Young rangers guard wildlife in Chinese national park

A team of four young people has been working in the heart of China's Qilian Mountain National Park to protect and provide medical care for the wild animals inhabiting the area.

The Qilian Mountain National Park, located at the border of northwest China's Gansu and Qinghai provinces, is home to thousands of rare species of wildlife, including snow leopards, Pallas's cats, and bharals. It is one of ten newly-established national parks in the country.

Ma Cunxin, head of the wildlife rehabilitation and breeding station in the park, together with his team members, shoulders the responsibility of rescuing wild animals and monitoring the ecology of the park.

"As a child, I loved small animals. So, I chose to study biology at university. During several field expeditions with my tutor, I developed a great fondness for wild animals," he said.

The station has recorded the movement of many rare wild animals and provide support for biological population monitoring in the park.

"We've set up cameras to monitor various ecosystems. One camera captured five snow leopards in a single image, and another, six Pallas's cats. We've also filmed Chinese mountain cats breeding at the highest altitude ever recorded. These are significant achievements for us," said Ma.

The park spans a vast area, and Ma leads a small team, including two girls, stationed at a remote location in its center. Their work can be highly challenging.

"Many of the wild animals we find can't be saved. We feel quite helpless. It's heart-breaking," said Xu Fengyi, a ranger at the wildlife rehabilitation and breeding station.

"This isn't the career path my family wanted me to follow. There is, as they say, little future in it. But I think the meaning of life is different for everyone," said Zhu Hongyi, another ranger.

The harsh environment and tiring daily routine often present difficulties, but the young people said the joy of saving a life banishes any misgivings.

"When an injured animal is rehabilitated and returned to nature through the hard work of our staff, it makes me feel wonderful to be part of this process," said Ma Jinglin, a member of the station.

Data shows that the number of bird species recorded in the Qilian Mountains region has grown to 220, and that of mammals to 35.

Young rangers guard wildlife in Chinese national park

China's Minister of Commerce Wang Wentao outlined the key priorities of the 32nd Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Ministers Responsible for Trade Meeting, which opened on Friday in Suzhou, East China's Jiangsu province.

In an interview with CGTN ahead of the two-day meeting, Wang said free trade, digital cooperation and green economy are high on the agenda of the meeting.

"The key areas include advancing regional economic integration and the Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific, supporting the World Trade Organization (WTO) in strengthening digital cooperation and developing green economy. At present, the international situation is marked by intertwined turbulence and chaos, with intensified geopolitical instability. The rise of unilateralism and protectionism poses serious challenges to the international economic and trade order, disrupting global and Asia-Pacific development. Against this backdrop, all parties have higher expectations for this trade ministers' meeting, hoping that it can build consensus and deliver outcomes," Wang said.

This year marks China's third time hosting the APEC meetings and the 35th anniversary of its membership.

By 2025, China had become the largest trading partner of 13 APEC economies. Trade between China and APEC economies reached 3.7 trillion U.S. dollars, accounting for 57.8 percent of China's total foreign trade.

China has signed 24 free trade agreements or economic and trade arrangements with 31 countries and regions, including 15 APEC economies. In recent years, China has also completed upgrades of free trade agreements with APEC economies such as Singapore and Peru.

The minister said that China has always been a firm supporter and an important contributor to APEC.

"We have actively shared our vast market and development opportunities with all parties. China's door to the world will only open wider and wider. Facing the common challenges, China will continue to fulfill its responsibilities as a major country, further deepen reform, expand high-standard opening-up, and continue to provide new opportunities for the Asia-Pacific region and the world with its new achievements in Chinese modernization," the minister said.

China's Commerce Minister outlines priorities for 32nd APEC trade ministers' meeting