China sees fewer spring sandstorms after decades of anti-desertification efforts

China has recorded fewer and weaker spring sandstorms over the past two decades, after decades of efforts to curb desertification, official data released on Sunday showed.

The average number of spring sandstorms, a recurring weather hazard across northern China particularly between March and May, fell from 12.5 times a year two decades ago to 9.6 times in recent years, according to the National Forestry and Grassland Administration, which released the data to mark the International Day of Combating Sand and Dust Storms.

The decline is closely linked to years of ecological restoration efforts, including the Three-North Shelterbelt Forest Program, an afforestation initiative launched in 1978 to curb desertification and improve the ecological environment in northern China.

Under the program, a total of 32 million hectares of forests have been planted and preserved, and 85.3 million hectares of degraded grasslands have been restored. In regions covered by the program, the forest coverage ratio has risen from 5.05 percent in 1978 to 13.84 percent today.

During the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025), China rehabilitated 10.1 million hectares of sandy land. This year alone, the central government has allocated 27.7 billion yuan (about 4.07 billion U.S. dollars) to support 328 restoration projects covering more than 6.3 million hectares.

Data showed that the area of sandy land, which had expanded by an average of 343,333 hectares annually at the end of the last century, is now decreasing by an average of around 666,667 hectares a year. Wind erosion across China's eight major deserts and four major sandy lands has declined by about 40 percent since 2000.

China has also stepped up cooperation with other countries through training programs, technology exchanges and joint projects, sharing its experience in combating desertification and mitigating sand and dust hazards.

The United Nations General Assembly designated July 12 as the International Day of Combating Sand and Dust Storms in 2023, and proclaimed 2025-2034 as the "United Nations Decade on Combating Sand and Dust Storms" one year later.

China sees fewer spring sandstorms after decades of anti-desertification efforts

Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez on Friday denounced the U.S. policy of "maximum pressure" and economic asphyxiation against Cuba, saying the policy aims to reduce the Cuban government's ability to provide basic goods and services, thereby provoking social unrest.

In a social media post, Rodriguez said the U.S. targets the main sources of external income for the Cuban economy, seeking to provoke public frustration, social unrest and a change in the constitutional order.

Rodriguez listed measures imposed by the U.S. on the banking and financial sectors in recent years, including relisting Cuba on the State Sponsors of Terrorism list and sanctioning Cuban financial institutions.

According to a U.S. media report on Friday, the Trump administration's strategy toward Cuba is increasingly focused on intensifying economic sanctions and pressure rather than deploying military forces.

The U.S. has long imposed an economic, financial and trade embargo on Cuba. Following military operations against Venezuela and Iran this year, U.S. President Donald Trump threatened that "Cuba is next" and further increased pressure on the country, imposing an oil blockade to intensify sanctions.

US policy against Cuba aims to provoke social unrest: Cuban FM