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Thursday, March 30, 2023

Chinese people are the happiest in the world, Ipsos survey shows

 


A photo taken on November 6, 2022 shows a wall displaying photos of smiling people at an exhibition themed "Forging Ahead in the New Era," which showcases China's achievements and development over the last decade, at the Beijing Exhibition Center. Photo: VCG


Chinese Path to happiness

"Are you happy?" This simple question is not only a daily greeting in Putonghua but also a yardstick on which global authorities attach importance when formulating policies to better serve their people. Recent international surveys showed that the happiness of people in the Chinese mainland has largely increased in recent years, with one of the survey reports suggesting that Chinese people are among the happiest in the world.

The Global Happiness 2023 Report, released by multinational market research and consulting firm Ipsos ahead of the International Day of Happiness on March 20, showed that Chinese people are the happiest among the 32 countries and regions sampled, with 91 percent of Chinese respondents saying they are generally happy, 12 percent increase from a decade ago.

The 2023 World Happiness Report, an annual publication by the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network in which Nordic countries typically rank higher than China, ranked the Chinese mainland 64th out of 137 countries and regions this year, 30 places higher compared with 2020.

The surveys, with different questionnaires and ranking methods, all imply that people in the Chinese mainland are generally happier, and even rank as the happiest in certain aspects, observers found.

Why are Chinese people happier than before? The Global Times reached Ipsos, as well as China-based and international sociologists and culture scholars, along with ordinary citizens, to find out the possible reasons behind the overall increase in happiness among Chinese people.

Graphic: GT Graphic: GT

Family, friends matter most

"Thanks to family and friends, Chinese people are the happiest people in the world," declared a South China Morning Post article on March 21 according to conclusions made by the Ipsos survey report, saying that "relationships are a main source of happiness in China."

The importance of family and social ties to the happiness of Chinese people is clearly indicated in the Ipsos survey, which showed that Chinese respondents are more satisfied with "children," "relationship with a partner or spouse" and "friends" compared to other aspects. While some Western respondents are more satisfied with elements related to their personal circumstances and feelings, such as "access to or being in touch with nature" and "level of education."

Traditional Chinese societal values are manifested in the results, as Chinese people have a strong drive toward family harmony, as the old Chinese saying goes, "harmony at home brings prosperity," said Zhang Yiwu, a literature professor at Peking University.

Chinese people are more inclined to feel happiness in kinship and social relationships, Zhang said. "Even if one is not wealthy, he or she can gain a lot of happiness from having a happy and warm family, as well as many friends as a source of support," he told the Global Times.

Psychologist Zhang Jiehai agreed. "Chinese society is a society of interpersonal relationships, and good interpersonal relationships have a great impact on the happiness of Chinese people," said Zhang Jiehai.

Ipsos surveyed 32 countries and regions that represent over 80 percent of the world's GDP, said Nicolas Boyon, Senior Vice President of Ipsos Public Affairs in the US, in an email response to the Global Times.

Boyon said that the list of life aspects mentioned in the survey questionnaire was carefully designed, so each of them is relevant to all people in every country and region, and can be understood similarly. "Our main goal is consistency both across cultures and over time," he wrote.

Satisfied with China's economic, social, political situation

The economic, social, and political situations in a country or region also largely affect the happiness of the people there.

Compared to most non-Chinese respondents who expressed low satisfaction with their "country's economic situation" and "country's social and political situation," which led to overall average satisfaction rates in both aspects at a mere 40 percent, Chinese respondents expressed greater satisfaction in China's economic, social, and political situations.

Some 78 percent and 83 percent of Chinese respondents said they are satisfied with the "country's economic situation" and "country's social and political situation" respectively, ranking third and first among all countries and regions, the survey showed.

Zhang Jiehai said that Chinese society is stable, and its senses of fairness and justice keep increasing.

He mentioned the enhancement of the quality of life for Chinese citizens as a result of the increased happiness in the stable Chinese society.

"Foreign studies have shown the close relationship between 'not pocketing the money one has picked up' and citizens' happiness," he said. "In an experiment carried out on streets of different countries, Denmark had the highest percentage of people who return money found, and they are usually ranked as one of the happiest citizenries in the UN's happiness indices."

Similarly, China has probably the lowest percentage of express deliveries being stolen, which is also highly related to the strong sense of happiness of the people there, Zhang Jiehai exampled. "Unsupervised express packages and food deliveries placed at entryways and hospital inpatient departments are a common sight in China," he added. "Incidents of deliveries being stolen are rare as the quality of life of Chinese citizens has improved."

