As a cold wave has brought heavy snow to parts of regions north of the Yangtze River in China in recent days, local authorities are taking measures to ensure public safety and smooth transportation.
Heavy snow has hit Zhenping County of northwest China's Shaanxi Province since Saturday. As of 21:00 of Saturday, accumulated snow reached 5 to 8 centimeters in depth, and the depth exceeded 10 centimeters in some areas, blocking local traffic.
Local transport departments have strengthened patrols on key roads to guarantee smooth traffic. By Sunday night, the snow had stopped, and traffic had returned to normal.
A cold wave brought snow to parts of Baokang County, central China's Hubei Province, from late afternoon on Saturday through the morning of Sunday. Icy conditions were reported on local sections of National Highway G241.
Local traffic authorities have implemented emergency measures, deploying round-the-clock patrols on key sections like bridges, long slopes, and bends. Road maintenance crews cleared snow and ice. Traffic in the county has now fully resumed as snow stopped on Sunday morning.
In northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, snowfall hit urban areas of Urumqi from late Sunday through midday on Monday, affecting travel conditions.
Traffic police immediately initiated adverse weather response measures. Anti-skid materials were pre-positioned along main roads, expressways, and transport hubs, while sanitation departments dispatched snowplows and crews to clear snow and ice, ensuring road safety and smooth traffic flow.
Northern China takes measures to address heavy snow's negative impact
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
