Austrian Ambassador to China Andreas Riecken, and Jan Nast director of Wiener Symphoniker met with National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA) president Wang Ning on Monday and reached an important consensus on the deepening of humanistic exchanges between China and Austria and the expansion of practical cooperation between art institutions.

The Consulate General of the Dominican Republic in Shanghai is the first Consulate General of the Dominican Republic established in the Chinese mainland.

The Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) said on Thursday that it had disclosed a reconnaissance operation by US intelligence agencies involving several thousand Apple gadgets, including those registered with foreign embassies in Russia.

"We seek to learn from the Chinese experience and China is willing to give us an equal footing. However, the American approach is totally different in that they mix it up with the 'human rights' and think we must be like them. But we cannot like them and we are not American," said Zimbabwean's Foreign Minister in an interview with the Global Times on Tuesday, while noting that Zimbabwe does not accept any forms of coercion.

Chinese cars, previously considered cheap knockoffs, have gained recognition for their price competitiveness and performance, including electric vehicles (EVs), despite the U.S. implementing the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) to reduce Chinese competition, according to Industry officials here.

Dubai Industrial City, a member of TECOM Group PJSC, announced today its participation in the second edition of the Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology's (MoIAT) Make it in the Emirates Forum taking place from 31st May to 1st June 2023 at the Abu Dhabi Energy Centre.

Abdullah bin Touq Al Marri, Minister of Economy, said that the UAE, in line with the vision and directives of its wise leadership, has always been keen on adopting policies and initiatives that support and foster climate action, considering them a strategic priority in driving sustainable socio-economic development.

In a recent interview with BBC during her visit to the UK, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina launched a scathing critique against the USA, accusing the country of harbouring a bias against her administration.

A major construction process of a railway that will connect cities on the China-Vietnam border in South China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region was completed on Sunday, laying the foundation for the operation of the railway within this year.

Recently, the Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) Meridian Culture Promotion and Exchange Group visited the Embassy of the Republic of Madagascar in Beijing and had a discussion and exchange on the development of TCM meridian skills and health products, with the Ambassador of Madagascar in China Jean Louis Robinson, and relevant representatives from the embassy.

A website on Pakistani tourism in Chinese language was launched by the Pakistani Embassy in Beijing on Monday. The unveiling ceremony was an important part of a series of events planned for 2023 Year of Tourism Exchanges between China and Pakistan.

The Embassy of Sri Lanka in China and the Ministry of Tourism and Land of Sri Lanka held a tourism cooperation media conference at the Embassy of Sri Lanka in Beijing on Monday.

In order to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), the Consulate General of Kazakhstan in Xi'an in conjunction with the Shaanxi Provincial People' Government launched the Kazakhstan-China Commodity Exhibition which opened in Xi'an on May 17-20.

A special acrobatic show themed Another Youth for diplomatic envoys in China was held in Beijing on Wednesday. Vice Foreign Minister Sun Weidong attended the event and delivered a speech. A total of 13 ambassadors in China from Bangladesh, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Jordan, Switzerland and more than 700 diplomats and children from more than 90 embassies (agencies) in China attended.

Landing at Tashkent International Airport on a blindingly sunny afternoon, one can expect to feel the heat rising from baked asphalt under the strong sunlight and amid countless passing vehicles. Another local scene that somehow relieves the beholder of the grilling grey landscape is plush greenery from a surprisingly large number of trees alongside roads.

Japan continues to hype “China threat” theory in its annual defense white paper after the G7 summit that witnessed intensive activities to smear and attack China. This, according to Chinese observers, further revealed Japan's conspiracy to collaborate and hijack other countries and regions to confront China.

From her bright smile and sparkling eyes, Guibe said he saw the girl's belief of miracles in the future. "For Xizang region, the third pole of our planet, miracles of nature stand everywhere, and the people here are also creating miracles," Guibe said in his vlog.

Some students in Myanmar have spent much of the summer vacation learning Chinese calligraphy at the China Cultural Center in Yangon.

Tens of thousands of Lebanese on Sunday visited the famous Gemmayzeh Street in the capital city of Beirut to enjoy the festive and joyful atmosphere of a grand street fair that gathered more than 300 craftsmen, designers and artists.

