As a manufacturing hub of super-hard materials and artificial diamonds, central China's Henan Province is closely coordinating 120 enterprises, 32 high-tech companies, and 18 provincial engineering technology research centers to steer the industries towards the medium- and high-end.
Henan's Zhecheng County has built complete industrial chain and innovation chain on super-hard materials, and is growing a industrial cluster with an annual output value of over 20 billion yuan (about 2.8 billion U.S. dollars).
Henan Province produces 10 million carats of synthetic diamonds annually, of which six million carats are exported, accounting for 50 percent of China's total export of lab-grown diamonds.
With the same optical, physical and chemical properties, artificial diamonds rival natural diamonds, but their prices are 10 to 20 percent of those of the natural ones.
Zhecheng County has been mass-producing synthetic diamonds of up to 30 carats.
"I learned from the Internet that Henan makes great artificial diamonds," said consumer Huang Tao from eastern Anhui Province at the China Zhecheng lab-grown diamond trading center.
"There are lab-grown diamond jewelry with various new design styles, and they are very cost-effective," said Yang Xiaoting, another consumer from Anhui.
"I've just chosen a necklace, and was just told that the center provides customized services, with many choices," said a customer surnamed Tian from northern Shanxi Province.
"Besides customers from across China, we also receive visits by foreign businesspeople. They will reach out to us for further contact if they are interested in cooperation," said Jiang Ting, an employee with the center.
The county boasts nearly 1,400 patents on industrial diamond products, which are popular on the global market.
The exported products include single crystal diamonds and 20 categories of diamond micron powder - an ultra-fine abrasive made with artificial diamonds used for grinding and polishing hard materials.
Zhecheng County's annual output and export of diamond micron powder account for over 90 percent of national total, and annual output and export of single crystal diamonds account for 60 percent of national total.
"This wire saw uses special diamond micron powder of five-micron level, which makes the wire saw more powerful. It is mainly used for cutting products including single crystal silicon and photovoltaic panels, featuring faster cutting and thinner incisions," said Bao Siwei, deputy general manager of a diamond products manufacturer in Zhecheng County.
Artificial diamond industry in Henan shaping 20-bln-yuan cluster
The China-Cambodia-Thailand foreign ministers' meeting was held in Yuxi City, southwest China's Yunnan Province on Monday.
After the trilateral meeting, a press communique was issued, which made it clear from five aspects that Cambodia and Thailand will further enhance communication, deepen understanding, and gradually consolidate the ceasefire situation, restore mutual exchanges, rebuild political mutual trust, achieve a turnaround in relations, and maintain regional peace.
Wang Yi, Chinese Foreign Minister and a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said that upholding the spirit of the Global Security Initiative proposed by President Xi Jinping, China has actively mediated between Cambodia and Thailand since the outbreak of their border conflict.
Chinese leaders have maintained friendly communication with Cambodian and Thai leaders, with multiple phone calls made among foreign ministers, and the Chinese special envoy has made four shuttle-diplomacy trips to Cambodia and Thailand, heeding views from both sides and learning about their respective legitimate concerns, and working to find a way to resolve differences through dialog and negotiation.
With the concerted efforts of all parties, the Cambodian and Thai armies reached a ceasefire agreement a few days ago, which is gratifying to China, Wang said.
Wang noted that it was just time to hold the trilateral meeting, which followed several bilateral meetings, especially the in-depth face-to-face exchanges between the foreign and defense ministries of Cambodia and Thailand, during which both sides demonstrated positive and open attitude, their commitment to de-escalating tensions, and their willingness to improve bilateral relations on the basis of a ceasefire.
The trilateral discussions were beneficial and constructive, with important consensus reached, Wang said.
The three sides have agreed that Cambodia and Thailand should look forward and move forward together and avoid the resumption of fighting; should maintain communication in implementing the ceasefire agreement, and remain confident and engage in equal dialog to gradually advance bilateral relations; and should rebuild mutual trust, Wang said.
Noting Cambodia and Thailand are eternal neighbors with a long history of friendly exchanges, Wang expressed hope that the trilateral meeting could heal the wounds caused by the conflict, remove the estrangement between the two countries, and truly achieve reconciliation, which meets the interests of the Cambodian and Thai people, as well as the common wish of all parties.
China will always be a promoter of the development of Cambodia-Thailand relations, Wang said, pledging all necessary assistance and support in ceasefire monitoring, humanitarian assistance, and demining cooperation.
China looks forward to and believes that Cambodia-Thailand relations will return to the right track at an early date, Wang said.
Cambodian and Thai foreign ministers thanked China for providing the dialog platform, expressing high appreciation for China's constructive role in resolving the conflict, easing tensions, and promoting dialog.
Both sides emphasized the preciousness of peace and expressed their willingness to actively implement the ceasefire agreement, make good use of dialog mechanisms at all levels, jointly manage and resolve disputes, and jointly safeguard peace and tranquility in the border areas between the two countries.
China-Cambodia-Thailand foreign ministers' meeting held in Yunnan
