China Daily Podcast

China Daily
China Daily Podcast

Your fast way to all things China. Join the conversation!

  1. 17 HR AGO

    英语新闻丨石破茂再次当选日本首相

    Leader of Japan's Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) Shigeru Ishiba was reelected as the country's prime minister on Monday after securing the most votes in both houses of the Japanese Diet. 11月11日,日本自民党总裁石破茂在国会众议院和参议院首相指名选举中获得多数选票,再次当选日本首相。 The Diet, or parliament, convened an extraordinary session Monday afternoon to choose the prime minister. As the ruling coalition of the LDP and Komeito lost its long-held majority in the general election last month, the vote ran into a runoff between Ishiba and major opposition Constitutional Democratic Party leader Yoshihiko Noda. 11日下午,日本召开特别国会进行首相指名选举。由于自民党和公明党组成的执政联盟在上个月的选举中未能获得新一届众议院过半席位,投票在石破茂和最大在野党立宪民主党党首野田佳彦之间展开。 In the runoff voting in the House of Representatives, 67-year-old Ishiba received 221 votes, outperforming Noda to become the country's 103rd prime minister despite falling short of the 233 majority threshold. 在众议院第二轮投票中,67岁的石破茂获得221票,超过野田佳彦成为日本第103任首相,尽管并未达到半数的233票。 He will later be formally inaugurated at a ceremony at the Imperial Palace and hold a press conference in the evening. 石破茂将在皇宫举行的仪式上正式就职,并在晚上举行新闻发布会。 Ishiba took office as the country's 102nd prime minister in early October and promptly called a snap election, aiming to solidify his position. But instead of a strengthened mandate, he faced a significant setback as voters, frustrated by rising inflation and a slush fund scandal, handed the ruling bloc its worst performance since 2009. 10月初,石破茂当选日本第102任首相,并迅速举行了临时选举,旨在巩固自己的地位。但由于选民对通胀率上升和“黑金”丑闻感到沮丧,执政联盟的表现创下了自2009年以来的最差记录,石破茂非但没有获得更多的授权,反而遭遇了重大挫折。 The LDP and Komeito got a total of 215 of the 465 seats in the powerful chamber of parliament, below the 233 seats needed for the majority. The LDP alone won 191 seats, much less than the 247 seats it held prior to the election. 自民党和公明党组成的执政联盟共获得众议院465个议席中的215个席位,未达到多数所需的233席。自民党单独获得191个席位,远少于选举前的247个席位。 In contrast, the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party significantly increased its representation, rising from 98 seats before the election to 148 seats. 相比之下,最大在野党立宪民主党的席位则大幅增加,从选举前的98席增至148席。 run into a runoff 闯入决选 inaugurate v.为……举行就职典礼 coalition n. 同盟,结合体

    2 min
  2. 21 HR AGO

    英语新闻丨Nation's space shuttle set to improve efficiency, cut costs

    The Aviation Industry Corp of China is a major hardware supplier to the People's Liberation Army Air Force, Navy and Ground Force. And now, it has earned a new client — the China Manned Space Agency. 中国航空工业集团有限公司是中国人民解放军空军、海军和陆军的主要硬件供应商。现在,它又赢得了一个新客户——中国载人航天工程。 A reusable cargo spaceplane, one of the company's latest products, has gained the AVIC a contract from the space agency, which runs China's crewed spaceflights. 中国航空工业集团的最新产品——可重复使用货运航天飞机,为中国航空工业集团赢得了中国载人航天工程的合同。 According to the State-owned defense conglomerate, the Haolong space shuttle, designed by its Chengdu Aircraft Design and Research Institute in Sichuan province, aims to further reduce the cargo transportation costs involved in the operation of China's Tiangong space station. 中国航空工业集团称,“昊龙”货运航天飞机由其位于四川省的成都飞机设计研究所自主设计研制,旨在进一步降低中国天宫空间站货物运输成本。 Zhang Jichao, a deputy general manager of the AVIC, said at a news conference in Zhuhai, Guangdong province, on Monday that the space shuttle's conceptual plan has been finalized and researchers have started the design and production work for the first prototype's components. 11月11日,中国航空工业集团副总经理张继超在广东珠海举行的新闻发布会上表示,航天飞机已完成方案设计,研究人员正全面开展首架样机部件的设计和生产工作。 "Once put into service, Haolong will be launched by China's commercial carrier rockets to dock with the country's Tiangong space station. After completing its tasks, the shuttle will return to the Earth's atmosphere and make a horizontal landing on a runway like a plane," Zhang said. “‘昊龙’货运航天飞机投入使用后,将采用中国商业运载火箭发射,能够与我国空间站交会对接。完成货物上下行之后,可无动力自主返回,并水平着陆于指定机场。”张继超说。 "The model features good reusability and can ferry materials back and forth between the space station and Earth," he added. 张继超补充:“该货运航天飞机具备突出的可重复使用能力,可以在空间站和地球之间来回运输材料。” Zhang said the use of such a spaceplane will significantly cut the time that mission planners now have to wait for between two cargo flights, and reduce the cost of each flight. 张继超介绍,使用该货运航天飞机将大大缩短任务规划人员现在必须在两次货运飞行之间等待的时间,并降低单次任务成本。 Compared with traditional cargo vessels that cannot be reused, the shuttle will be able to bring goods back to Earth, which will greatly facilitate scientific experiments, according to the executive. 张继超表示,与不能重复使用的传统货运飞船相比,该货运航天飞机可以将货物运回地球,这将极大地减轻科学实验的困难。 Fang Yuanpeng, Haolong's chief designer, said the space shuttle will be about 10 meters long and eight meters wide. It will have two foldable curved wings, a vertical fin and will generate power via solar panels. During its docking with the space station, astronauts can move into it to take materials or store items, he noted. “昊龙”货运航天飞机总设计师房元鹏称,该货运航天飞机长约10米,宽8米。它有两个可折叠的弧形机翼和一个垂直鳍,并可通过太阳能电池板发电。他指出,在与空间站舱体连通后,航天员可以自由进出“昊龙”货舱以进行货物取用或物资存储。 A model of the spacecraft will be displayed at the 15th China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition, which opens on Tuesday in Zhuhai and runs through Sunday. “

