China's 75-years of development admired by global leaders

The achievements made by China over the past 75 years since its founding are much admired by leaders of other countries around the world and have won fulsome praise from them.

After 75 years of development, China's economy is among the world's leaders, and the living standards of Chinese people have improved dramatically.

With a GDP exceeding 100 trillion yuan (about 14.19 trillion U.S. dollars), China is the only country with a full range of industrial sectors in the United Nations (UN) industrial classification.

Over the past 75 years, the living standards of Chinese have dramatically improved, with the annual per capita disposable income surging to nearly 40,000 yuan (about 5,677.06 U.S. dollars). After adjusting for inflation, that's a real increase of 75.8 times, with an average annual growth of six percent.

China has also achieved the world's largest poverty alleviation campaign, lifting hundreds of millions of people out of poverty.

"The total elimination of extreme poverty, in a country so big and then moving from a poor, rural agricultural economy to a superpower in technology, in medical equipment," said Jose Ramos-Horta, president of Timor-Leste.

"We saw the result of the work in Yunnan in those villages in the first day of our visit, very, very encouraging. And the people there are living very happily. There is no more signs of poverty," said Sitiveni Rabuka, prime minister of Fiji.

Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, president of Brazil, hailed China's progress made in fields like science, technology and industrial production.

"Fifty years ago, no one believed that China could become a major power like it is today in 2023. China has shown its strength as a major power in almost all economic sectors. In the fields of science, technology, production, and engineering, it is no exception," he said.

In China's modernization, the rise of high-speed rail has made a real impact, as it has accelerated the country's development, linking regions through a vast high-speed rail network. The high-speed train has become a striking symbol of China's growth recognized worldwide.

"I've taken bullet trains in other parts of the world. The experience does not compare to what I experienced on the train between Shanghai and Beijing," said Dennis Francis, President of the 78th Session of the United Nations General Assembly.

Now, after its domestic success, China's high-speed rail has been expanding globally to support further development.

"For example, Jakarta-Bandung speed train. This is a public good project, will benefit the people of Indonesia, will benefit the people of ASEAN, will benefit the visitor, the tourists that are coming to Indonesia, for example, take advantage of this great public service, public infrastructure that has been built, operated,” said Kao Kim Hourn, secretary-general of ASEAN.

The Jakarta-Bandung high-speed railway, extending for 142.3 kilometers, was opened in October 2023, cutting the journey between Indonesia's capital Jakarta and Bandung in West Java province from more than three hours to around 40 minutes.

"It was 300 kilometers per hour between the line, the section between Beijing and Tianjin, if I'm not mistaken. And then we started dreaming about our high-speed railway in this region, and this [Hungary-Serbia railway] is the best and the fastest section in this southeast part of Europe," said Aleksandar Vucic, president of Serbia.

The Hungary-Serbia Railway is a key Belt and Road Initiative project. It can cut the travel time between Budapest and Belgrade from eight hours to just three hours.

China's 75-years of development admired by global leaders

Yalu River estuary in northeast China's Liaoning Province is a key biodiversity conservation area in China providing habitats for migratory birds and dozens of endangered species.

Situated at the northern edge of the Yellow Sea Ecoregion, the Yalu River estuary in Dandong, Liaoning Province is a crucial stopover site for birds migrating along the East Asian-Australasian Flyway which spans more than 20 countries and regions from the Arctic to Southeast Asia and Australasia.

Staff at the Dandong Yalu River Estuary National Nature Reserve are conducting research on the quantity, species, and spatial distribution of migratory waterbirds as they arrive here during their autumn migration.

"By doing these surveys we can understand the waterbirds' migration patterns, food chains and food distribution. We can also track these birds via satellite to monitor their migration routes and timings within the migratory area," said Ma Li from the nature reserve.

Ma added that the reserve has conducted surveys on northbound waterbirds for 26 consecutive years. The number of migratory birds being surveyed can reach 60,000 to 80,000 during the autumn migration.

As well as being a stopover site for migratory birds, Yalu River estuary also contributes to biodiversity conservation by providing vital habitats for endangered species within the region.

Preserving the typical coastal wetland landscape of East Asia, the Dandong Yalu River Estuary National Nature Reserve accommodates most species of the Liaodong Peninsula in northeast China, thus maintaining the richness and diversity of wildlife.

The nature reserve is home to 453 species of plants, 324 species of birds, more than 80 species of nektons, amphibians, reptiles and mammals.

"In terms of global biodiversity conservation, the Yalu River Estuary Wetland in Dandong supports the survival and development of nearly 20 rare and endangered species in the world. Therefore, as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, this location holds significant importance," said Lei Guangchun, a professor from Beijing Forestry University.

The Yalu River estuary is one of the Migratory Bird Sanctuaries along the Coast of the Yellow Sea-Bohai Gulf of China (Phase II) which was included in UNESCO's World Heritage List on July 26.

Migratory bird habitat in China’s Liaoning bears significance for biodiversity conservation