In response to a media inquiry that Google Maps now shows the label "West Philippine Sea," whereas it previously displayed "South China Sea," with some reports claiming that this change helps protect the Philippines' sovereignty, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said on Tuesday that the South China Sea has long been the widely recognized and commonly used geographical name by the international community.

A Chinese expert said the hype around the so-called “West Philippine Sea” is nothing new and should not be taken too seriously as the South China Sea remains the widely accepted name used by the international community after the Armed Forces of the Philippines on Tuesday said it welcomed the report of label change on Google Maps.

From immersive 3D films to the carnival-style police museum open day, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) has rolled out a dynamic lineup of activities to celebrate the upcoming 10th National Security Education Day. The event, held on Tuesday, underscores the city's commitment to enhance public awareness of national security.

Former South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol on Monday attended his first criminal trial on insurrection charges related to his attempt to impose martial law in December, the Yonhap News Agency reported.

At the invitation of General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee To Lam and President of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam Luong Cuong, General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and President Xi Jinping will pay a state visit to Vietnam from April 14 to 15, the Chinese Foreign Ministry announced on Friday.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez arrived in Beijing on Thursday for a two-day China visit. In the face of growing uncertainties and mounting tariff pressure, Sánchez's visit to China carries significance in tackling common challenges, Chinese experts said on Thursday.

The Chinese Embassy in Panama made a solemn statement on Wednesday in response to the latest remarks made by US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth over the Panama Canal, urging the US to seriously reflect on its history of bullying and exploitation toward Latin America and the Caribbean, including Panama, and to stop distorting and smearing China.

Chinese Premier Li Qiang held a phone call with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Tuesday, saying that China is ready to work with the European side to promote the sound and steady development of China-EU relations, according to the Xinhua News Agency.

Japan's Defense Minister Gen Nakatani pledged on Sunday to bolster the Self-Defense Forces' (SDF) transport capacity to remote southern islands through a newly launched unit called the Maritime Transportation Group, focused on maritime logistics citing so-called growing tensions over the Taiwan Straits, Japanese media outlet Kyodo News reported.

The South Korean Constitutional Court upheld the impeachment of South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol on Friday, removing him from office over his short-lived imposition of martial law in December, the Yonhap News Agency reported.

The US on Tuesday local time imposed sanctions on six entities and two individuals in Iran, the United Arab Emirates and China whom it accused of being part of an Iranian weapons procurement network, as the US government seeks to ramp up pressure on Iran, Reuters reported.

In response to the latest sanctions imposed by the US government on six officials from the Chinese government and the Hong Kong Special Administration Region (HKSAR) government, Chinese authorities voiced strong opposition and condemnation on Tuesday, saying that it will take strong countermeasures in response to US erroneous practice.

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Saturday extended condolences to Myanmar's leader Min Aung Hlaing over the massive earthquake that hit the country on Friday, according to the Xinhua News Agency.

At around 6 am on Saturday, a team of 37 members from the Yunnan emergency medical rescue team departed from Kunming Changshui International Airport in Southwest China's Yunnan Province for Myanmar. They carried a total of 112 sets of emergency rescue equipment, including full-function life detection devices, an earthquake early warning system, portable satellites, and drones.

In recent days, advocates of “Taiwan independence” called for the expulsion of more people from the mainland who are married to Taiwan residents, sparking greater controversy in the island. A total of 76 Taiwan-based scholars issued a joint statement criticizing the regional leader Lai Ching-te for using populism to rally support, suppressing free speech through ideological censorship and urging the DPP authorities to “step back from the brink.”

The Taiwan Affairs Office of China's State Council launched a column on Wednesday for reporting the malicious acts of "Taiwan independence" henchmen and accomplices persecuting Taiwan compatriots.

Top Trump administration officials, including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Vice President JD Vance, discussed details of a highly sensitive operation to bomb Houthi targets in Yemen in a group chat that mistakenly included The Atlantic's editor-in-chief, Jeffrey Goldberg, according to Goldberg on Monday.

Riding on the global fanfare over Chinese tech start-up DeepSeek, artificial intelligence (AI) has unsurprisingly become a buzzword at the China Development Forum (CDF) held in Beijing on Sunday and Monday, with international observers and multinationals speaking highly of China's AI contribution to the global economy while expressing full confidence in the world's second-largest economy.

An international symposium themed “Strengthen the Role of the United Nations and Promote Multilateralism,” hosted by China's Foreign Ministry, was held at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing on Monday. Foreign envoys and representatives from international organizations called for strengthening the UN's role amid growing global challenges and praised China's commitment to multilateralism.

China Development Forum (CDF), the first major international conference after China's two sessions this year, kicked off in Beijing on Sunday, attracting the wide attendance of international organizations as well as CEOs from over 80 multinational giants including Apple, Corning Inc and Mercedes-Benz Group, which underscores the enormous attractiveness and huge potential of the world's second-largest economy.

China's central government announced Thursday that two new measures aimed at facilitating travel and residency for residents of Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan on the mainland took effect on Thursday, the Xinhua News Agency reported.

In response to Canada's condemnation of the executions of four Canadians on drug-related charges, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said on Thursday that China is a country governed by the rule of law and treats defendants of all nationalities equally, handling cases strictly in accordance with the law and ensuring fairness.

After two central government bodies in Hong Kong reposted two opinion pieces criticizing CK Hutchison Holdings for its decision to sell ports in Panama and elsewhere to an investment group led by an American asset manager, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Chief Executive John Lee said on Tuesday, before attending the Executive Council meeting, that the HKSAR government expects foreign governments to provide a fair and just environment for businesses, including Hong Kong enterprises, and opposes the use of coercion or pressure tactics in international economic and trade relations, Hong Kong media RTHK reported.

After China unveiled a plan for special initiatives to boost consumption, including the potential establishment of a childcare subsidy system, Li Chunlin, a deputy director of the National Development and Reform Commission, said Monday that relevant authorities have been actively formulating childcare subsidies, which will be introduced progressively, CCTV News reported.A total of 23 provincial-level regions across the country have introduced childbirth subsidies at various levels, mostly benefiting families with a second or third child, the People's Daily reported on Monday.

Two central government's bodies in Hong Kong reposted two opinion pieces ran by a Hong Kong newspaper Ta Kung Pao criticizing CK Hutchison Holdings, a conglomerate based in the city, for its decision to sell ports in Panama and elsewhere to an investment group led by an American asset manager. The latest piece asked if such a “shrewd” deal took into account the interests of the country.

China, Russia and Iran issued a joint statement on Friday, reaffirming that political and diplomatic engagement and dialogue remains the only viable and practical option for the Iranian nuclear issue after deputy foreign ministers of the three nations held a meeting in Beijing on Friday.

The US agreed on Tuesday local time to resume military aid and intelligence sharing with Ukraine after Kiev said it was ready to support Washington's proposal for a 30-day cease-fire with Russia, Reuters reported, citing a joint statement between the US and Ukraine.

