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.
Although some Western media view Russia's latest control of Maryinka in eastern Ukraine, which is a small town in the Donetsk region, as Moscow's "most significant battlefield gains since May," some Chinese experts believe that this single progress will not provide the means to break the military stalemate between the two sides that has persisted for nearly two years. When the world is forecasting what could happen in the Russia-Ukraine conflict in 2024, Chinese experts said there could be "more room for imagination" after the US presidential election in next November.
It has been a popular trend recently for Hong Kong residents to “go north” and spend their weekends in mainland cities. This trend appears especially prominent with the arrival of Christmas.
The Civic Party, a major anti-government political group in Hong Kong, will officially disband in March 2024 as the liquidation process of the party has reached the final stage. Some experts said that such pro-West and anti-China political groups took the wrong path from the beginning, misjudged the situation and pushed themselves into a dead end.
Although some overseas companies have left Hong Kong due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, more and more companies have chosen to come back this year, Hong Kong Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Algernon Yau told the Global Times in a recent exclusive interview.
If the EU blindly pursues "de-risking" and "reducing dependency" on China, it would be akin to shooting itself in the foot, inevitably paying the price for actions that go against economic laws, the Chinese envoy to the EU said in commenting on recent anti-subsidy probe into Chinese electric vehicles in Europe.
A 6.2-magnitude earthquake struck Jishishan county in Linxia Hui Autonomous Prefecture of Northwest China's Gansu Province on Monday midnight. As of 4 am on Tuesday, the earthquake has caused 100 fatalities and 96 injuries in Gansu and another 11 were killed in neighboring Qinghai Province.
With the highly watched trial of secessionist media tycoon Jimmy Lai taking place on Monday at West Kowloon Court, some Western politicians and media have exploited this occasion to smear the National Security Law (NSL) for Hong Kong and badmouth the rule of law in the city. Officials from both the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong have called these criticisms blatant interference in China's internal affairs, adding that any attempts to slander, disrupt and sabotage the NSL for Hong Kong will never succeed.
President Xi Jinping met Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu in Beijing on Monday as Lee is paying a visit to the country's capital city. Experts said on Monday that the central government has held high expectations for the HKSAR to further advance the governance by patriots, to continue the job of safeguarding national security, to promote economic recovery and people's livelihood, and to enhance governance efficiency following the recent district council elections.
After the three-year-long COVID-19 pandemic, at the beginning of 2023, China, together with the rest of the world, have hit the reset bottom and attached great hope to rebuilding a world based on development, peace and prosperity. However, unfortunately, the global recovery remains fragile and uncertain.
The highly watched trial of the anti-China and violence-inciting figure Jimmy Lai on national security charges is set to begin on Monday at West Kowloon Court, toward which some Western media and political figures have launched a public opinion campaign by badmouthing the city's rule of law and the National Security Law (NSL) for Hong Kong. Legal experts said begging external forces to support Lai and undermining the rule of law in Hong Kong are destined to be futile.
Editor's Note: At the end of 2022, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) Government announced the establishment of the Chief Executive's Policy Unit (CEPU), drawing significant global attention. This unit is also considered to be the "think tank" behind the SAR Chief Executive's policy-making. Nearly one year later, Global Times reporters Chen Qingqing and Bai Yunyi (GT) talked with Stephen Wong Yuen-shan (Wong), the head of the CEPU, at the top floor of the west wing of the HKSAR Government Headquarters.
The Office for Safeguarding National Security of the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) said on Thursday that it resolutely supports the Hong Kong police in arresting five fleeing anti-China figures in accordance with the law, and effectively preventing, stopping and punishing those who have fled to oppose the country and disrupt Hong Kong.
China expressed strong opposition on Wednesday to the latest meeting between UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron and the son of notorious media tycoon Jimmy Lai, who is also considered as "modern-day traitor" for his acts and deeds in instigating violent riots in Hong Kong back in 2019. The latest remarks and deeds of the UK expose its blatant double standards and malicious intentions, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said.
