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Mao Ning: This incident exposed the depth and harm of Japan's right-wing ideology and distorted view of history. According to reports, Japan’s National Defense University has a “routine” of collective visits to the Yasukuni Shrine every year. In 2024, a former senior Maritime Self-Defense Force official actually served as the Palace Secretary of the Yasukuni Shrine. This is the first time that a retired Self-Defense Force general has served as the highest position of the Yasukuni Shrine. The Self-Defense Forces have long invited far-right elements who are extremely anti-China to participate in teaching, and the training materials are full of content that distorts and beautifies the history of World War II aggression.

The parents of the Self-Defense Forces officer who illegally broke into the Chinese Embassy said that he did not behave in extreme ways when he was growing up and studying in his hometown, and they had no idea why he did what he did. This person received a nine-month reserve cadre training course in the Self-Defense Forces. During this process, what ideas did the Self-Defense Forces instill in him and what kind of education did he receive? It deserves attention, investigation and reflection. The rightward shift of the Japanese Self-Defense Forces and the "remilitarization" of Japan deserve the high vigilance of the international community. China once again urges Japan to thoroughly investigate the incident and fundamentally prevent such incidents from happening again.

Reporter’s question screen

Reporter from the Iranian Audiovisual Organization: A report from Iran’s Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts shows that since the war began on February 28, Israel and the United States have attacked more than 130 historical sites and monuments and caused widespread damage, many of which are included in UNESCO’s relevant lists. Historical heritage is very important to ancient civilizations like China and Iran with a long history. These attacks on historical monuments run counter to China's global civilization initiative. What is China's position on these actions?

Mao Ning: World cultural heritage is a precious wealth for all mankind. China deeply deplores the destruction of Iranian cultural relics and monuments during the war and urges all warring parties, especially the United States and Israel, to immediately and comprehensively cease military operations, start dialogue and negotiations as soon as possible, and end this war that should not have happened as soon as possible.

"Beijing Daily" reporter: According to reports, the United States and Israel have recently attacked the Arak Heavy Water Plant, the Hundab Heavy Water Reactor, the Ardakan Yellow Cake Processing Plant, and the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant in military operations. The US military is conducting exercises to seize and transfer Iran's enriched uranium stockpile by force. In addition, Iran submitted a working document on the prohibition of attacks on peaceful nuclear facilities and scientists to the upcoming 11th Review Conference of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, emphasizing that attacking nuclear facilities with force violates many international legal documents. What is China's comment on this?

Mao Ning: Armed attacks on peaceful nuclear facilities that are subject to the safeguards and supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency violate the purposes of the United Nations Charter, international law, and the Statutes of the International Atomic Energy Agency. It seriously affects the authority of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, weakens efforts to maintain the international nuclear non-proliferation system, and may have serious consequences for regional peace, security, and stability. China firmly opposes this, advocates peaceful resolution of the Iranian nuclear issue through political and diplomatic means, and calls on all parties to remain calm and restrained to avoid further escalation of tensions.

The 11th Review Conference of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons is about to be held. China is concerned about the negative impact of the military strikes by the United States and Israel. China is willing to work with all parties to continue to promote peace and negotiation with an objective and fair stance, support resolving the Iranian nuclear issue through dialogue and negotiation, effectively safeguard the international nuclear non-proliferation system, and promote peace and stability in the Middle East.

Reporter’s question screen

Reporter from Indonesia's Antara News Agency: The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon was attacked for two consecutive days. Two Indonesian peacekeepers were killed and two others were injured in the attack. China plays an important role in UN peacekeeping operations. Does this incident raise serious concerns about the safety of peacekeepers? What measures can be taken to better ensure their safety?

Mao Ning: We express our condolences for the death of the Indonesian peacekeepers who were attacked. Deliberate attacks on United Nations peacekeepers are a serious violation of international humanitarian law and Security Council Resolution 1701 and are absolutely unacceptable. The parties concerned should cease fire and cease fighting as soon as possible and take practical measures to ensure the safety of United Nations peacekeepers. China is also willing to play a constructive role in cooling down the situation and restoring peace and stability in the Middle East.

According to recent reports from many foreign media including the Financial Times, BBC and CNN, the UK plans to reduce the design speed of High Speed ​​2 (HS2) to save billions of pounds.

According to the original design, the construction specification of the HS2 high-speed railway is that the train can reach a maximum speed of 360 kilometers per hour. However, based on technical limitations and construction cost considerations, the British government believes that if the original design is maintained, the new trains running HS2 must be sent to China for testing. Otherwise, they can only wait for the UK to build a dedicated test track, but this will significantly increase the construction cost.

According to reports, the HS2 high-speed railway officially started construction in 2019. It is planned to start from London Euston Station (Euston), pass through Birmingham, Manchester, and finally reach Leeds. However, three years after the start of construction, the project fell into a quagmire of project delays, cost overruns and planning failures.

A construction site of the HS2 high-speed railway. Financial Times

The project was originally proposed with a budget of £37.5bn, but by 2020 forecasts show the project cost will reach £100bn. The soaring construction costs have led to calls within the British government for route reduction and opposition to the construction of high-speed rail. In 2021, some government MPs suggested reducing the design speed and cutting off the construction of the line to Leeds. In 2023, some people proposed to abandon the high-speed rail line in Manchester.

A British transportation expert said that if the construction of the established high-speed rail line is reduced as recommended by MPs, it will seriously weaken the actual value and future economic benefits of the high-speed rail line. "It doesn't look cost-effective to just build the London to Birmingham high-speed rail line."

British Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander recently stated that in order to control the soaring costs of the HS2 project, it is considering reducing the maximum design speed of the trains from the originally planned 360 kilometers/hour to 300 kilometers/hour. It is estimated that every 1 mile reduction in speed can save approximately £1 billion in infrastructure and vehicle operating costs.

However, Alan Over, Director General of the Major Railway Project Group of the British Department of Transport, pointed out that the purpose of building expensive high-speed railways is to maximize train traffic per unit time. Reducing the speed means a significant reduction in the number of trains passing per hour, which will affect travel efficiency, lead to a reduction in the number of passengers and revenue, and ultimately lead to serious losses.

According to reports, the construction of the HS2 high-speed rail line has always been one of the thorny issues for the British government. The government hopes that it will help economic recovery. However, subsequent construction and development have made it increasingly difficult to justify the HS2 high-speed rail line. At the same time, the overall construction costs of HS2 are rising, dampening public enthusiasm for major infrastructure projects.

In response to the media, a spokesperson for the HS2 project admitted that "the overall construction situation of HS2 is unacceptable and requires re-planning." The spokesperson said, "The initial target cost of the project was too optimistic. When we started construction, the design was not yet mature. In addition, the relevant persons in charge of the HS2 project changed frequently, lacked technical research capabilities in key areas, and were passive when facing challenges, without the spirit of rising to the challenge."

Analysts point out that the proposal to reduce speeds may seem like a cost-saving expedient, but it touches on the core value proposition of the HS2 project – which is to bring high capacity and efficiency through high speeds. How to find a balance between huge sunk costs, lack of testing facilities and economic pressure will be one of the biggest challenges facing the "replanning" of the HS2 project.

HS2 CEO Mark Wild said in a recent interview with the media that the project is not expected to be completed until after 2037. Despite the high cost, HS2 will eventually be regarded as a "transportation miracle" in the UK.

Relevant people from the British Ministry of Transport pointed out that the current design speed of HS2 high-speed rail trains is 360 kilometers per hour, and special train speed measurement tracks and conditions must be ensured. "Otherwise, the design speed will be reduced, or the trains will be shipped to China and the existing mature high-speed tracks and technical equipment there will be used for testing." The person said, "China has the world's most advanced technical conditions for high-speed rail line construction and testing."

The above-mentioned media previously reported that China has built the most extensive high-speed railway network in the world, achieved the highest level of modernization, established a world-leading high-speed railway technology system, and successfully opened the era of smart high-speed railways. China's high-speed railway construction companies are not only committed to breaking the boundaries of speed, endurance and civil engineering, but are also one of the first companies in the world to introduce autonomous (unmanned) train operation and advanced signal control technology. Today, China is testing a 450 km/h CR450 EMU train. Its actual operating speed can reach 400 km/h, which is 50 km/h faster than the Fuxing CR400 currently in operation.