The only reference to the Taiwan region in the UN is “Taiwan, Province of China.” Taiwan is never a country, not in the past, and never in the future, Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said at a press conference on China's foreign policy and external relations on Friday in Beijing on the sidelines of the ongoing two sessions.

From February 25 to March 6, at the invitation of the International Department of the Communist Party of China Central Committee (IDCPC), a 21-member delegation from Bangladesh, consisting of representatives from political parties, student leaders, scholars, and journalists, visited China. This was the first time the Chinese side invited a large-scale, cross-sectoral delegation from the country for an official visit, which has been described as "a major diplomatic development" in China-Bangladesh relations.

The third session of the 14th National People's Congress (NPC) is set to open in Beijing on Wednesday. Several deputies from Hong Kong to the NPC told the Global Times they would make proposals to enhance the patriotic education in Hong Kong, particularly on the occasion marking 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War this year.

A spokesperson of the Afghan Taliban government rejected US President Donald Trump's claims about Chinese presence at Bagram Airfield, the largest US airbase during the US invasion of Afghanistan, German news outlet dpa news agency reported on Monday. Trump's related claims were dismissed as “emotional” and attributed to “a lack of information,” the spokesperson was quoted as saying in the media report.

Global attention will turn to Beijing as the "two sessions," the annual meetings of China's top legislature and the top political advisory body, commence. This gathering serves as a critical platform where the people's voices will be heard by policymakers, while the country's development priorities will be discussed.

China's Ministry of National Defense (MND) sent out a stern warning on Thursday to the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities in the island of Taiwan saying that "we will come and get you, sooner or later."

Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal announced on Wednesday that Kiev and Washington have finalized a partnership agreement on minerals, the Interfax-Ukraine news agency reported.

China expressed firm opposition and lodged serious protests to EU, the UK and Canada over their latest sanctions on Chinese entities, which they claimed supported the Russian military. A spokesperson from China's Foreign Ministry emphasized that normal exchanges and cooperation between Chinese and Russian businesses should not be interfered with or affected.

The Mission of China to the EU expressed strong dissatisfaction and firm opposition on Tuesday to the EU's so-called concerns regarding the motion to dissolve the anti-China group, the Democratic Party.

Germany's conservative bloc, the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and the Christian Social Union (CSU), won German federal election, according to preliminary results, the Xinhua News Agency reported on Monday morning.

Germany headed to the polls on Sunday to elect a new parliament, with the election described by Western media as intense. A Chinese expert said this election will be extremely polarized and fragmented.

From February 19 to 21, under the organization of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), experts from multiple countries, including China, went to the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant's discharge facilities and nearby waters to independently collected samples of nuclear-contaminated water, seawater, and marine biological samples, a spokesperson from China's Foreign Ministry confirmed on Thursday, in response to a question regarding relative reports.

The annual two sessions will take place next month in Beijing. Johnny Ng Kit-chong, a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and a local lawmaker in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), plans to submit at least four proposals including one aimed at advancing a collaborative governance mechanism for cross-border telecom fraud, the Global Times learned on Monday.

China and Australia held the 23rd China-Australia Defense Strategic Dialogue in Beijing on Monday, with the two sides exchanging in-depth views on relations between the two countries, their militaries, regional security and other issues of common concern, according to a statement released by China's Ministry of National Defense.

Senior officials from Myanmar, China, and Thailand have arrived in Myawaddy in Myanmar to crack down on telecom fraud and illegal online gambling operations, China Media Group reported on Monday, citing Myanmar's State Administration Council's Information Team.

Shortly after US Vice President JD Vance delivered a speech at the Munich Security Conference (MSC) on Friday local time, in which he criticized Europe on issues such as democracy and immigration, some European leaders reacted sharply, reflecting the current tensions in transatlantic relations, according to media reports.

The BBC recently published several positive reports about China, covering topics such as the box office success of the Chinese film Ne Zha 2, China's technological achievements, and the history of the naming of the Gulf of Mexico. This sudden shift by the BBC, a Western media outlet long known for its critical stance toward China, has sparked heated discussions among Chinese netizens.

As Trump administration moved to dismantle the US Agency for International Development (USAID), some US media outlets and political figures began pointing fingers at China, warning that China is quickly taking action to fill the gap. The claim showed a problematic mentality, as many in the US are so accustomed to shifting the responsibility and blaming China instead of addressing issues within their own country, said a Chinese expert.

A delegation of nearly 40 students, led by Hsiao Hsu-tsen, executive director of the Ma Ying-jeou Culture and Education Foundation, began a four-day visit to Beijing from Monday to Friday, China News Service reported on Monday. This marks the foundation's first student exchange delegation to the Chinese mainland in 2025.

US forces will participate in Exercise Pacific Steller 2025, a multi-large deck event (MLDE) hosted by the French Navy in the Philippine Sea beginning February 8, according to the website of Commander of the US Pacific Fleet.

Responding to media requests for comment on the US Postal Service (USPS) resuming the acceptance of packages sent from the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong, reversing its suspension just hours ago, China's Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) spokesperson He Yongqian said at a regular press conference on Thursday that cross-border e-commerce directly meets the personalized needs of consumers, offers fast delivery, and saves costs, which gives it unique advantages and makes it an important trend in the development of international trade.

Japan's Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru began his trip to the US on Thursday afternoon to hold his first summit with President Donald Trump, Japanese media NHK reported on Thursday.

In a recent interview with local media outlet RTHK, Hong Kong Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Algernon Yau expressed strong dissatisfaction with the US decision to impose an additional 10 percent tariff on Chinese goods, which also applies to products from the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), according to the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

In response to a question about whether Lu Shaye, former Chinese Ambassador to France, has been appointed as the Chinese government's Special Representative for European Affairs, China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun confirmed it on Thursday, saying that the Chinese government has appointed Lu to succeed Wu Hongbo.

In response to the US Postal Service announced Tuesday that it had temporarily stopped accepting packages from Chinese mainland and Hong Kong, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said on Wednesday that we call on the US to stop politicizing and weaponizing trade and economic issues, and stop groundlessly going after Chinese companies. China will also continue to take necessary measures to firmly defend the lawful rights and interests of Chinese companies, Lin noted.

In a U-turn, the US Postal Service (USPS) announced in a short notice on Wednesday that effective February 5, it will continue accepting all international inbound mail and packages from the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong Posts.

The US Postal Service announced on Tuesday local time that it will temporarily suspend international package acceptance of inbound parcels from the Chinese mainland and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, but clarified that letters and flats would not be affected.

The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government issued a notice on Tuesday, listing seven anti-China disruptors as absconders, including Ted Hui Chi-fung and Dennis Kwok Wing-hang. Measures have been implemented against them, including canceling their SAR passports.

Forty-five people convicted of "conspiracy to subvert the state power" were sentenced to imprisonment ranging from 50 months to 10 years in Hong Kong on Tuesday. The High Court of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) on Tuesday held a hearing at the West Kowloon Magistrates' Courts to deliver sentences for the case of "conspiracy to subvert the state power" in Hong Kong.