    3 min
  3. 1 DAY AGO

    英语新闻丨Xi Enrich China-Brazil friendship

    President Xi Jinping has called for strengthening the bond between China and Brazil to make their bilateral relationship an example among major developing countries.Xi made the remarks in a recent letter of reply to friendly personages in Brazil.In the letter, he expressed his delight in witnessing the torch of friendship between China and Brazil being passed on from generation to generation.Over the past 50 years since the establishment of diplomatic ties, the two nations have marched forward hand in hand, sharing weal and woe, and have forged a friendship spanning mountains and oceans, he said.China is willing to work with Brazil to enrich the friendship between the two countries in the new era and make China-Brazil relations an example of solidarity, coordination, common development and mutual benefit among major developing countries, thereby making greater contributions to the cause of peace and progress of mankind, he added.In the letter, Xi welcomed Brazilian friends to visit China more often and witness firsthand the myriad facets of Chinese modernization.He expressed the hope that people from all walks of life in both countries will play a positive role in advancing the continuous growth of China-Brazil relations and making China-Brazil friendship "flow unceasingly like the Yangtze River and the Amazon River".Recently, over 100 friendly personages in Brazil, including Enrique Teixeira, former vice-mayor of Campinas in Sao Paulo state, members of the Brazil-China Friendship Association, and students and faculty at the University of Sao Paulo and Sao Paulo State University as well as the Copacabana Fort Orchestra from Rio de Janeiro, wrote to Xi in separate letters, expressing their gratitude for the contributions made by the Chinese government, businesses and universities in fostering friendly exchanges between Brazil and China and improving local people's livelihoods.The letters came ahead of Xi's upcoming state visit to Brazil, where he will also attend the 19th G20 Summit in Rio de Janeiro. The trip, scheduled from Nov 17 to 21, will be Xi's third visit to Brazil in 10 years.The Foreign Ministry said that during the visit, Xi will hold talks with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and have an in-depth exchange of views on bilateral relations and international and regional issues of mutual interest."President Xi Jinping's visit (to Brazil) will further consolidate political mutual trust, improve the strategic significance, innovative nature and leading role of the bilateral relations, enhance synergy between the two countries' development strategies, deepen strategic communication and coordination on global hot spot issues, and jointly open up the next golden 50 years of China-Brazil relations," said Mao Ning, a ministry spokeswoman, at a regular news conference on Friday.High-level interactions have become more frequent in recent years. In July 2014, Xi went to Brazil to attend the sixth BRICS Summit, and met with leaders from the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States. In November 2019, he traveled to Brazil again to attend the 11th BRICS Summit.Lula, an old friend of the Chinese people who has visited China multiple times, chose the country as the destination for his first foreign visit outside the Americas after taking office as Brazilian president last year.

