The Anti-Secession Law has played a pivotal role in safeguarding China's sovereignty and promoting peaceful reunification with Taiwan over the past two decades, a Chinese expert said on Saturday.
Rong Ying, a senior research fellow at the China Institute of International Studies, highlighted the law's importance amid rising cross-Strait tensions, during a video interview with China Global Television Network (CGTN).
On Thursday, Taiwan's leader Lai Ching-te described Taiwan as a "sovereign nation" and outlined strategies against what he termed "threats from Beijing". "The Anti-Secession Law is a crucial piece of legislation for the Chinese government and the Chinese people, especially the Communist Party of China (CPC), in promoting the peaceful reunification of China, safeguarding the sovereignty and territorial integrity, and fighting against 'Taiwan secession' forces, and containing interference from external forces. For the past 20 years, it has played a unique and important role in these areas," said Rong.
"Before taking office, Lai Ching-te described himself as a 'pragmatic worker' for 'Taiwan secession'. After taking office, not only has he not shown any remorse, but he has gone further in promoting the forces of 'Taiwan secession'," Rong added.
Two decades ago, China's top legislature, the National People's Congress (NPC), voted to adopt the Anti-Secession Law with an overwhelming majority. It was a milestone event in mainland-Taiwan relations, as the law embodies both the will of the state and the common interests of Chinese people across the Taiwan Strait, and codifies the fundamental policy to foil "Taiwan independence" and advance national reunification.
China's Anti-Secession Law pivotal in upholding sovereignty, peaceful reunification
Tiangong Ultra, an upgraded version of the China-made "Tiangong" humanoid robot, is currently undergoing tests in preparation for a half-marathon next month in Beijing.
The race, set for April 13 in the Beijing Economic-Technological Development Area in the capital city's southeast, will feature both robotic and human athletes competing on the same route but on separate tracks to ensure safety for all participants.
The competition is open to global robot companies, research institutes, robot clubs and universities. So far, 23 organizations have signed up for the competition.
Developed by the Beijing Humanoid Robot Innovation Center, Tiangong Ultra has a bigger size, longer legs, and a stronger hip compared to its old version. In addition, unlike Tiangong, which has two iron sheets as feet, Tiangong Ultra wears a pair of "shoes" to minimize impact on its feet and ankle joints from running, according to engineers at the center.
"Aside from upgrades to Tiangong's body and structure, we have also greatly improved its motion algorithm, strengthening its capabilities for gait planning, body coordination, and motion control," said Wei Jiaxing, director of branding and public relations at the center.
In a race between Tiangong and Tiangong Ultra, the upgraded version demonstrated larger strides, a more stable running form, and a significantly higher speed.
"Its highest speed can reach 12 kilometers per hour. Considering the stability and endurance of the Tiangong robot when running outdoors, we may slightly reduce the speed. But we are still very confident that it can complete the half marathon," Wei said.
Bolstered by strong capital investment, China' robotics industry is growing rapidly, with versatile applications becoming increasingly prominent across a wide range of fields, including industrial automation, healthcare and service industries.
According to a report on the humanoid robot industry released at the 2024 World AI Conference in Shanghai, China's humanoid robot market scale was approximately 2.76 billion yuan (about 381.28 million U.S. dollars) last year.
By 2029, it is expected to expand to 75 billion yuan (about 10.36 billion U.S. dollars), which would account for 32.7 percent of the global market.
Humanoid robot set to run Beijing half-marathon
