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China and the European Union underlined their shared commitment to deepening green cooperation during the latest round on Tuesday of a high-level dialogue on the environment and climate, with analysts urging both sides to properly handle differences to ensure that bilateral collaboration is not undermined by protectionism.
Vice-Premier Ding Xuexiang and Executive Vice-President of the European Commission Maros Sefcovic co-chaired the fifth High-Level Environment and Climate Dialogue between China and the EU at the EU's headquarters in Brussels. The dialogue was first held in 2020.
The vice-premier noted that China and the EU share extensive common interests and broad space for cooperation in green transformation, saying that both sides should fully leverage the high-level dialogue mechanism, seek common ground while setting aside differences, and deepen the China-EU green partnership.
"We need to tap the potential for cooperation in key areas and strengthen mutual learning in areas such as green energy, green and low-carbon technologies, plastic pollution control, and chemical environmental management," Ding said.
He also stressed that the EU's plan to impose additional duties on imports of Chinese electric vehicles is typical protectionism.
The European Commission has said it will impose extra duties of up to 38.1 percent on imported Chinese-made electric vehicles starting in July.
This is not conducive to the green transformation of the EU and would undermine global cooperation on climate change, Ding told Sefcovic.
Ding expressed his hope that the EU will avoid economic and trade friction that could delay the green transition process, and said that green barriers that would interfere with normal economic and trade cooperation should not be established.
The two sides should resolve trade friction through dialogue and consultation, Ding said, adding that China is firm in its resolve to safeguard its legitimate and lawful interests.
Jian Junbo, deputy director of the Center for China-Europe Relations at Fudan University's Institute of International Studies, said the additional tariffs imposed on Chinese-made EVs is a negative approach taken by the EU.
"Such a practice reflects the EU's anxiety between its green development aspirations and its economic protectionist measures," Jian said, adding that it will have negative effects on green cooperation between China and the EU.
Sefcovic said the EU is willing to deepen cooperation with China in areas such as tackling climate change and protecting ecology, and to lead global environmental and climate governance.
He noted that the EU attaches great importance to the development of the electric vehicle industry and is willing to properly handle differences with China through dialogue.
Jian, of the Center for China-Europe Relations, said that the high-level communication mechanism between China and the EU has demonstrated the strong will of both sides and can play a leading role in bilateral environment and climate cooperation.
In addition to intergovernmental dialogue and coordination on specific policies, broader participation from businesses is also essential in deepening bilateral cooperation, Jian said.
More institutions and companies should be involved in bilateral dialogues and jointly make standards for the green industry, he added.
Beyond bilateral dialogue and cooperation, China and the EU, which are pivotal leaders and driving forces in global green development, have substantial room for collaboration involving multilateral platforms, such as the United Nations, he said.
The two sides should intensify exchanges and strengthen coordination on the principles, objectives and financing of climate change governance, he added.
Reporter:  Zhou Jin
Xinhua contributed to this story.

President Xi Jinping has underscored the importance of enhancing political loyalty in the military in the new era and providing a firm political guarantee for building a strong military.
Xi, who is also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, said that the world, the nation, the Party and the Chinese military have been undergoing deep and sophisticated changes, and the country's armed forces are facing a range of complex challenges.
Under such circumstances, the military must continue to make all-out efforts to strengthen its political building, uphold political loyalty and purity, and stick to its missions, he said.
The military also must strive to hone its troops' combat capabilities, maintain its solidarity and fighting spirit, train more skillful professionals, and ensure strong discipline in order to keep intensifying its political strength in the new era, according to Xi.
He made the remarks on Monday when addressing senior commanders at a military political work conference in Yan'an, Shaanxi province, an important cradle of the Chinese revolution led by the CPC.
During the speech, Xi expounded his views on deep-rooted issues that must be solved to make way for political building inside the armed forces, stressing that the origin of such issues lies in the deterioration of some service members' spirit and morals.
He said officers, especially those in high positions, should carry out self-reflection and correct any problems.
The commander in chief urged the armed forces to enhance their political education, improve Party organizations' management and their overall capabilities, and strengthen the selection, training and management of officers. He also called for eradicating hotbeds of corruption and promoting comprehensive disciplinary supervision, cracking down on red tape and excessive bureaucracy and meeting the actual needs of troops, and restoring and upholding time-honored political traditions, such as senior officers setting an example by observing rules and fulfilling duties.
Xi said that it is a duty of all members in the military to promote political building, adding that related departments under the Central Military Commission and units of the armed forces must work together to push forward such work.
By doing so, the military, under the Party's guidance, will become stronger and will march toward its centenary in 2027 with new achievements, according to Xi.
Before addressing the conference, Xi and a group of top commanders had a guided tour of Wangjiaping, a historical site in Yan'an, which was home to the Central Military Commission from 1937 to 1947.