The new DC Election is completing the final step in implementing the principle of “patriots administering Hong Kong,” and it's also a new starting point for the DC to serve the public and win more hearts by rolling out concrete measures to tackle long-standing social issues.
Central government authorities extended warm congratulations on Monday to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) for the successful completion of the 7th District Council (DC) Election, another important milestone unveiling a new chapter for local governance.
Central government's authorities in HongKong described on Monday the 7th District Council election as a fair, just, lively and orderly election, which promoted the optimization and improvement of democracy.
Hong Kong residents began lining up in front of polling stations across the city early on Sunday morning as the city kicked off its first large-scale election since the introduction of new electoral reforms, which requires that only patriots can administer the city. Over 1 million voters had cast their votes, equal to a turnout of 24.53 percent as of 19:30 pm.
The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) is preparing to hold the first District Council election since its reform of the electoral system. From the arrival area of the airport to bus stops, parking lots, overpasses, and exhibition halls in urban areas, posters promoting the elections and encouraging people to vote are visible everywhere, the Global Times reporters found on Friday.
With Israel's intensifying fighting in the Gaza Strip raising concerns over a worsening humanitarian crisis, UN chief Antonio Guterres invoked Article 99 of the UN Charter for the first time in his tenure, warning of severe risk of collapse of the humanitarian system. Some experts believed that invoking a rarely used clause in the UN charter hinted that the UN Security Council has not met its responsibilities in promoting a cease-fire due to the interference of the US, which has not exerted sufficient pressure on Israel.
Given Israel's military has been pushing its operations deeper into southern Gaza, intensifying its airstrikes and even reportedly considering flooding Gaza tunnels with seawater to drive out Hamas fighters, some Chinese experts raised concerns over the worsening humanitarian crisis. They described the offensive as moving toward savage methods, reflecting Israel's determination of expanding its ground operations in Gaza despite mounting pressure from the international community.
Unless anti-government figure Chow Ting surrenders and turns herself in, otherwise she will be hunted for life, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government CE John Lee said on Tuesday, emphasizing that the Hong Kong police will fully pursue any criminal who endangers national security.
As agreed between China and the EU, the 24th China-EU Summit will be held in Beijing on December 7, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying announced on Monday. Some experts believe that as it is the first face-to-face China-EU summit in the post-COVID period, the two sides will have in-depth and candid discussions on major issues and increase mutual trust in addressing global challenges.
The Hong Kong Police Force (HKPF) strongly condemned on Monday the irresponsible action that is against and challenging the rule of law after Agnes Chow Ting, a major anti-government political figure, revealed that she has no plans to return to Hong Kong despite being required to report to the police in December as part of a national security investigation.
The 2023 Understanding China Conference (Guangzhou), which concluded on Sunday, has become a major platform to address a significant "understanding deficit" between different countries and civilizations and to help fostering mutual trust.
The largest national security case in Hong Kong entered the final stage as dozens of former local politicians and separatist activists involved in the infamous "35-plus" political project in 2020 began the closing argument on Wednesday. Some legal experts believe the verdict of this case will become an important precedent in Hong Kong's legal system.
To encourage more local residents to cast their votes at the upcoming District Council Election, Hong Kong is scheduled to organize a series of entertainment fairs and provide complimentary access to museums ahead of the election day on December 10, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Chief Executive John Lee announced on Tuesday. On December 9, it will feature a lineup of engaging activities such as open-air music performances, drone exhibitions, and carnival-like festivities, Lee said. Additionally, the public would be granted free access to various government-run facilities.
The high-level exchanges between China and France have maintained strong recent momentum, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Monday. The two sides agreed on deepening comprehensive and high-quality cooperation, expanding openness and tackling global challenges.
In his first public interview to address UK-China relations, the UK's newly appointed Foreign Secretary David Cameron emphasized the need to engage with China while expressing support for the UK government's "realistic and hard-headed" China policy.
