The chief executive of Dutch semiconductor equipment maker ASML, which has been caught up in Washington's technology crackdown on China, said reportedly that US-led restrictions on the company's exports to China are becoming more "economically motivated" over time, noting that "there will be more pushback."
The remark shows the rising pressure imposed by the US on its allies in order to restrict chip equipment export to China. The restrictions have negatively impacted the profits of ASML and other similar companies, experts said on Thursday.
The experts said that the serious disruption of global chip chains by the US will backfire on Western companies as they may lose the Chinese market in the long run. "I think to make the case that this is about national security is getting harder and harder," Christophe Fouquet, the chief executive of ASML, said on Wednesday at a Citi conference in New York, Reuters reported.
"Most probably there will be more pressure for restrictions, but I also think there will be more pushback and I think we have to hope we reach a certain equilibrium, because as a business what we all want is a bit of clarity, a bit of stability," Fouquet said.
US pressure on its allies to restrict China's access to semiconductor manufacturing tools has directly affected companies like ASML, especially since they may lose the important Chinese market in the long run, Li Yong, a senior research fellow at the China Association of International Trade, told the Global Times on Thursday.
The market won't support the economic coercion by the US, while strong demand for mature chips has driven the rapid development of China's semiconductor sector lately, analysts said.
Fu Liang, a veteran industry expert, told the Global Times on Thursday that Western companies including ASML are unlikely to abandon the vast Chinese market, and they will walk a fine line of complying with US rules while still serving their Chinese clients.
To further enhance the continuous power supply capacity of the large power grid and improve the power supply reliability from 220 kV Huanggong Substation in Jinghe county, Bortala Mongolian Autonomous Prefecture to Jilintai Hydropower Station in Yili Kazak Autonomous Prefecture, on August 16, staff members of State Grid Bortala Power Supply Company went to 220 kV Huanglin Line I and Line II to carry out inspection of the operation status of mountainous area lines and maintenance of pole number plates.
220 kV Huanglin Line I and Line II were put into operation in 2003 and 2005 respectively. They are important connecting lines between the power grid of Bortala Prefecture and the main power grid of Xinjiang region. Due to the complex terrain and high altitude, inspection is difficult. The inspectors adopted the traditional foot patrol inspection method and conducted a one-by-one inspection of foundation burial, tower material deformation, foundation scouring, geological cracks, ground clearance, and the integrity of pole number plates.
As an important sign of transmission lines, the pole number plate is the "identity card" of power lines. It not only shows the name and direction of the line but also undertakes the role of safety warning. Due to long-term sunlight and long-term rain washing, the color marks and fonts on most tower identification signs are blurred. Some are not firmly installed and get lost, bringing a lot of inconvenience to inspection work. For the pole number plates found to be faded, damaged, or missing, operation and maintenance personnel immediately carry out maintenance and replacement.
"After replacing the pole number plates, we will continue to investigate potential line hazards and defects to ensure zero hazards and zero defects in power supply. In the later stage, the 'manual + drone' method will be used to increase the intensity of line inspection." said Liang Wei, the person in charge of the transmission maintenance class of State Grid Bortala Power Supply Company.
It is understood that the company has strengthened the inspection of the operation status of mountainous area lines of 220 kV Huanglin Line and the maintenance of pole number plates. A total of 168 mountainous area towers have been inspected and 295 pole number plates have been maintained.
China’s Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) on Tuesday announced decisive countermeasures against Canada, including plans to initiate dispute settlement proceedings at WTO and launch anti-discriminatory probes, in response to Canada’s decision to impose hefty additional tariffs on Chinese products, including electric vehicles (EVs), steel and aluminum.
Chinese officials and experts stressed that the countermeasures are in line with Chinese laws and regulations as well as WTO rules, and slammed that Canada’s move in lockstep with the US and the EU is egregious in nature and violates WTO rules.
Among the countermeasures is a decision to initiate dispute settlement proceedings against Canada’s additional tariff against Chinese EVs and other products at the WTO to safeguard the interests of its industries.