The Financial Times report also mentioned that the British government believes that if the HS2 high-speed train runs at a slower speed, there will be no need to face this situation (shipping the train to China for testing). According to reports, this reflects the embarrassing dilemma of the lack of corresponding technical research and testing facilities in the UK.

Ms. Su from Suzhou was induced by "rebates, gift items, and high-priced buybacks" in the live broadcast room. After spending more than 160,000 yuan on shopping, she encountered incorrect goods, and the promised rebates and buybacks were not fulfilled. She sued the merchant for fraud. After the first and second trials, the court finally ruled to revoke the contract and provide a full refund to the merchant. But it only won a verdict.

Products purchased by women

Live broadcast room "rebate repurchase", invested more than 160,000 yuan and found that the goods were not correct

Ms. Su is 61 years old and lives in Suzhou City, Jiangsu Province. She said that she didn’t expect that she could be defrauded when buying things online, and she lost her pension money in this deception.

According to Ms. Su, from August to October 2024, she had been watching and selling goods in the live broadcast room of a certain video platform "Huahaoyueyuan A". The main operator of this live broadcast room was Xianyou County Licheng Shimo Department Store (hereinafter referred to as "Shimo Store").

Screenshot of live broadcast room

"The anchor repeatedly promised in the live broadcast room that as long as you take photos of goods in the live broadcast room, you can enjoy subsidies. The more you buy, the more repurchase subsidies will be. Merchants will also repurchase the sold goods at a high price in November 2024. In addition, the anchor also displayed gold items many times, claiming that when you place an order, you will get a gold necklace and cash rebates, saying that 'if you grab it, you will earn it, and you will never have it again in this life. Such an opportunity', 'helping fans reduce stress and save tens of thousands of dollars a year'…" Ms. Su said that after the anchor's long-term promotion, she placed an order and waited for the rebates and gold items promised by the other party. "Even if I don't want the product, I can buy it back and cash it out from the merchant." In these short two months, she paid a total of more than 164,000 yuan in the live broadcast room.

The order page provided by Ms. Su shows that on August 24, 2024, Ms. Su bought 100 strings of Xiuyu bracelets in the live broadcast room, and the price of each string was 138 yuan; on October 30, 2024, Ms. Su bought 10 bed brushes, and the price of a single bed brush ranged from 3,857 yuan to 39,948.99 yuan. According to statistics, Ms. Su spent a total of more than 164,000 yuan in this store.

The order shows that a bed brush worth 39,000 yuan was purchased.

Ms. Su said that the actual goods sent by the merchant were neither bed brushes nor Xiuyu bracelets. What she received were 863 bracelets. "At that time, I thought the other party would repurchase, so I didn't care about it."

The actual arrival is 863 string bracelets

The rights protection failed and the merchant was sued. The merchant denied fraud and did not admit that he had made any promises.

"When the repurchase period promised by the merchant expired in November 2024, Shimo Commercial Bank did not repurchase in accordance with the previous oral agreement, and the so-called subsidies, rebates, and free goldware were not honored." Ms. Su said that she realized something was wrong and hurriedly contacted the merchant's customer service through the platform. She also called the host of the live broadcast room multiple times and asked the other party to refund the full payment. But no matter how Ms. Su communicated, the merchant refused to process the refund.

In desperation, Ms. Su sued Shimo Trading Company to the People's Court of Xianyou County, Fujian Province, hoping to protect her legitimate rights and interests through legal channels.

It is understood that the court held three hearings from April to August 2025.

In court, Ms. Su said that she bought the bracelet because the merchant said it would provide rebates, gift items, and repurchase. She did not expect that the merchant had no integrity and did not fulfill the promotional promises of the live broadcast room. This is consumer fraud.

Ms. Su made a clear request to the court to revoke the information network sales contract between her and Shimo Commercial Company in accordance with the law. She also requested the merchant to return the entire payment of 164,423.66 yuan she paid. The litigation costs in this case shall be borne by the merchant. She also expressed her willingness to return all the 863 bracelets she received to the merchants.

In response to Ms. Su's prosecution, Shimo Commercial Firm firmly denied the existence of fraud, nor did it admit that it had ever made promises such as buybacks, rebates, and gift items.

Courts at both levels found fraud and ordered the merchant to refund the full amount

The merchant argued that the sales contract between the two parties had been fulfilled, the goods had been delivered, the payment had been settled, the rights and obligations of the contract had been terminated, and there was no prerequisite for revocation. At the same time, it was claimed that Ms. Su's purchase was in large quantities and in high amounts, and was a wholesale purchase business, not an ordinary consumer. Moreover, the seven-day no-reason return period had exceeded, and she had no right to request a refund.

After hearing the case, the People's Court of Xianyou County, Fujian Province held that Shimo Trading Company did not truly and fully disclose product information during the live broadcast. The anchor used inducing language to make Ms. Su fall into the misunderstanding that she could get rebates, gift items, and high-price repurchases. The actual delivered goods were seriously inconsistent with the order markings and promotional content, which constituted fraud in the legal sense.

The first-instance judgment of the court revoked the sales contract between the two parties, and the merchant returned the payment of 164,423.66 yuan to Ms. Su within ten days of the judgment taking effect. Ms. Su returned 863 bracelets in the same period, and the case acceptance fee was borne entirely by the merchant.

After the verdict of the first instance was announced, Shimo Trading Company was dissatisfied and appealed to the Putian Intermediate People's Court of Fujian Province. It insisted that the transaction was the true intention of both parties and that the merchant did not commit fraud. It requested that the verdict be changed to reject all Ms. Su's claims.

The second-instance court held that the first-instance judgment clearly identified the facts and applied the law correctly, rejected the appeal, and upheld the original judgment.

Ms. Su's son Qi Fen (pseudonym) told the Chinese Business Daily Dafeng News reporter that after a year of time-consuming and labor-intensive litigation, he unexpectedly only won a verdict. "In February this year, the execution judge gave feedback on the situation: the legal representative of the company is an old man over 70 years old, with only 100 yuan in his bank account and no other property."

Market supervision: All store operators complained against have lost contact

After combing through, Qi Fen also found that in addition to the more than 164,000 yuan in the above-mentioned judgment, his mother also made three purchases at the platform stores "Agarwood Heritage Family" and "Wanxin Wenwan", one for more than 3,800 yuan, and the other for more than 2,400 yuan. They entered Kamiqiao, Licheng City, Xianyou County respectively. The jewelry store and Xiaobing Department Store in Xianyou County also had an order originally placed at the "Wanxin Wenwan" store. Later, the customer service of the store asked to scan the QR code on WeChat to pay. "Through inquiry, it was found that the amount paid by WeChat was more than 14,000 yuan, and it went to the account of Chenyuge Arts and Crafts Store in Bangtou Town, Xianyou County."

Qi Fen said that considering the issue of legal fees, he only filed lawsuits against the companies that had been defrauded the most. For the remaining companies, he chose to complain to the local 12315 consumer hotline in Fujian.

The reporter saw from the receipt given by the Xianyou County Market Management Bureau that after investigation and visits by law enforcement officers, the operators of Licheng Kamiqiao Jewelry Store in Xianyou County and Xiaobing Department Store in Xianyou County were not contacted, and law enforcement officers also did not find these two companies. For the transaction of scanning the QR code to pay for the Chenyuge Arts and Crafts Store in Bangtou Town, Xianyou County, the operator admitted that he had received 14,422 yuan, but did not know the specific circumstances. He claimed that he was helping Queyue Department Store in Licheng County, Xianyou County to collect the payment on his behalf. After verification by the regulatory authorities, Xianyou County Licheng Queyue Department Store did not operate at the registered office location, and the operator lost contact.

The Xianyou County Market Management Bureau has listed the above three missing companies on the list of operating abnormalities.

Ms. Su was not alone in being deceived. There were 31 people who had the same experience as her. "We added each other on WeChat because we were deceived. After getting to know each other, the vast majority of people who were deceived did not dare to tell their families, so that their family members would not be able to defend their rights if they knew about it. They could only admit that they were unlucky." In some screenshots of the chats provided by Ms. Su, some of the deceived people were unwilling to accept the deception, and they could not sleep at night and were in fear all day long. Some people also said that they reported it to the police behind their families' backs, but the police regarded it as a dispute and ignored it.