After the tour, the president asked that all senior officers should keep in mind their initial aspirations and missions, become role models for their troops, and shoulder their responsibilities to lead their units in the fight for realizing the military's centenary goals.
Hundreds of high-ranking officers took part in the three-day meeting, which was organized by the Central Military Commission. Attendees listened to Xi's instructions, held panel discussions and shared their thoughts during the event, which concluded on Wednesday.
The last time such a meeting was held was in 2014, with senior officers convening in Gutian, Fujian province. That was the first time the military arranged a top-level political work conference since Xi became general secretary in late 2012.
Reporter: Zhao Lei

Chinese tourism agencies are gearing up for an earlier-than-usual summer travel surge, fueled by pent-up demand.
在被压抑的需求推动下，中国旅行社正为更早到来的夏季旅游激增做准备。
Traditionally, the peak travel season runs from July to August. However, platforms like Tuniu predict the first wave this year will hit as early as late June due to people's growing desire to travel and optimized visa processes.
以往的旅游旺季为7月至8月。然而，途牛等旅行社预测，由于人们的旅行欲望日益强烈，加之签证政策优化，今年的第一波旅游浪潮最早将于6月下旬到来。
Long-distance family vacations are the trend, with destinations like the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region and overseas locations attracting significant interest. Border regions offer cooler climates and unique cultural experiences, making them popular choices.
长途家庭度假是大势所趋，新疆维吾尔自治区和海外地区引人入胜。边境地区气候凉爽，文化独特，也是（人们的）热门选择。
Data from Trip.com Group highlights this shift, with summer trip bookings to domestic destinations already significantly exceeding last year's numbers, and overseas bookings nearly doubling. Half the bookings are for family trips.
Trip.com
携程给出的数据突出了国内旅行地的夏季旅行预订量已远超去年，海外预订量几乎翻倍，家庭旅行占其中一半。
The drama To the Wonder, showcasing the breathtaking scenery of Xinjiang's Altay region, has given it a boost as a top summer pick. The region's cooler temperatures and exotic cultures make it a welcome escape from scorching heat.
电视剧《我的阿勒泰》展示了新疆阿勒泰地区令人叹为观止的风景，凉爽的气温和异域文化使其成为远离酷暑的最佳选择。
Yang Nan, a human resources professional in the nation's capital, has planned a seven-day family trip to Xinjiang in late July.
杨楠是北京的一名人力资源从业者，他计划在7月下旬与家庭成员一起进行为期七天的新疆旅行。
International sporting events such as the Paris Olympics and the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Germany are also expected to drive outbound tourism growth.
巴黎奥运会和在德国举办的2024欧洲足球锦标赛也有望推动出境旅游增长。
Other popular overseas destinations include Japan, Thailand and Singapore, with bookings to longer-haul locations in Europe, Central Asia and Africa also on the rise.
其他受欢迎的海外旅行地包括日本、泰国和新加坡；欧洲、中亚和非洲的长途旅行地预订量也持续增长。
Trip.com Group reports a significant increase in visa applications for long-distance destinations such as the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Canada. Half of its customers who plan to travel in summer have applied for visas to such destinations so far this year, compared with less than a third last year.
据携程报道，美国、英国、澳大利亚和加拿大等长途旅行地签证申请量大幅增加。截至目前，已有半数计划夏季旅行的游客申请了前往这些国家的签证，而去年的夏季签证数还不到今年三分之一。
Qunar, another online travel agency, said Euro 2024 is a major draw for European travel.
另一家旅行社去哪儿表示，2024年欧洲杯是欧洲旅游的一大亮点。
Bookings for Berlin have surged 400 percent year-on-year, and those for Munich are up 300 percent. Meanwhile, summer travel bookings to Italy, France, Spain and the UK have doubled or tripled.
柏林的预订量同比增长了400%，慕尼黑的预订量增长了300%。前往意大利、法国、西班牙和英国的夏季旅游预订量增加两倍或三倍。
The tourism industry anticipates a rise in inbound tourism as well, given China's welcoming attitude and relaxed entry policies for international travelers. The recent announcement of a unilateral 15-

President Xi Jinping has urged an all-out response to the recent floods and drought conditions that have hit different regions across the country, saying that utmost efforts must be made in the search for and rescue of missing and trapped individuals and the resettlement of affected residents.
习近平主席驱策全力应对席卷全国的洪涝和干旱，千方百计搜救失联被困人员，妥善安置受灾群众
Xi, who is also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, highlighted in an instruction published on Tuesday the importance of maintaining normal production and daily routines and minimizing disaster losses to the greatest extent possible.
