Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in northwest China has switched to HD and 4K ultra-HD broadcasting, according to the National Radio and Television Administration's research center.
The upgrade, completed this August, saw the full decommissioning of standard-definition channels that had been simulcast with their HD counterparts across the region, the center said.
In Hotan, local broadcasting technicians have been providing residents with services including set-top box system upgrades and TV line maintenance, while helping them become familiar with the new TV operating system.
"Staff from the broadcasting network system helped us with debugging and installation, and solved our difficulties. Since the signal upgrade, the picture has become clearer, the speed is faster and there is no more lagging," said Kurbanjan Ahmat, a resident.
Burqin County in Altay Prefecture, north of the Tianshan Mountains, is a major pastoral area that has long faced difficulties in television signal coverage because of its remote summer pastures and mountainous terrain.
With the completion of a project to upgrade broadcasting services in pastoral areas from standard to high definition, the county has now achieved stable HD television coverage throughout the region.
"Being able to watch TV programs with greater clarity is in step with the times and reflects the enrichment of our people's cultural lives," said Chen Changwei, general manager of China Broadcasting Xinjiang Network Co., Ltd.
Xinjiang completes transition to HD, 4K ultra-HD broadcasting
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Saturday delivered a nationally televised address outlining Canada's position after trade talks with the United States broke down, announcing that Ottawa's "dollar-for-dollar" retaliatory tariffs on 20 billion U.S. dollars' worth of American goods would take effect on Sept 8.
The prime minister said the counter-tariffs will cover a wide range of sectors, including dairy, steel, appliances, pulp and paper, and electronics.
The United States and Canada failed to reach a trade deal on Friday, and the United States imposed a 50-percent tariff on 20 billion U.S. dollars' worth of Canadian goods on Saturday which took effect just after midnight (0400 GMT).
Explaining why negotiations broke down at the last minute, Carney said that while both sides were close to a mutually beneficial agreement earlier this week, the U.S. side introduced last-minute changes that were "unfair, uneconomic and called into question the reliability of any deal."
The U.S. side's repeated disregard for existing free trade agreements, such as the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA), sends a bad signal to international businesses and is "certainly not good news" for the agreement's future renewal, Carney warned.
The rift comes as the United States, Mexico and Canada are trying to renew the CUSMA, a trade agreement that Trump negotiated in his first term and once praised as a triumph.
The United States has begun formal talks with Mexico to revamp the agreement, but negotiations with Canada have not yet begun.
The CUSMA is a trilateral trade pact that replaced the North American Free Trade Agreement when it took effect on July 1, 2020. On July 1, 2026, the United States officially declined to renew the agreement for another 16-year term, triggering an annual review process until the pact expires in 2036.
When asked why Canada was entering a trade dispute, the prime minister replied flatly: "Because we were attacked."
Carney reiterated his confidence in Canada's economic resilience, pointing out that Canada is creating jobs at four times the rate of the United States, with foreign direct investment reaching a 20-year high.
"Canada is becoming stronger and less dependent on America," he said.
Canadian PM vows "dollar-for-dollar" tariffs against U.S. as trade talks collapse