WeChat chat screenshot

Ms. Su wants to know if these merchants are selling goods online without supervision and their offline addresses have not been traced. Can they be cheated? How should everyone protect their own rights and interests?

Lawyer’s statement:

Winning the lawsuit but not getting the money back, the lawyer analyzes the criminal and civil boundaries of the live broadcast "rebate gift device" scam

Zhao Liangshan, senior partner of Shaanxi Hengda Law Firm and a well-known public interest lawyer, believes that from a legal perspective, the reason why this incident is more likely to constitute civil fraud than a crime of fraud is mainly because the merchant used "rebates, gift items, and high-price repurchases" as bait in the live broadcast room to induce Ms. Su to purchase goods that were not of the correct quality and failed to fulfill their promises. This behavior is consistent with According to the elements of fraud stipulated in the Civil Code, the court ruled to cancel the contract and issue a full refund, and the law was accurately applied. The core of the crime of fraud lies in the purpose of illegal possession. In this case, the merchant actually delivered 883 string bracelets, which gave the appearance of a transaction, and the subjective purpose of illegal possession is difficult to directly prove. Therefore, there are currently great legal obstacles in determining the crime of fraud.

Zhao Liangshan said that if you want to convert civil disputes into criminal liability, the key is to supplement evidence to prove the purpose of illegal possession. Victims can collect evidence such as the merchant's inability to perform the contract (such as no actual operation, broken capital chain), transfer of property after payment or squandering, and refusal to perform refund obligations. At the same time, the total losses of 31 victims can be collected to form an evidence chain of public fraud. In this way, they can complain to the public security organs and promote the filing of a criminal case in accordance with the relevant provisions of Article 266 of the Criminal Law on the crime of fraud, and then recover the stolen money.

Zhao Liangshan suggested that in view of this, on the path of rights protection, it is recommended to use civil execution guarantees as the basis, supplemented by criminal accountability. On the one hand, continue to advance the execution procedures of civil cases, apply to add actual controllers and shareholders of businesses as persons subject to execution, and try to make up for losses as much as possible; on the other hand, submit complete evidence materials to the public security organs and try to initiate criminal investigations. Through parallel criminal and civilian methods, we can protect our legitimate rights and interests to the greatest extent, and at the same time curb this type of live broadcast fraud.

Huashang Daily Dafeng News reporter Miao Qiaoying editor Li Jing

Recently, many mothers in Chengdu, Sichuan reported to the Chinese Business Daily Dafeng News that a franchise store called "Yingzhihuang Maternity and Infant Chain" failed to deliver goods or provide refunds after collecting a large amount of deposits from consumers. According to consumer statistics, more than 300 mothers have been affected, and the amount involved exceeds 1 million yuan.

At present, the brand has terminated the contract with the store involved, but consumers believe that the brand has failed in its supervision and failed to make a timely announcement after the contract was terminated, causing them to suffer losses based on their trust in the brand. The local police stated that the matter is currently being handled as a business dispute and has not yet been filed as a criminal case.

The store involved

>>Bao’s mother’s reflection——

"I went for the brand" but couldn't redeem it after recharging.

Consumers have formed two rights protection groups with 652 people

Ms. Wang, 30, is one of the consumers in this incident. She told reporters about her experience. As a native of Sichuan, she is familiar with "Infant Emperor", a local maternal and infant chain brand. After seeing the relevant promotional information through the Xiaohongshu platform, she went to the physical store in Zone K, Sino-German British City-State, Chengdu High-tech Zone for inspection.

"I feel more reassured when I see that it is a chain store of Baby Emperor and has a physical store." Ms. Wang said that the store uses "wholesale discounts" to attract customers to deposit money in advance – for example, if you purchase a certain number of cans of milk powder, you can receive a number of free cans. Each can is a few yuan to more than ten yuan cheaper than the retail price.

"We also want to save some money for our children, and the boss is very cheerful and will give some extra things." Ms. Wang said that she has paid more than 10,000 yuan, and there is still about 5,000 yuan worth of milk powder that has not been picked up.

Screenshot of rights protection group

According to reports from many consumers, the payment method is extremely confusing. Some of the money is scanned into the store employee's personal account, some is transferred to the legal representative's personal account, and some is paid through the store's public payment code, and is not uniformly entered into the company's public account. This payment method brings difficulties to subsequent rights protection.

As the inability to pick up goods spread, consumers formed a rights protection group. There are currently 652 people in the two groups. According to incomplete statistics from consumers, more than 300 mothers have confirmed that they have been defrauded. The maximum recharge amount for a single person exceeds 30,000 yuan, and the victims are located all over the country.

Victim communication progress

>>Brand response——

A letter has been sent to terminate the authorization: the franchise store has terminated the contract due to illegal operations

The reporter called the official phone number several times, but no one answered.

According to industrial and commercial information, the industrial and commercial registration name of the store involved is "High-tech Zone Yinglun Yinghuang Maternity and Baby Products Store". It was established on February 10, 2023. It is an individual industrial and commercial household. The operator is Zhu Moumou, with a registered capital of 100,000 yuan.

On March 27, the brand owner "Sichuan Yingzhihuang Maternal and Infant Products Co., Ltd." issued a "Letter of Termination of Trademark Use Rights" to the franchise store. The letter stated that during the operation of the franchise store, there were "serious breaches of contract such as large quantities of illegal shipments to other places, delays in shipments after accepting payment from customers, and refusal to ship goods, which resulted in a large number of customer complaints and rights protections, seriously damaging the legitimate rights and interests of our brand owners." Based on this, the brand decided to terminate the store’s trademark use authorization from the date of the letter, and required it to remove all materials bearing the “Infant Emperor” logo within three days.

Trademark right termination letter

The letter also emphasized that franchise stores should "continue to properly handle disputes with consumers, fulfill unfinished supply obligations or refund corresponding payments, and shall not refuse to assume legal liabilities arising from their own operations on the grounds of authorization suspension."

However, many consumers said they knew nothing about it before the brand sent the letter. "The store's signboard, employee uniforms, and cashier receipts all had the Yingzhihuang logo. We had no idea that the store had been terminated." A mother said, "We recharged the store just because of Yingzhihuang's brand reputation. But when something went wrong, the brand immediately said it had nothing to do with them."

Baoma also said, "When we were recharging, this store was still using the Infant Emperor brand normally. Since the brand has regulatory obligations, why did it ignore problems such as cross-selling and illegal operations in stores for so long? Why didn't it issue a notice or post a public notice in the store after the contract was terminated? If the brand informed consumers in time, we would not continue to recharge." They believe that the brand failed to fulfill its obligation to inform consumers after the contract was terminated and allowed the franchise store to continue to attract customers and absorb deposits in the name of the brand, which in disguise condoned the merchant's violations.

As of press time, the reporter called the official phone number of "Sichuan Yingzhihuang Maternal and Infant Products Co., Ltd." many times, but no one answered. Subsequently, the reporter contacted the mothers to learn about the situation. A representative from Yibaoma said that since March 25, they had repeatedly complained to the Infant Emperor headquarters about store violations, but had not received a clear reply. Later, they saw a "Letter of Termination of Trademark Use Rights" issued by the Infant Emperor headquarters posted in the store involved. "We believe that the headquarters is evading responsibility and has complained many times, but since March 28, no one has answered the phone." said the representative of Baoma.

>>Police response——

It is currently handled as a business dispute and can help consumers coordinate

As the case does not constitute escape or fraud, no criminal case has been filed yet.

In response to this matter, the reporter contacted the Xinchuan Police Station of the High-tech Zone Branch of the Chengdu Municipal Public Security Bureau within its jurisdiction. Police said they have received multiple reports about the store recently.

According to the police, the actual operator of the store involved was not Zhu Moumou, but Li Moumou. This person has not lost contact and is still in Chengdu. On March 29th and 30th, the police organized some consumers in Chengdu to negotiate with the actual operators. The other party admitted that the current capital chain was broken and that refunds or shipments were temporarily impossible, and they signed refund agreements with some consumers. "If he didn't run away and was still in the local area, this is a sign of poor management and financial problems, which is a business dispute." The police explained to reporters that only if the operator maliciously loses contact and absconds with the money will the conditions for filing a fraud case be met. At present, the matter has been handed over to the local community police for follow-up processing, and negotiations between the two parties will continue to be organized.