    4 min
  4. 1 DAY AGO

    英语新闻丨Henan puts brakes on student night cycling trend

    For university students, grabbing a shared bike to join a few friends for an intercity evening ride covering 50 kilometers in Henan province may be the ultimate expression of enthusiasm for young cyclists. But as the number of participants grew, so did the problems.  对于大学生来说,扫一辆共享单车,和几个朋友一起在河南跨城夜骑50公里,可能是年轻骑行者热情的极大体现。但随着参与者的增多,问题也随之而来。 The collective cycling trend has been a hit with university students in Henan, where groups of students big or small set off on shared bikes late at night and pedal for over five hours to cover the 50-km stretch from Zhengzhou, the provincial capital, to the city of Kaifeng. 集体骑行在河南的大学生中已成为风潮,大大小小的学生在深夜骑着共享单车出发,经过五个多小时的跋涉,跨越从省会郑州市到开封市的50公里路程。 The trend was inspired by four young women from Zhengzhou who set off on an impulse journey to try Kaifeng's famous guantangbao, a type of soup dumpling, on June 18. Leaving at around 7 pm, they cycled on shared bikes before being rewarded with a plate of steaming dumplings at their destination. 这股“夜骑开封”的热潮源于今年6月18日。郑州的四名年轻女性为了品尝开封著名的灌汤包,踏上了一次说走就走的旅程。晚上7点左右,她们骑着共享单车出发,在目的地吃到了热气腾腾的灌汤包。 Their adventure quickly went viral on social media. In fact, it became such a sensation that a hashtag, "Youth has no price, night ride to Kaifeng has it," has become a popular topic.  她们的经历迅速在社交媒体上走红。事实上,这已经引起了轰动,“青春没有售价,夜骑开封拿下!”成为了热门话题。 What began as a spontaneous trip for dumplings has turned into a symbol of youthful energy and has enabled others to bask in the joy of shared experiences. The bike ride has become so popular that, on some nights, long lines of cyclists can be seen stretching across the road. 最初只是为了吃灌汤包而自发进行的骑行,如今已成为青春活力的象征,也让其他人沉浸在类似经历的喜悦中。自行车骑行变得大受欢迎,在某些夜晚,可以看到骑行者在马路上排起长队。 However, what began as an exciting adventure also led to a series of problems. 然而,激情洋溢的冒险也引发了一系列问题。 With large numbers of students riding together, the influx of cyclists caused traffic disruptions, particularly as some groups blocked lanes or rode side by side. 由于大量学生一起骑车,骑行者的涌入造成了交通混乱,特别是一些团体并排骑车或堵塞车道。 In response to the problem, both Zhengzhou and Kaifeng's traffic police announced temporary measures on Saturday afternoon. From 4 pm on Saturday to noon on Sunday, bike lanes along Zhengkai Avenue connecting the two cities will be closed to cyclists, they said in an announcement. 针对这一问题,11月9日下午,郑州和开封的交警部门都宣布了临时措施。公告表示,从11月9日16时至10日中午,连接两市的郑开大道非机动车道将实行禁行措施。 Meanwhile, residents in Kaifeng reported issues such as bikes being improperly parked near city landmarks, making it difficult for people to walk in these areas. And in Zhengzhou, a shortage of bikes at metro stations left many commuters stranded. 与此同时,开封的居民反映了一些问题,如城市地标附近自行车乱停乱放,影响人们出行。而在郑州,地铁站附近的自行车数量不足给诸多通勤者带来不便。 On Saturday, the three major bike-sharing platforms — Hellobike, DiDi Bike and Mobike — issued a joint notice stating that bikes will be locked if ridden outside of designated zones in Zhengzhou. It also warned people about the he

