For both China and Russia, without heavy investment into the younger generation of potential leaders in the public and private sectors, it would be next to impossible to raise, or even sustain, the current level of bilateral interaction.

The US' massive tariffs and demands for tribute from Europe combine both abandonments and assaults by the US on its allies. NATO trembles and faces growing forces of dissolution. The US demands that European nations fund their own defenses in part because the declining US empire needs to enlarge its own military as the possible offset to the empire's decline.

The highly volatile, risky and challenging international environment makes the communication lines between Beijing and Moscow – including these at the very top level –- even more valuable for both sides and more significant for the rest of the world. These lines contribute to making the China-Russia relations an island of stability in the roaring sea of the global turmoil.

For Australia, closer defense integration with Japan – however commercially attractive or ostensibly operationally rational in the short term – carries longer-term risks.

The deep contradictions that have always existed but were previously hidden between Europe and the US have now come to light, most recently in the US-Israel war against Iran. The disparity between the economic and geopolitical interests of the EU and the US can no longer be denied, says a German MEP.

One can only wonder how many more “unwavering” commitments it will take before Australia finally recognizes the obvious: Following a flailing empire is not leadership; it is national self-harm.

2025 was quite an active year for Chinese diplomacy. Rather than a single landmark achievement, it was characterized by a broad initiative across multiple fronts.

US-Israel military operations against Iran set a dangerous precedent. In the minds of US and Israeli politicians, disliking a regime appears to have become sufficient justification for launching an illegal war against it – a profound and worrying shift in the paradigm of modern warfare: former UN independent expert

The US-Europe relationship is comprehensively ruined. The US is desperately trying to hold on to its empire, on which it is losing its grip daily. Europe should make peace and amity with China and with Russia, make new arrangements with the rising powers in the world, instead of clinging to the fading, failing powers in the world.

If the Trump-proposed “Board of Peace” attempts to compete with UN special agencies and even with the Security Council, it will only bring more instability and chaos in the highly volatile and worrisome international environment of today.

The US is the country in the world least aligned with the UN Charter. I do not believe the US will dominate the Americas. If it tries, a lot of violence will result. Most of the rest of the world will resist the US attempt at hegemony, US scholar Jeffrey Sachs told the Global Times.

Can Japan's strength support its right-wing ambitions? Trapped by challenges near and far, how many grim truths does Japan still confront?

At the 2025 Imperial Springs International Forum, held in Guangzhou, South China's Guangdong Province, from Monday to Wednesday, three former leaders from Global South countries shared their views with the Global Times on how the rise of the Global South is reshaping global governance and what experiences China can contribute.

During the conference, former Singaporean foreign minister George Yeo (Yeo) shared his insights on China's five-year plans, global initiatives, the current tension between China and Japan, and the future dynamic of China-US ties, with Global Times (GT) reporter Li Aixin in an exclusive interview.

Today, humankind can either step into the security abyss or step back from it by strengthening treaties against the test and spread of nuclear weapons and by putting pressure on the US administration to reconsider its irresponsible and dangerous position on nuclear tests and to return to the strategic arms control negotiating table. It is still not too late to make the right decision.

We can see here the emergence of a new nexus, between China as a civilization-state and the countries of the Global South seeking to rediscover and give expression to their civilizational legacy. The notion of civilization and civilizational inheritance will be one of the central tenets of international relations in a new and evolving global order.

We must do everything possible to strengthen green cooperation. It is the most evident and powerful basis on which to rebuild a positive, cooperative and forward-looking partnership between Europe and China: Former Belgian ambassador to China.

We should be in a position to walk this difficult and lengthy path by helping each other, not by fighting each other – this is the most important GGI message to the international community.

China pursues an independent and peaceful foreign policy, along with a defensive national defense policy.

From the demand side, the world needs a stable, reasonable, and just global governance system. From the supply side, we now have the GGI.

The ultimate success of China's four global initiatives will be decided, not in the media court of rhetoric and argument, but in the global marketplace of programs and results.

We consider China a huge opportunity – a huge opportunity for cooperation. I think Europe can benefit a lot from working together with China, says Hungarian FM

China is taking the lead in demonstrating how much stronger we are when we work together.

The experience of the Potsdam Conference should not be forgotten. This experience should teach modern leaders the uneasy art of political compromise, self-reflection and even empathy.

I think we are moving toward a more normal relationship - toward normalization.

