February 24th marks the fourth anniversary of the escalation of the Ukraine crisis. Negotiations between Russia and Ukraine are difficult and the road to peace is long. The stalemate on the battlefield is also profoundly affecting social sentiment in Ukraine.
Jiupai News noticed that a netizen nicknamed "Eighteen Marriage" also shared his reporting experience. He said that during the peak return period of the Spring Festival on the 21st, when he returned to Wuhan, his workplace, from Guangxi, he encountered congestion of about 6 kilometers on the Hunan section of the Quannan Expressway and the Xuguang Expressway.
Netizens share reporting experiences. Picture/Screenshot of respondent’s account
"The navigation shows that it will take an hour to pass. Being stuck on the road is already anxious and irritating, but what makes people even more anxious is that many vehicles occupy the emergency lane unscrupulously, which also triggers more car owners queuing to follow suit." She said that seeing the emergency lane turning into a "fast lane", she felt that she had to do something, so she tried to search the Hunan Expressway Traffic Police app to report.
Ms. Zhang explained that the report requires each vehicle to upload two photos that clearly show the license plate, and the system will also automatically identify and locate the specific kilometers of the highway section. "The whole process was quite cumbersome. I spent about half an hour in the congested traffic and reported more than 20 illegal vehicles in total."
She said that the system currently reports that 3 vehicles have failed to report due to unclear features or insufficient clarity in the photos, and the rest are still being processed. Afterwards, she posted her reporting experience on the Internet and received a lot of praise, and some people said, "Why bother being so truthful?" In Ms. Zhang’s view, the emergency lane is the passage of life and should not become a shortcut for speculators.
"If the law is not stopped, it is the biggest punishment for law-abiding people. Even if I spend half an hour, even if only a few cars are punished in the end, as long as more people can hesitate before occupying the emergency lane next time, today's time will not be in vain. Rules need to be maintained together, and reporting channels like 'shoot at will' just give us ordinary people the opportunity to participate in traffic management." She said.
Report interface. Picture/Screenshot of respondent’s account
[2] During the return trip from the Spring Festival, temporary opening measures for emergency lanes will be implemented on many sections of Hunan Expressway
There are strict legal regulations on the use of highway emergency vehicles. The highway emergency lane is an emergency lane used by special vehicles such as police cars, ambulances, and rescue vehicles when performing emergency tasks. Public vehicles are not allowed to drive or park in the emergency lane except in emergencies.
Article 82 (4) of the "Implementation Regulations of the Road Traffic Safety Law of the People's Republic of China" stipulates that motor vehicles driving on expressways shall not drive or park in the emergency lane except in emergencies.
Item (3) of Article 9 of the "Measures for the Administration of Points for Violations of Road Traffic Safety Violations" stipulates that driving a motor vehicle to illegally park on a highway or urban expressway will be demerited with 9 points; Article 10 (11) stipulates that driving a motor vehicle while illegally occupying the emergency lane on a highway or urban expressway will be deducted 6 points.
The police reminded that illegal occupation of the emergency lane can easily cause accidents. Some drivers park their cars in the emergency lane at will, which can easily cause vehicles going in the same direction to be unaware of the situation ahead, leading to accidents. It also creates a negative demonstration. Driving out of sequence and occupying the emergency lane will often produce a negative demonstration effect and undermine social morality. In addition, it will aggravate traffic congestion and delay emergency rescue.
Jiupai News reporter noted that the transportation department will also open some emergency lanes based on real-time traffic conditions and adopt flexible diversion measures. According to the Xiaoxiang Morning News, as of 16:30 on February 23, many highways in Hunan Province were experiencing slowdowns, and some road sections and toll stations were subject to temporary controls. In addition, in order to ease the peak traffic flow on the return trip during the Spring Festival and ensure the traffic efficiency of the main expressway, temporary opening measures for emergency lanes were implemented on multiple sections of the Hunan Expressway on the 23rd.
Data released by the Japanese health department on the 24th showed that the number of measles cases in Japan has been increasing recently, with 43 new confirmed cases in the first seven weeks of this year, higher than the same period last year. The government department announced the patient's itinerary and reminded those with the same trajectory to seek medical advice as soon as possible if they develop symptoms such as fever and rash.
Data from the National Health Crisis Management Research Institute of Japan show that as of February 18, a total of 43 measles cases have been reported in Japan this year. Among them, 13 are imported cases, 22 were infected in Japan, and the place of infection has not yet been determined for 8 cases. From a regional perspective, Tokyo, Osaka Prefecture, Chiba Prefecture and Niigata Prefecture have a higher number of confirmed cases. In terms of age, more than half of the confirmed patients are between 20 and 40 years old.
