HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach Newswire – 2 January 2025 – With much fanfare, Hong Kong welcomed the inaugural scheduled commercial flight outside of Mainland China of the country’s first domestically developed and built C919 passenger jet aircraft on January 1, 2025.

Operated by China Eastern Airlines, the C919 has taken up a daily round-trip route between Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) and Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport, marking an historic milestone for the home-grown narrow-body aircraft in accordance with international airworthiness standards, and a new phase for Hong Kong as a global aviation hub.

“We hope that through this scheduled commercial flight, we can bring this historic innovation breakthrough in the Mainland’s production of civil aviation aircraft to our Hong Kong citizens, as well as to the international visitors coming to Hong Kong,” said Mable Chan, Secretary for Transport and Logistics.

“We do hope that through this inaugural flight, we can innovate and establish ourselves in civil aviation, so as to demonstrate our position under ‘one country, two systems’ and our advantage of facilitating the Mainland’s achievements to flourish with Hong Kong’s position.”

She highlighted three areas where Hong Kong could demonstrate its strengths and advantages. First, aircraft maintenance. HKIA has rich experience and comprehensive ancillary facilities that can fully support the maintenance of China-made aircraft outside of the Mainland. Second, training. The Hong Kong International Aviation Academy is an important aviation training centre in Asia, and is considering expanding its training programmes to cover areas related to C919. Third, aircraft leasing. With a preferential tax regime for aircraft leasing, coupled with Hong Kong’s well-established legal and financial systems as well as being the world’s largest offshore renminbi business centre, the city has an edge in aircraft leasing and can help the expansion of China-made aircraft in the international market through “finance leasing” in the city.

Earlier, Chan thanked the Civil Aviation Administration of China for its continued strong support of Hong Kong, and said the C919 scheduled commercial flights would give more Hong Kong residents “a chance to step on the C919 and experience the remarkable achievements of the nation’s aviation development.”

“As an international aviation hub located in the heart of Asia, with half of the world’s population within a five-hour flight, and with the newly opened three-runway system (3RS), Hong Kong will continue to capitalise on its unique advantage of connecting the nation and the world under ‘one country, two systems’,” Chan said.

On November 28, 2024, the eagerly anticipated 3RS at HKIA was commissioned, ushering in a new era for Hong Kong’s aviation industry and its role in propelling related economic activities.

With the 3RS in full swing, HKIA, already the world’s busiest air cargo hub, would be able to increase handling capacity by about 50%, to some 120 million passengers and 10 million tonnes of cargo a year by 2035.

More than a city airport, HKIA has evolved into an Airport City and new projects include, among other things, creating an ecosystem for the arts industry, building the AsiaWorld-Expo Phase 2, developing a yacht bay with ancillary facilities and opening a food market for imported fresh food. Indeed, Hong Kong aims to expand the scale of the Airport City by more than double, building a new, world-leading landmark.

Project developers Kosmos Energy and bp have officially opened the first well of the Greater Tortue Ahmeyim project offshore Senegal and Mauritania, representing a crucial first step towards the culmination of the project

DAKAR, Senegal, January 2, 2025/APO Group/ — 

Senegal and Mauritania have achieved a historic milestone with the start of operations at the Greater Tortue Ahmeyim (GTA) development. Project developers bp and Kosmos Energy, alongside Senegal’s national oil company (NOC) Petrosen and Mauritania’s NOC Societe Mauritanienne des Hydrocarbures (SMH), have officially opened the first well of the GTA project, signaling the start of technical operations and a new era of gas-driven development and energy security in West Africa.

As the voice of the African energy sector, the African Energy Chamber (AEC) applauds the milestone achieved by the governments of Senegal and Mauritania. The country’s NOCs and energy ministries have shown the value of public-private collaboration, demonstrating how strong partnerships, contracts and pro-investment policies can position African nations as global gas producers. We should give the governments of Senegal and Mauritania the credit they deserve: they have worked tirelessly to make sure the GTA project can succeed. With this achievement, Senegal and Mauritania are rapidly on their way to become international LNG exporters.

The project shows that gas is truly good for Africa and will play a major part in accelerating energy security, boosting industrialization and transforming Africa’s economies

The GTA development achieved first gas at 16:00 on December 31, 2024. The project will produce gas from reservoirs located 120 kilometers offshore in 2,850 meters of water, through a four-well subsea system tied back to the FPSO which will process the well fluids. Liquids will be offloaded to shuttle tankers, while gas will be transported by pipeline from the FPSO to a 2.5 million tons per annum (mtpa) FLNG vessel, moored behind a dedicated concrete breakwater. This structure will protect the FLNG vessel plus various accommodation and utility platforms, together known as the GTA hub terminal. The project developers aim to establish an offshore production complex, with development wells connected to an FPSO vessel, as well as the FLNG ship and the structures that will support it. That complex is already more than 75% complete, and by this time next year, it will be nearly ready to start operating.

With 425 billion cubic meters (bcm), the GTA block is a large-scale deposit. With a production capacity of 2.5 mtpa in the first phase and 5 mtpa in the second phase – dependent on whether the project developers decide to double the FLNG infrastructure capacity -, the project offers a crucial new supply for European consumers and a strategic revenue source for Senegal and Mauritania. While the project won’t necessarily be filling the gap left by Russia – after export and regasification, the first phase of GTA will export the equivalent of 3.69 bcm – it will play a strategic part in diversifying global supply chains and driving sustainable economic growth in Senegal and Mauritania. While the project’s first phase prioritizes exports, the second phase features a strong local gas component for both nations.