China and Australia have a very good cooperative economic relationship, which is the foundation of much of our prosperity, and it's something to which we are deeply committed.

“I believe if we give the US more time, it would find that it really needs China's help here and there. China is really indispensable in almost every issue. China is a white elephant in every room.”

Rattling sabers never help peace efforts - they only raise geopolitical tensions.

China isn't interested in an arms race or global dominance. The J-35 isn't designed or built to intimidate the world; rather, it represents China's promise – a commitment to help safeguard peace at home and abroad.

The universality of Western development trajectories is called into question, and none of the G7 group members can now credibly position themselves as an envied and respected modernization model to be followed and imitated by other nations.

The 21st century will be largely defined by the quality of Asia-Latin America relations. For these relations to be fair and fruitful, we must systematically invest in a deep and strategic understanding between Latin America and China.

In an age of uncertainty, Xi's macro-historical perspective serves as a beacon: The past may not determine the future, but understanding it is essential for shaping it wisely.

China has been on the right side of history, because if it weren't, the humanity as a whole would not have been on the right side of history either.

"I visit China very often these days. What I can see is a dynamism there."

The fact is that today, China-Russia relations stand out as one of the very few remaining cornerstones of international stability in a profoundly unstable and highly volatile world.

Washington insists on framing the world in zero sum binary terms: us or them. Australia's interests are best served by rejecting such binaries.

From previously embracing multilateralism, the US has chosen unilateralism. It can no longer expect the same kind of goodwill from these countries, their loyalty will increasingly be motivated by fear.

Ultimately, the CPC's ongoing focus on working style demonstrates a desire to uphold discipline and preserve the Party's credibility in the eyes of the people.

The Party must constantly reform itself. It must always remain in touch with the people, and be on the same wavelength as them.

In the first article of "Scholars' Perspectives" which comprises interviews with and signed articles from renowned scholars across various countries, GT reporter Wang Wenwen talked to Evandro Menezes de Carvalho (Carvalho), professor of international law at the Federal Fluminense University, Brazil.

China and the US share our world. We have different political systems and different security concerns. But insofar there's some common interest in making that world more successful, that's a plus.

The “Greater BRICS” proves the success of this heterogeneous platform of countries united around common objectives, particularly the reform of global governance institutions and the deepening of South-South cooperation.

It is yet to be seen how the ongoing transatlantic disputes will be resolved. It is clear, however, that the disagreements go far beyond the AI domain. Nonetheless, the numerous AI management challenges cannot wait until both sides of the Atlantic Ocean sort out their disagreements and come to a common denominator.

Can European attitudes engage in such a paradigm shift? Time will tell. A lot of old prejudices will need to be abandoned in the process.

I think the West must accept that they cannot always put pressure on the Global South, because the Global South has got its own problems, and the Global South does not want to take sides with the East or the West. We want to be able to access both the East and West, because we are looking at trade. If we lose the East or West, then that will affect our growth, trade, economy, and development.

The US has an incoming administration. It's got a very diverse and, in some ways, unpredictable agenda.

China is in a unique position, and has a unique opportunity, to play a role in various global trouble spots, with the Middle East being a special case in point.

Together, we can create a world where win-win solutions replace win-lose mindsets, and harmony in diversity will become our guiding force.

We don't see the rise of China as a threat. We see it as an opportunity for everyone to get involved in the modernization of China. We hope that Europe will wake up and resolve the trade tensions with China. We can start a new phase focused on more peaceful and prosperous cooperation.

Optimism can be maintained when envisioning the future trajectory of China-Australia relations, which has encountered a number of challenges over the past years - this is the message Global Times (GT) captured in an exclusive interview with Bob Carr (Carr), former Australian foreign minister, during the 2024 Understanding China Conference (Guangzhou) recently.

The 2024 Understanding China Conference is being held in Guangzhou, capital of South China's Guangdong Province, from Monday to Wednesday. What is the significance of understanding China? How should Europe understand China amid a time of global turmoil and changes? Are more Europeans willing to have a positive interaction with China? Maria João Rodrigues (Rodrigues), president of the Foundation for European Progressive Studies and former member of the European Parliament, discussed these issues with Global Times (GT) reporter Li Aixin.

Today, a rising China is injecting stability into the bilateral relationship with its strength, strategic coherence, and a strong sense of responsibility. In this context, what can we expect from future interactions between China and the US?