Recalling his days at Peking University in 2022 as a Korean scholar, Kwon Ki-sik, head of the Korea-China City Friendship Association, believes that four main factors contribute to the high level of happiness of Chinese people.

First, Chinese people highly trust the country's political system. Kwon said that Chinese people's unwavering support for the Communist Party of China (CPC) and its leaders are a source of stability in China, in sharp contrast to certain Western countries where political instability has led to general discontent.

The second is safety. Big Chinese cities including Beijing and Shanghai are among the few in the world in which one can walk freely at night thanks to good public security, whereas some security problems seen in several big US cities keep many people from venturing outside after dark, said Kwon.

Third, Chinese people are incredibly proud of the country's development and prosperity, as China has achieved remarkable economic growth over the decades of reform and opening-up. Kwon believes this sense of pride is greatly linked to the happiness of Chinese people.

Fourth, Chinese people are satisfied with the government's efforts in building a moderately prosperous society and in achieving common prosperity. "The mutual trust between the CPC and its people is the root of happiness for Chinese people," Kwon noted.

The three recent Ipsos happiness surveys conducted in August 2020, December 2021, and January 2023, revealed that 93 percent, 83 percent, and 91 percent of Chinese respondents were happy, respectively, ranking first, third, and first among all polled countries and regions.

The pandemic was a source of worry for the world. Nonetheless, compared to some Western countries' approach of "lying flat," which caused a lot of deaths, "China's COVID prevention measures protected the lives of the overwhelming majority of people," Zhang Yiwu told the Global Times. "On the whole, we got through the pandemic smoothly."

Common expectations

In the 2023 World Happiness Report released by the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network, Finland was ranked as the happiest country in the world. The Chinese mainland was ranked at the 64th, higher than 2022 when it was ranked 72nd, and in 2021 at 84th.

Referring to the different ranking results between the report and the Ipsos survey, Boyon said that the two differ in several ways and are also complimentary. The UN Happiness Index, as reported in the World Happiness Report 2023, is based on data from a survey in which respondents were asked to rate how they feel about their life ranging in responses from "the best possible life" to "the worst possible life." It is described as a "subjective well-being score," Boyon said.

"Ipsos' survey asks a different question: 'All things considered, would you say that you are very happy, rather happy, not very happy, or not happy at all?' The self-reported level of 'happiness' from our survey can be seen as a reflection of people's mood," he added.

Also, Boyon said that Ipsos' survey is collected during the same two-week period in every country, which makes its data more current, and more sensitive to seasonality and current events.

Moreover, as the Ipsos survey is conducted online, its samples can be considered representative of their general adult population under the age of 75, Boyon explained. "But in most 'middle-income countries' or 'emerging markets,' including China, online samples tend to be more urban, more educated, more affluent than the general population," he told the Global Times.

The World Happiness Report team said on its website that it uses observed data on six variables including GDP per capita, social support, healthy life expectancy, freedom, generosity, and corruption.

These variables are more susceptible to income inequality, said Zhang Jiehai. "Countries and regions with more developed economies, smaller income gaps, and a relatively high sense of fairness usually score higher," he explained. "That's why Nordic countries have been at the top of the UN's happiness rankings for long."

Happiness surveys with distinct indicators have different results, but generally, people from all over the world share some common expectations, like narrowing the income gap, improving fairness and justice, and elimination of corruption, Zhang jiehai noted.

To further enhance Chinese people's sense of happiness, experts suggest authorities work harder in improving social welfare systems, especially in those in the fields of healthcare and rural elderly care services.

"China has made rapid progress in social welfare improvement. Nonetheless, as a developing country with a large population, it's difficult to compare China's per capita social welfare standard with that of Nordic countries," said Zhang Yiwu. "It varies from country to country in terms of their strengths and challenges."

UK's falling ranking

"China is the happiest place on earth as the UK falls in rankings," said an article published on the Northamptonshire Telegraph website on March 24. The Ipsos survey found that 70 percent of British people considered themselves happy, a 13 percent drop from 2022.

Fleur, a retired teacher living in London, told the Global Times reporter that she does feel less happy than about a decade ago mainly because of the economic pressure she experiences. Fleur said her pension is falling in value under high inflation in the UK, and she and people around her feel uneasy about several persisting problems in British society, including the widening wealth gap, the rising crime rate, and the falling employment rates.

In the US, just 12 percent of respondents described themselves as "very happy," "the lowest share on record since NORC began asking the question…in 1972," according to a US domestic survey released by The Wall Street Journal and the social research organization NORC at the University of Chicago on March 24. Some 30 percent said they are "not too happy."