The 2024 Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) will be held in Beijing from September 4 to 6 with the theme of "Joining Hands to Advance Modernization and Build a High-Level China-Africa Community with a Shared Future," the Chinese Foreign Ministry announced on Tuesday.

China congratulated Venezuela on Monday on the success of its presidential election and to Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro for his successful re-election, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said, after media reported that Maduro won the election with 51.2 percent of votes cast.

During a series of meetings of foreign ministers of Southeast and East Asian countries in Vientiane, Laos, over the past few days, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi reiterated China's consistent stance on the South China Sea issue. Judging from the latest joint communique issued by the ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting, which emphasizes the importance of peace and stability in the South China Sea, the differences among ASEAN countries are gradually narrowing, and consensus is gradually expanding, experts said, noting that this is particularly evident in the shared belief that the situation should not be allowed to escalate in a way that would affect regional security and relations with China.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni will visit China from July 27 to 31, China's Foreign Ministry announced on Thursday. Michele Geraci, former undersecretary of state at the Italian Ministry of Economic Development, told the Global Times that the visit aims to repair and strengthen economic relations with China, and it seems to be a delicate balancing act, which is also a diplomatic dance to maintain a semblance of influence in Beijing while attempting to appease allies in Washington and Brussels.

Infamous anti-China disruptor and Next Digital founder Jimmy Lai, has been charged with two counts of conspiring to collude with foreign forces and one count of conspiring to publish seditious materials. A local court in Hong Kong has ruled on Thursday that there is a prima facie case for all three charges against the defendant, and Lai will testify in his own defense.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken embarked on what some experts called a “farewell trip” to Asia on Thursday to reassure its major allies in the region, as the current Biden administration enters “garbage time,” some observers said, noting that even though the US side revealed that Blinken would meet Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, nothing substantial is expected as Washington's sincerity is still in question.

The first batch of trainees to adopt two models of Chinese-made pistols to replace the current US-made pistols is expected to finish on Thursday. The Hong Kong Police Force announced the replacement plan earlier this month, which has been under consideration within the police force for some time, people familiar with the matter told the Global Times.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi held talks with his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba on Wednesday in Guangzhou, South China's Guangdong Province, with Kuleba saying Ukraine is willing and prepared to conduct dialogue and negotiations with Russia.

One day after US President Joe Biden announced his decision to quit the US presidential race and endorse Vice President Kamala Harris, Harris on Monday secured enough support to become the Democratic nominee for the upcoming presidential election, US media reported.

After the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) fired the new chairperson of the infamous Hong Kong Journalists Association (HKJA), some Hong Kong-based observers told the Global Times that the real reason for the US media's action is the long-standing misconduct of the HKJA. Observers believed that springing from concerns that the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government could take legal action to regulate such organizations, the WSJ wants to distance itself to avoid being implicated.

Another direct flight route between China and Mexico will be opened on Friday. This route, Beijing-Tijuana-Mexico City, will be the second direct flight route between the two countries, following the resumption of the Shenzhen-Mexico City direct flight route in May this year, Mexico's Secretary of Tourism Miguel Torruco Marques told the Global Times in an interview on Thursday.

After the British Union Jack, which had flown over Hong Kong for more than 150 years, was lowered for the last time on June 30, 1997, terms such as "Her Majesty" and "Governor," which had persisted in various Hong Kong laws, finally made their exit on Wednesday.

"Finally, we can apply for permit like other Hong Kong residents," Will Bedoucha, a business consultant, told the Global Times on Wednesday on the first day non-Chinese residents in Hong Kong could apply for a new travel permit to go to the Chinese mainland.

Chinese President Xi Jinping met with visiting Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban in Beijing on Monday, where the two leaders exchanged in-depth views on the Ukraine crisis.

The results of the second round of France's legislative election came out with a surprising twist on Sunday night local time, as the left-wing parties' alliance won the decisive round, contrary to previous projections.

The expansion of NATO is the fundamental cause of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, and if we ignore this element, we are not going to succeed in our solutions, South African Ambassador to China Siyabonga Cyprian Cwele told the Global Times on Sunday. He also noted that BRICS members including South Africa, China, Brazil and India are all united on the issue that there must be dialogue.

Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) Chief Executive John Lee departed on Sunday for Southwest China's Sichuan Province to work on arrangements for a pair of giant pandas that the central government has decided to gift to the SAR. A Hong Kong official said that arrangements can be made for the giant pandas to arrive in the city within two to three months.

Over the past few years, the Japanese government has not only failed to act as a bridge in China-US relations but has also become the most reliable ally of the US in military and diplomatic matters. This largely reflects Japan's tendency to follow in America's footsteps after its defeat in World War II, former Prime Minister of Japan Yukio Hatoyama said at a plenary session of the 12th World Peace Forum in Beijing on Saturday.

Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Thursday that China is committed to peaceful development and a national defense policy that is defensive in nature, and China does not pose a threat to any country, after a prominent Philippine senator claimed that China had set up 25 targets around the Philippine archipelago that it would attack with hypersonic missiles.

Although China and the Philippines agreed on a need to restore trust and create conditions for productive dialogue on the South China Sea issue during the latest round of crucial consultations, some Chinese experts said on Wednesday that they will take a “wait-and-see” approach given that Manila frequently “says one thing but does another,” and whether it can truly fulfill its commitment to de-escalate the situation remains to be seen.

The Philippines, in ignoring growing domestic calls for seeking constructive dialogues and consensus with China in tackling divergences on the South China Sea issue, has continued to make provocations not only in maritime issues but also in the legal sphere, for which China is fully prepared, and its moves that jeopardize China's legitimate interest will be responded with countermeasures.

Hong Kong welcomed two pieces of good news on Monday on the occasion of the 27th anniversary of the city's return to the motherland. It will soon receive another pair of giant pandas from the mainland, while non-Chinese permanent residents in the city and in nearby Macao can apply for travel documents to mainland starting from July 10, a move to further facilitate the exchanges and interaction between the mainland and the country's two special administrative regions (SARs).

As the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) is set to celebrate the 27th anniversary of its return to the motherland on Monday, the city also embraced the 4th anniversary of the implementation of the National Security Law (NSL) for Hong Kong on Sunday. Meanwhile, with the completion of the Article 23 legislation and reform of the electoral system, Hong Kong has already entered the best development period from being well governed to achieving prosperity, where opportunities outweigh challenges, officials said.

The world's attention is focused on the first presidential debate of 2024 between US President Joe Biden and former president Donald Trump on Thursday. Chinese experts said rather than focusing on policy, global viewers are much more concerned about the physical condition of the two candidates.

Mainland authorities continued to send a strong signal of deterrence to "Taiwan independence" separatists and further clarified that the recently released guidelines on imposing criminal punishments on diehard separatists for conducting or inciting secession do not target or involve the general populace on the island.

