This year marks the 15th anniversary of the establishment of the China-Vietnam comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership. High-level interactions between the two countries have been frequent, and exchanges in various fields such as the economy and trade have been increasing.

At the end of November, the 12th meeting of the China-Vietnam Economic and Trade Cooperation Committee, aimed at discussing the high-quality development of bilateral economic and trade relations, was held in the Vietnamese capital of Hanoi. The Vietnam News Agency reported that enormous potential dwells in the China-Vietnam trade cooperation - a highlight in bilateral ties. Vietnamese media sources also pointed out that China has been Vietnam's largest trading partner for many years, and Vietnam is China's largest trading partner within the ASEAN.
It proves that achievements in China-Vietnam economic and trade cooperation have been highly recognized by both sides. Recently, several Chinese and Vietnamese experts, based on their own research and observations, spoke to the Global Times about the cooperation between China and Vietnam in the field of economy and trade, and expressed their optimism about future development potential.

3,000 tons of durian export to China

Bui Trong Van, former minister counselor at the Vietnamese Embassy in China, told Global Times that economic and trade cooperation between China and Vietnam has evolved from a simple trade pattern to a higher level of cooperation closely related to the industrial and supply chains. This is mainly due to the political and strategic guidance of the top leaders of both countries, as well as the continuous, stable, and healthy development of the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership between the two sides. At the same time, the two economies have great complementarities. Deepening economic and trade cooperation fully serves the fundamental interests of both countries.

Data are the most convincing evidence. In 1992, when the two countries signed the economic cooperation agreement, the bilateral trade volume was only $179 million. In 2000, trade volume between the two countries surpassed $2 billion. Statistics provided by China's customs authorities showed that the two countries' trade increased by 19.7 percent to $230.2 billion in 2021, surpassing the $200 billion mark for the first time in history. In the first 10 months of this year, the bilateral trade volume has reached $185.1 billion.

Trade growth is inseparable from the comprehensive development of port infrastructure. In recent years, both central and local governments on both sides have attached great importance to port upgrading to improve customs clearance efficiency. Cross-border ports between the two sides are connected by highways, and China's high-speed rail has been extended to border cities in Vietnam and will soon be extended to port cities.

Border trade is drawing increasing attention from both China and Vietnam. For example, Dongxing, a county-level city in South China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, is the only port city in China connected by both land and sea to Vietnam. Mong Cai is the largest, most open, and most promising economic zone in northern Vietnam.

At the end of November and the beginning of December, Dongxing and Mong Cai jointly held the 15th Vietnam-China International Trade and Tourism Fair, as well as a forum on promoting cross-border tourism between Dongxing and Mong Cai, attracting extensive media attention.

According to Vietnamese statistics, in the first 10 months of this year, Vietnam's vegetable and fruit exports to China reached $3.18 billion, a year-on-year increase of 165 percent. Among them, Vietnamese durian is a particular favorite for Chinese consumers. Since being allowed to enter the China market in July 2022, Vietnamese durian has directly promoted the surge in vegetable and fruit exports to China. A woman engaged in the fruit business in Vietnam's Long An Province told the Global Times, "In the first half of this year, my family exported over 3,000 tons of durian to China and made a lot of money."
The highlights of the China-Vietnam economic and trade cooperation are not only reflected in trade, but also in the accelerated promotion of investment and industrial cooperation.

During the first half of 2023, Global Times' special correspondent conducted an in-depth research at the industrial zones in Hanoi, Bac Ninh, Bac Giang, Hai Duong, and Hai Phong in Vietnam, and found that compared to the situation five years ago, the proportion of Chinese-funded enterprises in various industrial parks has significantly increased, and the signboards of Chinese-funded enterprises are particularly prominent. Almost all interviewed representatives of Chinese-funded enterprises stated that their decision to invest in Vietnam has turned out to be correct, and they are optimistic about Vietnam's development prospects.

According to statistics from Vietnam, China is Vietnam's sixth-largest source of foreign direct investment, with 3,949 active projects, and total registered capital exceeding $25.8 billion.

Chinese enterprise investment in Vietnam has provided employment for hundreds of thousands of local people, improved local industrial support mechanisms, and driven local export growth. For example, China's investment in the Vietnamese textile industry has increased year-on-year, and several Chinese large-scale modern textile enterprises have formed a relatively complete industrial chain locally.