Financial circumstances are main happiness contributors for some Westerners, analyzed Zhang Jiehai. In a few European countries, for instance, people are faced with slow income growth and fast-rising living costs. "Their living standards are seeing a downward trend when compared with their predecessors. A blue-collar couple can hardly maintain their standard of living after retiring if their children are also blue collars," Zhang Jiehai said. 

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Tuesday, March 28, 2023

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND I; Cybercriminals exploit chatbots

In just a matter of months, people have started integrating generative chatbots and other AI tools into their work processes.

 



Loh says it’s neces­sary to provide a lot of con­text for chat­gpt to give a good out­put. — Loh chi FUNG
By adding chat­gpt to her work­flow, Gan has been able to open up a whole new world of cre­at­ive pos­sib­il­it­ies. — Joey Gan

 

 Venese uses both dall-e and chat­gpt to gen­er­ate ref­er­ence mater­i­als for the early stages of his work. — VENESE ren­gasamy.

 

IN case you tuned out of the news cycle the past few months, here’s a rundown on the tool that has reignited the artificial intelligence (AI) craze: CHATGPT.

CHATGPT, built by Openai with its Generative Pretrained Transformer 3.5 (GPT-3.5) language model, is essentially a chatbot that can produce startlingly human-like responses.

Trained on content from the Internet up to 2021, the chatbot is capable of composing everything from essays to poetry and even providing detailed instructions for just about anything.

However, it comes with the caveat of “hallucinating” from time to time – the term used when the chatbot loses grip on reality and makes incorrect assumptions or quotes sources that don’t exist.

Despite that, it’s been hyped up as a major disruptor in the way we work and how we obtain information from the Internet.

Betting on bots

As tech companies scramble to take the lead when it comes to AI, people are finding ways to harness its power too.

Sydney, an accounts executive with a marketing agency who wanted to stay anonymous, says the technology has seen mass adoption in her company, with CHATGPT being the primary tool.

“We’ve integrated it extensively into our work process, and our editorial team uses it for their first drafts and researching projects.

“At the end of the day, it still has to go through a human for fact-checking and verification before it’s finalised.

“Whenever we receive a new client and need to familiarise ourselves with their company and industry background, CHATGPT breaks it down and takes care of the heavy lifting.

“This in turn makes the information more digestible and allows us to focus more on our role as consultants,” says Sydney, adding that before CHATGPT she would spend three to four hours drafting each document, which now only takes half the time because of the chatbot.

Sydney describes CHATGPT as a more useful version of Google search, saying that it’s great at providing concise information on unfamiliar topics, which has streamlined her work.

She has also used the chatbot to translate text from English to Bahasa Malaysia and Mandarin, and believes it does a better job than existing options on the market.

Others have also made use of this technology to handle tasks outside of their primary roles, which is the case for system administrator Seth Lee.

“It hasn’t really had that much of an impact on my main day-to-day work, but when it comes to communicating with clients, it’s been very helpful.

“Since the nature of our work can get quite technical, this saves me the headache of having to simplify my explanations manually, which can be tough since some terms are especially technical.

“My primary role isn’t client-facing, so ideally I want to minimise time spent on writing emails so I can focus on my actual job,” he says.

As a copywriter, Benjamin Steve Richard makes use of CHATGPT as a productivity tool for his advertising campaigns, particularly during the early brainstorming stages.

“Usually, once the client brief is given, I’ll think of ideas or concepts that will fit their needs.

“I’ll include other parameters like tone and manner in my request to CHATGPT so that it gives me variations in the directions I’m after.

“Then I repeat this a few more times on different concepts before pitching them to the client,” he adds.

Like Sydney, Benjamin Steve stresses that there’s more to it than just copying and pasting, with the output still requiring a human to vet.

Meanwhile, Malaysian market lead for Precious Communications, Joey Gan, has been using the chatbot on a daily basis, saying, “Incorporating CHATGPT into my writing, planning and brainstorming has been a game changer for me, as it has significantly reduced the time required for these tasks.

“However, what’s even more exciting is that as I’ve grown more comfortable using CHATGPT, I’ve discovered that my ideas are expanding and taking on a life of their own.

“By using CHATGPT proactively to generate topic ideas and find alternatives, I’m able to tap into a wealth of creative possibilities that I might not have considered otherwise.

“Of course, while CHATGPT is an incredibly useful tool, we have to be aware of its limitations and ultimately, we are the final judge of our own work,” she says.