    4 min
  5. 2 DAYS AGO

    英语新闻丨质量成为“双十一”促销关键

    Chinese consumers have exhibited robust purchasing power for high-quality and intelligent products containing innovative technologies during the Singles Day shopping extravaganza. 在“双十一”购物狂欢节期间,中国消费者对包含创新技术的高品质和智能产品表现出强劲购买力。 Experts said this has played a vital role in promoting the recovery of consumption and shoring up economic growth in the country. 专家表示,这对促进国内消费复苏和支撑经济增长起到了重要作用。 Major Chinese e-commerce platforms have extended the promotional period, and adopted a simple and more pragmatic approach by canceling presale campaigns this year. 中国的主要电商平台都延长了促销期,并采取简单务实的做法,取消了今年的预售活动。 Instead, direct price cuts have become the preferred strategy to attract price-conscious customers and bolster sales during China's biggest online shopping event.  直接降价反而成为吸引价格敏感型顾客的首选策略,在中国最大的网购活动期间助力促售。 Experts also said that unlike in the past, when record-smashing gross merchandise volume, or GMV, through discount-led sales had come to characterize the 11-11 or Double Eleven promotional campaign, chasing high GMV is no longer the focus now. 专家们还表示,以往通过折扣带动销售来创造破纪录的商品交易总额(GMV)是双十一促销活动的特点,而现在,追求高GMV已不再是重点。 Chinese shoppers are becoming more rational and carefully reviewing their needs, with an emphasis on the quality and value of commodities, they added. 专家补充,中国购物者变得更加理性,他们会仔细思考自己的需求,注重商品的质量和价值。 Data from Tmall, Chinese tech heavyweight Alibaba Group's business-to-customer platform, showed that in the first four hours after the shopping carnival officially kicked off at 8 pm on Oct 21, 174 brands saw their sales surpass 100 million yuan ($14 million). 中国科技巨头阿里巴巴集团旗下B2C平台天猫的数据显示,在“双十一”于10月21日晚8点正式拉开帷幕后的四个小时内,有174个品牌的销售额超过了1亿元人民币(约1400万美元)。 During this period, the turnover of more than 12,000 brands surged over 100 percent year-on-year and the sales of nearly 6,000 brands skyrocketed more than 500 percent compared with the same period last year. 在此期间,12000多个品牌的营业额同比增长超过100%,近6000个品牌的销售额同比增长超过500%。 The transaction volume of Apple Inc's products on Tmall exceeded 1 billion yuan within five minutes, while sales of domestic smartphone brands such as Huawei, Xiaomi and Vivo all surpassed 100 million yuan in the first four hours of the promotional event, according to Tmall. 天猫数据显示,苹果公司产品在天猫上的交易额5分钟内就突破10亿元,而华为、小米、vivo等国产智能手机品牌在促销活动的前4个小时内销售额均突破1亿元。 Consumers preferred to snap up bargains via livestreaming on e-commerce platforms, with sales from some top-tier livestreamers on Taobao Live, Alibaba's livestreaming arm, surpassing 100 million yuan within a short period. 消费者更喜欢通过电商平台上的直播抢购特价商品,阿里巴巴旗下直播平台淘宝直播上一些头部主播直播间的销售额在短时间内就突破了1亿元。 JD, another major Chinese e-commerce player, has launched a subsidy campaign worth 10 billion yuan, and given discounts for commodities included in the consumer goods trade-in program, such as home appliances and computers. It has also stepped up efforts to upgrade supply chains and logistics services. 中国另一家大型电商平台京东推出了价值100亿元的补贴活动,并为家电、电脑等以旧换新计划中的商品提供折扣。京东还加大

    11 min
  6. 2 DAYS AGO

    英语新闻丨Trump claims victory, vows to heal US

    Republican Donald Trump claimed victory on Wednesday in a tightly contested race against Vice-President Kamala Harris, a Democrat, to become the 47th president of the United States. 11月6日,美国共和党总统候选人唐纳德·特朗普在与美国现任副总统、民主党总统候选人卡玛拉·哈里斯的激烈角逐中获胜,成为美国第47任总统。 US media reported that Trump had secured more than the 270 Electoral College votes needed to clinch the presidency. 美国媒体报道称,特朗普所获选举人票已经超过当选总统所需的270张。 Trump, in a speech delivered early Wednesday at his election headquarters in West Palm Beach, Florida, promised to heal the nation. 6日凌晨,特朗普在佛罗里达州棕榈滩会议中心发表讲话,承诺将帮助美国治愈伤痛。 "We are going to help our country heal," he said. "We have a country that needs help, and it needs help very badly. We're going to fix our borders. We're going to fix everything about our country." “我们将帮助我们的国家治愈伤痛,”特朗普说,“我们的国家需要帮助,而且非常需要帮助。我们将修复我们的边界,我们将修复我们国家的一切。” Trump also said that he would unite the country, adding that the time had come to "put the division of the past four years behind us".  特朗普还表示将团结全国,并补充说,现在是时候“把过去四年的分歧抛在脑后”。 World leaders sent congratulations after Trump claimed victory in the election, signaling his political comeback four years after leaving the White House. 特朗普宣布赢得大选后,多国领导人表示祝贺,这标志着他在离开白宫四年后重返政治舞台。 French President Emmanuel Macron and other leaders of member countries of the European Union congratulated Trump, saying they were ready to work together but would defend Europe's interests. 法国总统马克龙和欧盟其他成员国领导人向特朗普表示祝贺,称他们已做好合作准备,但将捍卫欧洲的利益。 Macron was among the first to congratulate Trump, saying that he is ready to work together, just as before. But in another message on X, Macron said he also spoke with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz after Trump's election night speech to supporters.  马克龙是最先向特朗普表示祝贺的人之一,他说已准备好像过去那样共同努力。但在社交媒体X的另一条消息中,马克龙称,在特朗普大选之夜向支持者发表演讲后,他还与德国总理奥拉夫·肖尔茨进行了交谈。 France and Germany "will work for a more united, stronger, more sovereign Europe in this new context, by cooperating with the United States of America and defending our interests and our values", Macron wrote on X. 马克龙在社交媒体X上写道,法国和德国“将在新的背景下,致力于建立一个更加团结、强大和主权的欧洲,与美国合作并捍卫我们的利益和价值观”。 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement issued by his office that Trump's "return to the White House offers a new beginning for America and a powerful recommitment to the great alliance between Israel and America". 以色列总理内塔尼亚胡在其办公室发表的声明中称,特朗普重返白宫“为美国带来了新的开始,也为以色列和美国之间的伟大联盟提供了强有力的承诺”。 Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he looked forward to renewing collaboration with Trump, to strengthen the "comprehensive global and strategic partnership" between the two countries. 印度总理莫迪表示,他期待与特朗普继续合作,以加强两国之间“全面的全球战略伙伴关系”。 Japan's Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba congratulated Trump on Wednesday on his victory and expressed his wish "to take the Japan-US alliance and Japan-US relationship to new heights". 日本首相石