Developing countries in BRICS, APEC and G20 are making it clear that the majority of nations seek institutions and approaches that can facilitate greater collaboration and coordination.

If you look at the long-term trajectory, I think Europe should ask itself some serious questions, such as whether aligning its foreign policy with the US in the long run is beneficial for Europe.

October 2024 will be recorded in history as a month when a paradigm-shifting breakthrough happened in the relations between India and China.

Europe is dependent on China, and China is similarly dependent on the EU. This interdependence creates a common interest in minimizing the negative impacts on our trade relations.

Divided on critical issues, European nations and the EU generally face an uncertain future. The economic conditions are dire for many. Without addressing the elephant in the room - namely, resolving the energy uncompetitiveness problem - European economic policy is likely to be piecemeal.

The US has got a singular focus on China to the point that they ended up targeting extremely productive and loyal American researchers and scientists who happened to be ethnic Chinese.

Now, we are at the moment when the blind obsession with security turns into its opposite, when suspicion undermines and overwhelms mutual respect and the pursuit of friendly relations. Security cannot be allowed to devour basic humanity.

The Summit of the Future, with all the reservations one might have about its specific outputs and outcomes, can be an important step in the right direction.

Many African countries have long been dependent on Western loans and aid, but these resources have not significantly improved their economic growth. In contrast, China-Africa cooperation focuses on infrastructure, which is crucial for development and modernization.

China offered a model for modernization of developing countries. How China transferred from this level to this advanced level is very important for Egypt and other developing countries.

To effectively respond to the US, China's cooperation should extend beyond its neighboring countries, such as the Belt and Road Initiative.

For the US, the Asia-Pacific region becoming a “powder keg” is the ultimate means of victory. The ruling elite in the US seems to be trapped in an extreme fear of China. For the US, as long as it can defeat China and emerge as the ultimate “winner,” it is willing to risk the destruction of the whole of Asia through war.

It poses a simple question for the US and the EU, what matters to them most, countering the threat of climate change, as the US and EU have said many times, or containing China?

In the coming five years, the border issue will not become a bigger disturbance between China and India. The real issue is that India and China still do not fully understand each other, and this requires much more engagement.

The diligence of the Chinese and the high number of university graduates in the field of engineering clearly show that the People's Republic of China has a bright future.

A deeper relationship should develop between China and Australia, but that will take time since trust needs to be reestablished not only at diplomatic and business levels, but also in the Australian mass media.

We must not allow external forces such as the US to set the similar trap in Asia to the one it sets in Ukraine, nor should we fall into the trap ourselves.

Trilateral consultations among China, Russia and India on strategic stability would not only contribute to world peace and security, but also build trust and mutual confidence between Beijing and New Delhi.

Since the establishment of our bilateral relations, Russia and China have come a long way. The relationship between our countries has proved to be trustworthy, reliable and mutually beneficial. Further strengthening the relationship is key to fulfilling the fundamental interests of Russia and China as well as ensuring global stability.

Russian political philosopher and analyst Aleksandr Dugin (Dugin), whom some Western media call the "Putin's brain," is one of the most controversial scholars in Russia and has now joined China's social media platforms such as Sina Weibo and Bilibili, to seek more and deeper communication with Chinese web users and scholars. Before the announcement of Russian President Vladimir Putin's state visit to China, Global Times (GT) reporter Yang Sheng had an exclusive interview with Dugin in Moscow, where he shared his views about China-Russia relations and responses to some sharp and critical comments made by Chinese netizens on his opinions.

This year marks the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and Russia. Before Russian President Vladimir Putin's state visit to China scheduled from May 16 to 17, Global Times reporter (GT) Xia Wenxin, Yang Sheng and Yang Ruoyu exclusively spoke with the Chinese Ambassador to Russia Zhang Hanhui (Zhang) on the development of the relationship between the two countries, the Ukraine crisis and China-Russia cultural exchanges, among other topics.

Over the last two years, there have mounting accusations in the West that China is guilty of dumping its goods at uncompetitive prices on Western markets. This criticism has largely been directed at the new green technology industries, in particular solar power, wind turbines, and, most notably, electric vehicles. It is true that China, especially in a much earlier period, gave large-scale financial assistance to EV manufacturers and, until the end of 2022, subsidised the purchases of EVs, as quite a few other countries did. But the idea that these subsidies are the reason for the remarkable competitiveness of Chinese EVs is a fantasy.

