The Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region in north China exported a total of over 207 billion yuan (nearly 29 billion U.S.dollars) worth of goods in the first two months of this year, hitting a record high for the same period in history.
Last Wednesday, a freight train fully loaded with goods made in Hebei Province departed a station in Jize County, Handan City.
As the first freight train departing from the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region and heading towards the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) this year, it helps cut the transportation time by 20 percent.
"The train will operate between the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region and Vietnam, and will mainly carry export goods to Vietnam, including those to be transshipped via that country," said Gong Yanjie, head of a supply chain enterprise based in Hebei.
The increased export was driven by private entrepreneurs in particular, whose export value reached over 23 billion yuan (over 3 billion U.S. dollars) in the first two months, marking a 35-percent growth.
"The foreign trade of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region posted strong resilience due to three factors. Firstly, the region has been deepening its institutional opening up, with free trade zones making coordinated plans to help increase the customs clearance efficiency by over 20 percent. Secondly, the region has noticeable advantage in industrial chain, with sectors like automobile and medical industries posting exponential export growth. Thirdly, private enterprises in the region unleashed their vitality and have become a bedrock in maintaining the stability of foreign trade," said Liu Weiheng, deputy head of the comprehensive business division of Beijing Customs.
Customs statistics showed that the foreign trade of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region has been increasing steadily. Last year, the total import and export value of the region reached 5.03 trillion yuan (about 0.7 trillion U.S. dollars), maintaining growth for four consecutive years.
Export of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region surpasses 207 bln yuan in first two months
The two-state solution is the only path to resolve the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, former Lebanese Prime Minister Hassan Diab said in an interview with China Media Group (CMG) in Guangzhou, southern China’s Guangdong Province.
The two-state solution refers to a proposed framework for resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, aiming to establish two independent states -- Israel and Palestine -- coexisting in peace and security.
"I believe the core of the conflict is the fact that we have people -- the Palestinians -- that have suffered for almost eight decades, and that are probably the only people in the world today that are under siege, being attacked, being killed. I don't see any other solution other than giving them their own state with 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as their capital, which was what was presented in the Arab Summit 22 years ago in 2002. And the 22 Arab countries were ready to sign a peace treaty based on that condition that the Palestinians will have their own state, their own dignity, their own homeland. And this has not happened since," Diab said in the interview aired on Friday.
Resolving the Palestinian question and achieving lasting peace in the Middle East requires the concerted efforts of the entire international community, including major powers like China, Diab noted.
"It's about global balance of power. So, China, being a major player at the global level, can contribute towards a peace resolution, and they have done that before. But everybody needs an end to this conflict, and the only way to end this conflict is to create a Palestinian state for Palestinians. The two-state solution -- I think, it's only fair -- to have Palestinians have their own state and determine their own future without dictation by anybody," he said.
The former Lebanese leader highlighted China's long-standing ties with Lebanon and the Middle East, emphasizing its proactive and fair role in regional affairs. He noted China's historical connections with the region and its potential contribution to achieving a political resolution, including the widely discussed two-state solution.
"China has always been a friend to Lebanon and a friend to the Middle East. There are Lebanese-Chinese ties from a long time ago at the trade level and so on. And yes, China is playing a proactive role even at the political level. China, as a fair player, would, in my mind, be conducive to reaching the political solution and the two-state solution that everybody talks about," Diab said.
Two-state solution only way to resolve Palestine-Israel conflict: former Lebanese PM