Bigger picture

Ai-powered tools are also being used in the sphere of creative design, as freelance motion graphics designer Venese Rengasamy has discovered.

“I have used Dall-e (an AI image generator) to put placeholders in my work to get a stronger vision of the project’s direction before creating my own assets.

“It can be difficult to find a specific picture that conveys a certain style or mood otherwise, so being able to describe what you need with keywords helps.

“CHATGPT has also been useful in generating scripts that I reference for my videos.

“I usually request the AI to write a script using the main points that I provide, and from there, I extract whatever I find useful and paraphrase it,” he says.

Dall-e isn’t the only image-generating AI tool, with Midjourney and Stable Diffusion being some notable examples.

The same can be said for Openai’s CHATGPT (with the newly released GPT-4 powering Microsoft’s Bing), which sees Google’s Bard and Meta’s LLAMA as rising competitors.

Even though CHATGPT made headlines for being able to pass the law exams overseas, the reality of the matter isn’t so simple.

A freelance paralegal service provider who wanted to be identified as just Nicko says he has been using AI to trim turnaround time.

“I’ve used CHATGPT to draft simple agreements for clients, but it can be hit or miss.

“If it’s for a legal submission, for example, you need to feed it with a lot of cases before you can get something decent.

“But even then, the results aren’t good enough for the courts. For simple legal agreements or even standard ones, it’s pretty good, provided you get the prompt right.

“You will still need to go through it since there may be irrelevant clauses. And, of course, always check with a lawyer after you’ve drafted it,” he says.

CHATGPT has also earned a reputation for being able to provide code based on users’ descriptions of the program.

According to software developer Lee, her company has been using an Ai-assisted coding tool in its workflow even before CHATGPT began making waves.

“I personally think CHATGPT is like a fancy Google search. It’s nice for inspiration and ideas, but not really helpful if you need something specific.

“For instance, people who can’t read code may copy and paste codes from CHATGPT but will not know how to read or tailor them to fit their needs.

“Using it involves a mix of knowing the right keywords and commands to get the output you want.

“I don’t really like it and prefer to just use the old school way of using Google search and reading off forums,” she says.

For context, standard Ai-assisted coding tools function to provide code based on requirements set by programmers with intrinsic knowledge of coding.

On the other hand, a tool like CHATGPT will give you code based on just a description, even if you don’t know anything about programming.

However, this will run the risk of possibly failing to meet all of the program’s requirements and being incomplete, which may render it non-functional.

Wong, a software engineer who wished to remain anonymous, echoes this sentiment.

“CHATGPT is capable of giving advice on technical issues, but directly searching Stack Overflow (a Q&A website for programmers) gave a better answer.

“Chatgpt’s answer had portions of the Stack Overflow solution, but it was incomplete.

“We needed to update the .Net core hosting bundle, which was entirely missing in the chatbot response,” he says.

One pattern consistent with CHATGPT use is that AI tools like it are being used in the initial stages of a project or for simple tasks, requiring careful verification by humans. And there are other hurdles that must be crossed before one can use CHATGPT efficiently.

Garbage in, garbage out

CHATGPT is capable of a lot, but the quality of its responses is reliant on user input, so the old computer concept of “garbage in, garbage out” couldn’t be more true.

According to Sydney, her company organised tutorials on the use of the CHATGPT, covering both the standard operating procedure (SOP) as well as tips and tricks.

“I can see AI tools being heavily integrated at other companies in the future, especially considering how they’ve already become an important part of ours.

“When working with CHATGPT, at times, you’ll need to ask for more information or request a change in sentence structure.

“But those are small things that can be fixed quickly with a change in wording or request,” she says.

The tutorials offered by her company covered basic how-tos and things to look out for, which were mainly for those that were less tech savvy.

For Gan, the amplification of bias from the datasets the AI was trained from is a concern, especially from the perspective of data integrity.

“As a PR professional, or any professional for that matter, it is integral to ensure transparency and that our sources are verified and validated.

“With AI, it can be hard to know what goes on behind the code, which means that using the output from generative AI requires manual interpretation and assessment.

“AI is also unlikely to decipher and understand intent, so if one has malicious intent, such as writing a phishing email, there’s no stopping the AI from helping with that,” she says.

Some companies, on the other hand, are more apprehensive towards the technology.

The insurance industry in particular has been wary about this technological change, according to an insurance admin who wanted to be identified as just Mark.

“A core part of our industry is evaluating the truth when it comes to claims made by all parties involved.