The US remains an indisputable global leader in terms of defense expenditures. The creeping militarization of world politics turns international relations into a zero-sum game, in which the goal is not to resolve a difficult problem, but rather to defeat the opponent.

China is well positioned to forge strong relations with Russia, while at the same time providing effective strategic maintenance of its relationship with the US and Europe. This should be China's strategic "megaproject" in the 2020s.

Connectivity and cooperation are much better for all companies in Hungary than the decoupling and derisking mentioned in European policy many times.

From the Chinese perspective, we want to deal with the US on equal terms and prevent the deterioration of relations between China and the US. If we lose stability, peace, mutual respect and mutual benefit in China-US relations, I can't foresee a world with peace, prosperity and development.

US-NATO exploits similar, or the same means and methods: spreading fear, insecurity and disorientation, demonstrating power through a series of massive "defenders" exercises, offering protection of scarred ones, use of separatism, terrorism and human rights.

There has been vast change since 1959 in Xizang. This change is in a positive direction. Xizang and Tibetan people all over China are better off than ever. This will continue. The Dalai Lama is playing a useless, outrageous, and silly game trying to undermine China. He and his followers are failing and will continue to fail. Certainly, they deserve to fail.

This week, China kicked off the two sessions, one of the most important political gatherings annually. The event offers an important window for the outside world to understand China's development, and where the world's second-largest economy is headed and top policy priorities in 2024.

The end result will be a frozen conflict, but you will not have a genuine peace agreement, and therefore, there will always be the danger that the frozen conflict will, once again, become a hot conflict.

The biggest beneficiaries of the war in Ukraine are the US arms companies and US corporations as a whole. Alongside Ukraine, Europe has thus become the loser of the war.

China has to make the US political elites recognize that it is futile to deal with China in the same way as it historically dealt with the Soviet Union and other major powers in history.

The higher box office of this year's Spring Festival holidays compared to last year's reflects the strong potential for movie consumption in Chinese society. I am delighted by the comprehensive recovery of the Chinese film market. The next step is to produce world-class masterpieces and promote the collective advancement of Chinese films on the global stage, wrote Hu Xijin.

China's dramatic breakthrough in new green technologies is offering hope not just to China, but to the whole world, because China will increasingly be able to supply both the developed and developing world with the green technology needed to meet their global targets.

Australia has changed its military posture from defending our mainland and smaller South Pacific neighbors to a forward thrust into north Asia to help the US strike China at close range in the event of war. I think this change in mentality and posture is provocative, dangerous, and unnecessary.

The US is becoming, as The Economist claimed, the "disunited states of America."

That's what the icebreaking spirit is – creating a better opportunity for peaceful coexistence so that people can grow and develop together.

Lessons for the Philippines – As the US collapses it will extract what it can from its most faithful vassals and throw more proxies into the fire.

China will continue to play a very important role in the peacekeeping operations of the United Nations. That means China will have a lot of things to do to promote peace and stability. And this visa-free policy between China and Thailand starting in March this year will be a good start for 2024.

We all need to promote peace rather than agitate for war in East Asia and the world at large. War should not be an option for East Asian countries.

It is worth noting that the meeting created a positive atmosphere, which is of special significance at a time when mutual suspicion deepens in China-US relations and people-to-people exchanges wane.

Promoting stability in the China-US relationship will bring strategic certainty and constructive development for the well-being of both countries, which is inherently positive. Those who attempt to distort this positive development into something negative will find it difficult to convince the public.

The US always acts in a cold war mentality and zero-sum calculation. However, people in India and the Indian government want to maintain their own independence.

The shift from the balance of powers to a balance of interests is critically important, if humankind wants to survive through the 21st century.

There is no better example than the Middle East where China has become a conciliator, for example between Saudi Arabia and Iran, and a voice for peace and dialogue.

When the US can no longer persist on this path, it will compromise.

Russia and China could work together on these and other food security matters.

The BRI will in the next decade become the world's most important vehicle for green energy and green transport.

As part of civil society, we should make every effort to put China-US relations back on track.

Though it is hardly possible to get back to where the region was 20 years ago, the spirit of the six-party talks remains the best hope for security solutions in the region of Northeast Asia.

The separate agenda pursued by the US differs significantly from the challenges and opportunities faced by developing countries, or member states of the Global South.