The reporter repeatedly called Zhu Moumou, the registered operator of the store involved, but no one answered as of press time.

>>Lawyer’s statement——

"Prepaid consumption" itself is not illegal, but this merchant has multiple violations

It is recommended that consumers take the dual-track approach of “administrative reporting + civil litigation” to safeguard their rights.

Lawyer Han Chaoze from Beijing Dacheng (Xi'an) Law Firm analyzed that "prepaid consumption" itself is not illegal, but the merchant in this case had multiple violations. According to the "Administrative Measures for Single-Purpose Commercial Prepaid Cards (Trial)", card-issuing enterprises should register with the commerce department and implement fund depository within 30 days after the issuance of the card. The franchise store involved was an individual industrial and commercial household, but a large amount of advance payments went into multiple personal accounts, which clearly violated the fund depository regulations and constituted an administrative violation.

In terms of criminal matters, although the police currently characterize it as a "business dispute", the core is to determine whether there is an "illegal possession purpose." If a merchant knows that the capital chain is broken and has no supply capacity, but still collects large amounts of money in the name of "wholesale discounts" and uses the funds for personal squandering or transfer, this may constitute the crime of contract fraud. The fact that the operator did not run away or admit the debt does not automatically rule out criminal suspicion. If it continues to collect payments knowing that it cannot perform the contract, it may still be found to have illegal possession purposes. Consumers can collect evidence such as "stopping purchases after payment" and "unknown use of funds" to promote the filing of criminal cases.

Han Chaoze suggested that consumers can adopt a dual-track approach of "administrative reporting + civil litigation" to focus on holding brands responsible.

Step one: fix the evidence. Payment vouchers (especially records showing access to personal accounts), door signs with the "Infant Emperor" logo, employee uniforms, cashier receipts and other brand-related evidence, chat records and audio and video recordings of merchants delaying delivery or admitting that funds are broken, as well as statistical lists of total recharge, spent and remaining amounts.

Step 2: Administrative reporting. Consumers can report to the Chengdu High-tech Zone Market Supervision Bureau and the Commerce Bureau in a unified manner, focusing on issues such as merchants issuing prepaid cards in violation of regulations, failing to keep funds in accordance with regulations, and using format clauses to infringe on consumer rights. Administrative regulatory authorities have the power to investigate, order corrections, or even revoke licenses. Although they cannot force refunds, they can put pressure on merchants by identifying the flow of funds and prompt them to come up with solutions.

Step 3: Civil litigation and accountability of the brand party should include the franchise store operator and the brand party as co-defendants and require joint and several liability.

Han Chaoze further analyzed that it is difficult for the brand to be completely exempted from liability. In this case, consumers should focus on pursuing the brand's "apparent agency" and "supervisory failure" responsibilities. Compared with pursuing the franchise store operators alone, they are more likely to achieve effective rights protection.

1. Consumers recharge based on their trust in the "Infant Emperor" brand. Even if the contract between the brand and the franchise store has been terminated internally, as long as the franchise store continues to use the brand logo to collect payments, as long as it is not announced prominently in the store or through official channels, it constitutes an apparent agency. According to Article 172 of the Civil Code, brands should still be responsible for consumers.

2. The brand admitted in the letter that the franchise store had long-term problems such as "huge quantities of illegal shipments to other places", but failed to stop or publicize them in a timely manner. It was an obvious fault and should bear corresponding responsibility.

If the civil lawsuit cannot be implemented in place, or if it is discovered that the merchant transferred a large amount of assets or canceled the account beforehand, the case can be reported to the economic investigation department of the public security organ again, focusing on reporting that the merchant defrauded the advance payment without the ability to perform the contract, and promoted the case to be converted from "business dispute" to "contract fraud".

Chinese Business Daily Dafeng News reporter Wang Yuxin and editor Liu Mengyu

The 86-year-old Granny Lin lost the ability to take care of herself after the surgery, but her second daughter was left to take care of her alone. The eldest son who lives next door not only stopped visiting her, but also blocked the doors and windows of her house and cut off the water and electricity. The younger biological son even blocked relatives and avoided seeing her. What kind of entanglement is hidden behind this mother-son rebellion?

01

Grandma Lin became disabled after surgery in her eighties, and her second daughter took care of her alone.

Grandma Lin is 86 years old this year. Her husband died early and she has four sons and two daughters. Now she only has her second daughter, Ating, by her side. After an operation, Grandma Lin was completely unable to take care of herself and relied on Ating to take care of her daily life.

Grandma Lin's eldest son A Ming lives next door to his mother. Not only did he not participate in the support, he cut off her mother's water and electricity and blocked the door.

The eldest son also cut off the mother's water and electricity and blocked the door.

Grandma Lin's brother tried to mediate and asked her two sons to pay 2,000 yuan a year in alimony, but was not only rejected, but was also insulted by the younger son's wife.

home environment

02

Adopted son reveals his grievances

The mediation team found the eldest son A Ming, who lived next door, and found out why he had cut off the water supply and blocked the door. It turns out that A Ming is not Granny Lin’s biological child, but an adopted child. What’s even more special is that he was once married to Granny Lin’s second daughter, Ating. This failed marriage became the trigger of the conflict between mother and son.

A-Ting admitted that A-Ming often drank and played cards and stayed out late at night, so he would attack her after some persuasion. However, A-Ming argued that the reason for the attack was because he suspected that A-Ting was having an affair.

mediator interviewed

It has long been difficult to verify the right and wrong of the marriage back then, but the years of accusations and slander made A Ming feel full of grievances.

A Ming said that over the years, Granny Lin has always stood by her daughter and constantly abused A Ming and his current wife in the village, causing him to lose face and build up grudges.

The house involved

A Ming said frankly that he did not really want to abandon her, and he just wanted to live apart from Granny Lin by cutting off the water and blocking the door. He believed that what he had done for Granny Lin was only met with unwarranted abuse, which he could not let go of.

He also said that a few years ago, he asked his cousin to hand over 2,000 yuan in alimony, but Grandma Lin claimed that he had never fulfilled his filial piety, and his biological youngest son also did not take care of his mother, which completely chilled him.

old man being interviewed

03

Younger son: Says his mother failed to fulfill her responsibilities in raising children

The eldest son's attitude gradually softened, but the behavior of the younger biological son A Jian was even more chilling. Grandma Lin’s brother said that after Grandma Lin was discharged from the hospital after surgery, Ajian did not show up to visit her for several months and even blocked her relatives’ contact information.

Granny Lin’s brother was interviewed

After the reporter contacted Ajian by phone, his words were full of contradictions: "My father died when I was a child. She went out to work for decades, and all the money she earned was subsidized to her daughter and her parents' family. I relied on myself to start a family and start a career. She has not fulfilled her responsibilities in raising children, so why should she let me support her?"

In his opinion, only a loving mother can lead to a filial son. His mother's absence at that time made him unwilling to fulfill his support obligations.

Mediation scene

The adopted son cashed the alimony on the spot

On the one hand, the grievances of the children for many years were on the one hand, and on the other hand, the 80-year-old man's urgent needs for survival, the mediation reached a deadlock for a time. The mediator patiently persuaded Amin and told Amin that whether biological or adopted, it is a legal obligation to support the elderly. No matter how much grievances there are, one cannot treat his elderly mother in an extreme way such as cutting off water and electricity.

Both parties reached an agreement

With the persuasion of the mediator, the constraints of the law, and the support of A Ming's current wife, A Ming finally put aside his grievances and handed over 2,000 yuan in alimony to Granny Lin on the spot. He also promised to remove the blocked doors and windows as soon as possible and visit his mother more often.

Under the mediator's persuasion, Granny Lin agreed not to accuse A Ming externally and to put aside her past grudges. This family conflict that has been entangled for many years has finally come to an end.

Family conflicts finally come to an end

As for the younger son, Granny Lin’s brother said that he would pursue his support obligations through legal proceedings.

In fact, home is never a place that is only about reason, but also about love and consideration. Children remember their parents’ nurturing grace, and parents tolerate their children’s imperfections. Only by caring less and being more tolerant can they add warmth to their later years and add a ray of sunshine to their families.