6月18日，中国共产党中央委员会总书记和中央军委主席习近平强调要保障正常生产生活秩序，最大限度降低灾害损失。
He noted that heavy rainfall has recently hit many regions in southern China, triggering floods and geological disasters in provinces including Guangdong and Fujian and leading to casualties and property damage.
随着我国南方地区出现强降雨，广东和福建等省份发生洪水和地质灾害，导致人员伤亡和财产损失。
Meanwhile, drought conditions in parts of North China have become more severe, he said.
北方部分地区旱情发展迅速。
As China is set to face more challenges in flood control with the start of the main flood season, Xi urged authorities at all levels to strengthen their risk awareness, think about worst-case scenarios and ensure that their responsibilities are fulfilled and make solid work in disaster relief.
随着我国全面进入主汛期，防汛形势日趋严峻，各地区和有关部门要进一步强化风险意识、加强统筹，扎实做好防汛抗旱、抢险救灾各项工作。
He also stressed the need to strengthen disaster monitoring and early warning, identify and eliminate potential risks, stock up on equipment and supplies, improve contingency plans, and effectively respond to various emergencies to ensure the safety of people and their property.
要加强灾害监测预警，排查风险隐患，储备装备物资，完善应急工作预案，有效应对各种突发事件，确保人民群众生命财产安全。
The nation has ramped up its flood control and disaster relief measures as floods triggered by rainstorms wreaked havoc in southern China. Meanwhile, scorching heat is baking central and northern China, with many national weather stations registering record-breaking daily high temperatures.
随着强降雨在南方地区造成严重内涝，我国加强了防汛和救灾工作。酷北方多地遭受干旱，持续高温且频破纪录。
On Monday, the national commission for disaster prevention, reduction and relief responded to the severe rainstorm and flood disasters in Fujian and Guangdong provinces by initiating a Level 4 emergency response, the lowest in a four-tier system. Task forces were deployed to the disaster-affected regions to assist relief efforts and ensure that the basic living needs of residents are met.
6月17日，国家防灾减灾救灾委员会针对福建、广东两省严重暴雨洪涝灾害，启动国家防汛应急响应级别中第四级，派出工作组赴灾区实地查看灾情，指导和协助地方做好受灾群众基本生活保障等救灾救助工作。
Five people died and 15 others were missing after heavy rainfall hit multiple areas in Meizhou, Guangdong province, starting on Sunday, and led to power outages, internet disruptions and waterlogging.
自6月16日起，广东省梅州市等多处发生山洪、山体滑坡，造成5人死亡、15人失联。
Rainstorms have also resulted in four deaths and two people missing in Wuping county, Fujian province, as of Monday. In the province's Shanghang county, rain-triggered floods killed four people as of Tuesday.
6月17日，福建省武平县遭遇破历史极值特大

Spanish businessman Jesus Perez Aguilar arrived in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, in late January for an 11-day business trip, a journey that also took him to Shenzhen and Changsha, Hunan province.
2024年于1月下旬，西班牙企业家耶稣·佩雷斯·阿吉拉尔（Jesus Perez Aguilar）（音译）抵达广州。此次出差他同样前往了深圳和长沙。
Aguilar's frequent trips to China have been propelled by a 2018 agreement, signed during President Xi Jinping's visit to Spain, that allowed the European country to export bone-in ham to China.
中西两国于2018年11月签署了“中国——西班牙猪肉议定书”，这也使得阿吉拉尔时常访问中国，该协议允许欧洲国家向中国出口带骨火腿。
Over the years, Aguilar has become a familiar face in China promoting Iberian ham. In 2023 alone, he visited China four times, staying more than 90 days in the country.
历年来，阿吉拉尔已成为中国推广伊比利亚火腿的老熟人。仅2023一年，他就四次访问中国，连续待了90多天。
The January trip, however, stood out due to a new and convenient measure: a unilateral 15-day visa-free entry policy granted to ordinary passport holders from several European countries, including Spain, as well as Malaysia. This policy, on a trial basis and initially set to expire at the end of the year, has been extended to the end of 2025. It now applies to 14 countries, with Australia and New Zealand recently included.
一项新免签政策引人注目：给予马来西亚和包括西班牙在内的部分欧洲国家的普通护照持有人为期15天的单方面免签证入境政策。该政策最初定于2024年底到期，现已延至2025年底，适用于14个国家/地区。截至6月17最新政策，澳大利亚和新西兰也被纳入中国的单方面免签国家范围。
"These kinds of small conveniences help a lot in promoting commercial exchanges between countries," said Aguilar, who works for the Interprofessional Iberian Pork Association, which is headquartered in Zafra in southern Spain.
“这些便利对促进国家之间的商业交流有很大帮助，”阿吉拉尔说，他工作于处于西班牙南部萨弗拉的伊比利亚猪肉行业协会。
In a written speech delivered at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation CEO Summit in San Francisco in November, Xi reiterated Beijing's commitment to make it easier for foreign expatriates to live and work in China.