The China-Vietnam economic and trade cooperation has entered a new stage of building international industrial supply chains. Vietnam imports intermediate products like industrial raw materials and mechanical equipment from China, processes and assembles them, and then exports them to other countries, including the US, South Korea, Japan, and other Southeast Asian countries. It can be seen that the China-Vietnam main industrial and supply chains naturally extend to a global industrial and supply chains. This is the most vivid embodiment of the success of jointly building the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), which is not only of important economic significance but also of important strategic significance.

Xu Liping, director of the Center for Southeast Asian Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Thursday that Vietnam regards its relationship with China as a strategic choice and a top priority in its foreign policy, and China regards Vietnam as a priority in its neighborhood diplomacy. Both sides attach great importance to their diplomatic positioning toward each other. Although Vietnam has elevated its bilateral relationships with the US and Japan to comprehensive strategic partnerships this year, its comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership with China has lasted 15 years, which is apparently long, and we have one more element - cooperation.

Gu Xiaosong, dean of the ASEAN Research Institute at the Hainan Tropical Ocean University, told the Global Times that although Vietnamese businesspeople also realize that close cooperation with China in the industrial chain and supply chain may be under US pressure, this cooperation nonetheless holds huge commercial interests. If the chain with China is cut off, it will be difficult for the Vietnamese manufacturing industry to sustain itself based solely on its own industrial foundation and manufacturing capabilities. Therefore, Vietnamese companies often take measures to avoid adverse effects from the West.

At the 12th meeting of the China-Vietnam Economic and Trade Cooperation Committee, held on November 28, the Chinese side expressed its willingness to work with Vietnam for high-quality development of bilateral economic and trade relations. China will continue to take measures to promote unimpeded trade with Vietnam, support bilateral cooperation in railway, 5G, and other infrastructure projects, accelerate investment cooperation in the digital economy and green development, and expand cooperation in agriculture, border trade, supply chains, industrial parks, and at sub-national levels. China will ensure high-quality implementation of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RECP) and accelerate the development of the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area 3.0.

Zhao Weihua, director of the Center for China's Relations with Neighboring Countries at Fudan University, told the Global Times that Vietnam views the RCEP positively, as it brings tariff reductions that benefit countries like Vietnam and promote its exports to China. Vietnam attaches great importance to exporting agricultural products to China, which is its largest export market for agricultural products.

Zhao pointed out that Vietnam also recognizes that China's demand is changing, and ordinary agricultural products can no longer meet the demand. Instead, it needs to export high-quality agricultural products.

Therefore, in the agricultural sector, Vietnam holds a welcoming attitude toward various Chinese enterprises and hopes that they can assist Vietnam in food processing in areas such as rice, tropical fruits, and aquatic products, with the end products being exported to China, he noted.

Xu, who is currently on a research visit to Vietnam, pointed out that one area of focus in the China-Vietnam economic and trade cooperation is green energy.

Vietnam, with a high demand for solar energy, needs to promote the rapid development of the photovoltaic industry, Xu said, adding that Vietnam faces significant pressure to transition to new-energy sources but lacks the necessary technological expertise. On the other hand, China has been rapidly developing in the field of new energy. This creates strong complementarities between the two countries.

China discovers 100-million-ton oil field in Bohai Sea

China's exports to the US reached 522 billion yuan ($72.52 billion) in the first two months of 2024, up 8.1 percent year-on-year, which analysts said reflects the strong competitiveness of Chinese products despite Washington's protectionism.

According to data released by the General Administration of Customs (GAC) on Thursday, the US remained China's third largest trade partner in January and February, with bilateral trade up 3.7 percent on a yearly basis to reaching 707.7 billion yuan.

China's imports from the US fell 7 percent to reach 185.7 billion yuan.

China's trade surplus with the US hit 336.3 billion yuan during the period, up 18.8 percent year-on-year, GAC data showed.

"The remarkable growth in China's export to the US during a slack season is uplifting, underscoring the important trade relations between the two countries," Zhou Mi, a senior research fellow at the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation, told the Global Times on Thursday.

Although China and the US have engaged in dialogues in a variety of fields following the meeting between the two heads of state in San Francisco in November, they failed to reach consensus in many aspects. The US needs to send more cooperation signals to the market, Zhou said.

