News

China-Argentina Cooperation

May 17， Beijing： Chinese President Xi Jinping presents a welcome ceremony for his Argentine counterpart Mauricio Macri before their meeting.

During the talks， Xi noted that this year marks the 45th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Argentina. He urged expanded cooperation in areas like infrastructure and energy and praised the progress of existing major cooperation projects in hydroelectricity and railways.

Macri said Argentina is ready to work with China to promote balanced development of trade and reinforce cooperation in areas such as investment， finance， agriculture， science， culture and soccer.

After the meeting， 16 cooperative documents between China and Argentina were signed， covering fields including energy， sports and infrastructure.

First Chinese-Made Aircraft Carrier

April 26， Dalian， Liaoning Province： China officially launches its first completely self-made aircraft carrier， a milestone for its navy.

The ship is the largest and most sophisticated surface vessel that China has ever built. Construction began in November 2013 and work in the dry dock started in March 2015. According to the military， the new aircraft carrier will be fitted with interior equipment and electronic systems in the next phase， before weaponry is installed. Mooring trials will be conducted to test the durability of the carrier’s overall design and equipment.

The aircraft carrier will have a displacement of about 60，000 metric tons and a conventional propulsion system. China’s homegrown J-15 fighter jets and other ship-borne aircraft will operate from the carrier in the future.

Mining Combustible Ice

May 16， Zhuhai， Guangdong Province： Flames spout from the trial mining site in the Shenhu area of the South China Sea. China has succeeded in collecting samples of combustible ice， a historic breakthrough that could lead to a global energy revolution.

The project marked China’s first success in mining flammable ice at sea， after nearly two decades of continuous efforts and independent innovations in natural gas hydrate exploration and exploitation. International scientific circles believe that the natural gas hydrate is the optimal replacement for oil and natural gas. As an efficient， abundant and clean energy， it is also strategically important for future global energy development. Experts have asserted that this development shows that China has mastered combustible ice mining technology. However， this is still one step of a complex journey. A long road lies ahead before natural gas hydrate replaces all dirtier fuels.

Racing the Dragon Boat

May 4， Suining， Sichuan Province： Dragon boat racers practice in preparation for the activities of the Dragon Boat Festival， which fell on May 30 this year.

With a history of over 2，000 years， the festival’s origin is traced to the death of great patriotic poet Qu Yuan（340-278 BC）， and it is celebrated in various ways throughout regions of China and neighboring countries. Dragon boat racing and eating zongzi （sticky rice dumplings in bamboo leaves） are the two most well-known traditions. Legend holds that the race originates from the idea of the people who rowed to save Qu Yuan when he drowned himself， with zongzi made to feed the fish in the river to protect his body.

In some regions of China， it’s also a day of hygiene， on which people use herbs to dispel disease and insects. For example， they wear a perfume pouch or hang mugwort leaves or calamus on their doors.