivate versatile talent equipped with expertise in energy systems and AI applications.
This is the end of today's program.
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