In addition, China will launch an anti-discriminatory investigation into Canada’s decision of imposing additional tariffs on Chinese EVs, steel and aluminum, based on the Article 7 and Article 36 of China’s Foreign Trade Law.
The Article 7 of China’s Foreign Trade Law clearly stipulates that in the event that any country or region applies prohibitive, restrictive or other like measures on a discriminatory basis against China in respect of trade, China may, as the case may be, take countermeasures against the country or region in question.
The Article 36 of China’s Foreign Trade Law states that the authority responsible for foreign trade under the State Council may give a notice to the public the activities in violation of this Law for impairing foreign trade order.
The MOFCOM said that it will take subsequent measures based on the actual situation. Industry insiders said that the anti-discriminatory probe is the first of its kind, and is in line with both Chinese laws and WTO rules.
Also on Tuesday, the MOFCOM announced that at the request of domestic industry, China will launch an anti-dumping investigation into canola seeds imported from Canada, in better responding to industry concerns and in order to safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of the domestic enterprises.
In 2023, Canada’s exports of canola seeds to China reached $3.47 billion, increasing 170 percent year-on-year, even as prices continuously dropped, according to the MOFCOM. Affected by Canada’s unfair competition, Chinese domestic industries continue to suffer losses, the ministry said.
In addition, China also plans to launch an anti-dumping probe into relevant chemical products from Canada based on application filed by Chinese domestic industries, the MOFCOM announced.
“China’s attitude is very clear and it will take all necessary measures to defend the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese companies,” the MOFCOM said, while announcing the measures.
China Anti-Doping Agency (CHINADA) on Wednesday blasted a report by The New York Times published on Tuesday, which it says distorts and misrepresents facts about two elite Chinese swimmers who tested positive for a banned substance in 2022 and were found no wrongdoing in the case.
According to CHINADA, the athletes were provisionally suspended after trace amounts of the anabolic steroid metandienone were found in their tests.
After an extensive investigation, which included testing meat samples and nutritional supplements, the exact source of contamination could not be determined, CHINADA said, as it concluded that the athletes had ingested the steroid unwittingly and cleared them of wrongdoing in late 2023.
The results of such cases, where athletes are found to be without fault or negligence, are not made public to protect the athletes' rights, CHINADA said. This decision allowed the swimmers to resume competition after being provisionally suspended for over a year.
The decision was communicated to WADA and World Aquatics (WA), both of which endorsed CHINADA's findings.
CHINADA accused The New York Times of politicizing doping issues and attempting to disrupt the competitive environment of the Paris Olympics.
"The New York Times' insistence on politicizing the doping issue and frequently sensationalizing the global problem of food contamination is aimed at disrupting the order of the Paris Olympics swimming competition and undermining the psychological state and competitive ability of Chinese athletes," CHINADA said in its statement. "This is extremely unfair and unethical."
The organization highlighted that meat contamination with banned substances is a global issue, with similar cases occurring in many countries.
The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has also reviewed the Chinese athletes' case, which found no evidence to dispute the contamination scenario, it said in a statement released on Tuesday.
WADA acknowledged the complexity of food contamination cases and emphasized the need for ongoing review and investigation into such incidents globally.
It also noted the prevalence of contamination cases worldwide and announced an investigation into the scale and risk of meat contamination with metandienone in China and other countries.
CHINADA highlighted a similar case involving American sprinter Erriyon Knighton, who tested positive for the anabolic steroid trenbolone but was cleared by the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) to compete at the Paris Olympics, citing meat contamination.
The China Anti-Doping Agency (CHINADA) on Thursday called for an independent investigation into the actions of the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), following latest revelations about the USADA's misconduct.
According to a Reuters report published on Wednesday, USADA has been implicated in serious violations of anti-doping regulations, allowing athletes who had doped to compete for years, without ever publishing or sanctioning their rule violations.
The Chinese anti-doping body emphasizes that USADA's actions severely compromised the integrity of sports, as it lacks transparency and operates with double standards.