Ten Republican lawmakers jointly sent a letter dated Thursday to Alan Estevez, undersecretary of Commerce for Industry and Security, exerting pressure and presenting seven demands. These demands include the establishment of a new agency dedicated to controlling the export of American technology to China, imposing “full blocking sanctions” on both Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation (SMIC) and Huawei, and placing all their subsidiary companies on the Entity List.

China needs to be prepared for Japan's long-term strategic malice and "salami-slicing" provocations.

US lawmakers have always been the most radical anti-China force, so how can we be intimidated by a few clamors from them?

The great strength of BRICS is its growing ability to act as an overarching representative of the developing world.

We must see that the US is on the offensive, but its offensive is becoming weaker and weaker, and it is always hesitant with each step. What is presented to China are difficulties and risks, but also the dawn of victory.

I think we're drifting toward a cold war, and it's basically US-driven.

When people become more realistic about the fact that China is not a threat, and in China, the US is not a threat, that makes the conditions for cooperation improve, but how quickly that happens is hard to tell.

If the Philippines takes new major actions in the Ren'ai Reef issue and creates a crisis, I believe it is not impossible for China to decisively remove the stranded warship and drag it away from its current position, letting it sink into the sea on its own.

In academia, China is referred to as a "developmental state," but at its core, there exists a "developmental party."

China is now facing increasingly severe and complex situation in preventing espionage activities. The task of counter-espionage in China is destined to become increasingly heavy. China cannot and will not close its doors for the sake of security.

As Chomsky says, the US would much rather focus on China and mobilize against a new enemy than develop strategies more attuned both to today's emerging power realities - and existential threats.

American century is over, and the Asian century is coming. I'm definitely optimistic for the new CIA, which stands for China, India and ASEAN, which I think will be the fastest growing economies over the next decade or so, Singaporean scholar and former diplomat Kishore Mahbubani told GT.

Today's America and the West are not facing the same geopolitical challenges as the Soviet Union posed to them back then. Their problem lies in the erosion of their competitiveness.

Although the chip industry is highly advanced, if there is one country that can win this counterattack, it is China.

Our economy has not achieved the strong rebound that people expected after the pandemic, but China is on the path to recovery. As long as China addresses the issues that must be resolved and makes the necessary efforts, we will not only be able to meet the targets set for the entire year but also continue to outperform the world's major economies.

It would be unrealistic to expect the World Peace Forum to find unambiguous and convincing answers to these and many other questions debated there. But I was impressed with surprisingly optimistic views expressed during most of plenary sessions and thematic panels.

As China is not the Soviet Union, the US will certainly miscalculate if it treats China as the Soviet Union. It will mess itself up, and its China policy will yield minimal results.

Putin's capacity to handle the Wagner incident so quickly and seemingly without difficulty shows that he still has a wealth of political options available to him. The West has deliberately underestimated the Kremlin's capacity to handle complicated circumstances.

The US is struggling to engage in decoupling both domestically and internationally, and to provoke a war would be an even higher political risk for it.

The SCO should continue to grow in numbers of its members, not be shy to discuss even the most sensitive and the most divisive matters, and resist the temptation to find a narrowly defined focus for its future activities.

After 10 years, the West has nothing to offer. BRI is the only show in town. And what an extraordinary show it has been.

China will not engage in global military competition with the US, because China does not have the will or ambition to establish global hegemony.

Now as the West engages in strangling China and the "decoupling" of the two systems, we have to open up even more, that is, the institutional opening-up of rules, regulations, standards and management. I call it a "unilateral opening-up."

I would like to give a thumbs-up to the recent professional and precise interception by a PLA fighter jet.

In sum, US foreign policy under President Joe Biden reminds people of a very advanced and highly sophisticated smartphone that has a rather weak battery, which is not really energy efficient.

China has managed the China-US conflict to the maximum extent, its international relations have been consolidated in a continuous process of adaptation, and its initiative in addressing the changes in the international situation is advancing step by step.

However, China has managed the China-US conflict to the maximum extent, its international relations have been consolidated in a continuous process of adaptation, and its initiative in addressing the changes in the international situation is advancing step by step.

Two Russian military commanders, including a brigade commander, were killed in fierce combat near the frontline hotspot of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine. Their deaths reflect the increasing brutality of the Ukraine war. The Ukrainian army has recently received a lot of new weapons from NATO countries, and the Russian army may face greater challenges in the upcoming battles.