Ahead of his trip to China on Friday, German Economy Minister Robert Habeck said Germany's relations with China had become more complex but China was an important partner in all fields. The visit, coming at a critical time as China and the EU are experiencing trade frictions, is seen as an opportunity for Germany to seek consensus rather than confrontation, some experts said, noting that both sides need to find common ground and address each other's concerns.

China-Malaysia ties are at the forefront among relations between regional countries, and have set a benchmark and an example, and China hopes to take the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties as an opportunity to accelerate the building of a China-Malaysia community with a shared future, Chinese Premier Li Qiang said during his meeting on Wednesday with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim as he took his first official visit to the Southeast Asian country.

The Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions (SARs) and the Commissioner's Office of China's Foreign Ministry in the Macao SAR all expressed strong dissatisfaction and firm opposition toward the EU's annual reports on the two SARs, urging the EU to discern facts from fallacies, respect the international law and basic norms governing international relations, and immediately stop interfering in China's internal affairs.

China on Thursday voiced firm opposition to unilateral sanctions imposed by the US targeting some Chinese companies as the US widened sanctions on Russia ahead of the G7 summit in Italy, urging Washington to play a constructive role in promoting a cease-fire, ending the war, and restoring peace.

This year's G7 summit is set to convene amid greater skepticism and divisions. Although US President Joe Biden hopes to dominate the meeting with his own agenda, experts believe that due to changing political climate in Europe, particularly with the strong rise of the far-right, Europe will find it difficult to follow the US lead unconditionally on issues related to Russia-Ukraine and China. Instead, Europe is expected to focus more on its own interests.

China's Foreign Ministry called on Wednesday the latest action of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) to cancel passports of six absconders currently living in UK including anti-China rioters Nathan Law Kwun-chung and Simon Cheng Man-kit necessary, justifiable and lawful.

The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government said on Tuesday that it strongly disagreed with remarks made by Jonathan Sumption, a British judge who recently resigned from the city's highest court, who claimed that "the rule of law in Hong Kong is in grave danger." The HKSAR Chief Executive John Lee said on Tuesday that Sumption's recent statement appears to be contradictory to his previous stance in this regard.

As China announces the inclusion of, for the first time in history, payload specialists from Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions (SARs) into the country's taikonaut pool, experts and local media said there is high hope that they will play key roles in China's future manned lunar landing around 2030, highlighting the significance that central government attaches to the SARs' scientific research capabilities and strong support for youth development in these regions.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Monday called for the full leveraging of the strategic significance and political impact of “big BRICS,” transforming the group into a new type of multilateral cooperation mechanism that is based on emerging markets and developing countries, globally oriented, and open and inclusive.

Some officials and legal representatives in Hong Kong expressed regret on Friday at the resignations of the two non-permanent judges (NPJ) of the Court of Final Appeal (CFA) of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), and some believed that some individuals are attempting to use the participation of British judges in "political resistance" to pressure the Chinese government while some said the resignations were linked to the fact that the UK has become increasingly negative toward Hong Kong.

China's Ministry of State Security (MSS) disclosed on Monday morning a major espionage case involving the British Secret Intelligence Service (MI6) recruiting a couple from a central state agency in China.

Dozens of representatives from the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong gathered in front of the US consulate in Hong Kong on Sunday, strongly condemning the US for slandering the National Security Law (NSL) for Hong Kong and interfering in the judicial proceeding of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) following the latest verdict on some defendants involved in the infamous "35-plus" political strategy that aimed to subvert state power.

China's central government authorities and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government expressed strong opposition and condemnation against some remarks made by Western countries, anti-China organization and foreign media that smear the rule of law in the city following the verdict of a case of conspiracy to subvert state power.

Fourteen of the 16 defendants who pleaded not guilty over the infamous “35-plus” political strategy that aimed to subvert state power were found guilty on Thursday. Some experts said this highlights the powerful role of the National Security Law (NSL) for Hong Kong in safeguarding national security, Hong Kong's political system, and its political order.

Following the highly provocative speech given by Taiwan's regional leader last week and the continuous collusion between the US and the DPP authorities, officials from the Chinese mainland sent out a strong warning again to "Taiwan independence" secessionist forces, reiterating the need to recognize the nature of the forces that betray and ultimately harm Taiwan.

China and the US held the second round of China-US maritime affairs consultations via video on Friday, according to a readout issued by the Chinese Foreign Ministry on Tuesday. The Chinese side urged the US to genuinely respect China's territorial sovereignty and maritime rights, stressing that the US should immediately stop supporting and condoning "Taiwan independence" forces and fulfill its commitment to not supporting "Taiwan independence.”

From Tuesday to Saturday, at the invitation of President Xi Jinping, Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, Egypt's President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, Tunisia's President Kais Saied, and the United Arab Emirates' President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan will pay state visits to China and attend the opening ceremony of the 10th Ministerial Conference of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Monday.

Josephine Ip Wing-yu, chairwoman of Hong Kong's Weightlifting and Powerlifting Association who twice referred to Hong Kong as a "country," has resigned for personal reasons, local media reported on Friday.

China condemned on Thursday the UK's accusation that it was providing “lethal aid” to Russia amid the Ukraine crisis, noting the claims made by the UK's defense secretary have even been questioned by its major ally, the US. Given that British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's Conservative Party badly lags in the polls ahead of July elections, the Conservatives will undoubtedly seize every opportunity to take a strong stance against China, experts said.

Russia forces launched the first stage of tactical nuclear drills on Tuesday, which serves as a response to some provocative statements made by some Western officials, according to Russian media. Some Chinese military experts said on Wednesday that the purpose of the drills is not for actual combat but for effective deterrence, ensuring that the US and NATO do not act impulsively.

China on Tuesday said it hopes that the ICC will uphold an objective and fair stance and exercise its powers in accordance with the law after the International Criminal Court (ICC) applied for arrest warrants for Israeli and Hamas leaders.

The Hong Kong Museum of Coastal Defence (HKMCD) will be converted into the Hong Kong Museum of the War of Resistance & Coastal Defence on September 3, the date marking victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression (1931-45).

The resumption of direct flights between China and Cuba is conducive to enhancing connectivity between China and the Caribbean region, and granting a visa-free policy for ordinary Chinese showed the trust between the two countries, which is also part of the implementation of the consensus reached by the two heads of state, Alberto Blanco Silva, Cuban Ambassador to China, told the Global Times in an exclusive interview on Friday.

In recent years, Russia has shown an increasingly positive attitude toward the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), especially in terms of connectivity, capacity cooperation, finance and trade. China and Russia are expected to implement more multilateral economic cooperation projects under the framework of aligning the BRI with the Eurasian Economic Union.

China on Thursday strongly condemned the violent attack on Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico, saying that it is deeply shocked by the incident, and also extended its sincere condolences to Slovakia and Fico's family.

Alphabet's YouTube said it will comply with Hong Kong's latest court decision and block access to video links related to the controversial song “Glory to Hong Kong.” When conducting business, compliance to local laws and regulations is a mandatory practice, and it is not enough to just block the content in Hong Kong but the song should be removed globally, some lawmakers and experts said.