When responding to concerns about Japan's dumping of nuclear-contaminated water on Monday, Rafael Mariano Grossi, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) director general, said nothing that is not in perfect compliance with international safety standards will happen. Grossi told the Global Times and other media outlets that the IAEA takes all concerns seriously, looks at them in detail and provides feedback from a technical perspective.

The China-Central Asia Summit, the first major diplomatic event hosted by China this year and the first ever in-person summit between the leaders of China and the five Central Asian countries, is being held in Xi'an, Northwest China's Shaanxi Province, between May 18 and 19. The summit is viewed as an important milestone in relations between China and Central Asia countries, ushering in a new era of win-win cooperation. What's the significance of the summit for the region and the world? What can we anticipate in terms of further cooperation resulting from the summit? Global Times reporters Lin Xiaoyi and Xie Wenting (GT) talked to Prof. Saidmukhtar Saidkasimov (Saidkasimov), former deputy prime minister and former minister of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan, to delve into these topics and more.

Although Japan suffered a lot from the atomic bombings in Hiroshima and Nagasaki in WWII as well as the Fukushima nuclear accident in March 2011, the Japanese government has seemingly failed to learn from history and insists on dumping nuclear-contaminated wastewater from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant into the sea. The plan has continued to arouse opposition and skepticism at home and abroad.

Recently, the Consulate General of Belgium in Shanghai, and his team, together with the International Affairs Agency of the Brussels-Capital Region and the Tourist Office, organized an evening of celebration of Brussels Iris Day in Shanghai.

Spanish Ambassador to China Rafael Dezcallar and representatives of Spanish residents in China attended the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Spain hosted by the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing on May 10.

The 10th Tianjin International Design Week was launched in North China's Tianjin Municipality.

The 2023 Diplomat Sports Series Invitational Tournament was held on May 13 at the Beijing Sports University. The event attracted a total of 16 teams from 14 embassies as well as the General Administration of Sports of China and the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In the soccer tournament, the Kyrgzstan Embassy team won the championship, while teams from the Iraqi and Iranian embassies coming in second and third place respectively. The prize for the best team went to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs team.

As the much anticipated China-Central Asia Summit – the first major diplomatic event that China hosts this year – to be held in Xi'an, Northwest China's Shaanxi Province, draws near, the world watches on, paying keen attention to every detail of the event which is believed to be of monumental significance to relations between China and Central Asian countries.

Surrounded by soaring stone pillars, sunny skies overhead and an expansive view of lush greenery beyond, attendees enjoyed a lively Chinese lion dance performance, heartfelt speeches by civic and community leaders, and a delicious Asian-fusion lunch at the opening ceremony of the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month held in the Spring Court of Los Angeles City Hall on Friday.

Cambodia's total export to the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) member countries amounted to 2.89 billion US dollars in the first four months of 2023, up 16 percent from 2.49 billion dollars over the same period last year, the Ministry of Commerce's latest report showed on Sunday.

Extremely severe cyclonic storm Mocha which made landfall on Sunday afternoon was moving inland from the Bay of Bengal, according to Myanmar's Department of Meteorology and Hydrology.

The recent US Census Bureau data suggest that the US merchandise trade deficit with China was larger in 2022 than when Donald Trump was president, said an article on the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace website.

Recently, the UAE Ambassador to China Ali Obaid AI Dhaheri visited the Beijing Foreign Studies University (BFSU). The Ambassador Dhaheri met with Wang Dinghua, Party secretary of Beijing Foreign Studies University, Liu Xinlu, president of Arab Academy, Li Maolin, deputy director of International Exchange and Cooperation Section of BFSU, and Xue Qingguo, director of Zayed Research Center of BFSU, attended the meeting.

The EU Delegation to China held a reception to mark Europe Day on Tuesday in Beijing, where the EU Delegation set up a cultural square with booths of the 27 EU member states to showcase the diversity of the European cuisines and cultures. EU Ambassador to China Jorge Toledo and Vice Minister of China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs Deng Li attended the event and delivered a speech respectively.

The "Immortal Corps" parade was held at the Russian Embassy on Tuesday in Beijing with the participation of about 700 people. The march was attended by the leaders and staff of the Russian Embassy in Beijing, Russians living in Beijing, as well as about 100 Chinese citizens. The participants marched through the embassy holding portraits of their ancestors, veterans of the Great Patriotic War, and observed a minute of silence in memory of the fallen.