Dismissing Western media hyping up that Mexico replaced China as the top exporter to the US in 2023, Zhou said that Chinese goods are internationally competitive, and without Washington's political interference, there is still possibility that China and the US will continue to be each other's most important trade partners.

He said there is a great potential for China to export machinery products, electric vehicles and charging equipment to the US. While the US aims to revitalize its domestic manufacturing sector, China also has advantages in exporting intermediate products and components.

In response to the US investigation into Chinese made vehicles that use "connected" car technology, Zhou said the US' protectionist moves bring harms to market stability and global industrial and supply chains.

"If the US wants to reach some achievements in climate change and green development, it should fully give play to each country's advantages across the global market and reduce the trade barriers," he said.

The "Linyi Trade City  China Aggregation" International Brand Promotion Conference themed on "Gathering and Selling of Quality Goods around the World" was held in Beijing on December 10, 2023. The conference gave a detailed introduction of the achievements of Linyi, East China's Shandong Province in the trade and logistics industry in recent years and the development and deployment of Linyi Trade City's transformation and upgrading, aiming at further enhancing the influence of Linyi Trade City's international brand and helping the investment attraction to a new level. 

Zhang Xiaobin, member of the Standing Committee of CPC Linyi Municipal Committee and head of the city's publicity department presided over the conference. More than 100 foreign envoys, heads of business associations and representatives of trade and logistics enterprises attended the event. 

Linyi is a well-known commercial city in China and the country's logistics capital. And Linyi Trade City is the city's market cluster. Linyi Trade City is a fruitful achievement of more than 40 years of reform and opening-up, and has become a world-renowned bright business card and a source of vitality for Linyi's modernization.

Ren Gang, Secretary of CPC Linyi Municipal Committee, delivered a speech at the conference. He pointed out that in recent years, based on the advantages of trade logistics, Linyi has vigorously implemented the strategy of putting trade logistics first, and cultivated Linyi Trade City, which is "buying and selling goods all over the world."

He said that at present, Linyi is in a critical period of great change. The overlapping empowerment of major policies such as "the Belt and Road Initiative" and achieving green, low-carbon and high-quality development has brought unprecedented opportunities for city's leap-forward development. Linyi will continue to optimize its business environment, actively adapt to the trend of restructuring international economic and trade rules, promote exchanges and cooperation with all partners, and strive to achieve mutual benefit and common development.

Chen Jian, former vice minister of China's Ministry of Commerce, delivered a video speech and put forward three suggestions for the next development of Linyi Trade City: First, drive the city's development to a new level through the "big channel." With the channel to bring logistics, trade and industry, the city will be able to continuously enlarge the opening-up and market advantages of Linyi Trade City; The second is to promote trade growth with digitalization as a new engine. The city will continue to accelerate the innovation of digital technology and carry out high-quality cooperation in cross-border e-commerce and mobile payment. The third is to stimulate new impetus with the construction of an excellent environment to empower the park. Strengthen the creation of an excellent business environment for the park, and make Linyi Trade City a powerful cornerstone for enterprises' development.

Awais Zafar, First Secretary of Pakistani Embassy in China, said that China-Pakistan friendship is profound and long-lasting. The development of Linyi in recent years reflects the vitality and innovation of China's economy. Building a modern commercial and logistics city not only tapped Linyi's own development potential, but also promoted it to become an important participant in the global economic structure. In the face of unprecedented cooperation opportunities, China and Pakistan will be able to further strengthen economic and cultural exchanges and expand new areas of cooperation.

Juan Xinyang, member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Linyi Municipal Committee, and Vice Mayor of Linyi, made a promotion of "Linyi Trade City · China Aggregation." He pointed out that Linyi Trade City has adhered to the integrated development of "commerce, warehouses, logistics, parks and exhibitions," accurately served and merged into the construction of "four trade cities" - digital trade city, international trade city, green trade city and chain trade city, and has developed into a pilot area of market procurement trade mode, a national logistics hub of business service, a cross-border e-commerce and a provincial "Belt and Road Initiative" comprehensive experimental area, with obvious advantages of policy superposition. Juan said the city expects domestic and foreign merchants to visit Linyi for sightseeing, negotiation and cooperation, and make new and greater contributions to comprehensively accelerating the pace of transformation and upgrading of Linyi Trade City.

