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Sales for cymbidium orchids rise as Chinese New Year nears

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      China

      China

      Sales for cymbidium orchids rise as Chinese New Year nears

      2024-12-13 20:18 Last Updated At:20:57

      The flower companies in Kunming City, southwest China's Yunnan Province are embracing a peak season from mid-December with 180,000 pots of Cymbidium orchids ready for shipment to destinations across the country as the Chinese New Year nears.

      The Chinese New Year, which falls on January 29, 2025, is a traditional holiday that people celebrate with family reunion among flowers, fireworks and good food.

      Cymbidium orchids, also known as boat orchids, are a popular choice among Chinese. Their elegant blooms symbolize prosperity and well-being, and their winter-spring blooming season perfectly aligns with the festive period.

      At a flower farm in Songming County, workers recently have been busy pruning, packaging, and shipping the blooms as consumer demand is growing ahead of the Spring Festival in the upcoming January.

      "Pink, yellow, and red are the most popular colors. We have over thirty varieties on offer," said Zhang Huayou, head of a local flower farm.

      The orchids are shipped when their buds are just about to open, ensuring they reach retailers in perfect condition and extend their shelf life.

      While the orchids remain a classic choice for the Spring Festival, consumer preferences are evolving. This year, smaller-sized varieties and mixed floral arrangements are gaining popularity and seeing increased sales.

      "Australian Dendrobiums and Oncidiums are also selling well. Smaller plants take up less space so we can display them densely and increase the volume of flowers we produce. The sales of smaller plants are gradually growing this year," said Che Lirong, head of another flower farm.

      Sales for cymbidium orchids rise as Chinese New Year nears

      Sales for cymbidium orchids rise as Chinese New Year nears

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      US pressuring Ukraine into minerals deal with multiple strategies: expert

      2025-02-23 17:42 Last Updated At:18:07

      The United States is using a "combination of punches" to force Ukraine to accept a minerals deal, as part of its border efforts to end the Ukraine crisis amid the shift of strategic focus from Europe to Asia, an expert said on Sunday.

      On February 12, U.S. President Donald Trump proposed a plan to use 500-billion-dollar worth of Ukrainian minerals to repay the U.S. aid provided during Ukraine's conflict with Russia, which was initially rejected by Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky.

      According to Reuters, the United States has reportedly threatened to cut off Ukraine's access to Starlink internet services if it did not sign the minerals deal.

      After this week's meeting between Zelensky and U.S. Special Envoy to Ukraine and Russia Keith Kellogg in Kiev, both sides disclosed information suggesting that they are nearing a deal on critical minerals.

      Teng Jianqun, director of the Center for Diplomatic Studies at Hunan Normal University, said this development came as a result of U.S. coercion.

      "I believe this signal reflects a concession by Zelensky's government, and the aggressive tactics of the United States. President Trump has referred to Zelensky as merely an 'actor' and a 'dictator', even withholding the title of president, in an effort to exert political pressure on him. At the same time, U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson publicly announced that no further economic aid would be provided to Ukraine. Furthermore, there is now a proposal to stop military support, including the Starlink satellite services, to the Ukrainian forces," said Teng.

      "Clearly, the United States is employing a combination of punches, using political, economic, and military pressure to force the Zelensky government into accepting what can be seen as a humiliating agreement under duress," he added.

      Meanwhile, the United States is intensifying its contacts with Russia. The two parties have agreed to send senior officials for more talks and work towards improving ties and ending the fighting in Ukraine.

      Teng highlighted that the United States is pursuing a two-pronged strategy to achieve geopolitical goals.

      "In terms of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the Trump administration is actually pursuing a two-pronged strategy, pushing for progress on two fronts simultaneously. One is to force Ukraine to repay its debts, and substantially so. The other is to strengthen interactions with Russia, including arranging a meeting between the two heads of state. Russia, for its part, is also open to improving ties with the United States and European countries," said the expert.

      While Trump's administration is longing to settle the conflict and pivot U.S. strategic focus toward Asia, Teng warned that such ambitions face significant obstacles.

      "But fundamentally, we know that the Putin government is unlikely to follow the U.S. pace or immediately sit down for negotiations with Ukraine. The Trump administration is eager to end the Russia-Ukraine conflict in order to pull back from Europe to the Asia-Pacific for what it calls great power competition, but this is a one-sided wishful thinking. Looking ahead, I believe that the U.S.-Russia rapprochement will face significant difficulties. As for the prospect of bringing parties back to the table on the Russia-Ukraine conflict, this will face numerous challenges," said Teng.

      "The conflict [may] continue for some time. After all, Ukraine, a key party to it, is not involved [in the talks]. I believe it will be very difficult to achieve a resolution, as it is impossible to allow a few major powers, especially the U.S. to dominate the entire process of the conflict," he said.

      US pressuring Ukraine into minerals deal with multiple strategies: expert

      US pressuring Ukraine into minerals deal with multiple strategies: expert

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