China on Tuesday voiced serious concern over the arrest and prosecution of the Chinese citizens and strongly urge the UK to earnestly protect the lawful rights and interests of Chinese citizens in the UK.

In summarizing the visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping to three European countries, the Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Saturday that the visit, taking place in Europe with a global vision, successfully strengthened China-France relations, further solidified China-Serbia relations, enhanced China-Hungary relations, and injected momentum to China-EU cooperation.

Hong Kong's Weightlifting and Powerlifting Association issued an apology statement on Saturday as its chairwoman made another “verbal slip” by referring the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) and China's Taiwan island as countries, and it submitted a report to the Sports Federation & Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, China (SF&OC) on Saturday.

China's foreign ministry's office in Hong Kong slammed the latest remarks of the US Consul General Gregory May, who criticized judicial cases in the Chinese city and openly supported anti-China and anti-Hong Kong figures including infamous rioter Jimmy Lai. Experts said the responsibility for improving US-China relations, including those with Hong Kong, lies with the US side, which should refrain from meddling in Hong Kong affairs.

Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Budapest on Wednesday for a state visit to Hungary. In an exclusive interview with the Global Times, Levente Horvath, director of the Eurasia Center at John von Neumann University, said that this visit is an important opportunity as the two countries celebrate the 75th anniversary of establishing diplomatic relations. He noted that Hungary is expected to play a positive role in China-EU relations during its upcoming EU presidency.

When asked about the local court's latest ruling on banning controversial song “Glory to Hong Kong,” the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said on Wednesday that taking necessary measures to prevent anyone from using and disseminating songs with the intention of inciting separatism and insulting the national anthem is a legitimate and necessary action.

Chinese President Xi Jinping left Beijing on Sunday morning for state visits to France, Serbia and Hungary at the invitation of President Emmanuel Macron of the Republic of France, President Aleksandar Vucic of the Republic of Serbia, and President Tamás Sulyok and Prime Minister Viktor Orbán of Hungary. Ahead of his visit to France, Global Times reporters Chen Qingqing and Bai Yunyi (GT) interviewed former French prime minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin (Raffarin), talking about the significance of the state visit for China-France relations, reviewing the future development of bilateral ties, and discussing the role of China-France relations in China-EU relations.

The upcoming visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping to France holds profound historical significance. It will be a journey to showcase friendship, instill confidence and lead cooperation, Chinese Ambassador to France Lu Shaye told a press briefing on Monday.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Friday that talks with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken during his visit to China were "candid, substantive and constructive."

Chinese President Xi Jinping met with visiting US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday in Beijing. Xi said China is willing to cooperate with the US, but cooperation should be a two-way street.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with visiting US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday in Beijing. Wang pointed out that although positive interactions in the bilateral relations have been increasing, negative factors in China-US relations continue to build up as China's core interests are challenged.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Shanghai on Wednesday afternoon to begin the second official visit to China of his tenure. Some Chinese experts said whether this visit, which shows Washington's eagerness to cooperate with China, can achieve a breakthrough depends on the US' mind-set and attitude.

Since the Hong Kong Police Force (HKPF) launched the counter-terrorism hotline in June 2022, over 28,000 messages have been submitted as of mid-April, involving more than 7,000 tipoffs. Among them, over 13 percent offered information meriting further investigation, such as reports of explosives and prohibited weapons.

Malaysian Foreign Minister Dato' Seri Utama Haji Mohamad bin Haji Hasan arrived in Beijing on Tuesday for a three-day visit to China, his first visit to the country since he took the post in December 2023. Chinese experts said this visit could pave the way for future high-level exchanges between the two countries and also aims to implement a series of consensus reached by the two heads of state in 2023.

China voiced the firm opposition to the hypocritical moves by the US on the Ukraine crisis by enacting massive aid bills for Ukraine while making baseless accusations against the normal trade between China and Russia, which will also be one of the major issues to be discussed during the upcoming visit of US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to China.

China extended its congratulations on Monday on the "landslide" victory secured by Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu's People's National Congress (PNC), which some Chinese experts said is beneficial for the smooth implementation of the current domestic and foreign policies of the Muizzu administration. It will contribute positively to the future development of Maldives-China ties by injecting more certainty into bilateral relation, they noted.

With over 45,000 candidates registered to sit for the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education (DSE)'s first exam of Citizenship and Social Development (CS) subject, replacing the previous controversial Liberal Studies subject, some representatives from the education sector told the Global Times on Thursday that the first CS subject exam sets a reassuring precedent for the future development of the subject.

China's Central government official Xia Baolong kicked off a high-profile opening ceremony of an event in Hong Kong Special Administration Region (HKSAR) marking the 10th anniversary of a holistic approach to national security on Monday when the city celebrated the first National Security Education Day after legislation of Article 23.

April 15, 2024 marks the ninth National Security Education Day. Global Times reporters observed that the cases disclosed around this year's National Security Education Day involve a broader scope and are more targeted compared to previous years, with methods also becoming more covert.

China's diplomacy enters a busy season, as China's interactions with Europe, the US, Russia, ASEAN member countries and the Global South are attracting global attention. The recent series of visits of foreign leaders and senior officials to China demonstrates that China's diplomacy, based on multilateralism, openness and cooperation, is increasingly being welcomed by the world, which also draws a sharp contrast to the US-led small clique advocating for bloc confrontation and conflicts, experts said.

The Chinese Embassy in Canada slammed the latest remarks made by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau who accused China of trying to “meddle in Canadian elections,” urging Canada to respect and face the facts, abandon ideological biases, stop hyping up the lie of "Chinese interference.”

China's National Nuclear Safety Administration announced on Wednesday that radioactive sources in Khabarovsk in Russia's Far East near the border with China have not affected neighboring areas in our country. The 24-hour monitoring in Northeast China's Heilongjiang Province has shown results within normal levels, and no abnormalities have been observed.

The Chinese government has always requested Chinese citizens to comply with the laws and regulations of their country of residence, the Chinese Embassy in Sweden said on Monday local time in response to media reports about Sweden expelling a Chinese journalist, accusing her of posing a national security threat. The journalist, a 57-year-old woman, was arrested by the Swedish security service in October and expelled by the government in Stockholm last week, the Associated Press (AP) reported on Monday, citing Swedish broadcaster SVT. She is banned from returning.

China's Foreign Ministry slammed recent remarks made by senior US diplomat Kurt Campbell on linking the AUKUS military pact to the Taiwan question, expressing strong dissatisfaction and resolute opposition toward the remarks. And concerning the possible AUKUS expansion to include Japan, the ministry said China does not support provoking bloc confrontations and opposes increasing the risk of nuclear proliferation. In a press conference on Tuesday, the ministry's spokesperson Mao Ning said Campbell's remarks disregard the facts, reverse black and white, fan the flames of conflict, and are malicious in intent. “China is strongly dissatisfied with this and resolutely opposes it.”