At the promotion conference, Zhou Keren, former deputy minister of China's Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation, delivered a keynote speech entitled "grasping the present situation and trends of international trade development and promoting the foreign trade construction of Linyi Trade City." He pointed out that in the face of the current challenges in global trade, the city needs to respond by strengthening cooperation, promoting innovation and inclusive growth. In this process, Linyi Trade City should exert its efforts in deepening regional economic cooperation, focusing on innovative cooperation in new fields, cultivating new formats and models of digital trade, strengthening international cooperation and exchanges, and increasing the international spread of brands.

Zhu Siqiao, an associate research fellow at the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation, said that the digital economy which brings with it new innovation, strong permeability and wide coverage has become a new economic growth point, a fulcrum for transforming and upgrading traditional industries, and an important engine for building a modern industrial system. Empowering business logistics through digital technology, realizing intelligent warehousing, logistics and other scene applications, and promoting related enterprises to carry out model innovation and product innovation, which can organically link production and consumption, expand the scope of transactions, promote the deepening of division of labor, and improve production efficiency, which is of great significance to promoting the stable development of China's economy.

Yu Xinwen, CEO of Shandong Huafeng Enterprise Group, Guan Zhaojun, CEO of Shandong Lanhua Group, Sun Siyong, Chairman of Linyi Wholesale Market Group, Sun Baoan, President of the Linyi Wholesalers Association, and Li Hui, General Manager of Linyi Xinminghui Safety Technology spoke as enterprise representatives respectively.

The conference was hosted by Linyi Municipal People's Government, and jointly undertaken by Linyi Trade City Management Committee and the government of Lanshan district.

Beijing Subway on Friday issued measures to maintain normal operation of parts of the city's Changping Line including using shuttle buses to ensure normal commuter traffic, with all subway trains on above-ground and elevated lines being operated manually, at reduced speed and increased intervals between trains to ensure the safe operation during extreme weather, after a carriage disengagement incident occurred on Thursday night.

Beijing Subway apologized again on Friday over the incident, which injured more than 30 people, while putting in place measures to reduce the inconvenience to passengers. 

The Changping Line will maintain normal operation from Zhuxinzhuang Station to Changping Xishankou Station, and the section from Xi'erqi Station to Xitucheng Station. Residents can transfer to downtown via Line 8 and Line 13. Shuttle buses will be available for transportation between Xi'erqi Station and Zhuxinzhuang stations. In addition, bus services along the route will be increased to provide transportation options for commuters, according to Beijing Subway.

On Thursday evening, several videos circulating online showed that a Beijing subway Changping Line train split in the middle as carriages disengaged. Beijing Subway said a preliminary finding shows that the incident on the Changping Line was due to a vehicle malfunction.

More than 30 people were injured due to the incident and no one died. The injured are being sent to hospitals for treatment, and the cause of the accident is being investigated, according to an official announcement.

Around 10:30 pm on Thursday, the Beijing transportation authority stated that all people involved at the site had been completely evacuated and that all injured individuals had been transported to hospitals for treatment. There were no fatalities.

The authority also issued a reminder to residents that service between Xi'erqi Station and Life Science Park Station on the Changping Line has been suspended. However, service on other sections of the line is operating normally.

Beijing Subway said there was no power on the contact rails on the section from Xi'erqi station to Life Science Park station on the Changping Line (northbound). Some trains have been temporarily stopped and some have been delayed. The staff are currently organizing rescue operations.

A passenger was quoted as saying in media reports that around 6:50 pm, they heard a loud noise in front of them, and then the train stopped with "a strong sense of impact." There were many passengers in the carriage and many of them fell down.

"I was pinned down, and everyone was shouting in the dark. Fortunately, the people next to me pulled me up," the passenger recalled. "Now everyone is standing."

On-site videos show that the subway was in a suspended state, with dark and crowded carriages. Some passengers were searching for their lost phones on the floor. Many were using their phone lights to gradually walk out of the carriage and wait for rescue. The sound of nearby rescue vehicles could be heard, according to media reports.

A netizen named TY_lizhenwei said via Sina Weibo, "I never expected to experience such an incident in my life. I was near the door where the subway carriage disengaged. I am grateful that I was not injured and thank the private car driver who gave me a ride, ensuring my safe arrival home."

