Liu Jinsong, Director-General of the Department of Asian Affairs of the Chinese Foreign Ministry, met with Philippine Ambassador to China Jaime A. FlorCruz on Tuesday to lodge a stern representation over a series of recent negative actions by the Philippine side concerning Taiwan-related issues and regional security.

On the same day, when asked to comment on the claims by Philippine Navy spokesperson Roy Vincent Trinidad that the Philippine military and the Taiwan region are discussing the so-called "international cooperation," and are now just one step away from joint exercises, the spokesperson of Chinese Embassy in Philippines said China firmly opposes any form of official contacts between countries that have established diplomatic relations with China with the Taiwan region.

Taiwan is a province of China and an inalienable part of China's territory. The Taiwan question is at the core of China's core interests. The one-China principle is the general consensus of the international community and the political foundation of China-Philippines relations, the embassy said in a statement on Tuesday. 

"We urge the Philippine side to abide by the one-China principle, stop any form of official contacts with the Taiwan authorities and stop sending wrong signals to the 'Taiwan independence' separatist forces," the spokesperson said. 

"We advise the relevant people on the Philippine side to refrain from provocations on the Taiwan question, as those playing with fire will get burnt," the spokesperson added.

The Philippines has recently been resorting to petty maneuvers to hype up South China Sea issues with the latest move of the Philippine Navy, which claimed on Tuesday that some underwater drones that Filipino fishermen discovered last year were likely deployed by China for military purposes, according to Philippine media.

This is a new provocation from the Philippines to sustain media buzz on the South China Sea issue, attempting to draw more attention and seek external support, analysts said, adding that the Philippines will not be able to overturn the overall stable situation in the South China Sea.

AFP, citing the country's military, reported on Tuesday that five underwater drones found by Philippine fishermen were "capable of gathering information" that could aid in "underwater warfare," noting that at least one had relayed a signal to China.

The drones were discovered between 2022 and 2024 in locations "important strategically in the defense and the security not only of the country but for international maritime navigation", Philippine military officials told reporters at a briefing on Tuesday.

Tensions between China and the Philippines in the South China Sea have been ongoing in recent years. The China Coast Guard (CCG) on Tuesday said one of its ships patrolling waters near Huangyan Dao was harassed by a Philippine vessel in an attempt to smear the Chinese side with staged photos.

This time, the accusation from the Philippines comes as Manila prepares for large-scale military exercises with the US, which will involve approximately 10,000 soldiers, and will take place from April 21 to May 9, The Independent reported on Tuesday.

By hyping the so-called unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) issue, the Philippines aims to propagate the "China threat" narrative, Ding Duo, director of the Research Center for International and Regional Studies at the National Institute for South China Sea Studies, told the Global Times on Wednesday.

"By shifting perspectives and angles, it seeks to sustain the South China Sea issue's prominence in the media discourse, attempting to draw attention," Ding said.

Without providing hard evidence, the Philippines has engaged in irresponsible speculation and malicious smears, Ding continued.

The Philippines' various provocations to secure more external support and escalate its infringements will not overturn the overall stability of the South China Sea, Ding noted.

A roundtable on carrying forward the Bandung Spirit was held in Beijing on Thursday. Diplomats and scholars from the Global South and beyond gathered to explore the significance and relevance of the Bandung Spirit in promoting development and navigating the complexities of today's global landscape.

The Bandung Conference, also known as the Asian-African Conference, was held on April 18, 1955, in Bandung, Indonesia. It marked the first time that the countries of the Global South united to oppose imperialism and colonialism in defense of their sovereign rights and a more equitable world. Participants proposed the Bandung Spirit with "solidarity, friendship and cooperation" at the core, initiating the Non-Aligned Movement and South-South cooperation.

