PADDLER CO-CHAIRS ITTF ATHLETES COMMISSION

Chinas Liu Shiwen and Indias Sharath Kamal Achanta were elected as joint chairs of the International Table Tennis Federation （ITTF） Athletes Commission ahead of the ITTF Summit in Amman， Jordan， on December 2.

Liu， 31， was a member of Chinas gold medal-winning team at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games and took silver in the mixed doubles in Tokyo 2020. She is a five-time World Cup， one-time World Championships， three-time ITTF World Tour Grand Finals and fourtime Asian Cup champion.

This is the first time the ITTF Athletes Commission has elected two chairs—one woman and one man—to lead the body， which is regarded as the voice of table tennis athletes in the federation.

Telekinetic Tech

Economic Daily December 5

Recently， Elon Musk， co-founder of Neuralink， shared a video of a monkey with one of the companys brain implants “telekinetically” typing characters on a computer screen. The company is seeking government approval to test the technology on humans， which， according to Musk， could begin in as little as six months.

Based on research first undertaken in the 1970s， brain-computer interface（BCI） technology strives to directly connect human brain activity to external devices， aiding those with disabilities and ultimately releasing humans from many physical limitations.

Powered by recent breakthroughs in core technologies， interventional BCI allows for a minimally invasive surgical procedure that prevents irreversible brain damage， a common side effect of traditional BCI.

Despite technological difficulties and ethical issues， including a lack of ethical standards and relevant policies to safeguard technological development， one must face the fact that the future will soon arrive with all its challenges and opportunities.

Hopefully， with the continued convergence of machine and human intelligence， the technology will one day offer patients suffering from physical and neurological impairments an increased quality of life.

Mercantile Metropolis

Oriental Outlook November 24

Situated in the heartland of the Pearl River Delta， Guangzhou， capital of Guangdong Province， has long been a major gateway for foreign trade.

As a key terminus of the ancient Maritime Silk Road， Guangzhou became one of the cities spearheading Chinas reform and opening-up agenda. Now， it is part of the GuangdongHong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area， a newly integrated megalopolis on the countrys southern coast.

Having become a world-class factory hub， the city is now shifting its focus from low-end manufacturing to hi-tech industries.

The electric vehicle （EV） sector is one of the main frontiers of Guangzhous industrial upgrade. In the past few years， the city has become home to a cluster of domestic EV makers headquarters， including those of Xpeng Motors and GAC Aion， and is striving to become a leading player in the global EV market.

Another example of industrial upgrade is SHEIN， a Chinese fast fashion cross-border platform. Taking full advantage of the citys rich traditions of textile manufacturing and e-commerce， SHEIN developed an ultra-fast business model that has transformed the brand into a top retail giant.

The citys innovative spirit also drives a continuous flow of cultural creativity. Guangzhou has served as an incubator for multiple creative designs， the most world-renowned example of which is Bing Dwen Dwen， the rolypoly Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics mascot designed by Cao Xue， a professor at the Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts.

In a way， Guangzhou is China in miniature. The aspirations for modernity， openness and innovation are deeply ingrained in both local culture and Chinas national identity.

Standards in Psychology

China Youth Daily November 30

Online therapy platforms， organizations and training programs have sprouted across China. However， deliberately confusing the concepts of training certificates and certificates of professional competence， a few training programs are offering crash courses that guarantee the swift transformation of rookies into counseling experts in just a few months.

This phenomenon reflects a general lack of practice standards and an overly vague definition of professional proficiency. The practice of counseling psychology requires years of training， an accredited graduate degree， clinical experience and a strong work ethic.

Merely focusing on extracting shortterm profits from trainees and patients may end up inhibiting the professions long-term growth. For those who finally turn to psychotherapy， encountering unqualified therapists may not only worsen their mental health issues but also lead to a complete rejection of assistance.

To tackle this problem， government departments， psychological associations， universities and scientific research institutes should join forces to establish professional standards and entry qualifications. Only like this can the profession of counseling psychology avert its own crisis of trust.

NEW VICE MINISTER OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

Wu Zhaohui was appointed vice minister of science and technology， and no longer serves as president of Zhejiang University.

Wu was born in Wenzhou， Zhejiang Province， in December 1966. He obtained a Ph.D. in computer application from Zhejiang University in 1993 and worked there for more than two decades. He was named president of the university in March 2015.

Wus major research is focused on computer science and technology. He has worked as an expert in several national projects and is a recipient of national science and technology awards. In 2017， he was named a member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

He is also chairperson of the China Association of Inventions and a fellow with international agencies including the World Academy of Sciences and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers， the worlds largest professional technical organization.

“We must also identify and eradicate contemporary forms of slavery， such as human trafficking， sexual exploitation， child labor， forced marriage and the use of children in armed conflict.”

António Guterres， UN Secretary General， in a message to mark the International Day for the Abolition of Slavery on December 2

“We need inclusiveness rather that exclusiveness in the Asia Pacific.”

Moon Chung-in， Chairperson of the Sejong Institute in the Republic of Korea， at the Beijing Xiangshan Forum Webinar on December 1-2

“China cannot develop in isolation from the world， and the world also needs China for its prosperity. China will continue to pursue high-level opening up and share development opportunities with other countries.”

Mao Ning， Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson， at a regular press briefing on December 6

“The world is set to add as much renewable power in the next five years as it did in the previous 20 years.”

Fatih Birol， Executive Director of the International Energy Agency， as the agency released its annual report on the outlook for renewables on December 6