Another netizen expressed a wish that each worker could get home safely and early during the snowy day.

There was currently a power outage in the subway. Passengers called 110, 119 and other emergency numbers, and some rescuers were heading to the site of the incident. Some netizens also saw ambulances and fire trucks parked near the Life Science Park station. Online videos showed that passengers in the train were injured.

The meteorological information shows that on Thursday, there were moderate snow in Changping, a district in Beijing. The highest temperature during the day is -1 C, the lowest temperature at night is -6 C, and the wind is easterly.

Some passengers who were stuck in the train used survival hammers to smash the windows to escape from the train, some online videos showed.

With the highly watched trial of secessionist media tycoon Jimmy Lai taking place on Monday at West Kowloon Court, some Western politicians and media have exploited this occasion to smear the National Security Law (NSL) for Hong Kong and badmouth the rule of law in the city. Officials from both the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong have called these criticisms blatant interference in China's internal affairs, adding that any attempts to slander, disrupt and sabotage the NSL for Hong Kong will never succeed.

Lai, wearing a light gray suit jacket, was escorted into the courtroom on Monday morning. Presided over by three national security law designated judges, the prosecution's first charge was "conspiracy to print, publish, sell, offer for sale, distribute, display, or reproduce seditious publications."

The three judges overseeing Lai's trial are Madam Justices Esther Toh Lye-ping and Susana D'Almada Remedios, and Mr Justice Alex Lee Wan-tang, according to Hong Kong media.

Lai, along with three companies related to Apple Daily and six former senior executives of Apple Daily, are charged with conspiring to collude with foreign or external forces to endanger national security and conspiracy to publish seditious publications. In addition, Lai faces two charges of violating national security laws, including conspiring with individuals such as wanted fugitive Andy Li Yu-hin and others to collude with foreign countries or overseas forces. The trial is expected to last 80 days.

Representatives from the consulates of more than 10 countries, including the US, the UK, Australia, Canada, and the EU, were also seen lining up to wait for tickets to enter the court to observe the trial, some local media said.

At a press conference on Monday, Wang Wenbin, spokesperson of the Chinese Foreign Ministry, said Lai is a major mastermind and participant of the anti-China riots in Hong Kong. "He is an agent and pawn of the anti-China forces, and the person behind the riots in Hong Kong. What he did was detrimental to Hong Kong's prosperity and stability and the wellbeing of the people in Hong Kong. The Hong Kong law enforcement and judicial authorities have handled and tried the case in accordance with the law."

As for the US' and UK's statements, making such irresponsible comments on an ongoing judicial process is against the principle of the rule of law, the international law and the basic norms governing international relations, Wang said. "This is politically motivated and one hundred percent double standard. China firmly rejects this."

Some legal experts in Hong Kong say that despite of international political and public opinion pressure, the trial will become a classic case in upholding national security in Hong Kong, fully reflecting the independence of the city's judiciary, the spirit of the rule of law, and the professional integrity of its judges.

Evidence is demonstrated in the courtroom, witnesses are subpoenaed and cross-examined by both the prosecutor and the defendants' counsels and the court hearing is open to the public, and thereby a fair and just trial is secured, Chu Kar-kin, a veteran commentator based in the HKSAR and member of the Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macao Studies, told the Global Times on Monday.

The verdict is determined by law and by facts. An appeal mechanism is available in Hong Kong, and defendants can appeal against convictions and sentencing, Chu said.

"The legal system in Hong Kong is based on the rule of law and so-called 'political prosecution' never exists in this jurisdiction."

"I think the US and the West have double standards, because Hong Kong relies on the rule of law. Since someone has violated the law, they must be punished," former member of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress Tam Yiu-chung told the Global Times on Monday.

"No matter what his background is, he must be prosecuted according to legal procedures. Other countries should not interfere in this matter and should not affect the work of the law," Tam said.

Lai's case also has a milestone significance, some experts said, as it shows that challenging national security and violating national security laws are absolutely not allowed, and all those who violate the law will be punished.

While the US and the West talk about the rule of law, they are using Lai's case to wreak havoc on Hong Kong's rule of law and judicial independence, a spokesperson from the Commissioner's Office of the Chinese Foreign Ministry in Hong Kong said on Monday.