Wang Chao, president of Chinese People's Institute of Foreign Affairs (CPIFA), said at the roundtable that the pressing task facing the Global South today is development and striving toward modernization together. This goal is encountering challenges, noted experts at the roundtable. They expressed their concerns over the current global issues, including unilateralism, protectionism, climate change, unbalanced development, and especially the trade war. They believe the Bandung Spirit remains the key to resolving the global governance impasse, offering a practical choice.

In the current global context, it is even more crucial for countries in the Global South to unite, support one another, deepen exchanges across various fields, and enhance regional, sub-regional, and cross-regional cooperation, thereby injecting more positive energy and certainty into global development, Wang said.

Indonesian Ambassador to China Djauhari Oratmangun stressed that Indonesia and China have agreed to synergize their flagship policies - the Global Maritime Fulcrum and the Belt and Road Initiative. He said, "we must now work hand in hand to showcase the valuable success of this cooperation," adding that by driving greater industrial innovation and modernization, development and progress can be spread across the region. 

Khurshid Kasuri, former foreign minister of Pakistan, shared the example of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). He said it is a living example of collaboration that rejects hegemony, domination, and Cold War-style politics, advocating that, in a multipolar world order, developing countries can pursue independent development paths free from external coercion.

At the roundtable, participants also put forward proposals on how to promote the Bandung Spirit and advance modernization together. Imron Cotan, senior advisor to the Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia, raised proposals such as establishing an Asia-Africa Economic Corridor - a multilateral trade and investment framework building on ASEAN-AU cooperation; creating an Asia-Africa Trade Resilience Fund - a pooled reserve to provide credit insurance, hedge against tariff shocks, etc. 

Cotan, also former Indonesian ambassador to China, told the Global Times that the Global South doesn't want to confront anyone, but it should also not dance to the music being played outside of the Global South. "We have all the ingredients to move forward. We need to transform the spirit of the first Bandung Conference in 1955 into a new claim, taking into account the current predicament of global governance. It is timely and urgent for the Global South to govern ourselves," he said. 

Cotan recalled a speech delivered by President Xi Jinping back in 2013, in which Xi said, "The international community should advocate the vision of comprehensive security, common security and cooperative security so as to turn the global village into a big stage for common development, rather than an arena where gladiators fight each other." Cotan believes these words carry notable relevance in today's context. This world is so large to be shared together, not a battleground for gladiators, Cotan added. 

The roundtable, themed, "The Global South: Carrying forward the Bandung Spirit and marching together toward modernization," was jointly organized by Chinese People's Institute of Foreign Affairs (CPIFA) and Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia in Beijing.

After approximately 2 hours and 40 minutes, the Tien Kung Ultra robot, developed by China's National and Local Co-built Embodied AI Robotics Innovation Center, was the first to cross the finish line at the world's first humanoid robot half-marathon held in Beijing on Saturday. 

The world's first humanoid robot half-marathon kicked off at Yizhuang, Beijing on Saturday morning. Aside from the Finisher's Medal, a total of 20 teams with their 18 types of robot athletes will compete for the championship title on the 21.0975-km track, as well as various awards based on the robots' running gait, endurance, popularity, and design. 

Multiple advanced humanoid robots including the Tien Kung Ultra developed by National and Local Co-built Embodied AI Robotics Innovation Center, Unitree's G1, Leju Robotics' Kuavo, and NOETIX's N2, among others, participated in the event.

In response to certain US politicians once again pushing forward legislation that smears Hong Kong's autonomy and rule of law while calling for the revocation of privileges for Hong Kong Economic and Trade Offices (HKETOs) in the US, or even their closure, a spokesperson for the Commissioner's Office of Chinese Foreign Ministry in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) expressed strong condemnation and firm opposition on Wednesday. 

The spokesperson emphasized that the HKETOs in the US are official institutions representing the HKSAR and play a positive role in promoting economic and trade exchanges and practical cooperation between Hong Kong and the US. 

Their legitimate functions must not be unreasonably questioned, the spokesperson said. 