Government departments in Tokyo, Osaka and other places released the patient's itinerary, reminding people who have been to the same place or took the same means of transportation to pay attention to their physical condition within 21 days after coming into contact with the patient. Once symptoms such as fever and rash occur, promptly report the situation to a medical institution, wear a mask when going to see a doctor and avoid taking public transportation.
According to Japanese media, measles is highly contagious. For susceptible people, one patient can infect 12 to 14 people. The incubation period of measles is usually 10 to 12 days, and can be up to 21 days. Symptoms include fever, upper respiratory tract inflammation, cough, conjunctivitis, etc. In severe cases, it can cause complications such as pneumonia.
Data shows that from 2020 to 2022, the number of measles cases in Japan is at a low level, with no more than 10 confirmed cases each year. It rose to 28 cases in 2023, 45 cases in 2024, and surged to 265 cases in 2025.
As soon as China's Spring Festival holiday ended, German Chancellor Mertz led a high-level economic delegation to visit China.
From this calculation, Mertz is the first foreign head of government to visit China in the Lunar Year of the Horse, and can be said to be "leading the way".
The last time a German leader visited China dates back to April 2024 when then-Prime Minister Scholz. Over the past two years, the world situation has undergone earth-shaking changes, and China-Germany relations are facing both new opportunities and new challenges.
German Chancellor Mertz is known for his tough style.
A trip to China that carries many expectations.
This visit to China is Mertz's first official visit to China after taking office as German Chancellor in May last year. The accompanying delegation has a luxurious lineup, including a large number of German political and business leaders. This shows that Mertz has high hopes for this visit and is eager to promote the realization of his strategic vision for China.
A "pragmatic journey" to solve development difficulties.
Economic and trade cooperation has always been the "ballast stone" of China-Germany relations and is also the core driving force of Merz's visit.
In recent years, Germany's economic growth momentum has been insufficient and faced with problems such as the weakening of traditional manufacturing advantages, lagging digital transformation, and high energy costs. Especially after Trump returned to the White House, he wildly wielded the tariff stick, which severely impacted German manufacturing exports such as automobiles and machinery, further exacerbating Germany's economic difficulties.
At the same time, the importance of the Chinese market has become increasingly prominent. According to public data from the German Federal Statistical Office, the total trade volume between China and Germany will reach 253 billion euros in 2025, a year-on-year increase of approximately 2.7%. China has once again replaced the United States as Germany's largest trading partner, playing a vital supporting role in Germany's economic recovery.
More importantly, China's rapid development in new energy, artificial intelligence and other fields is highly complementary to Germany's deep accumulation of high-end manufacturing and green technology, providing important opportunities for Germany's economic transformation.
Merz led the heads of leading companies such as Volkswagen and Siemens to visit China this time. The core goals are to stabilize the supply chain, expand the Chinese market, attract Chinese investment, and inject a "boost" into the German economy.
The German automobile industry relies on the Chinese market for about one-third of its sales.
A "positioning journey" to calibrate the direction of cooperation.
In recent years, influenced by the strategic game between China and the United States and changes in ideological trends within Europe, Germany has become increasingly tough on China, and the "de-risking" argument against China has damaged political mutual trust between the two sides to a certain extent.
In October last year, German Foreign Minister Walderfurt made inappropriate remarks on Taiwan-related issues, which once led to the temporary cancellation of his visit to China.
In order to stabilize bilateral relations, the Mertz government has taken a series of pragmatic diplomatic actions: on November 17, German Deputy Chancellor and Finance Minister Klingbeyer visited China; in late November, Mertz and Prime Minister Li Qiang met in Johannesburg when attending the G20 Summit; in early December, German Foreign Minister Waldful resumed his visit to China and had in-depth dialogue with the Chinese side, paving the way for Mertz's visit to China.
Therefore, another important goal of Merz's visit is to have face-to-face communication with Chinese high-level officials, recalibrate the positioning of Sino-German relations, promote Sino-German relations from fluctuation to stability, establish an interactive model with pragmatic cooperation as the main tone, and lay the foundation for further deepening cooperation between the two countries.
On January 22, Merz delivered a speech at the Davos Forum in Switzerland, pointing out that maintaining good cooperation with China is a key path for Germany to improve its economic competitiveness.
A "breakout journey" seeking independent development.
Currently, Trump is holding high the banner of "America First", imposing tariffs on European allies, exerting defense pressure, and even threatening to seize Greenland. A series of bullying behaviors accelerated Europe's strategic awakening.
As the largest economy in Europe, Germany is also clearly aware that it must get rid of its over-reliance on the United States in order to effectively protect its national interests.