Fujian TV Comprehensive Channel "Gang Bang Tuan"

NetEase Auto reported on March 31 that at the just-held FAW-Volkswagen spring new product launch conference, (丨) a new member of the family – the new Sagitar S was officially launched. The new car is positioned as an A+-class family sedan, targeting young families and first-time buyers. A total of 4 models have been launched, with official guide prices ranging from RMB 79,800 to RMB 105,800.

The new car launches two power combinations of 1.5L+1.5T. With German quality, intelligent configuration decentralization and people-friendly pricing, it further improves the Sagitar family product matrix and impacts the 100,000-class mainstream family car market.

The new Sagitar S has previously launched blind ordering and price guessing activities on March 25. As of the day of launch, the early warm-up has accumulated a large number of potential users. Officials simultaneously announced exclusive rights and interests for the launch: From now until March 31, users who place orders through FAW-Volkswagen's official channels and complete invoicing and verification before April 30 can enjoy 1,000 yuan to offset the 3,000 yuan refueling fund; participate in the official price guessing, and the first 1,000 users whose quotations are closest to the final guide price will receive official exclusive gifts.

As an important model marking the 20th anniversary of the Sagitar brand entering the Chinese market, the launch of the new Sagitar S marks the official extension of the Sagitar series' product coverage downwards after gaining nearly 4.5 million cumulative users, accurately connecting pragmatic first-time purchase families and urban commuters, and further expanding its voice in the A+ class fuel sedan market.

In terms of appearance, the new Sagitar S continues Volkswagen's family-style design language and Bauhaus pragmatism concept. The overall lines are simple and stretched, the front face shape is widened, and the outline of the light group is highly consistent with the overseas version of the Sagitar, making it visually more majestic. The through-type light strip, luminous brand logo and duck tail design effectively enhance the youthful attributes, and the exclusive denim blue car color provides users with more personalized choices.

In terms of body size, the length, width and height of the new car are 4702mm × 1815mm × 1484mm respectively, and the wheelbase reaches 2688mm. It continues the A+ class space advantage of the Sagitar series. The rear legroom and trunk volume can fully meet the multiple needs of families for daily riding and cargo carrying, and it has outstanding practicality.

The interior is positioned with "modern, practical, and homely" as its core positioning. It adopts an enveloping cockpit layout, with dual color matching and large-area soft covering materials, which effectively enhances the texture and class of the cockpit. The car is equipped with a dual-screen system consisting of a 12.9-inch floating central control screen and a 10.25-inch full LCD instrument. The information display is clear and intuitive, and the operation logic is simple and easy to understand.

In terms of detailed design, the steering wheel retains physical buttons to fit daily driving habits; the shift mechanism adopts a gearbox layout, which effectively releases the space in the central tunnel, and cooperates with the 22 storage spaces in the entire car to maximize the practicality of the interior. In addition, 30-color partitioned interior ambient lighting, ergonomic seats, AR real-life navigation and other configurations are equipped to comprehensively improve driving comfort and convenience.

The new Sagitar S is equipped with Qualcomm's 8155 cockpit chip, which is the same as the new Sagitar L. The chip performance does not lag or lag behind, ensuring smooth and stable operation of the vehicle system and effectively avoiding problems such as lags and delays.

The voice interaction system is technically supported by iFlytek and integrates Deepseek, Doubao and FAW-Volkswagen's self-developed automotive vertical field model. It has 20 seconds of continuous dialogue and accurate understanding of multiple intentions. The offline response speed is about 1.5 seconds and the online response speed is about 2.5 seconds. It supports Sichuan, Cantonese and other local language recognition, and can realize 800 vehicle control functions. The interactive experience is closer to daily use scenarios.

In terms of interconnection, the new car is compatible with three major interconnection protocols: Apple CarPlay, Baidu CarLife, and Huawei Hicar. It can realize seamless connection between mobile phones and car machines, and supports synchronization of navigation, music, phone and other functions to meet the usage habits of different users and further improve the convenience of using the car.

In terms of power, the new Sagitar S provides two sets of 1.5L displacement powertrains to accurately adapt to the needs of different users.

Among them, the 1.5L naturally aspirated engine is paired with a 6AT gearbox, which has smoothness, reliability and low maintenance costs as its core advantages. The power output is moderate and is more suitable for daily commuting in the city, family transportation and other scenarios. Later maintenance is convenient and the cost of use is low.

The 1.5T EVO2 engine is matched with a 7-speed DSG gearbox, with a maximum power of 118kW and a peak torque of 250N·m. The power parameters are outstanding. The engine adopts many advanced technologies such as Miller cycle, mid-mounted VVT, APS atmospheric plasma spraying, and electronically adjusted water pump. It not only improves the power response speed and output smoothness, but also effectively reduces fuel consumption. The comprehensive fuel consumption per 100 kilometers is only 5.49L, taking into account performance and energy saving.

In terms of chassis, the new car continues the classic German tuning style, with high steering precision, a stable body posture, and outstanding high-speed driving stability. The suspension is tuned for both comfort and support. It can easily meet the needs of all scenarios such as urban commuting, family outings, and long-distance self-driving, and provides users with a solid driving quality.

In terms of quality and safety, the new Sagitar S continues the Sagitar family’s strict manufacturing standards and quality control system. The vehicle has completed 3,137 accident scenario tests that exceed national standards, covering many core safety projects such as vehicle collisions and pedestrian protection. It has completed a total of 10 million kilometers of extreme environment tests, covering complex working conditions such as high cold, plateau, high temperature, dust, and long-term exposure to fully verify the reliability and durability of the vehicle.

From parts selection, production and assembly to final off-line, new cars implement strict quality control standards throughout the entire process to ensure that each vehicle has stable product quality, continuing the market reputation of the Sagitar series as durable and reliable, and providing users with a solid guarantee for long-term car use.

The launch of the new Sagitar S further improves the product matrix of the Sagitar family. Together with the current Sagitar and the new Sagitar L, it forms a three-level layout of "high-end – mid-range – entry-level", targeting quality upgrade users, mainstream family users and pragmatic first-time purchasers respectively, accurately covering consumer groups with different price points and different needs.

Looking back at the market performance of the Sagitar series, since entering the Chinese market in 2006, the cumulative sales have been close to 4.5 million units. In 2025, it ranked first in the A+-class fuel sedan market segment with 255,979 units. The current monthly sales remain stable at more than 20,000 units. Under the dual squeeze of independent and new energy models, it still maintains strong competitiveness.

The current 100,000-class family car market has long been dominated by independent brands, while joint venture brands generally have problems such as high pricing and basic configuration. The new Sagitar S enters this range with an affordable price starting from 79,800 yuan. It brings the advantages of Qualcomm 8155 chip, AI interaction, dual power selection, German chassis and super-national quality verification into the mainstream household market, directly competing with independent fuel and hybrid compact cars.

The launch of the new Sagitar S marks a strategic change for the leading joint venture car company in the fuel vehicle track – no longer relying on brand premiums, but facing market competition directly through technology decentralization, precise pricing, and scale advantages. With the return of pragmatic consumption, family users pay more attention to reliability, value retention, cost of use and comprehensive convenience when buying cars. The new Sagitar S is built around the core needs of users. With balanced product strength and no obvious shortcomings, it has become the preferred model for pragmatic consumers in the A+ class family car market.

Angela Dong, Chairman and CEO of Nike Greater China, has decided on her next stop. "Daily Economic News" reporters learned from the industry that she will officially join Sequoia China as an investment partner on April 1.

Public information shows that Dong Wei joined Nike China in 2005. In 2015, he was promoted to Nike’s global vice president and general manager of Greater China. In October 2024, he was promoted to chairman and CEO of Greater China. On March 31, 2026, she officially resigned and officially announced that she would join Sequoia China and become a consumer investor.

Dong Wei has worked at Nike for more than 20 years

Since its establishment, Sequoia China has identified consumption as one of the three major areas. Its layout covers IP trends, tourism, sports, etc., and it has accurately invested in a number of well-known consumer companies such as Bubble Mart, Mingming Busy, Beitani, Kayou, Gu Ming, etc., and many of them are the earliest investors.

Prior to this, Zhang Yu, the former editor-in-chief of the Chinese version of "VOGUE Clothing and Beauty", also officially announced that he had become an investment partner of Sequoia China. Under her participation and leadership, Sequoia China has successively invested in or acquired many European, American and Korean designer brands such as Ami, WE11DONE, DESTRE, and Holzweiler.