Argentina, the most distant country in the world from China. As a multicultural country, Argentina has a diverse culture and customs, with its popular soccer, passionate tango, flavorful barbecues, and the maté tea. When people think of Argentina, there are always a series of cultural symbols that impress them. Its unique national culture and artistic charm have attracted countless people to this country.

Rum, coffee, lobsters, cigar...various Cuban products are exhibited in Shanghai until Friday, bringing local residents freshest exotic items coming from the Caribbean coast.

The verdict in a civil trial that former US president Donald Trump and a current contender for the White House candidacy is liable for sexual abuse has gripped the US, and dumbfounded the rest of the world. Observers view it as a prominent manifestation of political polarization in the US, as well as a reflection of the spiraling political offensives between the two parties that have dominated the US' domestic political agenda and will continue to do so for a long time to come.

Local media outlets reveal that authorities are investigating whether the gunman was motivated by right-wing extremism.

The Chinese Consulate General in Denpasar, Indonesia promised to keep the public updated in a timely manner on the mysterious deaths of two Chinese tourists at a luxury hotel in Bali, which has triggered safety concerns over travel to the popular tourist destination among Chinese travelers, with cooperation with the Indonesia side strengthened.

Analysts from the Chinese mainland warned on Saturday that a reported US plan to send $500 million worth of weapons aid to Taiwan using the Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA) [the same emergency authority that has been used 35 times for Ukraine] would further turn the island into a powder keg. This provocative move further proves the US' intent of using the island as a pawn to contain China while neglecting the safety of local residents.

The World Health Organization on Friday announced that COVID-19 is no longer a global emergency, marking a symbolic end to the pandemic that has taken 7 million lives around the world. The move is deemed a natural one given the current stable situation.

Two Chinese tourists, a man and a woman, were found dead on Monday at a hotel in Bali, Indonesia, and both victims were naked at the time of their death. Local authorities are currently investigating the case and have not yet been able to determine whether the two committed suicide or were murdered, according to local media reports.

Eight Chinese-American scientists have been named on the latest list of members of the US National Academy of Sciences (NAS), which was announced on Tuesday. Eight is an unusually large number, but it should not be seen as a sign of improvement in the situation for Chinese scholars in the US, insiders said.

Editor's Note: In his report to the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC), Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, proposed to comprehensively advance the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation on all fronts through a Chinese path to modernization – the modernization of a huge population, of common prosperity for all, of material and cultural-ethical advancement, of harmony between humanity and nature, and of peaceful development.

On April 28, the 9th International Day of Graduates from Russian (Soviet) Universities was celebrated at the Russian Cultural Center in Beijing. The event was co-sponsored by the Russian Cultural Center in Beijing and the Russian branch of the Overseas-educated Scholars Association of China.

To mark the Year of Tourism Exchange between Pakistan and China, a Pakistani truck art exhibition was launched at the Silk Road International Art Center in Langfang City, North China's Hebei Province on April 29 and is set to run until July 24.

From April 26-28, the 2023 China-Europe Humanities and Arts Education Forum was held in Nanjing University of the Arts. Francesco D'Arelli, Director of the Cultural Section of the Consulate General of Italy in Shanghai and Shi Xiaoying, a counsellor of the European Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs attended the forum.

At least 14 “little diplomats” from Beijing, Central China's Henan, and East China's Shandong were warmly welcomed by Indonesian Ambassador Djauhari Oratmangun and Education Attache Yudil Chatim at the Indonesian Embassy in Beijing on May 2. Yudil Chatim firstly introduced the history, culture, customs, and traditional foods of Indonesia to the little diplomats and said that the economic cooperation between Indonesia and China is developing strongly and that Chinese students are a strong support for the development of relations between the two countries. The event was very lively, as the little diplomats not only had the opportunity to interview the diplomat face to face, but also performed traditional artistic Chinese culture demonstrations such as guzheng, ancient dance, and recitation of ancient texts. The Indonesian Embassy also prepared various traditional Indonesian snacks and several performers presented songs. At the end, the Indonesian Embassy in China presented certificates and took a group photo with the “little diplomats.”

The Embassy of the Republic of South Africa hosted the Freedom Day event on April 27 as April is the Freedom Month in South Africa. The theme for the Freedom Month is “Consolidating and Safeguarding Democratic Gains.” In attendance were the Vice Minister of China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Deng Li, representatives from the Diplomatic Corps, the African Union, UN Organizations.