We are at a historic moment. Until very recently, modernity was virtually synonymous with the West. Indeed, the West believed - and still does - that there was only one form of modernity and that was Western modernity.

Accusing China of interfering in Canada's internal affairs? Canada is really painting China in its own ugly image.

If the war in Ukraine does not stop sooner, it will quite likely increasingly develop toward defiance of the rules, with both sides making their most ruthless moves one step at a time.

My preliminary view is that the real purpose of this action is to create a shock, to disrupt the upcoming Victory Day parade in Moscow's Red Square on May 9, use it as a symbol that Moscow is not far from the battlefield and that the war has reached here, and eventually undermine Russian society's confidence in the final victory.

France, as a whole, should protect Ambassador Lu Shaye's freedom of expression, and should not turn around and conduct political denunciations afterward. Doing so would be a disgrace to the country.

We have a very weak leadership that is behaving in a way that is not in the interests of EU citizens. We think they should develop an independent path and forge good relations with everybody.

The Dalai Lama has found himself involved in yet another scandal. A widely circulated video on the internet showed that the Dalai Lama asked a young boy to suck his tongue in a disgusting manner during an event.

The PLA's exercises have created a strong sense of deterrence, which will eventually compress "Taiwan independence" into a hopeless black hole.

The warm atmosphere of French President Emmanuel Macron's visit to China has frustrated Washington, which had hoped that the visit, accompanied by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, would be less about cooperation and more about putting pressure on China.

The recent dazzling diplomatic games are the proof of China's strong capability to defend its vital interests and maintain usual relations with other major powers.

If you cannot keep a neutral position, you cannot be a negotiator. So Europe cannot negotiate peace between Russia and Ukraine, but China can.

Democrats, Republicans, the military and foreign policy establishments, and growing sections of business, are singing from the same anti-China hymn sheet.

Xizang is a unique but normal human society, not a museum showing Tibetan barbaric and backward serfdom culture. A socialist China is people-centered, and all ethnic groups will be truly respected and protected.

The US is paying an extremely high cost to maintain its hegemony and is approaching a tipping point where its strength may be insufficient.

"I have full confidence in the new government. They understand both China and the world."

Let the US continue to use various levers, which will eventually break at certain tipping point due to overuse. China, pragmatic and down to earth, can map out a strategy well.

The US military budget is aimed at global hegemony, but there are many factors in regional military games that cannot be replaced by global games.

The game surrounding the Taiwan question is destined to become increasingly complex, and the intensity of the game will continue to rise.

Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang attends a press conference on China's foreign policy and foreign relations on the sidelines of the first session of the 14th National People's Congress today, and these are the points that impressed me most.

China's development potential is in a stage of continuous release, far from being exhausted. It is necessary to ensure that the momentum of development is sufficient and powerful.

China is at the brunt of the global geopolitical game. China has always maintained peace, and at the same time maintained our strategic initiative in dealing with acute disputes.

Under what circumstances will Australia become a proxy of the US? What lessons could Australia learn from Ukraine?

Some US politicians are playing the bait and switch game, using the Chinese balloon to get American afraid so that they can support their anti-China policies, said Scott Ritter (Ritter), a former US Marine Corps intelligence officer. In an interview with Global Times (GT) reporter Yu Jincui, Ritter said the balloon is not a real threat to the US, but politicians trying to score cheap political points are politicizing Americans' ignorance of China. The following is his full views about the ongoing balloon issue between China and the US and why a weather balloon has made Americans so scared.

There has been very little room for the US to continue to hurt the company.

A Chinese health official from the Bureau of Medical Administration under the National Health Commission announced on Saturday that a total of 59,938 deaths related to COVID-19 occurred in medical institutions nationwide from December 8, 2022 to January 12, 2023, including 54,435 who died of underlying health issues complicated by COVID-19 infection. This is in line with the statistics of deaths from COVID-19 familiar to the public, and it is also a perceptual public understanding of COVID-19 death.

Editor's Note: From many perspectives, the world is in danger of being drawn into long-term trouble. A growing risk of new conflicts is bubbling amid a lingering pandemic, the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict, the plague of soaring inflation and an energy crisis. Against this complex backdrop, what will 2023 look like? Who should we look toward as the anchor of stability in the world? Global Times (GT) reporter Wang Wenwen talked to Zheng Yongnian (Zheng), professor at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen, and president of The Institute for International Affairs, Qianhai. This is the fifth piece of the Global Times series – "Looking for an anchor of stability in 2023."

