Wetlands in China have seen peaking bird migration with continuous flocks of migratory birds making stopovers en route to their overwintering destination.
There are three main migratory bird routes through north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, along which tens of thousands of migratory birds stop and roost every year.
Currently, lakes and wetlands in Horqin Left Rear Banner of the region's Tongliao City have seen peaking arrivals of migratory birds.
Hundreds of white cranes, white-naped cranes and red-crowned cranes, which are first-class national protected animals, have been spotted foraging and playing in wetlands and fields, while tens of thousands other birds such as swans, wild geese and ruby shelducks resting in water to forge or flying in the sky in the afterglow of the sunset.
"Lakes and wetlands in Horqin Left Rear Banner are important transit stations and stopping points for various bird species on their migratory routes. Currently, the number of migratory waterbirds here has been monitored to be more than 40,000. They are expected to stay in farmlands or wetlands until early or mid-November, and continue their migration south after replenishing energy," said Han Qingyu, an official of Ji'ergalang Town, Horqin Left Rear Banner.
Tongliao has a total wetland area of nearly 100,000 hectares. Over the past few years, the local government has continued to strengthen the protection and restoration of wetland ecology, creating a relatively stable transit environment for migratory birds.
According to the latest monitoring, the number of migratory bird species in Tongliao has increased from 148 to over 170.
The coastal wetlands of Ganyu District in Lianyungang City, east China's Jiangsu Province, have recently captured a flock of pied avocet, a rare bird species, which sometimes spread their wings and fly, and sometimes lean over to peck at food.
The large area of wetlands along the coast of Lianyungang provides abundant food and s suitable living environment for birds.
In addition to pied avocets, rare birds such as Oriental white storks have also arrived in Lianyungang for wintering.
Wetlands in China see peaking arrivals of migratory birds
Global business leaders gathering in Beijing for the China Development Forum 2026 said that they remain optimistic about China's role as a key driver of growth and are committed to deepening their presence in the Chinese market.
Themed "China in its 15th Five-Year Plan period: advancing high-quality development and creating new opportunities together", the two-day forum, which kicked off on Sunday, highlighted China as a key engine of global development as the country begins its 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030).
Patrick Pouyanne, chairman and CEO of TotalEnergies, a French energy giant, acknowledged the growing barriers in global energy cooperation, but stressed that both China and Europe share a common path toward green energy.
"We have observed more barriers, in fact, we see a lot of, I would say, non-cooperative attitude, I am still convinced, in particular, in the field of energy. But in fact, both China and Europe have exactly the same strategy, which is going to more green energy, which is a way to combine security with supply and China is leading the way," he said.
Philippe Delorme, president and CEO of KONE Corporation, a global leader in the elevator and escalator industry, said that Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo's visit to China from January 25 to 28 has reinforced trust, mirroring the strong relationships KONE has built with its Chinese partners.
"Prime Minister Orpo went to China to reinforce the trust that has been built over time, which is actually very parallel to the trust that KONE has been building with the China-based ecosystem and its customers," he said.
Judy Marks, CEO and president of American elevator maker Otis emphasized the company's strong commitment to China, highlighting the access and enthusiasm she experiences on every visit.
"Well, every time I come to China, my agenda is packed, and I want it that way. I want to see our colleagues, I want to see our business partners, I want to see government officials. And guess what, in China, every time we have that access. It's always an exciting time in China. We're investing and we're here to stay," she said.
Rogier Janssens, president of Merck China, talked about his professional journey of returning to China, drawn by the country's rapid pace of development and the opportunities he sees unfolding.
"I am not new to China. I'm also not new to Merck. I ran the healthcare business for Merck between '17 and '22 out of Beijing. It's interesting. Actually, at some point in time, I was thinking about after 35 years of working in the pharmaceutical industry, I thought maybe I needed to slow down a little bit and take it easy. Maybe I'd take a job at the headquarters or something like that. But in reality, I thought no. There needs to be a bit more excitement and I'm super excited about what I'm seeing and hearing. I mean the speed of China, the way things are development so rapidly here," he said.
Since its inception in 2000, the China Development Forum has become one of the country's major platforms for dialog among Chinese government officials, global business leaders, international organizations, and scholars.
Global business leaders express confidence in China's market
