China's top political advisor meets Cypriot parliamentary speaker

China's top political advisor Wang Huning met with Annita Demetriou, president of the House of Representatives of Cyprus, in Beijing on Thursday.

Wang, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), said that since China and Cyprus established diplomatic relations in 1971, their political mutual trust has been consolidated constantly, their traditional friendship has been deepened, and fruitful cooperation outcomes have been seen in all areas, setting an example for friendly coexistence between big and small countries.

Wang said the two countries should support each other in terms of their core concerns, strengthen practical cooperation and mutual learning, and push for the steady and long-term development of the China-Cyprus strategic partnership.

The National Committee of the CPPCC is willing to enhance friendly exchange with the Cypriot side to make positive contributions to the development of bilateral ties, Wang added.

Demetriou said that Cyprus adheres to the one-China principle, and is willing to work with China to advance the Belt and Road cooperation, push for new achievements in various fields of cooperation, and promote the sound development of ties between Europe and China.

The Cypriot House of Representatives will strengthen exchange and cooperation with China to work for the further development of the Cyprus-China strategic partnership, she added.

Demetriou is on a visit to China from Oct 8 to 13, at the invitation of Zhao Leji, chairman of the National People's Congress Standing Committee.

China's top political advisor meets Cypriot parliamentary speaker

Robot chefs will soon be cooking meals for customers in Beijing after being granted the first food service license of its kind by the authorities, adding luster to the diversification and intelligence of the Chinese capital's catering industry.

EncoSmart, a local robotics startup, received this approval from the Beijing Municipal Administration for Market Regulation on Sept.12.

The company's Lava series robots will be deployed at catering kitchens across the city to prepare foods such as French fries and fried chicken.

The robots are empowered by state-of-the-art visual perception technology to recognize ingredients and calculate optimal cooking times, promising to deliver fast, consistent, and high-quality meals to customers. Their self-learning capabilities also allow them to adapt and expand their culinary skills over time.

The robot chefs are expected to not only reduce costs and improve efficiency, but also standardize food processing and meet diverse taste preferences of consumers.

City authorities have worked with EncoSmart to introduce new rules needed to regulate the robot work and ensure food safety and hygiene, and will take further steps to set a standard for the AI-powered catering industry.

Beijing grants first catering business license to robot chefs