Certain US politicians, driven by their own political self-interest, have blatantly smeared and slandered Hong Kong's trade offices, not only undermining normal HKSAR-US exchanges and cooperation, but also exposing their malicious intent to see Hong Kong unstable and unsuccessful, the spokesperson noted. 

US lawmakers reintroduced a bill on Tuesday that could close Hong Kong's representative offices in America if the White House determines that Beijing has undermined the city's autonomy, an effort that failed in the previous congressional session, the South China Morning Post reported on Wednesday. 

The bill would amend the US State Department's annual review of Hong Kong's semi-autonomous status to require the US president to explain to Congress why the three HKETOs in the country should retain or lose diplomatic privileges, the SCMP said. 

The spokesperson stressed that China urges these US politicians to immediately pull back from the brink and stop interfering in Hong Kong affairs at once. If the US side insists on going its own way, it will face a resolute countermeasure from the Chinese side, the spokesperson said. 

Chinese experts have slammed the rhetoric of India's Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal, who called the US' reciprocal tariffs an "opportunity of a lifetime" and blamed China for the current turmoil in the global economy. Analysts said India's concessions will only prompt the US to demand even greater compromises from India to offset the US-India trade deficit. 

"We stand at a moment in history where India is well poised to convert the current situation into an opportunity," India's Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal said at the India Global Forum in Mumbai. "We have an opportunity of a lifetime," he added, per Bloomberg's report. 

In his remarks, Goyal blamed China's joining of the World Trade Organization almost 25 years ago for the current turmoil in global economy. 

"If somebody was to ask me what would be the trigger point of where we are today and why we are going through this churn, the starting point of this actually goes to the beginning of 2000 when China was admitted as the member of the WTO," Goyal said. 

"The Indian minister, by shifting all the blame onto China, is trying to gain exemptions from the US," Long Xingchun, a professor from the School of International Relations at Sichuan International Studies University, told the Global Times.

Xie Chao, an assistant professor on Indian studies at Tsinghua University, told the Global Times that Goyal's statements show an opportunistic mindset, seeking trade compromises with the US while looking for opportunities to benefit from the competition between China and the US. 

The Indian politician's remarks merely to echo US' rhetoric to discredit China, hoping to gain favor with the Trump administration and pave the way for upcoming India-US trade negotiations, Xie said. 

There are significant trade deficit problems between the US and India. Trump administration frequently publicly criticizes India, and his desire to gain exemptions from the US is also an unachievable task, Long said. 

Washington last week announced 26 percent tariffs on US imports from India.

Faced with US' reciprocal tariffs, a few countries have, in retaliation, imposed additional tariffs on US goods, escalating trade tensions. India has, however, refrained from any such move as both countries are actively working on a trade pact, the NDTV said. 

On US tariff impacts, Goyal had assured, "We had a series of engagements, all of which are going in the right direction. We are covering a wide area of subjects and products. I can assure businesspeople across the country that we are keeping India's best interests at the forefront... "

Judging from US' harsh responses to similar statements from Vietnam, the EU, and others, India's concessions will likely prompt the Trump administration to demand even greater compromises from India to offset the US-India trade deficit, escalating the maximum tariff pressure India faces from the US, Xie said.

On the surface, India claims to be fully capable of handling the situation and views it as an opportunity. The reality is that India also faces severe impacts during the process of raising tariffs, Chinese expert said.

Goyal played down any immediate hit to the economy, even though analysts see a 20-40 basis point growth drag following the tariffs, the Bloomberg reported. 

Amid the fierce competition between China and the US, India seems to be attempting to take advantage of the situation, Xie said.

Even if China and the US face trade restrictions and high tariffs, India cannot seize the market that China leaves behind, Long believed. He explained that India's production capabilities are lacking, and its production costs are high. Furthermore, Indian manufacturing also heavily relies on China's supply chain. 