“The nature of AI being unable to provide critical evaluation of a scenario makes it a poor fit for our industry’s needs at this point in time.

“Coupled with how much sensitive information our industry deals with, management is very hesitant to allow its use, for good reasons.

“Since we handle a lot of personal data that is safeguarded under the Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA) 2010, it’s difficult for us to make a move towards this tech.

“Doing so may expose confidential data to a third-party that has not been contracted to handle it, which goes against our strict policy,” he says.

Mark also cites the costs associated with transitioning to and implementing Ai-powered tools as another reason for his company’s wariness.

SME (small and medium-sized enterprises) operator Loh Chi Fung brought up the fact that one needs to have a certain amount of knowledge about the topic that the AI is being used for.

“You need to provide a lot of context for CHATGPT to work and give you a good output.

“Sometimes, laymen like me don’t have all the inputs needed, particularly when the task at hand is a legal one.

“Plus, with the database it was trained on being dated to 2021, newer developments are not taken into consideration.

However, with new models arriving on the scene, much of the limitation faced today may likely just be a problem of the past.

By CHRISTOPHER FAM lifestyletech@thestar.com.my

Cybercriminals exploit chatbots

 CHATGPT has gained a lot of attention for its ability to generate realistic human responses to text-based input, particularly in academia.

So far, it’s been used for multiple legitimate purposes. Some major companies have turned to the tool to conduct business.

But the Better Business Bureau explained recently that cybercriminals have also taken advantage of the program’s AI’S capabilities for malicious purposes, like phishing, impersonation and even romance scams.

“Scammers have historically been on the cutting edge of technology and I don’t see this being any different,” Tom Bartholomy, CEO of the Better Business Bureau of Southern Piedmont and Western North Carolina, said.

“As they see that work, as they see people engaging with it, they’re just going to continue to refine it and continue to find other scams that they can feed that same technology into.”

Harder to spot

Bartholomy said most of the CHATGPT scams so far have involved phishing and impersonation.

For example, scammers posing as Amazon send out emails notifying customers that their accounts have been deactivated and later requesting personal information.

“One of the tells that we’ve always cautioned people on when they get an email or a text is that if there are any misspellings, if the grammar is poor, or if the sentence structure is just off, that can be a pretty good sign that you’re dealing with a scammer. CHATGPT takes all that away,” Bartholomy said.

“It’s going to make it easier for the scammers and make it more difficult for us as consumers to be able to discern what’s legitimate and what’s fake.”

Chatbots have been around for years, especially for business customer service assistance.

Bartholomy explained that Chatgpt’s advanced conversational model has made it harder for consumers to pick up on red flags.

That type of technology has been around longer than CHATGPT ... where you think you’re engaging with someone on a live chat.

“It’s actually just a bunch of canned responses until you give them a question that they can answer.

“Now with CHATGPT, that conversation can continue based on the questions that you have and the database that they’re pulling information from,” Bartholomy said.

Protect yourself

The Better Business Bureau recommends that online consumers watch for any suspicious activity.

> Be cautious of unsolicited messages.

> Verify the identity of the person you’re chatting with by asking for contact information.

> Scrutinise the text for red flags.

> Use two-factor authentication for your online accounts.

> Use a password manager to generate and store strong passwords.

> Be careful when downloading files or clicking on links.

;– The Charlotte Observer/tribune News Service

 

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 ChatGPT Supercharged June 10, 2023 at 3pm – 5.30pm


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China’s opening-up resonates with the values of the world, Boao Forum for Asia

 

,

Immediately following the three-day China Development Forum 2023 (CDF) which concluded on Monday, the Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference 2023 kicks off on Tuesday. Senior political figures from various countries, heads of international organizations, and CEOs of Fortune 500 companies have visited China intensively these days, and their strong expectations for the Chinese economy and their urgent desire to strengthen mutually beneficial cooperation with China are self-evident. The two high-level forums, one in the south and the other in the north, have created a hot atmosphere throughout China, bringing spring warmth to the global economy in the cold wind.

The CDF primarily is a platform for large multinational corporations. This year's theme is "Economic Recovery: Opportunities and Cooperation." The Boao Forum for Asia focuses on inviting more political leaders from various countries to participate, with the theme: "An Uncertain World: Solidarity and Cooperation for Development amid Challenges." Both forums underline the keyword "cooperation" and have received positive responses from the outside world. Despite the continuous gloomy international situation, it cannot conceal the common aspiration that seeks opening-up, cooperation and win-win development, instead of seclusion, confrontation and monopoly. This will effectively hedge against many uncertainties currently arising and provide a stable anchor for the giant ship of human society's shared destiny. 

