Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, has stressed sound protection and in-depth research on ancient bamboo and wooden slips.

Xi made the remarks during his visit to an exhibition featuring slips dating back to the Qin Dynasty (221 B.C.-207 B.C.) and the Han Dynasty (202 B.C.-220 A.D.) at a museum in Yunmeng County, central China's Hubei Province, on Monday afternoon.

The return capsule of the Shenzhou-18 manned spaceship, carrying astronauts Ye Guangfu, Li Cong and Li Guangsu, touched down at the Dongfeng landing site in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region on Monday.

An unexpected ostrich, standing higher than an adult, was recently spotted running through a motorway in Xuzhou, East China’s Jiangsu Province, CCTV reported on Monday.

The local police station in Suining county, Xuzhou, received a call from the public reporting an ostrich running on the motorway on October 23. According to a video from CCTV, passing cars were getting out of the way to avoid the ostrich as it ran unpredictably and freely. Local police, along with bystanders, eventually managed to intercept the ostrich at an intersection.

The police found that the ostrich belonged to a nearby farmer and subsequently returned it to its owner, as reported by CCTV. According to the police, the owner had been occupied with fieldwork that day, which allowed the ostrich to escape through a gap in the fence.

The ostrich owner promised to be more vigilant in guarding the ostrich in the future to prevent future escapes, according to local police in Suining. The police reminded animal owners to take their responsibilities seriously and advised drivers in similar situations to prioritize safety. 

Calling it the most important trip of the year, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico kicked off his official visit to China on Thursday. This visit is also viewed as having significant practical and positive political implications by some Chinese analysts, who said that it could deepen pragmatic cooperation between Slovakia and China, establish a model for China-EU cooperation and help improve China-EU relations, especially amid ongoing disputes over tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles (EVs).

Fico arrived in Beijing on Thursday, reported Chinese news network CGTN.

During a session of the National Council of the Slovak Republic on October 24, Fico stated that he views the official visit to China as "the most significant trip of the year."  

Fico's visit to China holds significant and positive political implications. Over the past few years, he has adopted a pragmatic and friendly approach toward China, making Slovakia-China cooperation in strategic level a model among central European nations, Zhao Junjie, senior research fellow at the Institute of European Studies at Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Thursday. 

Fico had originally planned to visit China in June but had to postpone due to injuries he sustained from an assassination attempt in May, Slovak news website Hnonline.sk reported.

Zhao said that some Central and Eastern European countries, including Slovakia, have strong desire to collaborate with China in new energy sectors, especially in electric vehicles and battery production, and they remain open to Chinese investment. 

Given Europe's current economic downturn and high unemployment rate, attracting Chinese investment and fostering high-tech cooperation are  crucial for future development and will boost local economies, said Zhao, noting that Fico's visit underscores his pragmatic approach with the goal of strengthening economic and technological ties with China. 

The Prime Minister rejected claims that his trip threatens Slovakia's economy. 

According to him, if anyone threatens the economy of the Slovak Republic, it is the green deal approved by the EU. Next year, according to him, it will experience difficult economic times due to its decisions, according to news portal European Newsroom. 

On Tuesday, the European Union decided to impose the so-called countervailing duties on Chinese EVs, ranging from 17 percent to 35.3 percent, according to the European Commission's press release. 

Zhao said that against the background of trade frictions, political trust between China and the EU has somewhat weakened. Some countries face challenges in maintaining strategic autonomy amid great power game, particularly in light of the Russia-Ukraine conflict and the EU's increasing alignment with the US. Therefore, Fico's China visit holds particular significance, Zhao noted. 

Slovakia and Hungary stand out among Central and Eastern European nations for their pragmatic approach toward China, and high-level interactions are vital for improving China-Europe relations, the expert said.

China on Tuesday unveiled the design of the Haolong space cargo shuttle. It is an independently developed, reusable commercial winged spacecraft for low-cost space station cargo transport missions, the Global Times learned from the spacecraft’s maker.

Lin Xiqiang, spokesperson of the China Manned Space Agency, announced the selection progress of China’s development plans for low-cost cargo spacecraft and manned lunar rover at a press conference for the Shenzhou-19 manned spaceflight mission on Tuesday.

The Haolong space cargo shuttle, developed by the Chengdu Aircraft Design and Research Institute under the state-owned Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC), was among the winning projects, and was awarded a contract for the engineering flight verification phase.

The spacecraft of this type can be launched by a carrier rocket and dock with the space station. After separating from the space station, it can perform deorbit braking, reentry flight, before landing horizontally on an airport runway. After checking and maintenance, it can be reused in future missions, the Global Times learned from AVIC.

Featuring a large wingspan, high lift-to-drag ratio and reusable vehicle technology, the Haolong is a winged, reusable commercial space vehicle that can further reduce the cost of cargo transportation to the space station, according to the maker.

It has large capacities for cargo transport both to and from the space station, excellent flight environment and efficient support for operations. It can further reduce space station cargo transport cost by repeated use. Together with the existing cargo transportation systems, it aims to establish a safe, reliable, diverse, and efficient cargo transportation system between the space station and Earth.
A model of the Haolong is scheduled to make debut at the 15th Airshow China, which will be held from November 12 to 17 in Zhuhai, South China’s Guangdong Province, as AVIC will display the spacecraft from all angles, the company said.

The Haolong cargo spacecraft will lead and promote further breakthroughs and developments in China’s reusable space-Earth transportation technologies, enabling China’s steps to explore space to go steadier and farther, while making new contributions to the well-being of humanity, AVIC said.