Xi hails long-term dedication of int'l friends to cementing friendship with China

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday hailed the long-term dedication and contribution of international friends to cementing friendship with China.

Xi made the remarks when meeting with foreign guests attending the China International Friendship Conference which also marked the 70th founding anniversary of the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries in Beijing.

"Today is the Chinese traditional festival, Double Ninth Festival, which symbolizes respect for the elderly and family reunions. I'm very happy to gather with you to talk about friendship. The key to state-to-state relations lies in close bonds between peoples. All of you here have long been dedicated to the development of friendship with China and are good and old friends of the Chinese people. You have traveled great distances, crossing mountains and seas, all for the sake of this important friendship and the great cause of mutual goodwill among people. I highly appreciate this," said Xi.

Attendees spoke highly of China's role in the international community, lauded China's efforts in poverty alleviation and stressed the importance of establishing friendship among different cultures.

"Your Belt and Road Initiative has also provided significant momentum for global peace and stability, reflects China's visionary approach to global governance, and demonstrates the nation's active responsibility," former Nigerian president Olusegun Obasanjo told Xi.

"As a nation, China has transformed itself from poverty, and China's rapid development has been a beacon of hope for many developing nations," said Pokin Polakul, former President of Thai parliament.

"The history of Kuliang tells us that people from different countries and cultures, all with differences, can build a friendship together and pass it on from generation to generation. You need to spread the seeds of friendship in people's hearts, before it can grow into a mature relationship," said Elyn MacInnis, lead researcher of the Kuliang Tourism and Culture Research Association.

Xi hails long-term dedication of int'l friends to cementing friendship with China

Xi hails long-term dedication of int'l friends to cementing friendship with China

The use of AI robots in everyday scenarios, especially in assisted living for the elderly, will require gradual introduction as the technology matures in order to ensure reliable care, according to Zhang Bo, a pioneering AI expert and academician at the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

In a recent interview with China Global Television Network (CGTN), the 89-year-old scientist, who is also the Honorary Director of the Institute for Artificial Intelligence at Tsinghua University, shared his insights on the feasibility of using AI robots in elderly care, a topic gaining increasing attention as birth rates decline and populations age worldwide.

"It seems that assisting the elderly and people with disabilities is an important aspect of robotic applications. The prospects are promising but it appears that replacing humans must be done gradually. Why? Because the main issue is reliability. Since you are allowing robots to provide services, you must ensure absolute reliability. At the current stage of AI development, whether in terms of software or hardware, it is difficult to ensure a very high level of reliability. So, I think that in the future, helping the elderly or assisting people with disabilities will definitely be a gradual process," said Zhang.

The professor emphasized that the effective implementation of AI in complex tasks will require significant advances in accurate environmental perception.

"AI must have accurate awareness of its environment because the environment is constantly changing. For instance, when it comes to autonomous driving, caution is still necessary. This is because the perception under all-weather conditions is not sufficiently developed. So, implementation should be gradual. Actually, autonomous driving cannot operate in heavy rain or snow. Two main technologies - all-weather perception and reliability - must reach a certain level before they can replace more complex tasks," he said.

Academician calls for gradual introudction of AI robots in elderly care