"USADA has long ignored its own anti-doping shortcomings while attempting to impose double standards on other countries, exposing its hypocritical and inconsistent approach to anti-doping enforcement," CHINADA said in a statement sent to the Global Times.
This is the fifth statement that CHINADA has released since July to demand transparency and justice from the USADA for athletes.
The US hype since April 2024 on a 2021 food contamination case of Chinese swimmers had led to an excessive anti-doping testing scheme against Chinese athletes ahead of and during the Paris 2024 Olympics to prove their cleanness.
"The US' ultimate goal is to prevent China from advancing," Shen Yi, director of the International Research Institute of Global Cyberspace Governance at Fudan University, told the Global Times on Thursday.
"Before the Paris Olympics, the hype on Chinese swimmers has been used to weaponize the anti-doping system. The aim is no longer to detect doping but to disrupt Chinese athletes' training and competition schedules under the guise of proving China's integrity," Shen said.
The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) said Wednesday that USADA's actions are "in direct contravention of the World Anti-Doping Code and USADA's own rules."
These athletes were allowed to act as "undercover informants" for USADA, which is a practice that WADA instructed USADA to desist in 2021.
"This USADA scheme threatened the integrity of sporting competition, which the Code seeks to protect," WADA said in the statement. "By operating it, USADA was in clear breach of the rules."
International Olympic Committee (IOC) spokesperson Mark Adams expressed support for WADA on Thursday, saying the IOC will continue to work with its stakeholders to make sure there are "good and robust" anti-doping systems.
WADA highlighted that since 2011 USADA permitted at least three athletes who tested positive for steroids and erythropoietin (EPO) to continue competing until their retirement.
CHINADA's latest statement also suspects whether USADA's board and the US Congress were aware of these breaches and the associated security risks. It calls for USADA to publicly disclose the details of the implicated cases and respond to public concerns. "We strongly call on the US Congress and the USADA Board of Directors to face up to the grave problem of doping in the US itself and the serious governance flaw in USADA," CHINADA said in the statement. "The US should enhance oversight and regulation of USADA, strengthen domestic anti-doping efforts, and immediately cease the overreach and interference in other countries' anti-doping efforts," CHINADA said.
Earlier on the same day, CHINADA, in a separate statement, called for intensified testing on US athletes to rebuild global trust in fair play, as US Olympic sprinting star Erriyon Knighton tested positive for banned steroid trenbolone during an out-of-competition test in March 2024 but was still allowed to compete in Paris.
Shang Ximeng, a research fellow at the Center for International Sport Communication and Diplomacy Studies at the Beijing Foreign Studies University, said the US has always been an exception in anti-doping efforts. "Despite that Chinese sports authorities did not target American athletes in a similar manner like the US hype did on Chinese athletes, the Chinese delegation still faces a lot of criticism in Paris," Shang told the Global Times. "China has demonstrated its integrity through more frequent testing, but this approach may not be the best way to protect the Chinese athletes' rights."
The doping disputes between China and the US are a microcosm of the broader strategic rivalry between the two countries, Shen Yi said.
CHINADA strongly called on the International Testing Agency (ITA) to intensify testing on the US track and field athletes, and recommended that the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) strengthen anti-doping supervision of the US Track and Field, prevent the doping risks and strictly investigate relevant cases in an endeavor to truly protect the legitimate rights and interests of the clean athletes around the world and to rebuild the trust of global athletes in fair play.
Chinese athletes should be subject to the same doping standards and procedures as their US counterparts, without any double standards, Shen noted.
"The US has turned anti-doping measures into a tool to suppress countries outside the Western sphere, creating an unfair competitive environment for athletes from other nations," Shen told the Global Times. "If the US finds this unacceptable, then the US must adhere to China's standards and practices."
Chinese President Xi Jinping and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Thursday exchanged congratulatory messages on the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and Brazil, with experts saying that the two sides are expected to continue promoting exchanges in all areas underpinned by economic and trade cooperation.
China is ready to work with Brazil to take the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties as a new starting point to jointly promote the building of a China-Brazil community with a shared future, Xi said in his congratulatory message to Lula, the Xinhua News Agency reported on Thursday.