US regulators have on Monday seized First Republic Bank and struck a deal to sell the bulk of its operations to JPMorgan in an attempt to “save” the troubled lender, while observers are cautioning that this “whack-a-mole” approach will not fix the struggling US banking system, and spillover may impact more nations in the following days.

US President Joe Biden announced his campaign for 2024 re-election on Tuesday, an event which could bring a repeat of the 2020 presidential race when he squared off against former president Donald Trump.

The Croisements Festival continues in China. Combining exhibitions, a film festival, music, and lectures, the festival caters to audiences of all ages with a French vibe, bearing witness to the cultural exchange between the two countries.

Greek Ambassador to China Evgenios Dimitrios Kalpyris recently attended the China International Alcoholic Drinks Expo in Luzhou, Southwest China's Sichuan Province, as Greece was the Guest of Honor at this year's exhibitions.

To commemorate the 80th anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, the Polish Ambassador to China, Wojciech Zajaczkowski, and the Israeli Ambassador to China Irit Ben-Abba Vitale gathered at the Polish Embassy in Beijing on April 19 to pay tribute to the victims of the Holocaust.

The Swiss Embassy in China recently launched the first-ever Romansh language week, the fourth national language of Switzerland, aiming at promoting Switzerland's linguistic and cultural diversity.

The Belgian Embassy in China hosted exhibitions this week that focus on books and photographs, introducing the European country to more people.

Amid the US' hegemonic meddling in the global supply chain, the EU on Tuesday announced a 43 billion euro ($47 billion) provisional deal for its semiconductor industry, aiming to strengthen its chips sector and secure its resilience.

The Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani said on April 17 that Iran and Saudi Arabia will exchange mutual visits, including high-level ones, as part of the two countries' efforts to fully restore bilateral ties, in line with agreements to expand cooperation.

The Pentagon "leak" could have been deliberately orchestrated to force the removal of US President Joe Biden and/or to expand the power of the US government to regulate anything posted on the Internet, Larry Johnson, retired CIA intelligence officer and ex-State Department official, told Sputnik.

Japan's hope of securing unanimous support from the Group of Seven (G7) for its planned release of nuclear-contaminated wastewater into the sea was squashed after Germany voiced opposition.

Gun violence is always a critical topic during US elections, but Chinese experts see little hope in the US political circle to address the issue due to its historical complexity and the extremely polarized stances of Democrats and Republicans, even as gun-related tragedies continue to occur in the country.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken's recent trip to Asia to attend the G7 foreign ministers' meeting in Japan and to visit Vietnam shows that the US is still trying to use regional issues to hype tensions and contain China, but experts said this attempt won't be welcomed by regional countries and even not by some US allies. They noted that the latest scandal of Pentagon's leaks will embarrass Washington even more and make it difficult to win trust from other countries.

Regardless of the authenticity of the leaked documents purportedly revealing details of four Chinese "balloons," the purpose of the US' continuous hyping of the incident is to create a consensus of fear toward China among Americans, and to hype so-called China's lack of respect to the US in the international community, experts said on Sunday.

Many outcomes. This is a very important visit, not only because it is the first visit President Lula is making outside our own continent; it's only the third month of [the new] government and he came to China with a big delegation. There was even a meeting of trade unionists, which I think is something totally new in a context like this one. What I want to stress is that it's not only contact between governments but also between societies. Brazil and China are coming closer together. I think it's very difficult to define one single result, because it's a broader thing. There are results in trade and investment, in environment and cooperation on climate change.

The explosion at the event of Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's political speech only months after the assassination of Shinzo Abe signifies that the myth of Japan being a secure country has blown up, triggering the public to cast doubt as to whether Japan is able to hold the G7 foreign ministers' meeting and the Hiroshima Summit in a safe manner, experts said Saturday.

Recently, the secretary of the Dingzhou Municipal Committee, and Yuval Waks, Deputy Ambassador of Israel to China, planted pomegranate trees and white pines together in Dingzhou, North China's Hebei Province, and unveiled the memorial stone of the “China-Israel friendship forest.”

Recently, European and Chinese experts in sustainable finance gathered in Beijing for an event organized by the Swedish Embassy in China, an EU Delegation, and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank.