This visit to China is a key measure for Mertz to achieve a strategic breakthrough. He wants to take advantage of China's development opportunities and international influence to enhance Germany's voice in Europe and even the global landscape.
In particular, Trump is likely to visit China in April this year. Mertz's visit at this time also hopes to seize the strategic initiative in the triangular relationship between China, the United States and Europe.
During this visit, in addition to economic and trade cooperation, Merz will also communicate with China on international and regional issues such as the Russia-Ukraine conflict, so as to seek a peaceful and stable development environment for Germany and Europe.
The "two sides" of pragmatic cooperation.
Merz's visit sends a positive signal of pragmatic cooperation with China and is an important opportunity for the further deepening of Sino-German relations. However, it should be noted that this is not a signal that Germany is strategically moving closer to China.
As a conservative from the Christian Democratic Union, Mertz's political stance has a distinct conservative flavor and a hard-line tendency towards China. Coupled with the pressure from conservative forces such as the far-right Alternative for Germany, as well as the United States' continued coercion of Europe, Germany's overall attitude towards China is still "two-sided."
In late January, the German government announced a new energy vehicle subsidy plan totaling 3 billion euros, clearly including Chinese car companies and expressing its sincerity in cooperation with China.
But within a few days, German Foreign Minister Walder Fuhr once again publicly made unfriendly remarks against China in his speech in Singapore, declaring that "Germany will always stand with the United States, and its relationship with China will never be equidistance." He defined China as a "challenger to the rules-based international order," and hyped up ideological opposition.
From this point of view, the development of Sino-German relations is still affected by many factors and is highly complex. We should also view Mertz's visit dialectically.
Overall, Mertz's visit to China is an important attempt by Germany to seek a strategic breakthrough in the context of accelerating restructuring of the global order and increasing pressure on its own economy.
In the short term, Sino-German relations may usher in a wave of "Little Indian Spring". But in the long run, how to develop relations with China rationally and pragmatically will test the strategic vision and political wisdom of German leaders...
During the Spring Festival return peak, many expressways in Hunan experienced varying degrees of congestion due to the return peak. Many drivers and passengers posted on social platforms that they were stuck on the road.
Some of the vehicles reported by the owner "Eighteen Marriage". Photo provided by interviewee
On February 23, a car owner posted that he found dozens of private cars occupying the emergency lane during a traffic jam. He took pictures one by one and reported them to the Hunan Expressway Traffic Service Convenience Platform.
On the 24th, the reporter contacted the owner of the car "Eighteen Pairs" who posted the car. She told reporters that during the peak return period during the Spring Festival, she took a car from Guangxi back to Wuhan, Hubei, and encountered a congestion of about 6 kilometers on the highway in Hunan. The navigation showed that it would take about an hour to pass.
Her family was driving at the time, and she was sitting in the passenger seat. She saw many vehicles occupying the emergency lane unscrupulously, and even caused more vehicles that were originally queuing to follow suit. "Seeing the emergency lane gradually turning into a 'fast lane', I feel that something must be done to stop this trend - the emergency lane is a life channel and should not become a shortcut for speculators, let alone those who queue up and obey the rules to suffer."
Therefore, "Eighteen Marriage" tried to search the reporting channels of Hunan Expressway Traffic Police and discovered the "shoot at will" function. Follow the step-by-step instructions to report. "Shibazhu" said that she spent more than half an hour and reported more than 20 illegal vehicles. Currently, the system reports that 3 vehicles have failed to report due to unclear features or insufficient clarity in the photos, and the rest are being processed.
The reporter noticed that on the 23rd, the Hunan Expressway Police official Weibo announced that in order to cope with the peak return period during the Spring Festival holiday, the Hunan Expressway Traffic Police temporarily opened emergency lanes on some sections of the expressway. However, the traffic police also reminded drivers to follow the instructions and to avoid occupying emergency lanes during off-peak hours. In this regard, "Eighteen Marriage" told reporters: "None of the things I reported are within the scope of (temporary opening)."
The reporter called the Hunan Provincial Highway Traffic Police Station to inquire about the matter. The staff said that the content of the "casual shooting" report is currently being processed and will actively verify the content of the report. However, the number of reports during the Spring Festival holiday was too large, and the city and state detachments under its jurisdiction have been notified to handle these reports as soon as possible. "It is still being reviewed and entered, so it will not be that fast."
The Japanese government has decided to officially implement the "Reward System for Reporting Illegal Foreigners Staying" from fiscal year 2026 (starting April 1), and the first pilot area is Ibaraki Prefecture. Anyone who provides effective clues to the police or the Immigration and Immigration Agency and successfully leads to the arrest of illegal immigrants will receive a reward of 50,000 yen (approximately RMB 2,300). This is the first time Japan has used bounties nationwide to encourage private participation in combating illegal immigration.