Their "clever excuses" for criminals have no other use than adding more evidence to Lai's charges of colluding with external forces, the spokesperson said.

Star hurdler Wu Yanni finished her FISU Games campaign with a sensational 12.76 seconds in the women's 100 meters hurdles, winning a silver medal for China. 

At the Shuangliu Sports Centre Stadium in Chengdu, capital of Southwest China's Sichuan Province, Wu, a Sichuan-born athlete who is now studying at Beijing Sports University, became the top star of the night. 

"I have broken my personal best twice today. I think the main reason lies not in me but the overwhelming support I have received," Wu told the Global Times. 

"Competing at home makes me more relaxed and gives me more impetus rather than pressure."

Wu was born in Zigong, a southern Sichuan city, and started her hurdling career in neighboring city Neijiang.

Wu had renewed a short-lived personal best of 12.86 seconds in the semifinals, 0.01 seconds better than her previous set in 2021, before shaving off another 0.1 seconds in the final.

The result is enough for her to qualify for the Paris Olympics, as the result surpassed the 12.77-second entry requirement. 

"It is my love of the hurdles that allows me to go through all the difficulties," Wu said. 

"I also hope my enthusiasm for the sport can inspire more young people to feel the glamour of Chinese athletics and get out of their own comfort zone."

Wu's teammate Lin Yuwei of East China Normal University finished in fifth place in the final with 13.03 seconds. 

Wu's result of 12.76 seconds in the final has also surpassed the qualifying benchmark for the world athletics championships which will be held from August 19 to 27 in Budapest, Hungary, but the result came too late for the worlds. 

"I always believe that we Chinese female hurdlers are the best," Wu said after the race. 

"I don't mean to say I will win a medal for China at the Asian Games, but I will do my best and progress little by little."

The Asian Games will be held in Hangzhou, East China's Zhejiang Province from September 23 to October 8. 

Taking after China's athletics great Liu Xiang, who won an Olympics 110 meters hurdles gold medal in 2004 in Athens, Wu has set her sights on becoming a female hurdling star.

"I want to become the woman that makes people know about women's 100 meters hurdles," Wu told reporters. "I want Chinese female hurdlers to appear on the international stage more often. It doesn't matter whether it's me or any other female athletes to do so."

Wu points to the sky every time she hits the track, prompting many netizens online to copy her gesture.

"The gesture is cool and fits me well I think. It means I have set my goals for the Paris Olympics," Wu told reporters. 

Wu also spoke about the recent evacuation and rescue efforts in northern China, which has been hit by torrential rains and floods.

"My achievement belongs to every Chinese," Wu told reporters. "I hope people impacted by the floods will come back safe as well as everyone who made efforts to alleviate the disaster."

Viktoria Forster of Slovakia won the gold medal with a personal best of 12.72 seconds. The bronze medal went to Jyothi Yarraji of India who finished in 12.78 seconds. 

Yarraji thanked China for allowing her to qualify for the Paris Olympics. 

"Thank you so much, China. It was a wonderful competition that makes me able to qualify for the Olympics," Yarraji told reporters, before noting she will come back to China for the Asian Games in September. 

Other achievements of the night came from Sarah Keskitalo, representing Finland but was born in China, setting a personal best of 13.17 seconds in the semifinal. 

Both competing in the last subdivision of the day, the men's team and the women's team of artistic gymnastics of Team China gave their home crowd performances worth waiting, both bagging gold medals. 

On Monday night, an enthusiastic crowd filled the Huanglong Sports Centre Gymnasium and burst into biggest cheers and applaud for the girls of the Chinese team. With a very young squad aged from 15 to 22, the girls snatched a team gold medal despite a few glitches during the beam competitions. 

"Even if there were various degrees of faults during the competition, everybody has worked hard and adjusted out mindset," 15-year-old Zhang Xinyi said to the reporters after the game. "We were able to adapt quickly and get ready for the next events."

Zhang also credited their victory to the team and the crowd. "The audience was very enthusiastic, cheering us on," she said. 

The team compiled the top team scores on each of the four apparatuses. After the match, the team dedicated their victory to team spirit and perseverance.

Japan ranked closely behind China, while North Korea snatched  bronze. 

