社评：乐见美俄改善关系，北京说的很有底气

社评乐How to make the other countries believe a rapidly developing China is not a threat is really a tough issue

见美俄京说A quarter now name China as the world's leading economy, up from 14 percent the last time the Philippines was surveyed改善关At the same time, 78 percent believe the current economic situation is good, and 57 percent are satisfied with the direction of the country, a 21 percentage-point increase from 2014, the last time this question was asked in the Philippines

系北And despite the Philippines being the most pro-Trump nation in Pew's spring 37-country survey, confidence in Trump now is lower than it was in then-President Barack Obama in 2015有底The Philippines under Duterte has tried to develop an independent foreign policy rather than being a US puppet most of the time社评乐Since becoming Philippines president in June 2016, Rodrigo Duterte has refused to be used by the US to advance its strategy见美俄京说That was certainly not the policy under Obama when he launched the US pivot-to-Asia policy, trying to gang up US allies on China改善关And on global economic status, about half of Filipinos (49 percent) say that the US is still the leading economic power, but that is down from 66 percent who said so in 2015

系北The survey released on Sept 21 bore a title saying people in the Philippines still favor the United States over China, but that the gap is narrowing有底This represents a dramatic shift since that question was last asked in 2015社评乐(To overblow Chinese ship's entry, Japan's foreign ministry summoned Chinese Ambassador to Japan Cheng Yonghua in the tee hours of that day, and lodged a protest

见美俄京说)Refusing to have a territorial dispute in the East China Sea, Japan is unlikely to talk with China over its settlement, leaving the waters near the islands a minefield改善关The Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force destroyer Hatakaze quickly followed them into that area系北In response to the Hatakaze's entry, the Chinese Jiangkai I-class frigate rushed into the waters, according to the Japanese weekly Nikkei Asian Review有底Hiding the first part of the episode, the white paper criticized China for its frigate's entry into Japan's "contiguous" zone near the disputed islets in the East China Sea

On June 8, three Russian naval ships entered the waters close to the Diaoyu IslandsThe defense legislation eliminates geographic constraints by substituting a situational threshold (situations that "gravely affect the peace and stability of Japan") rather than limiting support to "situations in areas surrounding Japan"

Iowa's ties with China had already shown signs of increasingEven though Iowa is best known for its agricultural products and services, Reynolds said that advanced manufacturing is "actually the largest sector of our GDPReynolds said last month when announcing the trip that "there is no better time than now to market and pitch our products in China"We believe as a united Iowa agricultural delegation, we can find opportunities that are beneficial to both China and Iowa," Reynolds said

According to Allen Williams, the business development manager at the Iowa Economic Development Authority, the state has had more inquiries from China in recent months than in the previous two or three yearsOur relationship with the country is strong, and their growing middle class means increasing purchasing power, and Iowa stands to gain significantly as a resultUS beef had been banned from China since 2003 due to a mad cow disease scare" When Branstad was receiving a Chinese trade delegation as Iowa governor in March, he remarked that he would like to be able to enjoy a bite of US beef at the US embassy in Beijing

Meetings are planned for the delegation with Chinese government officials, industry partners and Branstad in Beijing, Shanghai and Xi'an, Shaanxi provinceIowa Governor Kim Reynolds is leading a trade mission to China that will feature officials from groups representing the state's major agricultural producers

Reynolds, who succeeded Terry Branstad as governor when he became the US ambassador to China on May 22, noted that agricultural "is the backbone of Iowa's economy and contributes about $112 billion to our economy annually""Relationships are especially important in China, and we are fortunate that Governor Branstad welcomed a then local agricultural official from China over 30 years ago into Iowa named Xi Jinping, who is now the nation's president," said Reynolds