Currently, the variability and complexity of the international political and economic environment are unprecedented. Problems such as high inflation, high debt, slow economic growth, and energy and food crises have emerged in both Eastern and Western countries. In this circumstance, many countries hope to find a cooperative space to maintain sustainable economic growth. Previously, the G20 Bali summit has proven that cooperation is possible. Although there are still voices hyping decoupling and outsourcing, the global trend of solidarity and cooperation in seeking economic recovery is irresistible. What the world needs is to unite this hope, combine efforts, and involve the maximum range of countries, striving not to let any country fall behind. China is the biggest driving force and certainty factor in this endeavor.

The world has turned its attention to China, and China has also opened its arms to embrace the world. This positive interaction has been deepening. The holding of the two major forums once again proves this point. In the past decade, China's average contribution to global economic growth has exceeded 30 percent, and according to IMF's forecast, China will contribute one-third of global economic growth this year. A 1 percentage point increase in GDP growth in China leads to 0.3 percentage point increase in growth in other Asian economies, on average. In addition, there have been continuous bank failures in the US and Europe recently, and a financial crisis is approaching. However, China does not have significant pressure from inflation or deflation, and its monetary policy has a greater room for maneuvering. The stability of China's economy and finance will also provide positive spillover effects for the volatile international financial market.

As the most active and sensitive tentacles of globalization, moves of large multinational enterprises are representative. We have noticed that many American media outlets are paying close attention to Apple CEO Tim Cook's trip to China and at the same time mentioned the "dramatically different treatment" that TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew received in Washington a few days ago. In China, Cook "gave an optimistic speech that was met with applause." He described Apple's relationship with China as "a symbiotic kind of relationship that we have both enjoyed." However, in the US, Shou Zi Chew faced several hours of questioning, which was a "politically motivated crowd-pleasing drama." Such a contrast is obviously very strong.

This shows that cooperation has urgent practical significance at present. Because some people continue to create obstacles, the world needs to form a powerful force to overcome and correct them. It requires joint efforts from all parties. China has always stood on the side of peace, development, and cooperation. From the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China to the two sessions and to the two major forums, China has sent extremely strong signal to promote high-level opening-up. Multinational enterprises have felt the warmth of being "one family" on this land. This will, in turn, promote the international community's vigilance and resistance toward decoupling. In fact, the more daunting the challenge is, the stronger the collective resistance against it will be, and this is determined by the strong inherent driving force of peace and development.

The holding of the two major forums not only shows China has met the world halfway in the economic field but also represents a resonance of Chinese values with the international community. From Global Development Initiative to Global Security Initiative and to Global Civilization Initiative, the interaction between the world and China has already surpassed the economic and trade level. Chinese values have taken root and are bearing fruits. The appeal and attractiveness it creates have appeared at the venues of the two major forums and in the enthusiastic interactions between multinational enterprises and China. It will appear in every corner of the world in the future. 

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  • China's contribution to regional, global devt in focus at Boao Forum

    Chinese Premier Li Qiang will attend the opening ceremony of the Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) Annual Conference 2023 and deliver a keynote speech in South China's Hainan Province on Thursday, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning announced on Monday, marking Li's first address at the major Asian forum after becoming the Chinese Premier earlier this month.

 
 

 

 

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Monday, March 27, 2023

High-level dialogue on development forum in China

China reaffirms opening-up, stresses cooperation at Development Forum.

 

China reaffirms opening-up, stresses cooperation at Development Forum

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Sunday reiterated China's commitment to opening-up in a congratulatory letter to a high-level dialogue forum that saw the gathering of officials from international organizations, global executives, and economists, sending a strong signal to participants that ...

While the US has intensified crackdowns on Chinese companies, business representatives from the US called for increased cooperation between the world's two largest economies at the China Development Forum (CDF) 2023, a high-level dialogue platform held in Beijing from Saturday to Monday. 

 

Photo: A screenshot of Apple's Tim Cook's Sina Weibo on March 24, 2023.
 
 "I'm thrilled to be back in China," Apple CEO Tim Cook said during a panel discussion, marking his first visit to China since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. "Every time I come to China, I learn stuff, I take something back with me. It's primarily about the culture."
 

Apple's Tim Cook in China VS. Tiktok Shou Zi Chew in US Isn't it clear which side supports free trade and which side is against it? 🤔
 

Singapore, Malaysia PMs to visit China, attend Boao Forum, 'China-ASEAN ties to ... Leaders from many countries around the globe are heading to China for the annual Boao Forum and official visits, as ..