Facing US' reciprocal tariffs, spokesperson of Chinese Embassy in India Yu Jing had called on India to stand together to overcome these difficulties.

In a social media post on X on Tuesday, Yu posted that facing the US abuse of tariffs, which deprives countries, especially Global South countries, of their right to development, the two largest developing countries should stand together to overcome these difficulties.

Trade and tariff wars have no winners. All countries should uphold the principles of extensive consultation, practice true multilateralism, and jointly oppose all forms of unilateralism and protectionism, Yu wrote in her post. 

China's annual national commemoration event for human organ donation was held in Shenyang, Northeast China's Liaoning Province, on Tuesday. Health officials announced at the event that China has seen a year-on-year increase in organ donation and transplants, with over 7.05 million people registered as organ donors in the country.

The event, held ahead of the Qingming Festival - a traditional holiday for honoring the deceased - featured stories of organ donors and their families, transplant recipients, and donation coordinators. It also included a memorial ceremony for 26 donors, with a moment of silence and floral tributes. Attendees included officials, family representatives of the donors, and medical students.

To date, over 7.05 million people have registered as organ donors in the country, according to the event. There have been more than 58,000 organ donations, 63,000 body donations, and 110,000 corneal donations, restoring sight to 100,000, saving over 170,000 lives and supporting medical education and research.
"Through long-term and tireless efforts from all parties, the number of organ donations and transplants in China has significantly increased," said Gao Guangming, deputy director of the Department of Medical Emergency Response at the National Health Commission, during the event. "In 2024, China recorded 6,744 cases of organ donations and 24,684 transplant surgeries in 2024, representing year-on-year increases of 4.5 percent and 3.3 percent, respectively, marking a new historic breakthrough."

This national annual commemoration, guided by the Red Cross Society of China and the National Health Commission and organized by the China Organ Donation Administrative Center (CODAC), is also a promotional activity for organ donation.
The publicity ambassador for human organ donation in China, Zhang Dingyu, was appointed to the role in March. A recipient of the national honorary title "The People's Hero" in 2020, Zhang was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a fatal and incurable disease, but he remained on the frontlines during the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2022, he made the decision to donate his body for future research on ALS.

Speaking about his current condition on Tuesday, Zhang noted that the condition of his lower limbs has gradually grown more severe, while his upper limbs, fingers, and lower back occasionally experience cramps and spasms. However, he emphasized that his overall physical condition remains relatively stable and said he is not a typical ALS patient.

Becoming a donor was only natural for him, Zhang said. While the traditional view is that our bodies belong to our parents, Zhang said he believes they also belong to society and humanity as a whole.

Zhang currently still serves as a medical worker at Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology and Hubei Jiangxia Laboratory.

"We are conducting gene knockout research and seek collaboration to advance studies on gene-knockout organisms, including pig organs such as kidneys and hearts, as part of an effort to explore potential alternatives to organ donation. Through these studies, we strive to better meet clinical needs and enhance service to the public," Zhang told the Global Times.

Currently, more than 280 memorial sites for organ donors have been established across the country. Within a week, various provinces in China held a series of organ donor commemorations, including East China's Jiangsu, Northwest China's Gansu, East China's Fujian, and South China's Guangdong, with the purpose of expressing gratitude and respect to organ donors and their families, and raising public awareness about the significance of organ donation.

Chinese President Xi Jinping and rotating Chairperson of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina Zeljka Cvijanovic on Thursday exchanged congratulations over the 30th anniversary of diplomatic ties between the two countries.

China’s Ministry of State Security (MSS) on Thursday disclosed a case in which a personnel from a Chinese overseas institution was targeted and coerced by an overseas espionage agency through a carefully staged “romantic drama,” reminding individuals to enhance security awareness in foreign exchanges, which is not only a safeguard for national security but also a responsibility for personal safety.