China and Brazil, both major developing countries and key emerging markets, are like-minded good friends and partners that join hands and move forward together, Xi said.
For his part, Lula said over the past half century, the friendship between Brazil and China has been strengthened, and cooperation has become increasingly diversified, according to Xinhua.
Brazil-China ties are becoming increasingly important for building the multipolar order, as well as a more just and effective global governance, Lula said, adding that bilateral ties play an underpinning role in the stability and predictability of the two countries and the world. He said that for the next 50 years of bilateral relations, the two countries will chart a new course together and create a bright shared future.
Lula said at an event on Wednesday that he will discuss a "long-term strategic partnership" with China later this year, Reuters reported on Wednesday.
The close ties between China and Brazil span many years, and Lula's remarks indicate that Brazil is looking to extend and advance the relationship with China, Dong Jingsheng, deputy director of Peking University's Latin America Research Center, told the Global Times on Thursday.
"The economies of the two sides enjoy considerable complementarity, making it possible to provide favorable conditions to advance the cooperation in other fields of the two countries." Dong noted.
Dong also believed that trade and economic relations serve as the foundation of the relationship between China and Brazil, as well as China's cooperation with other countries in Latin America, which in turn encourages political trust and people-to-people exchanges.
The rapid development of China-Brazil ties contributes not only to the economic and social development of the two countries, but also facilitates the engagement of Global South countries, analysts said, noting that this injects momentum into the transformation of the international system and the reform of the global governance system.
A breach in a dike along a river in Chifeng city, North China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, measuring 11 meters long, flooded 9,000 mu (600 hectares) of farmland. Following overnight efforts by local rescue teams, the breach was fully sealed by midday on Wednesday, according to China Central Television.
A total of 821 residents had been relocated with no casualties reported so far, CCTV reported.
According to the local flood control and drought relief headquarters in Chifeng, a breach occurred along a section of the dike alongside the Laoha River in Songshan district on Tuesday, with the depth of the floodwater reaching as deep as 2.5 meters, Xinhua News Agency reported on Tuesday.
The city immediately launched an IV-level emergency response for flood control and dispatched rescue forces to evacuate local residents and carry out rescue work. A total of 821 residents from 112 households from two villages were relocated to nearby temporary accommodation, local primary schools or clinics, with no casualties reported, according to Xinhua.
Despite of a round 9,000 mu of farmland was reported as being flooded, the floodwater did not flow into the village.
Following an all-out effort by rescue forces made up of over 700 people from the military, armed police, fire fighter department and other professional rescue forces, the breach was closed by 4.5 meters as of 5:30 am on Wednesday, Xinhua reported on Wednesday.
On Tuesday, the State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters dispatched an expert team to Inner Mongolia to assist and guide flood control and disaster relief work. The Ministry of Emergency Management urgently deployed 100 personnel and 35 rescue equipment units from a natural disaster engineering rescue base in Tangshan city, North China’s Hebei Province to the site and coordinated with surrounding state-owned enterprises to mobilize 460 personnel, 56 equipment units, and four helicopters, according to media reports.
The Ministry of Water Resources on Tuesday activated a major flood and drought disaster dispatch and command mechanism, conducting consultations to assess the scope of the flood’s impact. They issued eight targeted emergency response recommendations, including immediately delineating the risk area affected by the breach, ensuring the immediate evacuation of all personnel within the risk area, and closing all reservoirs upstream of the breach. Authorities from Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region also dispatched experts to provide on-site guidance, China Central Television reported on Tuesday.
The Paris 2024 Olympic Games concluded on Sunday with Team China winning 40 gold, 27 silver and 24 bronze medals, with the result marking the best performance for Team China in the Olympic Games held overseas.
Chinese analysts said this proves that the success of Chinese modernization can bring not only economic growth, but also can benefit the development of public health, as well as the environment for sports industries, to effectively energize "sports for all."
