Peng Liyuan, wife of Chinese President Xi Jinping, on Thursday attended the Bond with Kuliang: 2025 China-U.S. youth friendship event and delivered a speech at the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries.
Peng also watched a video about the Bond with Kuliang: 2025 China-U.S. Youth Choir Festival. Elyn MacInnis, founder of Friends of Kuliang, and Luca Berrone, Xi's friend from Iowa, shared their stories of Kuliang, as well as their experiences of China-U.S. people-to-people exchange and local cooperation. They expressed their deep affection for China and their gratitude to President Xi for his concern for the youth of both countries. They also said that they will continue contributing to promoting the U.S.-China friendship.
U.S. youth representatives shared their experiences of visiting China, and said they are willing to become new-generation friendship ambassadors, carrying forward great stories of friendship between the two countries.
In her speech, Peng said that the century-old story of Kuliang and President Xi's deep friendship with his old friends in Iowa spanning over 40 years epitomize the China-U.S. friendship.
Though the two countries have different histories, cultures and languages, the Chinese and American peoples love their families and are kind, friendly, hardworking and practical, meaning they are perfectly capable of becoming good friends and partners, she said.
Over the year since President Xi proposed China's initiative to welcome 50,000 young Americans to China for exchange and study programs over a five-year period, many young people from the United States have been invited to visit China. While gaining first-hand experience of the real China, they have made new friends and written new chapters in the China-U.S. friendship, Peng said.
Noting that youth is the future of the country, as well as the future of friendship, Peng called on young people to be the inheritors of the China-U.S. friendship, and promoters of peace and amity. She also called on them to build a bridge of friendship between the two countries, and to contribute their youthful strength to a better future for both nations.
Before the event, Peng met with MacInnis and Berrone, expressing appreciation for their longtime dedication to the cause of China-U.S. friendship. She encouraged them to continue making active efforts to enhance exchange and mutual understanding between the two peoples.
From July 10 to 11, Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Foreign Minister Wang Yi will attend the China-ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, the ASEAN Plus Three Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, the East Asia Summit Foreign Ministers’ Meeting and the ASEAN Regional Forum Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Torrential rains hit several parts of Yibin city, Southwest China's Sichuan Province, prompting the emergency evacuation of over 6,000 residents, according to CCTV news on Wednesday.
From 7 pm on Tuesday to 9 am on Wednesday, Yibin experienced widespread rainfall, with 44 monitoring stations recording torrential downpours, 49 stations recording heavy rain, 76 stations measuring significant rainfall, 78 stations seeing moderate rain, and 137 stations registering light rain.
The highest recorded rainfall was 231.7 mm in a village of Xingwen county, CCTV reported.
As of 10 am on Wednesday, Yibin authorities had relocated 1,490 people from 582 households in flash flood risk zones, 4,248 from 1,411 households near geological hazard sites, 483 from six coal mines, and 71 from four households at key flood control construction sites. No casualties have been reported.
At 7 am on Wednesday, the Yibin municipal flood control headquarters activated a Level IV flood emergency response. Changning county, Jiang'an county, Gaoxian county, Xingwen county, Gongxian county, and Sanjiang New Area launched Level IV flood control measures, the city's official WeChat account said.
Several expressway entrances in Yibin were temporarily closed due to the heavy rain, according to local authorities.
Since Tuesday, torrential downpours have also battered central parts of Southwest China's Chongqing Municipality and its western regions, with eight monitoring stations recording extreme rainstorms and 97 stations reporting heavy rainstorms, according to the Xinhua News Agency.
As of 6 am on Wednesday, the city had carried out emergency evacuations for 556 people and emergency relocations for two others, with no disaster-related casualties or case of missing persons reported.
Heavy rainfall has caused six small and medium-sized rivers in Chongqing to exceed warning levels, and as of 8 am on Wednesday, the Yuxi River in Nan'an District remained above the warning level, Xinhua said.
In response to media reports that Germany claimed the Chinese military had laser-targeted a German aircraft, China's Ministry of National Defense told the Global Times on Wednesday that the allegation was completely inconsistent with the facts.
Germany summoned the Chinese ambassador to the foreign ministry on Tuesday after saying China's military had laser-targeted a German aircraft taking part in an EU operation in the Red Sea, Reuter reported.
"Putting German personnel at risk and disrupting the operation is completely unacceptable," said Germany's foreign ministry on social media platform X.