Zhang, a personnel stationed at a Chinese overseas institution, regularly visited upscale venues known for extravagant entertainment and social gatherings during his time abroad. During a banquet, Zhang met Li, a member of an overseas business association, and their relationship quickly deepened. Li invited Zhang to various gatherings under different pretenses, quickly strengthening their relations and gaining Zhang’s trust, according to an article released by the MSS via its official WeChat account on Thursday.

As their friendship grew, Zhang subtly expressed to Li his interest in “special entertainment venues” during one of their meetings. Li, picking up on this information, promptly reported it to the “superior.” Then a meticulously crafted “romantic drama” designed for Zhang had quietly begun to unfold, according to the article.

Following instructions from the overseas espionage agency, Li took Zhang to a local adult entertainment venue. Unaware of the setup, Zhang was caught soliciting prostitution by “local law enforcement.” Faced with the evidence, Zhang could only turn to Li for help. Li pretended to comfort him while secretly contacting a reliable “brother”—a personnel from an overseas espionage intelligence agency. The “brother” quickly arrived at the scene and, after several negotiations, managed to secure Zhang’s “freedom,” said the MSS.

Unaware that he was being manipulated, Zhang did not realize that every moment, from raising a toast to his arrest—had been meticulously recorded by the espionage agency’s cameras. They used these as leverage to force Zhang to become a pawn, to be used for their purposes, said the MSS.

Shortly after the incident, Li’s “brother” met Zhang again, revealed himself as an intelligence operative, and blackmailed Zhang into providing internal information. Under the pressure of threats and temptations, Zhang agreed to the “cooperation” and, taking advantage of his work position, provided a large amount of confidential internal information to the overseas espionage intelligence agency through various means such as printing, photographing, writing, and verbal communication, in exchange for money, according to the MSS. 

Before returning to China, Zhang even signed a “commitment letter” agreeing to continue spying after his return, further endangering national security. 

Following an investigation by national security authorities, Zhang was placed under criminal detention upon his return to China. Zhang was severely punished for leaking state secrets to an overseas espionage agency, according to the MSS.

A man who offers climbing companionship services at Mount Taishan scenic area in Tai'an, East China's Shandong Province, claimed to have earned over 300,000 yuan ($41,400) last year, sparking debate. Some of his peers said that this job is very meaningful, while others question his salary, claiming that it has been exaggerated.

Zhang, a 26-year-old sports graduate, works as a professional hiking companion on Mount Taishan. In an interview with the Beijing News, Zhang shared that he climbs Mount Taishan twice daily, providing services during both day and night. 

Zhang's responsibilities include route planning, safety guidance, backpack assistance, photography, cultural interpretation, and checkpoint support for hikers. For exhausted visitors, Zhang may provide physical assistance, including carrying them on his shoulders, offering piggyback rides, or supporting them by the arm—especially during night-time climbs, when safety risks are higher.

The service costs 600 yuan during the day, increasing to 700 yuan at night due to safety considerations. His customer base predominantly consists of females aged between 20 and 35.  

Zhang acknowledged that while the job is physically demanding, he finds it rewarding and enjoyable. He said that accompanying climbers not only keeps him fit but has also helped him forge friendships with like-minded people. However, he emphasized that the role isn't for everyone—it requires strong physical stamina and communication skills.

"My job is very meaningful," said Yang, another Mount Taishan hiking companion.  "Some tourists arrive feeling stressed or down, but as we chat, laugh, and share stories, their mood improves," Yang said, adding that the experience can be therapeutic and relaxing.

Zhang claimed that his Mount Taishan hiking companion service earned him over 300,000 yuan last year.  

However, Yan, another hiking companion, questioned Zhang's reported earnings. Yan noted that completing two climbs a day brings in about 1,300 yuan. "Even without a single day off monthly, we will make at most 40,000 to 50,000 yuan, but no one can sustain that," said Yan.

While Yan considered the 300,000-yuan claim exaggerated, he admitted that an annual income of 150,000 to 200,000 yuan is realistic.