 

Singapore's Prime Minister to visit China; trip to highlight potential of bilateral ties: expert 

Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong will make a six-day official visit to China from Monday to Saturday, according to a statement released by the Prime Minister's Office on Sunday

 

Malaysian PM to build on close China ties

 Groups optimistic Malaysian PM's first official visit to China will be fruitful 

Prime movers: Anwar will be leading a huge trade delegation to China, where the Prime Minister will be holding substantive talks with Li (left) and Xi. — AP

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim starts an official visit to China on March 28, where he is set to attend the

Boao Forum for Asia

in Hainan before visiting Beijing, where he will meet Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang.   © Reuters  
 

Sunday, March 26, 2023

Five ways to naturally increase your 'happiness' hormone; Learn how to breathe properly for exercise and to relax

 

Boosting your 'happiness hormone' raises your mood, productivity and success levels.getty

Here’s a double combo to increase your dopamine levels: Cuddle your furry friend, while listening to your favourite tracks. — AFP

Fatigue, reduced concentration, memory loss and lack of motivation are some of the consequences of a dopamine deficiency.

However, this neurotransmitter – also known as the happiness hormone – can be stimulated naturally through certain actions and activities accessible to all.

Central to the brain’s reward system, this compound is naturally secreted to provide a certain feeling of satisfaction in response to specific actions, such as physical activity.

According to the French Federation for Brain Research (FRC), it is, more precisely, a “neurotransmitter, which in the central nervous system, activates postsynaptic dopaminergic receptors.

“[It] plays an essential final modulating role in motor and psychic output, ... serves to reinforce behaviours such as eating, and plays a role in motivation by functioning as a kind of reward system.”

A deficiency or excess of dopamine can have harmful consequences, ranging from memory loss to addictions, requiring a certain balance to be maintained.

Parkinson’s disease, linked to a degeneration of the neurons that produce dopamine, requires clinical therapies to stimulate the production of this substance.

But milder symptoms suggestive of dopamine deficiency, such as reduced concentration, fatigue or memory lapses, can potentially be relieved by everyday actions and activities that help stimulate its production.

Here are five ways to help keep this neuronal messenger at optimal levels: 

> Play with your pet

Many studies have shown that pets, especially dogs and cats, are a source of happiness, and even a way to limit stress.

Not only do they help reduce the levels of cortisol – the stress hormone – according to American research, but our four-legged friends could also stimulate the production of dopamine.

Several scientific studies agree that petting a furry friend releases two essential substances: oxytocin, the love and social bonding hormone, and dopamine, our famous happiness hormone.

> Get some exercise

It is often said that exercise or playing sports releases endorphins.

This is true, but it is not the only pleasure or well-being hormone that is secreted by physical activity.

Whatever the chosen form, exercise naturally stimulates the production of dopamine during and after exertion, providing that feeling of well-being, accomplishment and satisfaction, or exercise “high”, that gym junkies often talk about.

It is therefore not surprising that certain scientific studies point to a link between physical activity, memory and concentration, or that it can be a source of motivation – and in excess, of exercise addiction.

> Listen to music

Music may soothe the savage beast, but that’s not all it can do.

It could also play an active role in stimulating the production of dopamine.

Music and pleasure appear to be intimately linked, provided of course that you choose tracks that you particularly like.

Activating the brain’s famous reward system, listening to music could even arouse feelings of euphoria and desire that are more often associated with eating, sex or taking certain drugs, as revealed by researchers from Canada’s McGill University.

It is therefore not surprising that music is now used in healthcare settings, with music therapy used to complement nursing care during painful procedures, for example.

> Make love

From relieving migraines to fighting certain cardiovascular (heart) diseases and even looking younger, sex seems to be particularly beneficial for health, according to numerous scientific studies.

But beyond that, sex could also be a stimulant for dopamine production – and for good reason, since it is obviously also directly associated with pleasure.

Making love is enough to secrete the famous molecule, but the orgasm alone provides a veritable cocktail of hormones, releasing serotonin, dopamine, endorphins and oxytocin, which are all associated in one way or another with happiness and pleasure.

> Eat a healthy, balanced diet

A poor diet can be the cause of a dopamine deficiency.

Meanwhile, certain foods can help to naturally boost its production.

For this, it’s advisable to turn to certain foods rich in tyrosine, such as meat, fish, seaweed, leeks, spinach, legumes, avocados, bananas and chocolate.