China's Ministry of National Defense noted that the allegation does not reflect the truth, saying that a Chinese naval task group was conducting an escort mission in the Gulf of Aden at the time and had no operations in the Red Sea, nor did it activate or use any laser equipment.
"We expressed hope that Germany would respect the facts and strengthen communication and coordination with China to jointly safeguard the overall relationship between the two countries and their militaries," said the ministry.
A session of the All-China Youth Federation and a congress of the All-China Students' Federation concluded on Thursday, which outlined the work for the next five years and elected new leaderships.
During the meetings that opened on Wednesday, the work of the federations during the past five years were summarized, and arrangements for their work of the next five years as well as the federations' development and reform were made.
During the session of the All-China Youth Federation, Xu Xiao, a senior official with the Communist Youth League of China, was elected as chairperson of the federation.
At the All-China Students' Federation congress, a new committee was elected, consisting of 198 groups. The student union of Peking University was elected as the presiding group of the federation.
The gathering called on young people and students to maintain firm ideals and convictions, foster a sense of responsibility to the country, shoulder their historic mission, and strive to make their contributions to the Chinese modernization.
Japan will export used destroyers to the Philippines, Reuters reported, citing Japan's Yomiuri newspaper on Sunday, to strengthen what the report claimed is a deterrence against the so-called "China's maritime expansion." A Chinese expert said that the strengthening of military ties between Japan and the Philippines serves to support the US' attempt to contain and suppress China in its "Indo-Pacific Strategy," meanwhile, both countries have their own ulterior motives.
The export plan involves six Abukuma-class destroyer escorts in service with the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force for more than three decades, the Japanese newspaper said, citing multiple unnamed government sources.
Japanese defense minister Gen Nakatani and Philippine defense secretary Gilberto Teodoro agreed to the destroyer export when they met in Singapore last month, Yomiuri reported, adding that the Philippine military is set to inspect the destroyers this summer as part of the final preparations. A Japanese defense ministry spokesperson declined to comment on the report, while a Philippine military spokesperson did not respond for comment, Reuters reported.
The Abukuma-class destroyer escort, a relatively small type of destroyer with a 2,000-ton standard displacement, is operated by a crew of about 120 and is armed with anti-submarine and anti-ship missiles, torpedo tubes and guns, according to a website of Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force, Reuters reported.
This is another case of Japan and the Philippines colluding and coordinating with each other, Zhang Junshe, a Chinese military affairs expert, told the Global Times on Sunday. The strengthening of military ties between Japan and the Philippines serves two purposes: first, to support the US' attempt to contain and suppress China in its "Indo-Pacific Strategy," and second, both countries have their own ulterior motives, Zhang said.
Japan is attempting to alleviate the pressure it faces from China's countermeasures regarding China's Diaoyu Dao by selling weapons and equipment, such as radar, patrol vessels and destroyer escorts to the Philippines, thereby encouraging provocations against China in the South China Sea while also restraining China's development, Zhang said.
Even if the Philippines purchases second-hand destroyer escorts and other equipment from Japan, the inconsistency in systems and communications with other ships currently used by the Philippines will make it difficult to significantly enhance its naval combat capabilities. Moreover, these weapons cannot help the Philippines achieve its illegal territorial expansion goals in the South China Sea, Zhang said.
The Philippines has also purchased second-hand patrol boats and warships from other countries, but due to the diverse origins of these weapon systems, it is challenging for the Philippines to form a coherent system operational capability. Given its inherently weak military strength, relying on outdated weapons purchased from abroad to provoke in the South China Sea is an overestimation of its own capabilities, Zhang said.
Recently, Japan and the Philippines have been frequently collaborating militarily. Japan has not only participated in maritime joint exercises and patrols conducted by the US and the Philippines in the South China Sea, but has also invited the US and the Philippines to conduct joint patrols around Japan, strengthening the bloc led by the US to confront China, the expert noted.
Japan and the Philippines are continuously provoking China in their actions, yet they are using the excuse of curbing so-called "China's expansion." In fact, it is the Philippines that has invited external forces in and, relying on their support, has been continuously infringing and provoking in the South China Sea, undermining peace and stability in the region, said Zhang.
China does not seek trouble, but when it comes to issues concerning national territorial sovereignty, it will never back down and will definitely take targeted countermeasures, Zhang said.
Chen Xiangmiao, director of the World Navy Research Center at the National Institute for South China Sea Studies, told the Global Times on Sunday that Japan's plans to export used destroyers to the Philippines are purely "a political game." Because, for the Philippines' side, training of crew members, dock supplies and logistical support and maintenance are all difficult to keep up with, Chen said.