This is the core reason why so many talented young athletes can continuously emerge from China's 1.4 billion population in the past decades, and they can also break world records in sports that have been dominated by the US and other Western countries for a long time, experts said.
Making history
Counting from China's first Olympic gold medal in 1984 thanks to Xu Haifeng's shooting prowess, China successfully surpassed the 300-gold medal mark in Paris. Over the past 40 years, Chinese sports have evolved from achieving occasional standout performances to becoming an undeniable powerhouse of global sports.
"The Chinese sports delegation achieved a record-breaking performance, winning 40 gold, 27 silver, and 24 bronze medals across 11 major events and 14 sub-events, totaling 91 medals. This marks the best result for China in the Olympic Games held overseas since it began participating in the Summer Olympics in 1984," Zhou Jinqiang, vice chief of the Chinese delegation, told a news conference in Paris on Sunday.
Zhou also noted that Chinese athletes, whether during competitions or when interacting with the media, displayed grace, natural friendliness and an evident love for their country and pride in being Chinese.
Historic breakthroughs were made by Chinese athletes at the Paris Olympics in sports such as tennis, artistic swimming, rhythmic gymnastics and BMX cycling.
Chinese swimmers, delivering their performances under an excessive doping test regime after US hype put international bodies under pressure, collected a total of two gold, three silver and seven bronze medals at the Paris Olympics. One of the highlights in the pool was the men's 4x100m medley relay when team Chinese upended the US' dominance in the discipline for 40 years. The groundbreaking victory produced a powerful riposte to the doubts and disregard that overshadowed the Chinese swimming team in Paris.
Olympic women's tennis singles gold medalist, 21-year-old Zheng Qinwen, advised people to dare to dream as it could propel one to strive for future success after her epic win at Roland Garros. Zheng is the first Asian athlete to win an Olympic tennis singles gold medal.
Eighteen-year-old freestyle BMX cyclist Deng Yawen noted that her pride and confidence has solidified when she heard the national anthem at the award ceremony, after she claimed China's first gold medal in BMX cycling.
Chinese gen-Z athletes such as female table tennis star Sun Yingsha and female badminton silver medalist He Bingjiao also contribute some charming sportsmanship moments, such as taking selfies with athletes from North Korea and South Korea, and bringing a pin of Spain to the podium to show respect to wounded Spanish badminton player.
Success of modernization
Ming Jinwei, a former journalist and media commentator, told the Global Times on Sunday that through watching the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, the Chinese public is becoming more rational and mature in understanding the performance of Chinese athletes in Olympic competition. "On one hand, we feel pride and joy when we win gold medals, on the other, we also encourage and cheer everyone who tries their best but fails to win golds."
More importantly, more and more Chinese people have learnt that some Western countries, especially the US, care very much about the medal table and they will use every tool they have to win medals, including doping which was exposed by the media. The US will also use its influence among media and international organizations to stigmatize and add obstacles to suppress the countries that able to challenge it on the medal tally, said experts.
This makes Chinese people clearly understand the nature of international sports - it is a competition of countries' comprehensive national strengths in peace time, and they will not just sit and watch some countries to unfairly manipulate the Olympics. They will support China to not only compete in the arenas but also compete on other relevant fronts and areas to make sure the rules of Olympic Games and other international sports remain fair and clean, analysts said.
Ming said that winning Olympic gold medals is not only pride for an athlete or a team, but also proof of a country's comprehensive national strength and the sports capability of a nation. It will greatly promote a country's international image and activate patriotism and a sense of honor among the people of this country, so it is extremely valuable and all countries will fight for it.
Li Xiang, a sports journalist and media commentator who covered Paris 2024, told the Global Times on Sunday that some countries also have huge populations and they are major global economies, but they won few gold medals in the Olympic Games, because economic size and population are not equal to modernization. Team China's performance in past decades is proof of a successful Chinese modernization.
"Modernization has enabled the 1.4 billion Chinese people to participate in sports in all kinds of infrastructures, to watch sports via 5G networks at any place at any time, and also realize economic growth and find business interests through sports. This is what successful modernization looks like," Li noted.