Recent diplomatic activities around Ukraine imply that Russia, Ukraine, the US and the West at large are approaching 2023 with no immediate prospects not only for a comprehensive political settlement, and not even for a ceasefire.

At a time of so many tensions and instabilities in the world, the consistency and stability of the CPC represent a light at the end of the tunnel for humanity, especially for the Global South

Can the West demonstrate the intelligence and humility to learn from its own failures and China's success in governance? The challenge is to understand the strengths of the Chinese political system and find ways of applying them to a Western democracy.

If NGOs meddle in national security, that's a red line. It is within the right of a government to investigate whether these NGOs are there for the purpose of undermining the social order in the country.

Vietnam is clearly aware that the US wants to use it as a pawn, so Hanoi is vigilant while developing relations with the US. Trong's visit further eliminates the risk of bilateral ties being distracted by the South China Sea issue.

Decoupling from China would serve only the interests of America and damage Germany's industry severely. I think many Europeans realize the dangerous situation we are putting ourselves in, if we continue to follow America's leadership.

The report delivered to the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) emphasized that China has proposed promoting national rejuvenation through a Chinese path to modernization. This has made “Chinese modernization” a hot phrase in international public opinion. How has the CPC been able to promote the realization of Chinese modernization? And what is the significance of the 20th CPC National Congress to China and the world?

Leaders with a narrow and flimsy political and social base cannot demonstrate a strong leadership, no matter how bright and committed they might be.

A new kind of Chinese modernization depends on a new kind of balance in the relationship between Western and Chinese input. China must place greater stress on its own intellectual and cultural capacity and become less dependent on American influences.

The Chinese have firm strategic wills, and we hope that the Europeans can also maintain a basic sobriety and not be hijacked by the US.

The most important factor that China takes up the global supply chain in just a few decades is its political stability. In the world's systems of economy and supply chain, China's role is irreplaceable.

New Zealand should set an example to other Western countries to maintain a non-aligned foreign policy.

Dependence first to the UK and now to the US, has meant that we've forfeited a great deal of Australia's sovereignty to imperial powers.

The US is willing to fight to the last drop of Ukrainian blood and is ready to fight to the last European, to the last European economy, to the last European government.

It is important to emphasise that Britain is now in a much inferior position than it was in 1979 when Thatcher first came to power.

Editor's Note: Political infighting in the US is becoming tenser and tenser ahead of the midterm elections, with former president Donald Trump's home being raided by the FBI. How will this political infighting evolve? With US-style democracy showing its cracks, how will it affect the US global leadership and US foreign policy, especially that regarding the Taiwan question? Global Times (GT) reporter Wang Wenwen talked to Zheng Yongnian (Zheng), professor at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen, and president of the Institute for International Affairs, Qianhai, over these issues.

In China, meritocracy contributes to China's achievements as the best and the brightest always aspire to government service.

The crisis around Taiwan Straits speaks volumes about the inability of Washington to conduct a coherent foreign policy.

The danger of a military conflict over Taiwan is now far greater than at any time since the 1970s. Any such conflict would be far more serious than if it had happened previously as China is now the equal of the US.

What should China do if Pelosi really visits Taiwan? On the Taiwan question, the US has no bottom line. There will be a bottom line, but not through paperwork or lip service, but fight.

It's not easy to describe the development of China over the past 10 years, and if I could only use one term to describe it, I would choose the term "great change."

As China has openly denied the fallacy that the Taiwan Straits are “international waters,” it is possible for PLA to take more determined actions against the US warships and aircraft's harmful moves in the Taiwan Straits. This will become a trend.

Western political elites think they are the only ones who care most about the human rights of Xinjiang. They have really fallen into a shameless moral narcissism.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Thursday delivered a speech on US policy toward China. He barely said anything new.

Moscow should not expect a new transatlantic rift to come in the near future. The reality is that Russia will have to prepare for a protracted confrontation with a newly consolidated Collective West. Fortunately, the modern world is much larger than the Collective West, even if it is newly aware of its common historical destiny.