The facts cannot be changed as it is merely to convey a signal to jointly respond to China, which cannot shake the unwavering determination of China to uphold its territorial sovereignty and maritime rights, Chen said.
Japan's recent military ambitions exposed by its expansion activities raise significant concerns regarding regional stability and international order. The country's focus on maritime expansion is evident not only in the East China Sea but also in the South China Sea and the South Pacific, indicating a broader strategic ambition, according to Chen.
On April 30, responding to Japan-Philippines Summit Meeting, during which the two sides agreed to strengthen bilateral security cooperation and oppose attempts to change the status quo unilaterally in the East and South China Seas, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said that "China has all along believed that exchanges and cooperation between countries should not target any third party or harm their interests." "China's sovereignty and relevant rights in the East and South China Seas were established in the long course of history and are consistent with international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. China's activities in relevant waters are legitimate, lawful and justified," Guo said.
The China National Space Administration (CNSA) on Tuesday released images of Earth and the moon captured by the country's Tianwen-2 asteroid probe. So far, the probe has been operating smoothly in orbit for more than 33 days and is more than 12 million kilometers from Earth, Global Times learned from the CNSA.
The administration said in a press release it provided to the Global Times that recently, the narrow-field navigation sensor onboard the Tianwen-2 probe captured images of the Earth and the moon, demonstrating excellent functional performance.
The released images include a photograph of Earth taken from approximately 590,000 kilometers away and a photograph of the moon taken at the same distance. These images were processed by researchers after being transmitted back to Earth.
The click of earth was taken by 1 pm on May 30 while the probe was 590,000 kilometers away from Earth while the moon image was captured 3 pm on the same day, per the CNSA.
The image of Earth and moon and their successful transmission back to the ground proved high reliability and stability of the probe's imaging system and the information link for the country's latest deep space exploration endeavor, Pang Zhihao, a senior space expert worked for decades at the China Academy of Space Technology, told the Global Times on Tuesday.
On June 6, the CNSA released an image captured by the probe showing the deployment of its circular solar panels, which is designed to meet the power supply requirements for exploring main belt comets located approximately 375 million kilometers from the Sun.
The Tianwen-2 probe, China's first asteroid sampling and return mission, was launched aboard a Long March-3B carrier rocket from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in Southwest China's Sichuan Province on May 29 early morning. The mission aims to accomplish objectives over a decade-long expedition: collecting samples from near-Earth asteroid 2016HO3 and exploring main-belt comet 311P, which is farther from Earth than Mars.
Han Siyuan, Deputy Director of the Lunar Exploration and Space Engineering Center at the CNSA and spokesperson for the Tianwen-2 mission, revealed to the Global Times that the Tianwen-2 project team has also developed innovative approaches for small celestial body sampling. They have designed three sampling methods. In addition to the "touch-and-go" method, the mission will also attempt hovering sampling and attachment sampling.
According to the mission planners, after sampling the asteroid, the probe's return capsule is expected to deliver the samples back to Earth around 2027, and then the probe will continue its journey to explore the comet in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter around 2034.
The Tianwen missions are a series of robotic interstellar exploration launched by the CNSA to explore the solar system. The name comes from the long poem "Tianwen," meaning Heavenly Questions or Questions to Heaven, written by Qu Yuan (around 340-278 BC) one of ancient China's most esteemed poets.
China has previously launched the Tianwen-1 Mars probe mission on July 23, 2020, and achieved all designated objectives including orbiting, landing, and deploying a rover to survey the Martian surface in a single mission.
Belgian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot said on Wednesday that no matter how the situation changes, Belgium is willing to remain a friend of China and will continue to deepen cooperation with China with a positive and constructive attitude.
Prevot made the remarks during his talks with visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, stressing that China is the most important trading partner of Belgium and the high-quality development of bilateral ties has yielded fruitful outcomes.
For his part, Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said that China and Belgium have maintained a relationship of mutual respect and trust, and established an all-round partnership of friendly cooperation, which serves as a pillar of stability in the China-EU relations.
Under the current circumstances, it is all the more important for China and the EU to strengthen face-to-face exchanges, enhance mutual trust, and dispel misunderstandings, Wang noted.
He expressed the hope that the new Belgian government will continue to build bridges of dialogue, understanding, and cooperation between China and the EU.
In addition, Wang said China is accelerating the development of a new pattern of high-level opening-up, with lower market access thresholds and more measures to facilitate personnel exchanges between China and Belgium.