French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Catherine Colonna began her two-day visit to China on Thursday. She is scheduled to co-host the 6th meeting of the China-France high-level dialogue mechanism on people-to-people exchanges, paving the way for more activities in 2024 to mark the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and France.
As a cheerful development in the Israel-Hamas conflict, the two sides agreed on a four-day cease-fire in the Gaza Strip and release of 50 hostages held in Gaza. Chinese observers welcomed such positive sign as it could indicate a temporary cooling down of the situation, showing that the latest UN Security Council resolution adopted under China's rotating presidency helped yield concrete results.
The Hong Kong Police Force (HKPF) gained over 2 million of followers on Douyin within 24 hours after it debuted on the Chinese short-video social media platform on Sunday, and its first video gained more than 73 million views, showing the widely shared appreciation for the HKPF in the Chinese mainland. Some netizens praised it as being a “movie-like scene.”
The recent China-US summit attracted worldwide attention as the China-US relationship is not only one of the most important bilateral relationships but also of great significance for the world.
Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday attended the BRICS extraordinary virtual summit on the Palestinian-Israeli issue, saying it is imperative that the parties to the conflict must end hostilities and achieve a ceasefire immediately. The summit is the first time since the group's expansion in August.
China urged an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, expressed opposition to any forced displacement and migration of Palestinian civilians and emphasized that any arrangement concerning the future and destiny of the Palestinian people must have their consent, Chinese top diplomat Wang Yi told visiting Arab and Islamic foreign ministers on Monday.
The Chinese Embassy in Canada said on Monday that Canadian side hyping up of so-called "arbitrary detention" of "two Michaels" is purely a case of a thief crying stop thief and it fully exposed Canada's hypocrisy, after the Canadian media the Globe and Mail revealed that one of the two Canadians blamed his fellow inmate for sharing intelligence on North Korea with Canada and allied spy services.
While serving as then Party chief of Zhengding, North China's Hebei Province 38 years ago, Xi Jinping made his maiden trip to the US with San Francisco as his first stop, marking his initial steps onto US soil. During this visit, Xi got acquainted with the US and built friendships with Americans that have lasted till today, an enduring testimony of the vitality of bilateral ties.
At the invitation of US President Joe Biden, President Xi Jinping will be in San Francisco from November 14 to 17 for a China-US summit meeting and the 30th APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying announced on Friday.
Despite the large geographical distance between China and the Latin America and Caribbean regions, more regional countries have shown increased enthusiasm at exploring opportunities in the Chinese market during the sixth China International Import Expo (CIIE), with the China-Latin America trade volume hitting a record high of $485.8 billion in 2022.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, on Tuesday, met with Surinamese Foreign Minister Albert Ramdin in Beijing. China and Suriname enjoy a long history of friendship, and this year marks the 170th anniversary of the arrival of the Chinese in Suriname. Wang told Ramdin that China is willing to be Suriname's reliable partner in the process of development and revitalization and jointly realize modernization. Global Times reporters Chen Qingqing and Bai Yunyi (GT) conducted an exclusive interview with Ramdin in Beijing on Tuesday, and talked about China-Suriname relations, China-Caribbean relations, and further cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), Global Security Initiative (GSI), and Global Development Initiative (GDI).
China has both expectations and requirements for the upcoming APEC meeting as the recent frequent high-level interactions between China and the US have sent a positive signal to the world, creating a favorable atmosphere for a possible meeting between the two heads of state in San Francisco, some experts said. But uncertainties remain as the US needs to take more concrete moves to show its sincerity given the duplicity in its China policy, which could be done by first reaching a consensus in the finance and trade sectors, they noted.
The frequent high-level interaction between China and Cuba in the post-pandemic period has not only enhanced the long-standing political collaboration between the two countries, but also pushed forward their economic cooperation, Cuban Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz said at a business forum on Tuesday in Beijing. Marrero called to establish direct flights between Beijing and Havana as soon as possible to facilitate trade and business.