The Belgian Ambassador to China Jan Hoogmartens visited Shanghai around April 10 and had an in-depth conversation with the Mayor of Shanghai Gong Zheng about the common links between Belgium and Shanghai.

Recently, South Korean Ambassador to China Chung Jae-Ho attended the launch ceremony of the 2023 Korea-China Friendship Angels held at the South Korean Embassy in China. During the ceremony, Ambassador Chung Jae-Ho presented a certificate of appointment to each little angel and delivered a speech, followed by the screening of a film introducing the 2023 little angels campaign, and the presentation of speeches by the little angel representatives.

French Ambassador to China Bertrand Lortholary, attended the opening ceremony of the French Pavilion at the third China International Consumer Products Expo (CICPE) in Haikou, South China's Hainan Province, on April 11. According to media reports, the ambassador said at the opening ceremony that many French enterprises are optimistic about the development of Hainan's tourism and consumer market and will help Hainan become a global trading platform for high-end consumer goods.

The share of the ruble in payments for export deliveries at the end of 2022 exceeded 30%, equaling the share of the US dollar and significantly exceeding the share of the euro, the Central Bank of Russia said on Tuesday.

The Dalai Lama has apologized after a video of him kissing a boy on the lips and then asking the boy to "suck my tongue" at an event in northern India which has sparked public outrage, with many netizens condemning the action as inappropriate.

French President Emmanuel Macron's remarks urging Europe to reduce its reliance on the US and to be cautious about being dragged into a conflict between Beijing and Washington over Taiwan question are being seen by observers as jamming the brakes on Europe that is being coerced into becoming deeply involved in the Taiwan question, and signals a dead end for the US strategy of luring Europe to contain China.

The recent leak of classified US and NATO documents on the Ukrainian military and Kiev's much-anticipated "spring counteroffensive" has exposed that disunity, distrust and divergences among the US, the West and Ukraine are serious and keep worsening, said Chinese experts. They noted that the incident further proves that Washington is the biggest obstacle for the international community to promote a cease-fire and peace talks for the ongoing Ukraine crisis.

As US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is reportedly set to visit Vietnam next week, experts said on Sunday that his visit may yield results in some areas, such as maritime security, or some improvement in economic cooperation, but it will not affect Vietnam's overall strategy because there are still some inherent and structural contradictions between Vietnam and the US.

The Embassy of Qatar in China participated in the Arab Cultural Exhibition organized by the League of Arab States Mission in China on March 31 to celebrate the 78th anniversary of the Founding of the League of Arab States and the 30th anniversary of the League of Arab States Mission in China.

The opening ceremony of the “Greek mythology digital art carnival” was held in Beijing on April 3. The event was hosted by conglomerate Wanda and supported by the Greek Embassy in China. The event combines digital art and MR technology to bring the audience into the world of ancient Greece, where the history of ancient Greek mythology and the combination of art and technology are experienced.

On March 23, the Consulate General of the Slovak Republic in Shanghai hosted a gala reception to mark two important milestones, the celebration of the 30th anniversary of the Slovak Republic and the commemoration of the 130th birth anniversary of the famous architect of Slovak origin Laszlo Hudec.

Danish Ambassador to China Thomas Østrup Møller, launched the “partnership for sustainable animal products from Denmark” On March 23. To celebrate the launch, the Danish Embassy in China organized a seminar on “Good animal husbandry practices as a basis for sustainable animal production,” focusing on how good animal husbandry practices are closely linked to good farm outcomes, including animal health, welfare and productivity.

The 8th Global Diplomats' Chinese Cultural Night was held in Beijing on March 30 with the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative, which was attended by diplomats from 163 countries in China, as well as Chinese entrepreneurs and scholars of traditional culture

Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud and his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir-Abdollahian met in Beijing on Thursday.

Through CPEC energy projects, Pakistan has been able to overcome its energy shortage, and the people of Pakistan will never forget that China helped them at a time when the whole country was plunged into darkness due to power shortages, Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives of Pakistan Ahsan Iqbal Chaudhary said in Beijing on Monday.

The establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Honduras is a historic event, which will further advance the communication in various fields between China and Latin America and the Caribbean region, Ambassador of Venezuela to China Giuseppe Yoffreda told the Global Times in an exclusive interview.

