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The Chinese Foreign Ministry on Friday announced that the Minister for Foreign Affairs and External Trade of the Solomon Islands Rick Houenipwela will pay an official visit to China from July 10 to 15, at the invitation of Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. 

Against the backdrop of certain external noise aiming to undermine China-Solomon Islands ties, this visit sends a clear signal that the two countries will continue to consolidate their relations and deepen practical cooperation, analysts said.

Elaborating on Houenipwela's visit, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said at a press briefing on Friday that through this visit, China looks forward to enhancing political mutual trust, deepening mutually beneficial cooperation and promoting the steady development of China-Solomon Islands relations so as to bring more benefits to the two peoples.

Noting that the visit marks Houenipwela's first official visit to China since he took office, Mao said that China and the Solomon Islands are comprehensive strategic partners featuring mutual respect and common development for a new era.

"Since our diplomatic ties were established in 2019, China-Solomon Islands relations have enjoyed all-round and rapid development, standing as a stellar example of equality and mutually beneficial cooperation among developing countries," the spokesperson noted.

In 2019, the Solomon Islands announced in a statement that it recognized the one-China principle and severed the so-called "diplomatic ties" with Taiwan island. In 2024, the two sides agreed to deepen the comprehensive strategic partnership between China and the Solomon Islands in the new era based on mutual respect and common development, and to build a community with a shared future between China and the Solomon Islands in the new era.

Cooperation between China and the Solomon Islands is a two-way partnership based on equality and mutual benefit, free of political strings and solely geared toward win-win development, Chen Hong, director of Asia Pacific Studies Centre at East China Normal University, told the Global Times on Friday. 

"Since the establishment of diplomatic ties, the Solomon Islands has seen steady growth in exports of its agricultural, aquatic and mineral products to China," Chen said. "In return, China has delivered tangible benefits to the Solomon Islands' people through practical support in infrastructure, communications, healthcare and education. Bilateral cooperation boasts a solid foundation and broad prospects."

Through mutually beneficial cooperation with China, the socioeconomic shortcomings stemming from prolonged Western colonial exploitation in the Solomon Islands are being steadily remedied, the expert noted.  

However, some Western politicians and media outlets have been making unfounded claims against China-Solomon Islands ties. 

During a recent visit to the Solomon Islands, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese pledged to deepen bilateral ties with Solomon Islands, while criticizing China's strategic missile launch in the high seas of the Pacific Ocean, according to media reports. 

"Australia and its ally the United States have long considered the South Pacific within their sphere of influence," reads a Reuters report, which claimed that though China is Australia's largest trading partner, Canberra remains wary of Beijing's "expanding influence in the Pacific."

Australia's moves bear strong overtones of bloc politics and exclusivity, and it attempts to meddle in the mutually beneficial cooperation between China and the Solomon Islands through coercive pressure and enticement targeting the island nation, said Chen.

By contrast, China maintains an inclusive stance on cooperation between Pacific Island countries and all other nations, as long as such partnerships are not directed against any third party, and stands ready to pursue trilateral and multilateral initiatives with others to advance regional shared development, peace and stability, Chen added. 

According to the expert, amid mounting external pressure, pervasive disruptive narratives and widespread uncertainties, the visit delivers an unequivocal message that China and the Solomon Islands will steadfastly consolidate bilateral ties and deepen all-round cooperation. 

Direct high-level engagement allows the two sides to exchange in-depth views and align positions on shared priorities, laying a solid foundation for sustained growth of bilateral relations, he noted. 

The government and leadership of Paraguay need to ask themselves what the people want, what best serves Paraguay's fundamental and long-term interest and where the arc of history bends, and decide whether they should stop being on the wrong side of history and join the overwhelming majority of countries instead, a spokesperson from China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Wednesday after Paraguay's foreign minister claimed that the country is open to trade with China, as long as it does not have to sever its so-called ties with Taiwan island.

Chinese expert dismissed Paraguay's foreign minister's remarks as an attempt to "have it both ways." Seeking the economic benefits of closer ties with China while harming China's core interests is "wishful thinking," the expert said, adding that such a proposition would never be accepted by Beijing.

During a summit in Paraguay with leaders of the South American Mercosur bloc on Tuesday, where trade issues were discussed, Paraguay's Foreign Minister Ruben Ramirez said that Paraguay does not refuse to establish trade relations with China, as long as there are no conditions regarding Paraguay's so-called diplomatic ties with Taiwan island, according to the Strait Times. 

Paraguay is the only South American country that has so-called diplomatic ties with Taiwan authorities, and is the only Mercosur member that does not maintain diplomatic relations with China. 

The claims made by Paraguay's foreign minister are obviously trying to "have it all," Sun Hongbo, a researcher in China-Latin American relations at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times, noting that any move that undermines China's core interests will inevitably prompt a policy response. Economic and trade cooperation cannot be separated from political fundamentals, nor can it advance at the expense of China's core interests.

Sun said Paraguay's proposal to deepen trade ties with China while retaining so-called diplomatic relations with island of Taiwan amounted to "wishful thinking." Whether such an arrangement is possible ultimately depends on China's policy, not Paraguay's aspirations.

According to Foreign Trade Report released by the Paraguay's Department of External Sector Statistics, China remained Paraguay's largest supplier of goods as of the end of March 2026, the country's El Nacional reported.

Major imports from China included mobile phones, portable data-processing equipment, and tires.