The Xuelong 2, China's first domestically built polar research icebreaker, arrived in Hong Kong on Monday morning for a five-day pit stop amid a warm welcome by local residents. This also marks the vessel's first visit to the city as well as the return of a Chinese polar research icebreaker to the city after nearly 20 years since the Xuelong docked in Hong Kong in 2004.

The Safeguarding National Security Ordinance, a piece of legislation of Hong Kong's Basic Law Article 23 that took effect recently after being unanimously passed by local lawmakers, is another solid legal basis for maintaining stability and prosperity in the city after the implementation of national security law for Hong Kong. The bill is expected to play an essential role in preventing the US-led West's subversion, infiltration, incitement, and espionage activities in Hong Kong.

The Chinese and American militaries held two-day working-level talks in Hawaii, which China's Ministry of National Defense (MOD) described on Saturday as candid and constructive. This marks the first time in two years that China and the US have held a meeting under the military maritime consultative mechanism, signaling the restart of the China-US military maritime security dialogue.

Chinese Premier Li Qiang met with visiting French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Stephane Sejourne on Monday in Beijing, calling for the building of a stable China-France relationship and jointly injecting more certainty into world development through multilateral cooperation. Some Chinese experts said that Sejourne's visit, his first to China as French foreign minister, aims to pave the way for future high-level interactions between the leaders of the two countries. It also signals that China and France share more common strategic interests and can overcome some differences in cooperating on major issues of concerns such as the Ukraine crisis and the Palestine-Israel conflict.

After delegates of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB) to this year's two sessions put forward proposals hoping that the Chinese mainland would once again gift giant pandas to Hong Kong, Vice Chair of the DAB Chan Yung said that there is a chance that “this could happen” before October 1.

Chinese President Xi Jinping met representatives from the US business, strategic and academic communities in Beijing on Wednesday, as the countryChina hosts a series of high-level events activities this week, demonstrating the country's its commitment to attracting more foreign investment and expanding its opening-up to the world.

The Chinese mainland is closely monitoring the actions of Taiwan island's military around Kinmen. "If they provoke or cause trouble, daring to act rashly, they will surely face failure," Chen Binhua, a spokesperson for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, said on Wednesday in response to reports that Taiwan island will conduct live-fire drills in April at locations including Kinmen and Lieyu.

In response to the first case under the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance in Hong Kong, in which an activist known as “Captain America 2.0” was denied an early release since the enactment of the local national security law in line with Article 23, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Chief Executive John Lee said on Tuesday that it's standard practice not to grant sentence reductions to individuals convicted of endangering national security.

After a Netflix adaptation of The Three-Body Problem premiered recently, it currently holds an average audience popcorn score of 76 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, with a Douban score of 6.7. The series, as a foreign adaptation of a Chinese science-fiction classic, has sparked a wide range of discussions and complicated reactions among Chinese viewers.

After Hong Kong's weightlifting and powerlifting association made an apology after its chairwoman called Hong Kong a “small country” during an open event on Sunday, the Sports Federation and Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, China, told the Global Times on Monday that after consulting with the association, the federation initially believes the incident was only a “slip of the tongue,” emphasizing that it once again reminds all member sports associations to be clear and unequivocal in their discussions about national sovereignty.

With the implementation of the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance, signifying that Hong Kong has fulfilled its constitutional responsibility as stipulated in the Article 23 of the Basic Law, Hong Kong officials stepped up efforts in countering Western attacks and smear targeting the new law, emphasizing that foreign companies are still eager to invest in the city despite political maneuvers made by some Western politicians.

Chinese Premier Li Qiang on Sunday offered a powerful reassurance for global business leaders about China's economy and its steadfast opening-up, saying at a major forum in Beijing that China's economy has strong resilience, vast potential and sufficient vitality and an increasingly open China will bring more opportunities for the world.

The Chinese government work report submitted on March 5 to the national legislature set an "around 5 percent" GDP growth target for 2024, and China's pursuit of new quality productive forces has become a major focus at the two sessions in early March. Global Times reporters Chen Qingqing and Bai Yunyi spoke to veteran economist Tatsuhito Tokuchi, executive board member and research fellow at Center for Industrial Development and Environmental Governance of Tsinghua University and former chairman of CITIC Securities International Co Ltd, to discuss the challenges and opportunities facing China's economy.

The primary enforcement target under the Article 23 legislation is absconders endangering the national security who fled overseas, a Hong Kong official said.

Since the public consultation period for the Article 23 legislation of the Basic Law in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), the central government's authorities on Hong Kong affairs, the HKSAR government and some local lawmakers have been tirelessly refuting the smears and attacks on the law by the US-led Western media. In a fresh blowback, the Commissioner's Office of China's Foreign Ministry in the HKSAR refuted an editorial of the Wall Street Journal (WSJ), saying that labeling the new law as "sweeping" and "conveniently vague" is downright double standards.

China's Special Representative on Eurasian Affairs Li Hui who just concluded the second round of shuttle mediation between Russia, Ukraine and other European countries delivered a briefing in Beijing on Friday, saying that China has communicated with Switzerland on a potential peace talk conference, and that any peace talks should be recognized by both Ukraine and Russia.

Despite the rising criticism and concerns from some Western countries on the Article 23 legislation in Hong Kong, local officials and lawmakers are confronting those misunderstanding and the ill-intentioned slandering and smearing campaign at the global stage, and some told the Global Times on Thursday that they have been ready to "bite the bullet" as some Western officials are calling for the fresh sanctions and other countermeasure against the passage of the law.

The central government and Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government vigorously repudiated on Wednesday the smear and slander campaigns launched by some Western governments, institutions and politicians against the unanimous passage of the Article 23 legislation in the Legislative Council (LegCo) of the HKSAR, saying that slandering the highly anticipated law while turning a blind to the fact that many Western countries have enacted multiple national security laws is a typical example of political hegemony and double standards.

Hong Kong lawmakers unanimously passed the highly anticipated bill mandated by Article 23 of the Basic Law of Hong Kong on Tuesday following marathon sessions during which all lawmakers expressed their strong support for the law, which was first proposed more than 20 years ago. It is expected to play a crucial role in addressing the city's national security loopholes, forming a solid national security shield with the National Security Law (NSL) for Hong Kong by preventing the US-led West's subversion, infiltration, incitement and espionage activities in the city.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is heading to Manila on Monday following his brief trip to South Korea. He is expected to meet Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr on Tuesday, according local media reports. The visit is believed to pave the way for the upcoming trilateral summit between the Philippines, the US and Japan, some experts said, warning that Washington's use of Manila as a proxy to disrupt the South China Sea situation could bring regional strategic confrontation to an unprecedented level.

A Hong Kong representative to the 55th session of the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva clarified that the implementation of the Article 23 legislation will codify necessary procedural safeguards in line with international human rights standards while some Hong Kong lawmakers refuted the latest claims from a UNHRC expert saying that some of the charges on national security crimes in Hong Kong are too broad.

