A group of youth representatives from U.S. Columbia University arrived in Beijing on New Year's Day, kicking off a 10-day cultural exchange program in China.
The trip is part of a collaborative effort between the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries and the China-United States Exchange Foundation.
The delegation consists of 27 master's degree candidates from 17 countries, majoring in international affairs and public administration at Columbia University.
The students expressed their honor at being able to visit China during the New Year celebrations, saying they are eager to engage in exchanges with local, national, and non-governmental institutions, exploring research topics across various fields.
During their visit at Tsinghua University, students from both sides had lively discussions on enhancing mutual understanding.
"And I think that to truly understand a people, a culture, you really do have to engage with the culture firsthand, see buildings, see people, so I'm extremely happy to participate in this initiative and I do hope that more Americans come to China to experience as well," said a student from Columbia University.
"I think I am getting a sense of how Chinese students are viewing the China-US relationship right now. Obviously, it's a very important time for us to be having dialogue and understanding each other. I want to get a better idea of the Chinese perspective on both the country's internal politics, on our international relationship and on international issues in general, on issues like climate change and global health and other areas where I think cooperation between the countries is very important," said another student from Columbia University.
In the following days, the delegation will also visit Xi'an City in northwest China's Shaanxi Province and Shanghai Municipality.
Youth representatives from U.S. Columbia University begin cultural exchange visit in Beijing
Youth representatives from U.S. Columbia University begin cultural exchange visit in Beijing
Switzerland, known for its pristine lakes and rich tradition of fishing, is facing a significant challenge of plunging fish stocks that could threaten the livelihood of many in the fisheries industry.
In recent years, local fishermen have seen their catches decline drastically, with about 90 percent of the fish consumed in the country now being imported. This shift reflects broader environmental changes impacting Swiss fisheries, and the difficulties local fishermen are enduring are becoming more evident each year.
At seven in the morning, as the first light of dawn begins to break, a handful of fishermen at a dock in Geneva prepare to head out to the lake to check the nets they set the previous day. As the long nets were hauled from the water, the catch of perch was relatively small, but the fishermen were still satisfied, especially since they managed to net two large pike, which would fetch a good price.
Francois Liani, a fisherman of 30 years, said 2024 has been the worst year for fishing with the lowest amount of catch.
"I have never seen anything like this in over 30 years. That's right, 2024 is the worst year in the past 30 years," he said.
Fifty years ago, there were more than 800 professional fishermen in Switzerland. Today, that number has dropped to fewer than 90.
"There are many reasons, but one of the most important reasons is global warming -- it is one of the biggest problems. We have also new mussels that come from the Black Sea on the Eastern Europe that came about five, seven years ago. They have a large impact on the food availability for the fishes," said Maxime Prevedello, communication officer for the French-speaking region of the Swiss Fishing Federation (SFV).
As a result, the growth rate of fish has slowed significantly. In 2012, 2013, and 2014, a professional fisherman was able to catch around 1,000 tons of fish annually. Today, that number has dropped to just around 100 tons -- a mere one-tenth of what it used to be, according to Prevedello.
In the summer of 2024, Switzerland once again endured high temperatures. Native fish species such as perch, grayling, and the Alpine char, which have adapted to cold water, have been particularly affected. According to Switzerland's environmental authorities, 58 percent of the country's native fish species are now classified as endangered.
Swiss fishermen face growing struggle as local fish stocks plunge
