Brazilian residents and military officers have embarked on eye-opening tours of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy's hospital ship, the Silk Road Ark, where they witnessed the advanced medical equipment and unique traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) treatments available on board.
The hospital ship arrived in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil last Thursday, beginning a seven-day friendly visit along with medical exchange activities.
This is one of the stops for the hospital ship during its 220-day "Harmony Mission 2025" mission, and the first visit by a Chinese naval hospital ship to Brazil.
The ship features 14 clinical departments and 7 auxiliary diagnostic units, capable of performing over 60 types of medical procedures spanning general surgery, orthopedics, obstetrics and gynecology, ophthalmology, and more. An onboard helicopter enhances its emergency medical rescue capabilities.
During the opening period, local residents, overseas Chinese, and representatives of employees of Chinese-funded institutions boarded the Silk Road Ark and visited the ship's medical equipment and learned about the operational procedures of the floating hospital, including the reception, triage, and treatment of wounded personnel.
"My first impression about this Silk Road Ark: amazing boat with great technologies, both traditional and modern. So, I think we have a lot to learn from the Chinese experience, and these strengthen our ties with China. Our Brazil-China friendship keeps getting stronger and stronger, and this also solidifies friendship between China and Latin America," said Brazilian resident Hebeta.
The Brazilian Navy also sent a team of experts to learn about the operational procedures of the ship's various testing equipment and exchange views on issues such as the maintenance of medical equipment in the maritime environment and the efficiency of testing during treatment.
Expert practitioners of TCM on board the ship also demonstrated acupuncture, massage, cupping, and scraping techniques to the visitors, explaining the principles of diagnosis and treatment using case studies, offering visitors an intuitive understanding of TCM culture.
"What I found especially striking was the contrast between modern medicine, what we would consider as modern medicine, and the more traditional Chinese medicine. So, we really feel like we are almost exploring a museum as well as a hospital at the same time," said Chloe, another resident of the country.
Since its arrival, the hospital ship has received more than 1,000 visitors from all walks of life in Brazil, becoming an important window for the Brazilian people to understand China's development and construction achievements and experience the charm of Chinese culture.
Traditional treatments, advanced equipment on China's navy hospital ship wow Brazilian visitors
Zhou Hongyi, founder of Chinese cybersecurity giant Qihoo 360 and a member of China’s top political advisory body, has stressed the need to harness artificial intelligence (AI) to confront mounting security threats in a recent interview with China Global Television Network (CGTN).
As a member to the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), Zhou placed "AI plus” security at the core of his proposals to this year's "two sessions," which convene this week, framing it as China's frontline strategy for strengthening cybersecurity.
The "two sessions" are the yearly meetings of the National People's Congress (NPC) and the National Committee of the CPPCC, which serve five-year terms and convene each March. The fourth session of the 14th NPC and the fourth session of the 14th National Committee of the CPPCC kicked off on Thursday and Wednesday, respectively.
Expanding on the "AI plus" security agenda, Zhou said it would enable China to simulate cyberattacks, uncover weaknesses, and deploy digital agents across industries, measures he sees as vital to safeguarding enterprises in the AI era.
"This year I would like to first focus on 'AI plus' security, which means we must use AI's abilities to solve traditional security issues. For example we can simulate an attack to an enterprise's network, identifying its vulnerabilities and then fix them. Secondly, I think AI agents would be a key factor for 'AI plus' to be truly implemented into various industries, because large models have their own limits. Only by transforming large models into AI agents, and into digital experts and digital interns, can it be integrated with the business of enterprises," Zhou said.
Turning to the humanoid robots showcased at this year's Spring Festival Gala, Zhou said their appearance highlighted China's rapid progress in robotics and signaled that the era of intelligent machines is approaching.
"I am not surprised. I feel quite lucky I didn't do boxing with those robots on the stage of the Spring Festival Gala, because I don't think I can hit them. I think China's robots manufacturing industry has seen huge progress over the past year. On the other hand, I think that show also reflects our country's industrial strategy, which is sending us a signal that an era of robots is coming. How shall we empower our enterprises through AI? That's a question our entrepreneurs and investors need to think about," he said.
As China embarks on its 15th Five-Year Plan in 2026, Zhou projects that the continued development of AI will drive substantial demand in key sectors, such as energy, raw materials, and chips.
"First I think energy, as well as some of the raw materials that can align with the development of computing power would see huge progress. The chips industry will also be developed. I think China needs more inference chips. And there would also be a huge demand for electricity," he said.
This year marks the start of China's 15th Five-Year Plan period, spanning from 2026 to 2030, a period widely seen as pivotal for the country's long-term development. The plan is expected to be formally endorsed by the NPC during the "two sessions" with more detailed targets released later.
CPPCC member calls for AI-driven defenses to safeguard enterprises amid rising cyber threats