As Hong Kong kicked off legal week activities on Monday, officials from both central government and Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government reaffirmed the city's unique strengthens as an international trade center and a legal and dispute resolution services hub, showcasing the city's rule of law and defying the US-led smear via the latest sanction act against local judges and prosecutors.
Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Cuban Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz on Monday in Beijing, as the leader of the Latin American country attended the China International Import Expo (CIIE) and visited China this week. The two leaders reaffirmed the special and long-standing friendship between the two countries, vowing to oppose hegemony and uphold international justice.
The announcement of a bill introduced by some US lawmakers to sanction 49 Hong Kong judges, prosecutors and government officials has sparked public outrage and protests in front of the US Consulate General in Hong Kong over the weekend.
A total of 399 candidates have registered for the 7th District Council Election in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), which will be highly competitive, with an average of four candidates vying for two seats in direct elections, HKSAR Chief Executive John Lee said on Tuesday.
A US-backed draft resolution on the Israel-Hamas conflict was vetoed for it did not reflect the world's strongest calls for a ceasefire in Gaza, showing that the deadlock is deepening at the UN Security Council (UNSC) after several relevant drafts on the issue failed to pass in recent weeks. Some observers saw Washington as playing a proxy role for Israel, with an apparent long-term biased view at the UNSC, impeding efforts to tackle the Israel-Palestine issue.
Only by upholding the unity of loving the country, the Communist Party of China (CPC), and socialism, can patriotism be lively and genuine, China's top legislature's legislative affairs commission spokesperson said in explaining the recently-passed Patriotic Education Law.
The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government Chief Executive John Lee delivered the 2023 policy address on Wednesday at the Legislative Council with the core idea of implementing the One Country, Two Systems, developing economy and improving people's livelihoods. The city will also finalize the legislation of the Article 23 of the Basic Law within 2024.
Australia repatriated four cultural relics and artworks, and one paleontological fossil lost overseas to China on Wednesday, demonstrating the shared commitment of the Chinese and Australian governments to protect cultural heritage and providing a clear example of the connection between the peoples of the two countries, Chinese officials said.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi is scheduled to visit the US later this week as the interaction between China and the US is currently showing signs of a comprehensive recovery with increasing engagement to enhance understanding and improve the atmosphere. Chinese observers believe the visit will pave the way for a possible meeting between the head of the two states, but added that Washington needs to make concrete efforts to address Beijing's concerns and show its sincerity.
Despite the severe difficulties facing the China-Japan relations, Chinese Premier and Japanese Prime Minister exchanged congratulations on Monday on the 45th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Peace and Friendship Between China and Japan. Some experts considered the move a significant gesture of stabilizing bilateral relations, as Tokyo could make some tactical diplomatic adjustments in engaging with Beijing and easing tensions, considering its domestic political and economic dilemma as well as geopolitical challenges on the global stage.
California Governor Gavin Newsom is set to arrive in China for a weeklong trip on Monday, during which he will focus on climate change and bilateral economic development. As a Democratic governor who many have dubbed US President Jo Biden's "top surrogate," as well as governor of the state where the upcoming APEC Leaders' Meeting will be held, Newsom is expected to play a positive role in US-China relations, especially in helping advance regional and subnational diplomatic interactions, some experts said.
Malaysia welcomes China's openness and sees the future development of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) as very ambitious, showcasing the Chinese leadership on the global stage, which will help more developing countries to further develop their infrastructure and boost their respective economies, Malaysian Transport Minister Anthony Loke Siew Fook, who visited Beijing for the third Belt and Road Forum (BRF) for International Cooperation, told the Global Times in an exclusive interview on Thursday.
Chinese President Xi Jinping held talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Beijing on Wednesday on the sidelines of the third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation (BRF), and during the meeting, Xi said China is willing to deepen cooperation with Russia and jointly safeguard global justice and fairness and contribute to global development.
Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic on Tuesday in Beijing, calling Serbia an "ironclad friend" of China, saying that bilateral relations have withstood changes in the international landscape over recent years and are a paragon of friendly relations between China and European countries.