The Japanese foreign minister's visit to China is expected to help dispel misunderstandings and dissolve uncertainties in bilateral ties, Yasuo Fukuda, Japan's former prime minister, told the Global Times in a recent exclusive interview, ahead of Japan's Minister for Foreign Affairs Yoshimasa Hayashi's upcoming official visit to China.

After weeks of speculation, former US president Donald Trump, who is also running for the 2024 elections, was indicted in Manhattan on Thursday, making him the first former president to face criminal prosecution in US history.

On March 22, the Embassy of India in China participated in the Nowruz celebrations held at SCO secretariat in Beijing. SCO Member states, observers and dialogue partners attended in the celebrations, which also included cultural programs and stalls with delicious cuisines.

March was the annual Month of the “Francophonie,” when people celebrate the richness and vibrancy of French language and its culture. When speaking of French, of course many immediately think of France. However, many other countries have French as an (or one of its) official language(s), including Switzerland, Canada, several African countries such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Senegal, and of course, Belgium.

On March 22, a promotion event focusing on the current popular travel themes of “Polar Cruise” and “Low Carbon Travel” was held at the Embassy of Argentina in China, jointly organized by the embassy and CYTS.

The UAE was invited to be the guest of honor at the opening ceremony of the Asia Youth Leaders Forum held in Guangzhou in South China's Guangdong Province on March 25.

From March 20 to 22, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs organized a visit to Southwest China's Chongqing Municipality for diplomatic envoys to China. The delegation of 26 diplomatic envoys consists of ambassadors posted in China from 13 countries of Albania, Luxembourg, Mauritania, Mali, Slovenia, Guinea-Bissau, Algeria, Yemen, Lesotho, Sudan, Botswana, Guinea, and Malta, as well as senior diplomats from Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Syria, Morocco, and other countries.

Western countries' attempts to interfere with Russian diamond exports may lead to disruption of supply chains, which runs counter to the interests of the industry as a whole, Dmitry Birichevsky, the head of the Russian Foreign Ministry's economic cooperation department, told Sputnik.

US anti-war activist and journalist David Swanson has accused Washington of warmongering, as its military spending "has been more than the next 9 or 10 or 11 countries on the list put together," or more than about 150 countries put together, if looking from the bottom of the list.

Russia on Saturday said that it will station tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, which is a direct response to the UK's earlier decision to send depleted uranium ammunition to Ukraine, and a warning to NATO over its increasing interference in the crisis, analysts said.

Brazilian Ambassador to China Marcos Galvão met with Huang Runqiu, head of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment on March 17.

The Embassy of Saudi Arabia in China hosted an event at China World Summit in Beijing on March 21 to celebrate the International Women's Day. Saudi Arabia Ambassador to China Abdulrahman Ahmad Alharbi delivered a speech at the event.

To address the growing number of water-related challenges around the world, the United Nations Water Conference was held at the UN Headquarters from March 22 to 24. This conference was co-hosted by the Netherlands and Tajikistan. In response to the conference, the Consulate General of the Netherlands in Shanghai, in cooperation with the National Water Museum of China in East China's Hangzhou, organized a 10-day photo exhibition entitled “Water=life” starting from March 16.

The Belgian Ambassador to China Jan Hoogmartens and counsellor Johan Van Hove visited the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing on March 14, and held discussions and exchanges with Fan Dian, Dean of the Central Academy of Fine Arts, on strengthening cooperation and exchanges in the field of culture and art.

Japan's crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant commenced the operation of equipment needed for its nuclear-contaminated wastewater dumping plan for the first time on Friday as a prelude to the wastewater's final release into the open ocean.

At the invitation of Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping will pay a state visit to Russia from March 20-22. In a joint written interview with Global Times reporters Fan Anqi and Xing Xiaojing, Chinese Ambassador to Russia Zhang Hanhui noted that after 2013, President Xi once again made Russia the first stop of his overseas visit after being elected as Chinese president, which fully reflected the profound personal friendship between Xi and Putin, and the great importance he attaches to China-Russia relations in the new era.

Most Pacific islands will not survive if marine resources are contaminated by Fukushima nuclear-contaminated water that Japan plans to dump into the sea, Jelta Wong, Papua New Guinea's minister for fisheries and marine resources, told the Global Times via email on Thursday.