Ibaraki Prefecture was chosen as a pilot because the number of foreign workers in the county has surged and the problem of visa overstays is more prominent. According to the latest statistics from the Ministry of Justice, there are approximately 82,000 foreigners illegally staying in Japan (as of the end of 2025). The main countries of origin are:
- Vietnam (about 18%)
- Thailand (about 15%)
- South Korea (about 14%)
- China, Philippines, Indonesia and other countries also account for a large proportion
Among them, the number of Vietnamese overstayers has ranked first for many years in a row, and they are mainly engaged in agriculture, construction, nursing and other fields. The Japanese government believes that the bounty system can effectively mobilize private forces, make up for the lack of law enforcement resources, and at the same time deter potential defaulters.
Justice Minister Takeru Saito said: "This is not targeted at a specific country, but to maintain a fair residence order. The reward amount is set at 50,000 yen, which is the result of comprehensive consideration of the cost of reporting and the incentive effect." The governor of Ibaraki Prefecture added that the privacy of whistleblowers will be strictly protected during the pilot period and a dedicated hotline will be established.
Once this move was announced, it immediately triggered bipolar reactions on the Japanese Internet. Supporters believe that "this should have been done long ago" and can reduce the waste of social resources and security risks; opponents worry that it may lead to racial discrimination, the proliferation of false reports, and even evolve into "reward witch hunts."
Currently, this system is only being piloted in Ibaraki Prefecture, and the Ministry of Justice plans to decide whether to extend it nationwide based on the results of implementation. The Japanese Residency Administration has emphasized that rewards are only for "conclusive and effective clues" and will not reward simple "suspicions" or "malicious reports".
Source: NHK, Asahi Shimbun, Yomiuri Shimbun.
In the rush to grab tickets during the return rush hour, some netizens fell into the early morning waiting notice of 12306.
Recently, a topic about "12306 midnight waiting list is successful and the 1,700 yuan ticket is invalid" has become a hot search topic, triggering heated discussions across the Internet. During the peak period of the return trip, a netizen was asleep and did not check the waiting list success notification sent at 3 a.m. when he woke up. The train had already departed. The nearly 1,700 yuan ticket could not be fully refunded. He could only change the ticket and bear the 40% handling fee and price difference.
The person involved said that because he failed to get tickets, he submitted a waiting order for multiple trains. There was still no ticket near departure. He had no choice but to increase the price and "buy a few more stops" before successfully purchasing the ticket. However, he did not expect that the system would suddenly honor the previous waiting order in the early morning. What makes it even more difficult for her to accept is that the itineraries of the two tickets are highly overlapping, the system did not effectively intercept them, and the loss of nearly 1,700 yuan was entirely borne by the individual.
As soon as this incident came out, netizens immediately became angry and complained that the rules of 12306 were "too cold".
Many netizens said that 3 a.m. is the time for deep sleep. It relies only on text messages and APP push notifications. There is no phone reminder or forced pop-up window, so it is easy to miss it. Some netizens questioned, "Why not block itinerary conflicts?" Since the system can identify itinerary conflicts, why can't it automatically terminate waitlisted orders with overlapping itineraries, or at least give a second confirmation reminder? It's all up to the passengers themselves to keep an eye on it, and any carelessness can lead to heavy losses.
In the face of the controversy, 12306 customer service gave a response. It can be summed up in one sentence: This is the rule. Passengers have to take the initiative to cancel redundant waiting orders. The system only acts according to the rules.
First of all, we need to make it clear that the rules must be formulated with the interests of the majority of people in mind.
We are not trying to overturn the rule, but we just hope it can be more user-friendly. For example, can we optimize the notification logic so as not to send out standby success notifications in the early morning or late at night, or add phone reminders and APP forced pop-ups to ensure that passengers can see it.
Another example is to improve conflict detection. If a ticket for a certain train has been purchased, the system will automatically terminate the waitlist order with overlapping itineraries, or at least give a second confirmation reminder. If the order is successfully placed on the late night waiting list, can you give more time so that passengers have time to confirm and cancel? Don't cancel it immediately if it is missed.
The waitlist mechanism was originally designed to solve the difficulty of grabbing tickets. The original intention of the 24-hour redemption rule was to increase ticket utilization. However, due to the unlimited redemption time, loopholes in the itinerary interception mechanism, and single reminder method, many passengers suffered losses and increased anxiety about grabbing tickets.
It is the passenger's obligation to abide by the ticket purchase rules, but as a public service platform, the design of 12306's rules should take into account both efficiency and temperature. It is expected that the railway department will optimize the waiting system and use more refined services to make people traveling during the Spring Festival less troublesome.
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