Looking ahead, the start of production at GTA is poised to not only reinforce West Africa’s potential as an oil and gas hub in West Africa, but attract a fresh slate of players to capitalize on growth opportunities in the region. This will be further supported by Senegal and Mauritania’s commitment to creating an enabling environment for foreign investment. Both countries have made significant strides in recent years to prioritize the sanctity of contracts, reform their regulatory and legal frameworks while enticing local participation and cross-border commerce.

Senegal has made a point of updating its 1998 Petroleum Code, to take the discovery of GTA and other large offshore fields into account. Mauritania, meanwhile, has set goals of remaining as open as possible to foreign investment and cooperating closely with international financial institutions such as the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. The country is involved in an ongoing process of reform and it’s ready to work with the rest of the world to make the most of its energy resources. These efforts will culminate in greater capital and technology injection across the market and the respective governments of Senegal and Mauritania should be commended for their commitment to future projects and opportunities. To maintain the pace of oil and gas development, the countries should further protect the sanctity of contracts, providing foreign investors with transparency, security and clarity.

“Projects such as GTA highlight the scale of opportunity that Africa’s gas market offers investors. The project shows that gas is truly good for Africa and will play a major part in accelerating energy security, boosting industrialization and transforming Africa’s economies. Credit must be given where credit is due. Africans should be proud of bp, Kosmos Energy, Petrosen and SMH. The Senegalese government, Mauritanian government, their NOCs and international partners have been instrumental in the development of the GTA project and will continue to be key in driving the success of this and the many gas developments expected to follow,” states NJ Ayuk, Executive Chairman of the AEC. 

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Energy Chamber.

BEIJING, CHINA – Media OutReach Newswire – 31 December 2024 – CGTN publishes an article on a special interactive page named “Chinese Modernization, People’s Well-being Matters Most,” which details China’s modernization drive and high-quality development in various areas in 2024 through visual effects and in-depth stories. The article summarized Chinese President Xi Jinping’s domestic tour in 2024, and highlighted his care for improving people’s well-being in various areas and promoting high-quality development, stressing that “the people’s well-being matters the most in Chinese modernization.”
 
As 2025 draws near, China’s consumption has shown signs of revitalization as various regions and departments have enhanced the supply in the country’s consumption market.

Official data showed that the country’s popularity index for offline consumption increased by five percent year on year, and the popularity index of services showed a year-on-year jump of 10.6 percent.

The boom in consumption highlights the improvement of people’s livelihoods. “As far as Chinese modernization is concerned, the people’s well-being matters the most,” Chinese President Xi Jinping said while inspecting Chongqing Municipality in April.

During Xi’s domestic tours in 2024, “people” was one of the most frequently mentioned keywords, according to an analysis by CGTN, joined in the top 10 by others such as “development,” “modernization,” “economy,” and “ecology,” underscoring the direction and key elements of China’s path to modernization.

“Chinese Modernization, People’s Well-being Matters Most,” a special interactive page launched by CGTN, details China’s modernization drive and high-quality development in various areas in 2024 through visual effects and in-depth stories.

People’s well-being matters most

Xi has often stressed that every issue that affects the people, big or small, deserves the utmost care and attention.

During his inspection tours around China this year, he visited ordinary people to learn about their lives, from their incomes and housing to healthcare, education, and elderly care services.

“The Communist Party of China (CPC) is dedicated to serving the people, and the well-being of the people of all ethnic groups and every household is my concern,” Xi said while visiting a multi-ethnic residential community in Yinchuan, northwest China’s Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region in June.

According to China’s Ministry of Finance, 70 percent of the government’s expenditure in 2024 has gone toward ensuring the people’s well-being.

The country has raised its expenditure in the national general public budget to about 28.55 trillion yuan ($3.91 trillion) this year, up 4 percent from the previous year, with projected budgets for education, social insurance and employment each surpassing 4 trillion yuan in 2024.

A bumper harvest

Grain security and rural revitalization have also been high on Xi’s agenda in 2024.

He has frequently visited the countryside during his inspection tours, engaging with workers in fields, greenhouses and orchards and asking in-depth questions about various aspects of rural and agricultural life, from crop production to incomes.

When visiting a village in Hunan Province in March, Xi inspected preparations for spring farming. He emphasized that, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, China must secure its own grain supply.

The latest National Bureau of Statistics of China data showed that in 2024 the country’s total grain output exceeded 706 million tonnes, an increase of 1.6 percent over the previous year, hitting a new record high.

This year’s bumper harvest was accompanied by a rise in grain planting areas in the country, which stood at over 119 million hectares, up 0.3 percent year on year. Additionally, grain output per unit area increased by 1.3 percent, the data showed.

In another positive development, China’s food security law, aimed at ensuring the supply of grain and related products, took effect in June.

Accelerating rural revitalization

Since China’s elimination of absolute poverty in 2021, the country’s focus on rural work has shifted to rural revitalization. Xi has stressed that to advance Chinese modernization, efforts must be made to accelerate rural revitalization.

China has identified 160 major counties for national rural revitalization assistance and allocated over 177 billion yuan in subsidies to support their development in 2024.

In the first three quarters of this year, the per capita disposable income of rural residents reached 16,740 yuan, a real-term annual increase of 6.3 percent.

Meanwhile, the central government allocated development funds of 7.4 billion yuan to improve production and living conditions in ethnic minority dominant villages and to protect and develop such villages.

The country has also launched monitoring and support mechanisms to prevent once-poor populations from falling back into poverty.

Work-relief programs to boost employment were also implemented this year. As of the end of October, the total scale of employment for poverty-stricken people in China had reached 33.079 million, exceeding the annual target by 2.888 million, providing strong support for consolidating and building on the achievements of poverty alleviation.

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