"We will also take more 'heartwarming' measures, such as improving the policies on entry and stay of foreign nationals in China and removing for them choke points in financial, medical, e-payment and other services," he told the global business community.
习近平总书记在11月在旧金山举行的亚太经合组织CEO峰会上发表书面讲话：“我们将采取更多‘暖心’措施，如完善外籍人士来华签证和入境政策，为他们消除金融、医疗、电子支付及其他方面的瓶颈，” 突出了中国的免签政策能够让外籍人士更容易在中国生活和工作。
During the Central Economic Work Conference in December, China's top leadership decided to remove more barriers to facilitate business, study and travel in China for foreigners. Since then, central as well as local governments have introduced a series of measures to meet the diverse needs of foreign visitors and expatriates.
在2023年12月的中央经济工作会议上，中国最高领导层决定消除更多障碍，为外籍人士在中国经商、学习和旅行提供便利。中央和地方政府出台了一系列措施，以满足外国游客和外籍人士的多种需求。
Broader agenda
As China has pursued a more proactive strategy of opening-up since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China in 2012, observers said these measures exemplify China's efforts to advance a broader agenda of opening-up across more areas and in greater depth.
自2012年中国共产党第十八

A 17-year-old student recently amazed millions of people worldwide by ranking 12th in the preliminary round of a global math competition, despite being up against formidable rivals from top universities, her own mentor and even artificial intelligence.
最近，一名17岁的中专生姜萍在阿里巴巴全球数学竞赛初赛中排名第12位，引发网友热议。她的强大对手有来自顶尖大学的学生、她的导师甚至人工智能。
Jiang Ping, who is majoring in fashion design at Lianshui Secondary Vocational School in Huai'an, Jiangsu province, taught herself advanced mathematics for about two years, and then made it to the finals of the 2024 Alibaba Global Mathematics Competition with a high score of 93 out of 120.
江苏涟水中等专业学校服装设计专业的姜萍自学了两年的高等数学，以93分（满分120分）的高分入围2024年阿里巴巴全球数学竞赛的决赛。
She became the first vocational school student to reach the finals and the only girl among the top 30 contestants. Most of the finalists, totaling around 800, are from prestigious institutions such as Peking University, Tsinghua University, MIT and Princeton University. 
她成为第一位进入决赛的中专在读生，也是前30名参赛者中唯一的女生。大多数决赛选手来自北京大学、清华大学、麻省理工学院和普林斯顿大学等著名学府，总计约800人。
Vocational schools like the one Jiang attends usually focus on providing students with practical knowledge and training related to specific professions. 
姜萍所就读的这类中等职业学校通常专注于为学生提供特定专业的实践知识和培训。
Jiang's story, which has touched and inspired countless internet users, clearly demonstrates that one's potential does not necessarily depend on one's educational background, and that dreams do come true if one is diligent and persistent.
姜萍的故事感动和启发了无数网民，人的潜力并不一定取决于教育背景，只要勤奋和坚持，梦想终会成真。
Jiang's keen understanding of numbers began in junior high school, when she was easily able to solve complex math problems. Most students in China learn advanced math in college.
她对数字的敏锐理解始于初中，当时她能够轻松解决复杂的数学难题。而大部分中国学生大学才开始学习高等数学。
"I lean toward subjects such as advanced math, as they spark my desire to explore," she said. "I enjoy the step-by-step process of mathematical deductions, and reaching the desired result brings me great joy." 
Jiang said she believes that regardless of which subject she is studying, fashion design or advanced mathematics, interest and effort are both crucial.
“我倾向学习高等数学，因为它们激发了我的探索欲望。我喜欢循序渐进的数学演绎，得到我想证明的让我觉得很有成就感。”姜萍说，她认为无论学习是学习服装设计还是高等数学，兴趣和努力都是至关重要的。
The teen, who spends most of her spare time solving math problems, keeps an English dictionary handy, so that language doesn't become a barrier when she's learning from Lawrence C. Evans' book Partial Differential Equations. 
姜萍将课余时间花在解决数学问题上，她随身携带英语词典，在自学（PDE）《偏微分方程》时，英语不会成为她数学道路上的障碍。
All of Jiang's books are full of notes, as she hopes to attend college someday and further explore her interest in math.
她所有的书都写满了笔记，因为她希望能考上大学，进一步探索数学世界。
Wang Runqiu, a teacher at the vocational school, recognized Jiang's talent in mathematics and recommended books to her on the subject. He offered her personal guidance and encouraged her to give the Alibaba competition a shot.
Wang, who himself ranked 125th in the preliminary round of the contest, said, "I want to