From the head of Nike China to an investor in Sequoia China

In the large consumer field, Dong Wei has more than 20 years of executive experience, and his career spans multiple global consumer goods giants.

Public information shows that Dong Wei joined Nike China in 2005 as financial director; in September 2011, he served as vice president and chief financial officer of Nike Greater China; in April 2015, he continued to be promoted to Nike global vice president and general manager of Greater China, with overall responsibility for Nike in the Chinese market Its business strategy and operations have played a key role in promoting the continued growth of Nike's business in Greater China; in October 2024, Nike appointed Dong Wei as chairman and CEO of Greater China and global CEO of the ACG brand. This is also the first Chinese executive to take charge of Nike's global sub-brand.

Industry insiders commented that during his 21 years at Nike, Dong Wei witnessed and led the rise and transformation of this international sports brand in the Chinese market, built a world-class local team and innovation ecosystem, and promoted Nike's layout in digital transformation, local innovation and sustainable development, making Nike Greater China an important fulcrum of the group's global strategy.

Dong Wei's work picture

In addition, Dong Wei has also served as an independent director of the Estee Lauder Group since 2021, demonstrating her influence in the global consumer goods industry. These gave her the confidence to turn into a consumer investor.

The "Daily Economic News" reporter noticed that Dong Wei's title when he joined Sequoia China was "investment partner." In the investment circle, investment partner (Venture Partner) is a relatively special role.

A leading VC person told reporters that most senior people with industrial or industry backgrounds who transform into investors will start from the role of investment partners. This identity usually has many years of experience in industry or industry, and often enters the investment field due to career transformation needs. Relying on their in-depth understanding of the industry, they can judge high-quality projects more accurately than ordinary investors. At the same time, they can rely on their accumulated resources and relationship network to provide empowering support for invested projects and enterprises in related industries. This is also its core value. "It is a choice for many entrepreneurs after their business reaches a certain stage."

This model is not uncommon in the international investment community. Compared with general partners, the relationship between investment partners and fund companies will be looser. But it combines industrial experience with capital strength to provide more targeted strategic guidance and resource support for invested companies.

Sequoia China has previously introduced a number of investment partners, forming a matrix of industry experts covering consumption, technology, carbon neutrality and other fields. For example, at the beginning of 2021, Zhang Yu, the former editor-in-chief of VOGUE China, known as the "Devil of Fashion", announced that he would join Sequoia China as an investment partner, focusing on the fashion, lifestyle, and entertainment consumer sectors, and supporting the new generation of Chinese creativity and international brands seeking development in China. After joining Sequoia, Zhang Yu gave full play to his resources and influence in the fashion industry. Sequoia China invested in or acquired a number of European, American and Korean designer brands, including French brands AMI and DESTREE, Korean fashion brand WE11DONE, Norwegian brand Holzweiler, etc., and continued to expand its consumer fashion investment territory.

Is the consumption track okay again?

Since the beginning of this year, the recovery of investment in the consumer sector has become the focus of heated discussions in the industry. Many consumer investors previously stated in interviews with reporters from the "Daily Economic News" that the investment performance-price ratio of high-quality projects has significantly improved, and the industry's recovery trend is clear. There are multiple dimensional factors behind this.

On the one hand, policies are blowing warmly. On March 6, Wu Qing, Chairman of the China Securities Regulatory Commission, released a major signal at the economic press conference of the Fourth Session of the 14th National People's Congress – a more precise and inclusive set of listing standards will be added to the Growth Enterprise Market to actively support new consumption, modern service industries and other high-quality innovative entrepreneurial companies to list on the Growth Enterprise Market.

Photos of Dong Wei in Nike store

As soon as the news came out, the entire primary market was instantly ignited, especially consumer investors. Some interviewed institutions said that this policy signal has given a boost to the consumption track. It will not only broaden the exit channels for high-quality consumer companies, but also guide more capital to return to the consumption field and help the healthy development of the industry.

Judging from the data, the amount of consumer investment has also continued to increase this year. According to the statistics of Jiachuan Investment, reporters from "Daily Economic News" found that in January and February this year, the scale of investment in the consumer track reached 2.552 billion yuan and 7.063 billion yuan respectively, a year-on-year increase of 116.64% and 209.51% respectively. February also surged 176.76% compared to January, reflecting that the primary market's confidence in the consumer track is rapidly repairing, and funds are accelerating to gather in this area.

For Sequoia China, the consumer track has always been one of the three key areas of its layout. From IP trends, tourism to sports, Sequoia China can be seen. It has accurately invested in a number of well-known consumer companies such as Bubble Mart, Mingming Busy, Beitani, Kayou, Gu Ming, etc., and many of them are the earliest investors.

Hu Ruodi, a partner of Sequoia China, once said that Sequoia had consumer investments when it was founded in 2005. It has continued to be optimistic about and tracked China's catering and retail industries and continued to explore underwater projects. This investment strategy has allowed the institution to gain a lot in the consumer field. For example, Guming, which it invested in from 2019 to 2020, was listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange in February 2025, and its market value was nearly three times that of the first day of IPO; Mingming Busy was listed in January 2026, becoming the "No. 1 snack stock", with a market value that once exceeded HK$90 billion.

Related news

Dong Wei, who just resigned as CEO of Nike China, went to Sequoia China

On March 31, a reporter from the 21st Century Business Herald confirmed that Dong Wei, the former Nike Greater China leader, will officially join Sequoia China as an investment partner on April 1.

It should be noted that from a time perspective, Dong Wei's transition to the track can be described as "seamless."

On January 21, Nike announced that Greater China leader Angela Dong would officially step down from her post on March 31. At the same time, Nike announced the appointment of Cathy Sparks as the new vice president and general manager of Nike Greater China.

It should also be noted that Dong Wei's resignation from Nike seemed sudden.

At the end of 2025, Nike announced that the heads of four regions including Greater China will directly enter the senior leadership management and report to the global CEO to accelerate the Win Now plan.

When it comes to specific executives, Dong Wei, chairman and CEO of Nike Greater China, has been further promoted. "I look forward to working more closely with her and the team." Elliott Hill, President and CEO of Nike Group, said at the performance meeting. In October 2024, Dong Wei has been promoted to chairman and CEO of Nike Greater China and served as global CEO of the ACG brand.

Dong Wei fashion photos

Objectively, Dong Wei has witnessed the ups and downs of Nike.

"Over the past two decades, she has held a number of important leadership positions in Greater China. During her tenure, Nike has been deeply involved in and witnessed many milestones in sports, culture and business development in Greater China, including the Beijing Olympics, the rapid rise of China's consumers and digital ecosystem, and the epidemic during the global epidemic. Challenge and recovery. Under Dong Wei’s leadership, Nike continues to promote the development of sports culture in Greater China through iconic brand activities such as the Shanghai Marathon, Nike High School Basketball League (CHBL), ACG Chongli 168 and ‘Down Station Dongdan’.” Nike commented on her in a press release.

Dong Wei comes from a financial background and served as the CFO of Nike China until he moved to the No. 1 position at Nike China. Employees speak well of her, and Nike's operations under her rule have always been relatively standardized.

According to a reporter from 21st Century Business Herald, Dong Wei was promoted to a high position by He Yanfeng, which made her resignation even more unexpected.

The reasons for these changes may be related to the pressure on Nike's performance in China.

In the latest financial quarter ending at the end of November 2025, Nike's sales in China fell 16% year-on-year to US$1.423 billion, and EBIT (profit before interest and tax) fell 49% year-on-year. Among them, Nike's direct business fell by 18% (digital business fell by 36%, store business fell by 5%); wholesale business fell by 15%.

"Store traffic has declined, product sales rates have been weak during the season, and the overall aging inventory level in the market is high. Our brand has gradually become a discount brand in the minds of consumers (especially in digital channels), which has affected the high-end positioning of the entire integrated market. These challenges have led to an increase in the proportion of discount sales and a decline in price The cycle of expansion, increased sales-related returns, higher wholesale discounts, and high scrapping costs to clear market inventory has had a significant impact on the profitability of Greater China," Matthew Friend, Nike's executive vice president and chief financial officer, said at the performance meeting. Friend) explained.

Behind the scenes, competition in China's sports market is becoming fiercer.