Highlighting the fact that this year marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the EU, Wang noted that China supports the European integration and hopes that the EU will view China's development and revitalization in a positive and friendly way, and pursue a rational and pragmatic policy toward China.
In the face of a changing and turbulent international landscape, China looks forward to enhancing strategic communication and collaboration with the EU to jointly uphold the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, safeguard the international free trade system, and defend international fairness and justice.
In their talks, Prevot also expressed appreciation for China's visa-free policy for Belgian citizens and voiced hope for strengthening cultural and people-to-people exchanges with China.
Prevot reaffirmed Belgium's adherence to the one-China policy, stressing that Taiwan is part of China.
On EU-China ties, Prevot emphasized that amid the current complex and tense geopolitical situation, both the EU and China uphold multilateralism and safeguard international law, expressing the hope that the two sides will take the next EU-China leaders' meeting as an opportunity to enhance communication and cooperation to jointly address challenges.
The two leaders also exchanged views on hotspot issues of common concern.
China's Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN Geng Shuang delivered a speech at the 35th Meeting of States Parties to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), in which he criticized the US as an opportunist exploiting UNCLOS rules and a disruptor of the international maritime order, according to a statement on the website of Permanent Mission of China to the UN.
While the international community is jointly promoting multilateralism and working to strengthen global ocean governance, certain countries are going against the tide by pursuing unilateral hegemony and standing in opposition to international cooperation and fairness, Geng noted. "That country," he said, "is the US."
The US is an opportunist abusing the rules of UNCLOS, Geng said. Despite never joining the Convention, the US frequently invokes its provisions, pointing fingers at other countries' compliance and claiming rights such as exclusive economic zones and continental shelves beyond 200 nautical miles based on the Convention.
In essence, the US seeks to enjoy the institutional benefits of UNCLOS without assuming its responsibilities, he said.
The US is a disruptor of international maritime order, Geng continued. According to UNCLOS, the international seabed and its resources are the common heritage of humankind. Yet the US disregards collective international efforts within the framework of the International Seabed Authority and proceeds with unilateral development.
While the laying of undersea cables is one of the six freedoms of the high seas under UNCLOS, the US politicizes the issue, launching an exclusive joint statement on undersea cables and attempting to form small cliques centered on itself. Moreover, it has threatened the normal operation of critical international waterways such as the Panama and Suez canals in an attempt to control strategic sea lanes, Geng said.
The US is absent from global ocean governance, Geng noted. The US openly opposes the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its ocean-related goals. It has shown a negative attitude toward the political declaration of the UN Ocean Conference and failed to send an official delegation to the Nice Ocean Summit, Geng said.
Although it signed the agreement on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction (BBNJ), it refuses to participate in the preparatory committee's work and has taken a negative, regressive stance toward the accord, the Chinese envoy said.
The US is a destabilizing force in the South China Sea, Geng said. Although located far from the region, the US misinterprets UNCLOS and frequently dispatches warships to the South China Sea under the pretext of "freedom of navigation," infringing on other countries' sovereignty and security.
It ignores the overall stability of the South China Sea achieved through joint efforts by China and ASEAN countries, instead sowing discord and undermining mutual trust, interfering in regional efforts to build the South China Sea into a sea of peace, friendship, and cooperation, he said.
Geng noted that the world sees clearly the US' utilitarian attitude toward UNCLOS and its hegemonic behavior in maritime affairs. China urges the US to seriously reflect and correct its conduct, and to play a constructive role in strengthening global ocean governance.
As a party to UNCLOS, China consistently upholds the spirit of the Convention, fulfills its obligations, and firmly defends the Convention's integrity, effectiveness, and authority, Geng said. China opposes violations, selective application, or abuse of the Convention's dispute settlement mechanisms.
He called on all countries to uphold multilateralism, implement sustainable development goals, safeguard international law including UNCLOS, and work together to build a maritime community with a shared future.
At the invitation of High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy of the EU Kaja Kallas, Federal Foreign Minister of Germany Johann Wadephul and Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs of France Jean-Noël Barrot, from June 30 to July 6, Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi will visit the EU Headquarters and hold the 13th round of China-EU High-level Strategic Dialogue, visit Germany and hold the eighth round of China-Germany Strategic Dialogue on Diplomacy and Security, and visit France for talks with the French Foreign Minister and the meeting of the China-France high-level dialogue mechanism on people-to-people exchanges. While in Brussels, Wang Yi will meet and have talks with Belgium's Prime Minister Bart De Wever and Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot respectively.