Australia does not formulate a foreign policy independent of the United States, and because of the immaturity of the LNP and its lack of vision, Canberra has failed to balance its relationship between the US and China, former Australian diplomatic and political commentator Bruce Haigh has told the Global Times. He believes the relationship with China will become better when proper and professional diplomacy is employed.

Carrie Lam's Northern Metropolis project near the border with Shenzhen is a most welcome development in this context. The center of gravity of Hong Kong needs to shift northward.

Historically, when the US was doing well at home, its diplomacy tended to be rational. When there were a lot of domestic problems, it would divert its conflicts to international relations. The present China-US relationship is such a victim.

"How is not selling Kerrygold butter to Russia going to save any Ukrainian lives? How is buying filthy fracked US gas going to stop the war?" Clare Daly, an Irish politician and a member of the European Parliament, asked earlier this month. She said, "NATO has never brought peace anywhere in the world," and sanctions against Russia will "devastate the European economy."

Editor's Note: Since the tension between Russia and Ukraine escalated, former US diplomat George Kennan's warning about NATO's expansion has once again gained people's attention. What was Kennan's general view on NATO? Why did Washington pay no regard to his warning? What would he think about the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict if he were alive today? James Peck (Peck), a US scholar and adjunct professor of history at New York University, talked about these issues with Global Times (GT) reporter Xia Wenxin via email. Peck was the editor of three of Kennan's books in the 1980s.

What should China do after the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict? Should China follow the West in condemning and sanctioning Russia as a token of goodwill to improve ties with the US? Some China-based Western journalists may have found some of these claims on the Chinese internet. But such voice is marginal in China, and has absolutely no influence on mainstream society, let alone the decision-making of the Chinese government.

It needs to be pointed out that many Chinese people have viewed Russia as a sand table. Everything that happens is regarded as having a special relation to China. The disintegration of the Soviet Union in 1991 taught Chinese society a lesson. It served as a dose of political vaccine, the effects of which are lasting today. Putin has staged a showdown with the US and the West. What does this mean? The Chinese people are watching and waiting.

This incident and war have given small countries an important lesson: when they are caught between major powers, they should try to avoid completely being inclined to one side and helping this side challenge the other.

The challenge for the US is to avoid threatening China's core interests, especially CPC leadership and Taiwan. The challenge for China is to reduce the anxiety of those who fear China's rise. To help, I wish we could enlist Zhou Enlai and Henry Kissinger of 1972. I know they would have the vision and I'd bet they could devise a plan. If they could, couldn't we?

On February 4, on the sidelines of the opening ceremony of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a Joint Statement on the International Relations Entering a New Era and the Global Sustainable Development. It is a rather lengthy document, outlining common approaches of China and Russia to some of the most fundamental issues of the modern world including regional and worldwide security, democracy and political inclusion, social justice and climate change, arms control and nuclear nonproliferation, national sovereignty and multilateralism.

A group of Republican lawmakers this week introduced the latest brazen and most hubristic proposal to sanction all delegates of the National Congress of the Communist Party of China and their families. This co-called "STOP CCP Act" is co-sponsored by about 15 Republican representatives, with no Democrats having voiced support to it.

China and Russia have demonstrated how to form sustainable dialogue and cooperation in Central Asia. They have established large-scale coordination that is in the interests of security, stability, progress, and prosperity in Central Asia.

Why have so many American journalists and writers been reluctant to thoroughly tell the stories of Americans' losses and pains?

However, at the end of the day, the future of Kazakhstan should be decided by the people of the country, not by any outside actors, no matter how benign they present themselves as being. In order to remain stable and economically successful, Kazakhstan needs a new social contract and such a contract can emerge only in course of a dialogue between state and society.

One year after Insurrection on the Capitol, the US has tried to forget its nightmare and pretend that all was well with its democracy. But the memory of the rioting continues to haunt the country.

Other countries that also possess nuclear weapons, including India, were not invited to join the statement on preventing nuclear war and avoiding arms races. It shows it is difficult for those states to be recognized as nuclear-weapon states.

I would not compare the Cold War with today's competition between China and the US. Back then there was a real ideological competition. The Soviet Union offered its model about the achievements of people's wellbeing and happiness, and the US offered its own. On the one hand, today we are living in a very integrated world – for example, in terms of information. But on the other hand, we are also living in a very divided world, with different value systems and approaches to development.

Intel has become a typical “cannon” which opens verbal fire upon China among the US business community.