The Chinese foreign ministry urged South Korea on Tuesday to mind its own business and refrain from hyping up the South China Sea issue, following South Korean foreign ministry's remarks regarding a recent incident during which Philippine vessels had trespassed into the waters off China's Ren'ai Jiao (also known as Ren'ai Reef), and a spokesperson from the ministry said exterritorial countries should not become troublemakers on the issue.

Hong Kong's Legislative Council (LegCo) spared no effort in accelerating the review procedures of the Article 23 legislation draft bill over the weekend and local officials constantly made clarification on some concerns raised by local lawmakers in Hong Kong, which also served as forceful rebuttals toward some ill-intentioned hypes made by Western media and political figures on the law.

The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) fast-tracked the Basic Law Article 23 legislation by gazetting the draft bill on Friday and tabling it to the Legislative Council for the first reading and second reading on the same day. The draft bill listed a series of offences and penalties including new offences like treason, insurrection, acts with seditious intention, foreign interference and theft of state secrets and espionage.

In a press conference on Thursday that lasted about one and a half hours, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi answered 21 questions, covering a wide range of issues related to China's foreign policy and foreign relations, which according to Chinese experts has increasingly shown the maturity of China's major-power diplomacy and Chinese wisdom.

When talking about the China-US relations, the Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi raised four questions to the US during a press conference on Thursday, urging the US to view China's development objectively and rationally, and act to fulfill its commitments.

A cross-border student in Hong Kong had a page depicting a map of China in a Hong Kong-published Chinese history textbook page torn out by mainland customs while crossing the border, local media HK01.com reported on Wednesday. "The map referred to the Diaoyu Islands as 'Diaoyutai' and did not display the 'ten-dash line' in the South China Sea," the media report said.

Some lawmakers in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), who are also the deputies to the 14th National People's Congress (NPC), returned to Hong Kong and attended a joint meeting on the Article 23 legislation on Wednesday, as finishing the legislation is seen as the most pressing issue for the city. Some NPC deputies from the HKSAR said they will work at full speed to complete it.

International media outlets and foreign diplomats are paying high attention to the ongoing two sessions as they are eager to learn - from the country's annual political events - the latest information about China, a vibrant powerhouse for the global recovery and a significant stabilizer in a world filled with turbulence.

Recently, there was a “virtual debate” between Stephen Roach, former chairman of Morgan Stanley Asia, and Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee, convenor of Hong Kong Executive Council, and a Legislative Council member, over Hong Kong's economic prospects after Roach claimed that “Hong Kong is over” in a commentary piece published in the Financial Times in February. In an exclusive interview with the Global Times on Monday, Ip responded again to what she called “unfair remarks” of Roach.

Considering that the implementation of working hours and paid annual leave in China is not ideal and there is insufficient protection for the young labor force, Kenneth Fok Kai-kong, a deputy from the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) to the 14th National People's Congress, suggested mandatory implementation of policies related to paid annual leave and an increase in the number of paid annual leave days.

Since the implementation of the National Security Law (NSL) for Hong Kong, local authorities and schools in the city have placed increased importance to the patriotic education including adding contents concerning the Constitution, the Basic Law and national security into the curriculum, said Wong Kam-leung, a deputy of the Hong Kong Special Administration Region to the National People's Congress, who hoped that Hong Kong will establish a permanent national security education and training base.

A research team at Tsinghua University recently unveiled cases where two paralyzed patients achieved the control of objects and movement through wireless minimally invasive Brain-Computer Interface or BCI. One of the patients, who had been paralyzed for 14 years, successfully "drank water from a bottle using robotic hands" for the first time, the Chinese Central Television reported on Saturday.

Both the Chinese central government and the government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) voiced the strong opposition and condemnation toward the latest remarks made by the US Consul General Gregory May in a recent interview, saying that the remarks seriously deviated from the basic professional ethics and code of conduct of consular officials, providing more evidence of US interference in Hong Kong affairs.

Officials from both the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong voiced strong opposition on Thursday toward some malicious remarks made by some British politicians and anti-China groups on the highly-anticipated Article 23 legislation in Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR), and some experts said Britain still lives in a fantasy world of the old colonial era, which lacks basic understanding and awareness of real political life.

With the public consultation period for the Article 23 legislation ended on Wednesday, local officials said there is a general consensus in Hong Kong society that we must expedite the legislation as soon as possible while the major issues of concern in the legal community include the purpose of the legislation, definitions and penalties of offenses and protection of human rights and freedom, some legal representatives said, noting that those various opinions also reflect the city's diversity and protection of freedom of speech.

The main difference between China and the US in artificial intelligence (AI) lies in "determining the technical direction," but once the direction is determined, with China's strong advantage in its rapid learning capabilities, the gap will be narrowed within one or two years, said Zhou Hongyi, founder and chairman of 360 Security Technology who is also a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference to the upcoming two sessions.

Xia Baolong, the central government's top official overseeing Hong Kong and Macao affairs, started his seven-day trip to Hong Kong on Thursday, meeting a number of local government officials and learning from the progress that the city has made in its transition from good governance to prosperity.

French President Emmanuel Macron met with the visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Paris on Tuesday local time, where Wang also co-chaired a new round of strategic dialogue between China and France.

Traditional temple fairs in Beijing made a big comeback this Spring Festival, after being put on hold for four years because of the pandemic. The Global Times reporters visited the temple fair during the holiday in person and were deeply shocked by its popularity and strong festival atmosphere.

Ahead of the annual national two sessions - National People's Congress (NPC) and the National Committee of Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) - scheduled in early March, delegates of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB) to the upcoming two sessions have put forward on Monday at least 30 proposals, including enhancing the patriotic education and pushing forward new measures in facilitating cross-border travel.

After Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky secured security pacts with France and Germany, as concerns over funding from the US grow, the Ukrainian military announced the withdrawal of troops from the strategic stronghold of Avdiivka in the Donetsk region. Experts believe that there is no need to over-interpret the strategic significance of the Ukrainian military's withdrawal even though the capture of Avdiivka by Russian forces has political significance, especially as the Russia-Ukraine conflict approaches its two-year mark.

As the Chinese Lunar New Year, also known as the Spring Festival, approaches, a number of world leaders extended their greetings to the Chinese people and communities, as this year's festival will be the first since the UN General Assembly decided to list the Lunar New Year as a UN public holiday.

When the Spring Festival travel rush of 2024 coincided with a wave of severe blizzards and freezing rain weather, the worst since 2009, key transportation hubs like Central China's Hubei and Henan provinces are facing formidable challenges.

Senior local officials from the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) made further clarifications on Sunday on the Article 23 legislation including public's criticism of local governance but rejecting deliberately provoking hatred, major conditions for the conviction of foreign interference offense, and materials related to the critical infrastructure falling into the scope of state secret.

In response to some misunderstandings and confusion about the Article 23 legislation in Hong Kong, local legal experts and political representatives have made a series of clarifications on the original intention of the legislation, which aims to prevent, stop and punish acts and activities endangering national security and to target only a very small number of criminals while protecting the basic rights of the majority.