For example, amid market fluctuations, the growth rates of Anta Group's basic ANTA brands and FILA have slowed down significantly. In 2025, Anta's main brand sales increased by 3.7% year-on-year to 34.754 billion yuan; FILA brand revenue increased by 6.9% year-on-year to 28.469 billion yuan. In the same year, Li Ning's revenue increased by 3.2% year-on-year to 29.6 billion yuan.

The person who took over Dong Wei's position in Nike China was Cathy.

According to Nike, Cathy has 25 years of experience working for Nike. She started her career in a retail position at the Portland Niketown store and subsequently held important leadership positions in multiple markets around the world. She previously served as vice president and general manager of Nike Asia Pacific and Latin America (APLA) and has experience in driving business transformation and growth.

"Cathy has a profound insight into sports culture and will lead the Nike Greater China team to continue to deepen the connection with consumers and open a new chapter in leading Nike Greater China." Nike said.

Compared with Dong Wei, Cathy has relatively limited experience in China. Her advantage is that she has a retail background and more “globalization” experience.

This may imply that Nike is adjusting its direction in China. For example, store adjustment has always been the focus of Nike's reform in China. At the same time, the North American market is the first to resume growth, which may make Nike's board of directors feel that it needs to give the Chinese market some new directions. In the latest financial quarter, Nike's North American sales increased 9% year-on-year to US$5.633 billion.

It should also be noted that as the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics approaches, Nike may need to integrate resources in various market segments in advance. Cathy's professional background may help Nike Greater China better integrate into the global strategy and facilitate the deployment of resources across regions.

However, given the particularity of the Chinese market, Cathy faces considerable challenges.

For example, the strong rise of more localized domestic brands can be explained by their market share. Euromonitor data shows that in 2021, Adidas' market share in China reached 15%, which has dropped to 8.7% in 2024. For comparison, Nike's market share fell from 18.1% to 16.2%, maintaining its first position. Anta's market share increased from 9.8% to 10.5%, ranking second.

According to the 21st Century Business Herald reporter, Cathy is very interested in the Chinese market and is quickly adapting to the new position in various ways.

Returning to Dong Wei, joining Sequoia China will indeed open up new possibilities.

Sequoia China attaches great importance to the apparel track. In December 2025, Sequoia China disclosed that it would acquire a controlling stake in Golden Goose Group SpA. Golden Goose's flagship product is the famous "little dirty shoes".

In addition, Sequoia China’s invested companies in the fashion industry include Xiyin, AMI PARIS, etc.

Whether it is post-investment or project review, Dong Wei’s Nike experience is helpful to Sequoia China.

China News Service, Haikou, March 30 (Zhang Qianyi Huang Ark) Haikou City recently issued the "Haikou City Three-Year Action Plan for Improving Quality and Efficiency in Scientific and Technological Innovation (2026-2028)" (hereinafter referred to as the "Action Plan"), which clarifies the roadmap for scientific and technological innovation work in the next three years. It strives to add more than 30 innovation platforms at the municipal level and above by 2028, and accelerate the establishment of an "industry-city integrated innovation city."

At a press conference held on the 30th, Feng Yong, deputy mayor of Haikou City, said that the "Action Plan" closely follows the scientific and technological innovation development goals of the "15th Five-Year Plan", focuses on "the integration of talents and science and technology innovation, and the integration of innovation and industry", promotes the implementation of "six major projects", and clarifies 17 key tasks.

According to the "Action Plan", Haikou will implement the quality improvement project of science and technology innovation platforms. Focusing on the three key points of capacity improvement and upgrading of innovation platforms, expansion and increment of innovation and incubation carriers, and support and guarantee of public technical service platforms, Haikou will start the construction of a "Science and Technology Innovation Circle around Hainan University" and build a matrix of high-energy science and technology innovation platforms. In terms of the introduction and training of innovative subjects, we focus on three major directions: gradient cultivation of scientific and technological enterprises, "nurturing elites and talents" of state-owned enterprises, and supporting corporate technological innovation, so as to continuously enhance the status of corporate innovation subjects.

The achievement transformation and efficiency improvement project is a highlight of this Action Plan. Haikou will focus on promoting the construction of the Hainan Free Trade Port as an international science and technology market, and strive to build Haikou into the first choice for international scientific and technological achievements, the introduction of international capital and the overseas export of domestic scientific and technological achievements, a domestic technology trading innovation demonstration zone, and a general hub for Hainan technology transfer and transformation.

In terms of the introduction and education of innovative talents, the press conference introduced that Haikou will deepen the reform of the integration of education, science and people, and strive to improve the multi-level talent introduction and education system from three aspects: building a higher education science and innovation resource cluster, promoting the two-way flow of scientific and technological talents, and building a full-chain talent service guarantee system. At the same time, through the implementation of science and technology innovation service optimization projects, we will improve the science and technology financial service system and deepen the regional collaborative innovation mechanism.

The "Action Plan" clarifies the specific goals in three years: to add more than 30 municipal-level and above innovation platforms, to add more than 3 national-level innovation platforms; to add more than 45 new scientific and technological innovation carriers; to add more than 100 new high-tech enterprises, and to add innovative small and medium-sized enterprises and "specialized enterprises". There are more than 300 "Jingte New" enterprises and national "Little Giant" enterprises; more than 150 science and technology plan projects have been established, more than 50 achievement transformation projects, the ratio of technology contract turnover to regional GDP has reached 2%; more than 3,000 new high-level talents in the field of science, industry and information technology have been added.

According to the "Action Plan", in the next three years, Haikou will also focus on the innovation needs of key industries such as biomedicine, embodied intelligence, brain-computer interfaces, and biomanufacturing, focusing on improving the quality of key laboratories, technology innovation centers, engineering research centers and other platforms; focusing on improving the effectiveness of carriers such as technology business incubators, maker spaces, and pilot bases; focusing on improving platform service capabilities such as inspection and testing, R&D design, scientific research instrument sharing, and intellectual property services to provide one-stop, full-process scientific and technological services for innovative entities.

During the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, Haikou made significant progress in scientific and technological innovation, ranking 42nd in the list of the top 100 cities with innovative capabilities nationwide. Feng Yong said that during the "15th Five-Year Plan" period, Haikou will continue to promote the in-depth integration of the talent chain, innovation chain, industrial chain, and capital chain, and strive to build a distinctive talent gathering and technological innovation highland. (over)

According to CCTV news, at about 15:10 on March 30, a suspected flammable gas explosion occurred in the left hole of the Tiefengshan Tunnel in the Wanzhou-Kaijiang section (A2 contract section) of the Enshi-Guangyuan National Expressway, invested by Chongqing Wankaida Expressway Co., Ltd. and constructed by China Railway 12th Bureau Group Co., Ltd., causing one person to lose contact and 12 others to be injured. As of 0:00 on the 31st, the missing persons had been found and confirmed to have no vital signs. Three people died after being sent to the hospital after rescue efforts failed. At present, the on-site search and rescue work has ended, the construction site involved has been closed, the aftermath is being carried out in an orderly manner, and the accident investigation has been launched.

The tunnel entrance where the incident occurred

The tunnel entrance where the incident occurred

The tunnel entrance where the incident occurred

On the 31st, a reporter from Jimu News came to the scene of the incident for an on-site visit. The entrance of the Wankaida A2 Tiefengshan Tunnel on the Enguang Expressway is in Xiangliang Village, Gaoliang Town, Wanzhou District. It is located in a valley and there are multiple tunnels under construction nearby.

The 80-year-old Granny Tan's house is located on a hillside more than 100 meters outside the tunnel entrance. The explosion caused the wall of her house to fall. According to Granny Tan's recollection, she was watching TV at home when she suddenly heard a loud noise like a cannon. She was startled. When she went out, she saw white smoke filling the valley, and she could not even see the wooden houses outside the tunnel entrance.

The glass door of a house 100 meters outside the tunnel entrance was damaged

Iron sheets and other debris splattered after the explosion

There was a house below the tunnel entrance where the explosion occurred. Steel plates, iron sheets and other objects were splashed into the dam of the house due to the explosion. The glass door of the house facing the tunnel entrance was also damaged. The homeowner said she was lucky not to be at home when the incident occurred. In response to the damage to the house, the village and town have come to inquire about the situation.

Villagers said that the impact of the explosion was so strong that some iron sheets and plastic pipes were rushed to the opposite mountain more than 100 meters away. Workers working at the foot of the mountain were also injured.