    5 min
  7. 3 DAYS AGO

    英语新闻丨Xi calls for stable, healthy Sino-US ties

    As President Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory message to Donald Trump on Thursday on his election as United States president, observers said that Beijing is urging Washington to tackle China-US ties with a cool head and offer the rest of the world a sense of predictability. In the message, Xi pointed out that history has shown how cooperation between China and the US can bring benefits to both sides, while rivalry can bring harm. "A China-US relationship with stable, healthy and sustainable development is in line with the common interests of the two countries and the expectations of the international community," Xi said. It is hoped that the two sides will uphold the principles of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation, strengthen dialogue and communication, properly manage differences and expand mutually beneficial cooperation, he said. Xi added that the two sides should find the right way for China and the US to get along in the new era, for the benefit of both countries as well as the world. Also on Thursday, Vice-President Han Zheng sent a message to J.D. Vance, congratulating him on his election as US vice-president. Su Xiaohui, deputy director of the Department for American Studies at the China Institute of International Studies, noted that Xi's congratulatory message reflects the importance Beijing attaches to the development of China-US ties. Through the message, "China once again underscored the significance of keeping China-US ties stable, and it pointed to the fact that the international community is looking forward to seeing the stability of the relationship", she said. "In the recent past, both sides have demonstrated their readiness to keeping the relationship away from turbulence, and have achieved some results. They should carry on this momentum and move toward the same goal," she added. This year marks the 45th anniversary of the establishment of China-US diplomatic relations. And the two nations have conducted fruitful cooperation in areas including people-to-people exchanges, counternarcotics and tackling climate change. China is now the third-largest export market for American commodities, and the US is China's third-largest trading partner, according to the Chinese embassy in the US. Observers also raised concerns that some hawkish politicians in the US may press ahead with efforts to seek economic "decoupling" with China and increase their confrontational stance on security-related issues, such as increasing tension in the Taiwan Strait. At a regular news conference of the Foreign Ministry on Thursday in Beijing, reporters raised questions about topics such as China-US trade tensions, the Taiwan question and the future of China-US ties. "I would like to reiterate that there will be no winners in a trade war and it is not beneficial to the world," said Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning. She noted that the Taiwan question is the "most important and most sensitive" issue in China-US relations. "It is China's consistent and clear position that it firmly opposes any form of official contacts between the US and Taiwan," she said. "The US government needs to earnestly abide by the one-China principle and the three China-US joint communiques, and prudently handle Taiwan-related issues, so as to avoid severe damage to China-US relations and cross-Strait peace and stability," she added. When asked what would it take to prevent the ties from veering into a disastrous scenario such as a potential hot war, Jeffrey Sachs, a professor of economics and director of the Center for Sustainable Development at Columbia University, pointed to China's core security interests. "The US has to recognize China's core security interests, including Taiwan as part of China, and the security of China's sea lanes in the South China Sea and the Indian Ocean," he said. "If the US would recognize and respect China's core security interests, relations would improve markedly," he added.

    5 min

About

Your fast way to all things China. Join the conversation!

You Might Also Like

To listen to explicit episodes, sign in.

Stay up to date with this show

Sign in or sign up to follow shows, save episodes and get the latest updates.

Select a country or region

Africa, Middle East, and India

Asia Pacific

Europe

Latin America and the Caribbean

The United States and Canada