China said on Tuesday that it supports Yemen's sovereignty, territorial integrity and supports the legitimate government of the country and a resolution to the Yemen issue through political means. Amid the escalating Red Sea crisis, Yemen also expects China to play a bigger role in promoting peace and stability in the Middle East.

Hong Kong announced on Tuesday a public consultation period for the long-awaited Article 23 legislation, which will last till the end of February. The new law, proposed to be titled as the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance, aims to comprehensively address national security risks and will play a complementary role to the National Security Law (NSL) for Hong Kong.

Hong Kong officially launched the public consultation process regarding the Article 23 legislation on Tuesday, which is considered a necessary step to enhance national security law's enforcement and effectively prevent activities that compromise national security.

The Chinese mainland and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) jointly implemented an arrangement on Monday allowing the mainland and the HKSAR to recognize and enforce each other's judgments in civil and commercial court cases, which is hailed as an important milestone and considered as conducive to enhance Hong Kong's status as international legal service and dispute resolution center.

The reopening ceremony of the Chinese Embassy in Nauru took place on Monday local time during which representatives from both the Chinese and Nauru governments jointly unveiled the plaque for the new facility, opening a new chapter for the bilateral relations between China and the South Pacific Island country.

The world's first cloned endangered Xizang cattle species have been born, the local government in the Southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region confirmed in a WeChat post on Monday. This is also the first time that cloned cattle were successful delivered in Southwest China.​

Senior Chinese and US diplomats Wang Yi and Jake Sullivan concluded meetings lasting more than 12 hours on Friday and Saturday in Bangkok, Thailand, which were characterized as “candid, substantive and fruitful” strategic communication on implementing the consensus reached by the two heads of state at the San Francisco summit. Chinese experts believed that the latest talks signaled that both China and the US hope to stabilize bilateral relations through strategic dialogues, creating momentum for future progress, but the contention between the two countries over the Taiwan question is likely to persist, and potentially intensify.

After a tragic fire accident in a building basement in in Xinyu city of East China's Jiangxi Province killed 39, local authorities mandated that all off-campus training institutions suspend their training activities as investigations found that some vocational college students attending an educational consulting training session were unfortunately among the casualties.

Hong Kong officials, legal experts and policy advisors refuted remarks made about Hong Kong by some Western countries and experts at the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) meeting in Geneva, saying that some unfounded and untrue remarks about the Special Administrative Region stem from misconceptions and a lack of understanding about what was happening in the city.

Sixty years ago, on January 27, 1964, the Xinhua News Agency and Agence France-Presse simultaneously issued a joint statement, making France the first major Western power to establish diplomatic relations with People's Republic of China. Looking back, what lessons can the development of China-France relations offer to Western countries in their relations with China?

In about one week after Nauru's announcement to sever “diplomatic relations” with China's Taiwan region, China and Nauru officially resumed diplomatic relations on Wednesday in Beijing, unveiling a new chapter in their bilateral ties and cooperation.

While the Maldives is set to host a Chinese research vessel in the coming days, the Indian Navy is closely monitoring the vessel, which could raise fresh concerns from New Delhi, according to media reports. Some Chinese experts consider that India's worries and hype over the Chinese research vessel for their "military purposes" reflects its hegemonic mentality as it perceives South Asia and the Indian Ocean as its sphere of influence.

NATO is mobilizing some 90,000 troops to hold its largest exercise since the Cold War this week, which is scheduled to run through May, prompting Russia to say that the scale of the exercises marks an "irrevocable return" of the alliance to Cold War schemes, according to media reports. Some Chinese experts see the holding of a drill of this scale as primarily aiming to consolidate its military morale when the Russia-Ukraine conflict will soon mark its second anniversary and Ukrainian forces make lackluster achievements on the battlefield.

With global concerns rising over the prolonged Red Sea crisis, which not only causes a severe impact on shipping routes but also poses risks to the post-pandemic economic recovery, China has called for an end to attacks on civilian ships and urged the parties concerned to avoid adding fuel to the tensions in the Red Sea, as some Chinese experts noted that US military actions are exacerbating the Red Sea crisis.

China and the Philippines held the eighth meeting of the China-Philippines Bilateral Consultation Mechanism (BCM) on the South China Sea in Shanghai on Wednesday amid rising tensions, and the two sides agreed on improving the sea-related communication mechanism and handling maritime emergencies, especially the situation on the Ren'ai Jiao (also known as Ren'ai Reef).

Amid escalating tensions in the South China Sea, the Philippines persists in its provocative actions and maneuvers despite repeated warnings from China.

China expressed strong dissatisfaction and firm opposition on Tuesday toward the US State Department's latest remarks on Nauru severing “diplomatic ties” with the Taiwan authorities.

China and France mutually respect, understand and appreciate each other with cultural exchanges playing an irreplaceable role in this relationship, and 2024 is poised to be a landmark year in the history of China-France cultural exchanges, Chinese Ambassador to France Lu Shaye told the Global Times in an exclusive interview as the two countries unveil a series of cultural exchange activities.

The trial of Jimmy Lai, founder of Next Digital and three Apple Daily companies, charged with colluding with foreign forces, entered its seventh day on Monday when the prosecution began reading a 61-page statement of admitted facts, detailing the police's discovery of email communications on Lai's phone with his assistant Mark Simon, former US deputy secretary of defense Paul Wolfowitz, and former vice chief of staff of the US Army Jack Keane, among others.

As the disclosure of the Epstein list shocked US society, it also has triggered a wide range of discussion across China's internet as some experts believed the timing of the disclosure is driven by the upcoming presidential election, particularly as it implicates former US president Donald Trump. Overall, the release of the list has once again torn off the "fig leaf" from the US political elites, intensifying ordinary people's disdain and disillusionment toward them, some experts said.

The trial of infamous anti-China disruptor Jimmy Lai, also the founder of Next Digital Media, along with three companies associated with the Apple Daily newspaper, entered into its fifth day on Wednesday for alleged violations of the National Security Law (NSL) for Hong Kong. While some Western political figures attempted to refute allegations of conspiracy in Lai's case, legal experts believe that presenting evidence of Jimmy Lai's collusion with foreign forces will be legally persuasive. Based on the materials provided in the trial, the facts and evidence of Lai's collusion with foreign forces are clear, some experts said.

A total of 470 District Councilors swore an oath of allegiance on Monday to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government and the Basic Law as they were the first group of elected District Councilors following reforms to District Council (DC) Elections under the principle of "only patriots administering the city." Some electees said they felt proud when assuming office, pledging to serve as bridge between the HKSAR government and local communities.

​In 2023, how did the Chinese economy perform? In 2024, what will become the engine for China's economic growth? Recently, Global Times reporters Chen Qingqing and Bai Yunyi (GT) interviewed Hong Hao (Hong), Partner & Chief Economist at GROW Investment Group, to review China's economic transformation in 2023 and look ahead to next year's growth prospects.