Outside the tunnel entrance where the incident occurred

The reporter saw at the scene that the colored steel shed house built outside the tunnel was damaged. There were many white building fragments on the mountain opposite the tunnel entrance. Steel frames and pipes were washed to piers dozens of meters away from the tunnel entrance. Environmental emergency monitoring personnel were on site to monitor the gas. Villagers said that the workers working here were all from outside the area and had been on vacation after the explosion.

There is another high-speed rail tunnel project on the mountain more than 100 meters above the tunnel where the incident occurred. A staff member of the project said that when he heard the sound, he thought it was the start of cannon fire, and soon after he saw white smoke rising from the bottom of the mountain. In December last year, the high-speed railway tunnel was stopped after coal seams were dug and gas was detected. It was originally expected to start in April this year, but due to the impact of the high-speed tunnel explosion on the 30th, the start of construction may be postponed.

In July 2025, the official WeChat public account of China Railway 12th Bureau Group Fourth Engineering Co., Ltd. stated that the Tiefengshan Tunnel has various adverse geological conditions such as karst, gas, and fault fracture zones, making construction extremely difficult.

According to local media reports in Chongqing, the Wanzhou-Kaijiang section of the Enshi-Guangyuan National Expressway project includes more than 20 extra large bridges and 7 tunnels, with a bridge-to-tunnel ratio of 65.9%. The project is designed according to the standard of a two-way four-lane expressway, with a design speed of 100 kilometers per hour. The total estimated investment is about 11.26 billion yuan, and the construction period is 5 years. The project focuses on two extra-long tunnels, including Tiefengshan Tunnel with 8,635 meters and Wufu Tunnel with 6,437 meters.

Trump revealed where he will be after leaving office. How many countries does he want to be the leader of? Will the Strait of Hormuz become the "Trump Strait"?

In less than a month, Trump has linked himself three times to serving as a foreign leader and controlling the highest power in foreign countries.

Since March, U.S. President Trump has repeatedly mentioned his whereabouts after retiring as President of the United States.

On March 26, local time, he said that after resigning as president of the United States, he could go to Venezuela to become president because "my support rate there is very high."

On March 3, US President Trump met with visiting German Chancellor Mertz (not in the picture) at the White House in Washington, the capital. Photo: Xinhua News Agency/AFP

The next day, when he called the Strait of Hormuz the "Trump Strait" at the Future Investment Initiative Summit in Miami, Florida, those who believed him broke into cold sweats.

However, are his words serious?

Want to be president of Venezuela?

Even in March, this was not the first time Trump had said something similar.

On March 16, local time, Trump said: "I do believe that I have the confidence to take Cuba. What I mean is that whether I want to give him freedom or I want to occupy it, whatever I want to do, I can do whatever I want."

On March 25, local time, Trump said: "There has never been a leader of a country who doesn't want to be the supreme leader more than the leader of Iran. They say, 'I don't want to be the supreme leader.' We want you to be the next supreme leader of Iran. No, thank you. I don't do that!"

On the afternoon of March 18, Iran held a funeral in the capital Tehran to commemorate the officers and soldiers killed on the Iranian warship sunk by the US military, as well as the Iranian security officials and military commanders killed in the attack launched by Israel. Photo: Xinhua News Agency

In addition, he said on March 27 that he might serve as the president of Venezuela——

In less than a month, Trump has linked himself three times to serving as a foreign leader and controlling the highest power in foreign countries.

Whether he is willing to "do whatever he wants" in Cuba, or "I am not qualified" for the position of supreme leader of Iran, or he wants to be the president of Venezuela, in fact, these words all reflect Trump's worries about his future!

After all, as of now, he is not sure whether the lawsuits he has been involved in will "come back again" once he leaves office as President of the United States!

The Epstein case that popped up during his second term may not necessarily have nothing to do with him.

It is precisely for this reason that Trump has been making constant moves in Latin America, Iran and other places, kidnapping leaders, attacking leaders, and even indiscriminately bombing a girls' elementary school, killing more than a hundred girls. In addition to grabbing oil interests, it is also related to wanting to create a way out for himself.

However, can blood and fire really pave the way for Trump to spend his old age in peace?

Who in Iran dares to invite Trump to serve as supreme leader? Not to mention that Trump is not an Islamist, let alone one who holds the title of Grand Ayatollah of Religious Scholars. Even if there are Persian, Azerbaijani, Mazandaran, Kurdish and other ethnic groups in Iran, whether they have their own beliefs or demands, can Trump clarify them? What does he rely on to govern Iran? To build a powerful private armed force with your own money after stepping down as President of the United States?

As for Cuba, it has caused headaches for the United States since the victory of the revolution. The United States may believe that it can capture Cuba after the collapse of the Soviet Union. But it has been almost 40 years since the Soviet Union collapsed, and Cuba is still the same Cuba. What can Trump do alone?

The situation in Venezuela is slightly different. Previously, Trump had claimed that he could appoint U.S. Secretary of State Rubio as the "Governor of Venezuela." He wanted to call himself "President of the United States of America and King of Venezuela." Don’t you know that after resigning as president, the “king” will still be the “king”?

On September 13, 2025, at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, the United States, U.S. Secretary of State Rubio boarded a plane bound for Israel. Photo: Xinhua News Agency

Now he claims to be the president of Venezuela.

At the cabinet meeting on March 26, Trump really enjoyed the feeling of "making a lot of mistakes but still being flattering".

After hearing Trump boasting about his high support rate in Venezuela, US Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum immediately said:

"I know a lot about Venezuela. Chris Wright and I have both been there. I really feel that Venezuelans like President Trump very much and are ready to erect a bronze statue of the president! What I say is not a political statement, it is true."

Look at Burgum talking loudly, and even enlisting US Secretary of Energy Chris Wright to praise Trump.

It works for Trump. "That would be a great honor." Look what he said.

It seems that Burgum knows Latin American history very well. He even said that he hopes Venezuelans will see Trump as a figure like Simon Bolivar.

Uncle Hai had to say, what a joke!

Bolivar was the hero who pushed for Latin America's independence from its European masters. The leader known as the "Liberator of South America" ​​for hundreds of years.

U.S. Defense Secretary Hegseth also intervened. "Mr. President, thank you for your efforts on behalf of the free world. Your immortal achievements will surely go down in history."

As U.S. Secretary of State, Rubio also went on to say:

"When President Trump completes his mission, the world will become safer and better." Rubio even claimed that all countries in the world, even those that have slight complaints about Trump, should thank Trump.

Needless to say, Witkov, the U.S. President’s special envoy for the Middle East. His position itself is more responsible for Trump himself, and the flattery is more exciting:

"Your policy of peace through strength is the most effective means of reaching a diplomatic solution."

Isn’t this just a sweet talk about power, military threats, imperialism, and gunboat diplomacy?

Where is this US cabinet meeting? Kind of like a Hollywood blockbuster. But it’s more like a cool drama. For example, "The domineering president dominates everywhere."

Witkoff (middle) and Trump’s son-in-law Kushner (left) Picture: Information

When Witkov praised Trump in a fancy way, he pointed to what Trump did in the first year of his second term.

Recall that Trump insisted that the Gulf of Mexico be the Gulf of the United States.

Now, he has stated that he will rename the Strait of Hormuz to the "Trump Strait."

Then let’s take a look at the origin of the name of the Strait of Hormuz. There are many theories.

It is said that in 1100 the Arabs established the Arab Kingdom of Hormuz on Hormuz Island in the Strait, from which the Strait got its name.

Another theory is that Hormuz Island is the name of the fourth king of the Sassanid Dynasty of the Persian nation. "Hormuz" means "God of Light" in Persian.

Another theory is that as far back as the ancient Greek era, Alexander the Great, King of Macedonia of the Kingdom of Macedonia established by the Greeks, sent General Hormouzya to lead a fleet here and anchored on an unnamed island in the strait. Later, the Greek name slowly became Arabic and became today's "Hormuz".

In addition, some people believe that the name "Hormuz" comes from the Portuguese.

It is not difficult to see from this that the name of the Strait of Hormuz is a conventional name reached by residents and travelers in the Middle East for thousands of years.

I don’t know if “Trump” will be considered a geographical term that people on earth can agree on in a thousand years.

Frankly speaking, haha.