During the competition, the members of the Chinese team and the members of the Japanese team displayed a warm and friendly attitude to each other, cheering for the other team's athletes when they were switching apparatuses. 

Speaking to the Global Times, Zhang said that they would like to encourage each other even if it was a competition. 

"Whilst in the match, we both cheered each other on. We respect each other," she told the Global Times.

"Even if we're from different countries, we can cheer each other on," Japan's Mikako Serita told the Global Times. "The Chinese gymnasts were waving at us and we felt the friendly vibe."

"To put it simply, I think gymnastics is a great sport," she said.

Earlier on Sunday night, China's men's team also finished with gold, while Japan and Chinese Taipei were silver and bronze medalists. 

"Our preparations were actually very thorough, but we still encountered some difficulties," said Xiao Ruoteng of Team China.

Xiao credited the enthusiastic crowd for inspiring and empowering his team. "We felt the audience cheering us on, and it felt like there was still a strong force behind us pushing us forward," he added.

The artistic gymnastics team finals also served as qualification games for the all-around and apparatus finals. During Monday's competitions, veteran gymnast Oksana Chusovitina also earned the loudest cheers from the crowd. 

The 48-year-old eight-time-Olympian performed well enough to qualify for the vault apparatus final. She blew a kiss and showed a heart-shape with her arms to the supporting Chinese audience. 

"As long as I enjoy gymnastics, I don't know when I will finish," Chusovitina said after the game, expressing her love for the sport.

Think Like A Dog, the China-US co-produced film, hit the big screen on Saturday at the ongoing 19th Chinese American Film Festival and the Chinese American ­Television Festival in Los Angeles, the US.

Nearly 200 families watched the film at an Alhambra theater in Los Angeles County and celebrated the "Happy Family Day" held on the sidelines of the festivals.

The film, which won the award for Best China-US Co-Production Film, follows the adventures of a Chinese boy named Xiaoxiao and his American friend Oliver. 

When Oliver discovers a way to hear his dog's thoughts, he joins forces with his furry friend to find a way to keep their family together.

Addressing the event, US Congresswoman Judy Chu said the movie is a "unique blend" of Chinese and American cultures, appealing to a global audience.

The Chinese American film and TV festivals kicked off in Los Angeles on Wednesday evening, with over 500 film and television entries received. A total of 10 films won the Golden Angel Award at the event.

Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has conceded defeat in the country's landmark referendum on an Indigenous Voice to Parliament, and vowed continued efforts to address disadvantages faced by First Australians.

Speaking in Canberra on Saturday night hours after polls closed, Albanese said it was clear a majority of Australians had voted against changing the constitution to establish an Indigenous advisory body to the federal parliament.

"My fellow Australians, at the outset, I want to say that while tonight's result is not one that I had hoped for, I absolutely respect the decision of the Australian people and the democratic process that has delivered it," he said.

"I never imagined or indeed said that it would be easy. History told us that only eight out of 44 had done so," he said, adding that "and of course, when you do the hard things, when you aim high, sometimes you fall short. And tonight we acknowledge, understand and respect that we have."

In order to be successful, the "yes" vote needed to achieve a double majority, meaning more than 50 percent of Australia's 17.6 million enrolled voters as well as a majority in at least four of the country's six states needed to vote in favor of changing the constitution.

With 60 percent of votes counted by the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) as of 10 p.m. Australian Eastern Daylight Time (AEDT) (1100 GMT) on Saturday, 59 percent of Australians had voted "no", including a majority in all six states.

Albanese, an advocate of the Voice since it was first proposed in 2017, said it was time for Australians to come together to address disadvantages faced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, including lower life expectancy and higher rates of incarceration, disease and suicide than the non-Indigenous population.

"A great nation like ours can and must do better for the First Australians," Albanese said.

"We intend as a government to continue to do what we can to close the gap, to do what we can to advance reconciliation, to do what we can to listen to the First Australians."

Peter Dutton, the leader of the opposition Coalition parties and a leading campaigner for the "no" vote - said the result was "good for our country."

"The Coalition, local Australians, wants to see Indigenous disadvantage addressed. We just disagree on the Voice being the solution," he said in a speech to a campaign event, "and while Yes and No voters may hold differences of opinion, these opinions of difference do not diminish a love for our country or our regard for each other."