Last year, nearly $6 billion worth of US pork was exported to China, including more than $1 billion from Iowa"We will have representatives from our corn, soybean, beef, egg, poultry, dairy and turkey sectors seeking an opportunity to expand their footprint in China as the country's middle class grows," Reynolds said of the 10-day trip, which began on WednesdayHis wish came true on June 30 in Beijing when Branstad had prime rib from Nebraska to celebrate the return of US beef to China after 13 yearsIt detailed how one particular photograph in the series depicted the daughter of the famous Chinese statesman, Zeng GuofanThe story about a collection of rare photographs of Beijing from the late 1800s, on show in London's Chinatown, included a number of images from the exhibit - one of which set Watt back on his heelsThe article explained how British photographer, Thomas Child, who had moved to China as an engineer, captured marriage ceremonies during the late Qing dynasty - which spanned from 1644 to 1912

"The display of Child's work at the China Exchange, an organization in London, was the first time US-based collector, Stephan Loewentheil, had shared the original images of life during the Qing dynasty in Peking, now known as Beijing"The family rose in importance in Shanghai from the late Qing dynasty into the twentieth century and went through more than 70 years of ups and downs until 1950," he said

While Watt's reaction to the never-before-seen photographs was by far the most compelling, the exhibition in Soho's Gerrard Street attracted worldwide attention, making headlines in the UK, the US, Europe and China"The success of the show reflected the increasing global interest in China's people and culture, as well as the interest of the people of China in preserving and studying their own history," said Loewentheil, who's Historical Photography of China Collection is the largest holding of late Qing dynasty photographs of China in private hands

"My great, great grandfather was Zeng Guofan," Watt saidThe 79-year-old never expected when he was browsing the internet that day that he would uncover a piece of family history dating back some 140 years

"It was a picture I had never seen before and my instinct told me that the subjects could be my great grandparents," he told China DailyAccording to Watt, the unique wedding photograph documents the moment of the start of the prominent Nie family in China"The groom, Nie Jigui, served as Shanghai's Governor from 1890 to 1893, died in 1911 and was buried in Hunan, while the bride, Zeng Jifen, died in 1942 and was buried in ShanghaiNot to mention, in an exhibition some 3,500 miles away from where he lived

Portrait of a womanWhen New York-based Raymond Watt came across an article on the BBC news website about a Chinese photography exhibition in the UK last November, he was shocked, to say the least"Today, Beijing is a vastly different place and the early photographs presented a perspective on the city which had never been previously available

The country, which gained independence from the United Kingdom in April 1961, remains one of the least developed in the worldIt has eight surgical operation rooms and 300 patient beds

The Chinese Navy's hospital ship Peace Ark arrives on Tuesday in Freetown, Sierra Leone, on an eight-day mission to deliver free medical services to 2,000 people in the West African nationThe visit marks the first time the ship has visited West Africa, Xinhua said

[Photo/Xinhua]The Chinese Navy's hospital ship Peace Ark is providing humanitarian medical services to the people of Sierra Leone during an ongoing port call in the West African nation, Chinese media reportedThe vessel arrived on Tuesday in Freetown, Sierra Leone's capital and largest city, which is a major port on the Atlantic OceanA nurse from China draws blood as part of an examination of a boy on the Peace Ark on Sept 21,2017Sierra Leone is the second destination for Peace Ark in its "Harmonious Mission 2017" tour

Medical personnel began examining and treating local residents immediately, Xinhua News Agency reportedIt carries a total of 115 doctors and nurses, most of them from the People Liberation Army's Naval Medical University and Navy General Hospital

Each day hundreds of Sierra Leone residents line up outside Peace Ark waiting for their turn to be diagnosed by Chinese doctors, the report said, noting that at least 2,000 residents would receive medical services during the ship's eight-day stay in FreetownThe Peace Ark left a naval port in China's Zhejiang province on July 26 to carry out its 155-day goodwill mission

It docked in Djibouti from August 23 to 31 and treated thousands of locals, Xinhua said, and made stops in Spain and Sri Lanka for resupplyOne of the world's largest hospital ships, the Peace Ark is 178 meters long