Many Chinese cities lit up the night sky with spectacular light shows in recent days to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the founding of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Air Force, which falls on Nov 11.
As night fell and the lights illuminated the streets, buildings along the Minjiang River in Fuzhou City, east China's Fujian Province were virtually transformed into giant screens, displaying rotating slogans like "Seeking roots, chasing dreams, conquering the skies" and "Flying towards victory for the dream," drawing crowds of locals and tourists to stop and watch.
In Qingdao City, east China's Shandong Province, large-scale light shows were staged on the facades of buildings at Fushan Bay, featuring messages like "The People's Air Force is loyal to the Party, founded by the Party" and "Celebrating the 75th Founding Anniversary of the People's Air Force," brightening the city's skyline.
In other cities like Guangzhou in the south, Shijiazhuang and Datong in the north, and Nanchang in the east, hundreds of electronic screens displayed promotional videos and celebratory posters for the air force's 75th founding anniversary. These spectacular shows offered a panoramic view of the Air Force's remarkable journey, which reflects the unwavering spirit of today's airmen.
Dazzling light shows staged across Chinese cities to mark 75th founding anniversary of Air Force
Dazzling light shows staged across Chinese cities to mark 75th founding anniversary of Air Force
As the 2024 APEC gathering commences in Lima, Peru, China's deepening partnerships with Latin American nations - bolstered by trade, investment, and the Belt and Road initiative - serves as a key example of the country's commitment to fostering inclusive economic cooperation across the Asia-Pacific region.
Under the overarching theme of "Empower. Include. Grow," APEC Peru 2024 which is running from Nov. 10-16, will bring leaders of its 21 member economies together to set the agenda for the Asia-Pacific region, with trade and investment for inclusive and interconnected growth beiamong the priority areas.
At the APEC media center next to the meeting's main venue, booths promoting new technologies and sustainable development are set up. Organizers say Peru is seeking opportunities to connect the largest markets and insert Peruvian companies in regional and global value chains.
In an opinion article posted on the website of the China Global Television Network (CGTN) last weekend, Peru's Ambassador to China Marco Balarezo wrote that exports to APEC economies represented 68.5 percent of Peru's total international transactions in 2023, and that the Asia-Pacific provides a critical region of opportunities and incorporation in the regional and global supply chains.
Chinese President Xi Jinping will attend this year's APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting and pay a state visit to Peru from Wednesday to Sunday, with this being his sixth visit to Latin America since 2013.
An updated free trade agreement (FTA) between Peru and China, set to be signed during President Xi's visit, is another example of how APEC 2024 will bolster the economy, according to Ambassador Balarezo.
China is Latin America's second-largest trading partner and main source of investment, as well as the top trading partner for many countries in the region including Peru. It has signed Free Trade Agreements with five Latin American economies and established high-quality Belt and Road cooperation with 22 Latin American and Caribbean countries. The cooperation has grown beyond traditional areas like trade, finance, and infrastructure to include newer fields such as energy, the digital economy, and aerospace.
One of the flagship cooperative projects, the China-built Chancay Megaport north of Lima, set to become fully operational shortly after the APEC meeting, is establishing Peru as a gateway for South American trade to Asian markets. Beyond that, Balarezo said Peru invites all APEC enterprises to invest in this near-term endeavor.
Since it started over 30 years ago, APEC has turned into a powerful driver of economic growth and one of the most important forums in the Asia-Pacific region. With 21 member economies, APEC represents around 62 percent of the world's GDP and nearly half of global trade.
APEC is the first regional economic cooperation organization that China joined back in 1991. Experts believe China has accelerated the pace of opening up through APEC cooperation and has provided huge opportunities for economic and trade development in the Asia-Pacific region.
Strengthened China-Latin America ties epitomize APEC's push for inclusive economic cooperation