All these ingredients help fight against stress, improve mood or limit fatigue. – AFP Relaxnews 

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Learn how to breathe properly for exercise and to relax

 

We breathe automatically, but if you practise breathing purposefully, you’ll notice what a difference it can make, whether during exercise or for relaxation. — dpa

Inhale. Exhale. We normally don’t think about breathing – it’s automatic.

And when our body needs more oxygen than usual, e.g. during sporting activity, our breathing rate increases automatically too.

“It’s a vital process that takes place subconsciously,” says Barbara Nützel, an instructor at a school for health management in Saarbrücken, Germany.

In this way the body prevents itself from going into oxygen debt, which is a temporary oxygen shortage in body tissues resulting from intense exercise.

Our cells need oxygen to break down glucose and produce energy.

“Breathing is regulated by the autonomic nervous system and brainstem,” says Sylvain Laborde, a researcher in the performance psychology section of the Cologne-based German Sport University.

The brainstem respiratory network can adapt our breathing to external circumstances.

When we’re relaxed or asleep, we automatically tend to breathe deeply and evenly.

“Our body finetunes its oxygen supply,” she says.

“We have sensors – so-called chemoreceptors – that recognise whether we have sufficient oxygen, and not too much carbon dioxide, in our blood and adjust intake accordingly.”

But not all breathing is the same.

We can take air into our chest, or seemingly deep into our belly.

The latter is called diaphragmatic breathing, also known as abdominal breathing, belly breathing or deep breathing.

The diaphragm is a large, dome-shaped muscle at the base of the lungs.

When you breathe diaphragmatically, inhaling makes the diaphragm contract and move downward, which creates more space in your chest cavity and allows your lungs to expand.

When you exhale, the diaphragm relaxes, moving upward in the chest cavity and forcing air out of your lungs.

We’re born knowing how to breathe diaphragmatically, says Nützel, but unlearn it as we grow older.

Stress is one reason our breathing becomes shallower.

“Chest breathing wastes energy,” Laborde says, “as it activates many muscles we don’t really need for breathing.”

Breathing the right way

Breathing this way during sporting activities reduces the amount of energy at our disposal.

Athletes would therefore do well to learn diaphragmatic breathing technique and practise it regularly.

It can bring their breathing rate down from 15-20 breaths per minute to six, according to Laborde.

It can also be worthwhile to attend a yoga class, where emphasis is placed on diaphragmatic breathing training, says Nützel, a yoga instructor herself.

Athletes can breathe either through the nose or mouth.

“No matter what the sport,” Laborde says, “it’s best to breathe through your nose because the air is then moister and warmer.”

This protects the respiratory passages from drying out and cooling down.

It also protects them from dirt, Nützel says, since “the nose acts as a natural filter for airborne particles”.

During intense athletic activity, however, it’s normal to breathe through the mouth to meet the body’s oxygen requirements.

“At high intensity, you need a lot of oxygen, so sometimes, you’ve got no choice,” says Laborde.

“If oxygen intake through the nose is too low, your performance suffers.”

Which breathing technique is best for a round of jogging or strength training at the gym then?

Nützel says: “Whatever sport you do, the point is to require as few breaths as possible.”

When we run, there’s no need to consciously adapt our breathing to our strides.

“It’s best to give your breathing free rein,” says Laborde, “because our body knows exactly how much air it needs.”

For strength sports such as weightlifting, on the other hand, a targeted breathing technique is useful.

“You should exhale as you work against gravity, and inhale again in the relaxed phase,” advises Nützel.

A well-known breathing technique during weightlifting is called the Valsalva manoeuvre.

“Athletes try to mobilise more strength by pressing air against their closed mouth and nasal passages,” notes Laborde, but adds that it makes little difference in their performance.

Practising yoga is a good way to increase your respiratory volume.

“You learn to breathe more deeply, and with a little training, you’ll need fewer breaths to reach the same volume,” says Nützel.

Breathing efficiently doesn’t only boost athletic performance by supplying the body with an optimal amount of oxygen.

“Conscious breathing strengthens the immune system as well,” remarks Nützel.

What’s more, she says, exhaling more slowly lowers blood pressure.

Your heart rate – and resting heart rate – decrease.

Breath training can also have positive psychological effects, such as stress reduction.

By breathing more mindfully and slowly on a daily basis, you not only enhance your performance capacity, but your quality of life too.

Laborde recommends integrating slow breathing into your evening routine as a relaxation technique.

“Over time, slow breathing is beneficial to health and advisable,” he says. – By Pauline Jürgens/dpa;

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