Ramirez's remarks came after Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said the South American bloc was advancing talks on an economic partnership with Japan, adding: "Very soon, we want to do the same with China," according to La Tribuna, a Paraguayan newspaper. 

As other Latin America countries explore ways to deepen economic ties with China, Paraguay risks confining itself to an increasingly narrow diplomatic position, said Sun, noting that China is one of the world's largest consumer markets and a crucial destination for Latin American agricultural products, energy and minerals, as well as a key partner in infrastructure investment. 

Seeking greater access to that market while rejecting the political foundation Beijing regards as non-negotiable ultimately risks hurting Paraguay's own interest. Sun said that the country has reached a point where it needs to reassess the limits of its current policy toward island of Taiwan.

When being asked that Paraguay's president Santiago Peña is visiting Taiwan with a delegation of business leaders in May, Lin Jian, a spokesperson from China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said that the one-China principle is a basic norm in international relations and a prevailing international consensus. On the basis of this principle, a total of 183 countries have established diplomatic relations with China. 

"We urge the Paraguayan authorities to come to the right side of history as soon as possible, and make the right decision to recognize the one-China principle and sever so-called diplomatic ties with the Taiwan authorities," said Lin. 

At the invitation of Denmark's Minister for Foreign Affairs Lars Lokke Rasmussen, Sweden's Minister for Foreign Affairs Maria Malmer Stenergard, Finland's Minister for Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen, and Norway's Minister of Foreign Affairs Espen Barth Eide, Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi will visit the four countries from July 2 to 8, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson announced on Tuesday.

Asked about China's views on relations with Denmark, Sweden, Finland and Norway and expectations for Wang's upcoming visits, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said on Tuesday at a regular press conference that the four countries are among the first European countries to recognize and establish diplomatic relations 

Guo said recent years have seen steady and robust development of relations between China and the four countries, with fruitful cooperation in green transition, trade and investment, and sci-tech innovation, and broad-based consensus on upholding multilateralism and free trade and joint response to global challenges, including climate change.

During the visit, Wang will hold talks with his counterparts in the four countries respectively to have in-depth exchanges of views on bilateral relations and international and regional issues of mutual interest, the spokesperson said.

Feng Zhongping, director of the Institute of European Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Tuesday that the visit is expected to not only focus on international issues, but also on deepening cooperation in areas such as green transition, innovation and trade, while reaffirming shared support for multilateralism and free trade at a time of global uncertainty.

Although bilateral relations between China and the four countries may have encountered some challenges, policies among the Nordic countries on China are now showing a trend toward returning to pragmatism. This is a reflection of their recognition of China's important role in advancing multilateral cooperation, Feng said.

At the press conference, spokesperson Guo outlined the strategic positioning of China's bilateral relations with the four countries respectively. He said that Denmark is China's comprehensive strategic partner in Northern Europe, adding that this will be the first visit by a Chinese foreign minister to Denmark in 15 years, and the first high-level face-to-face meeting after the new Danish government took office. China hopes to consolidate mutual trust, expand cooperation and deepen friendship with Denmark through the visit to open up new prospects for the China-Denmark comprehensive strategic partnership, Guo said.

Sweden is China's largest trading partner in Northern Europe. The upcoming visit will be the first by a Chinese foreign minister to Sweden in 22 years. Through the visit, China looks forward to enhancing communication, deepening mutual trust and expanding cooperation with Sweden to consolidate the sound momentum of growth in bilateral relations, the spokesperson said.

China and Finland are future-oriented new-type cooperative partners. Recent years have seen successive visits to China by Finnish President Alexander Stubb, Speaker of Finnish Parliament Jussi Halla-aho, and Prime Minister Petteri Orpo. The two sides have had close high-level exchanges and fruitful practical cooperation in various fields. China hopes that the visit will enable the two sides to better deliver on the important common understandings between the leaders and provide fresh impetus for the development of the China-Finland partnership, Guo said.

Norway is one of the first countries to recognize China's market economy status. Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store visited China in 2024 as the two countries marked the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations, which gave a strong boost to the development of bilateral ties. Through the visit, China will work with Norway to deliver on the important common understandings between the leaders, have in-depth exchanges of views on green transition, global governance, and other bilateral and multilateral issues, and promote the continued steady and sound development of China-Norway relations, said Guo.

Feng said that the invitation from the four Nordic countries, together with Wang's multiple visits to Europe since the beginning of the year, symbolizes a shift in which many European countries are increasingly recognizing China's importance as a partner.

At the Munich Security Conference in February, Wang said that China and Europe are "partners, not opponents, and certainly not "systemic rivals,'" adding that "Europe's challenges do not come from China" and urging joint efforts with the EU to address global challenges.

In Miaojia Village, east China's Zhejiang Province, villagers rarely describe Lu Rongjie by his official title as chief of the local Communist Party of China (CPC) organization. Instead, they refer to him by the shoes on his feet.

The village Party chief is known locally as a "running-shoe cadre," a nod to his non-stop rounds and on-the-ground work style. During the day, when he's not in the office, he is usually out visiting the villagers.

"Villagers are the most straightforward. Their joys and worries are all written on their faces," Lu said. "So we must talk with them in person to spot their concerns and unresolved issues before they grow."

Lu's work style reflects a longstanding principle of the CPC: maintaining close ties with the people. This principle has shaped the Party's grassroots governance since its founding more than a century ago.

Under the leadership of the Party, China's rural areas have undergone tremendous transformations, securing a sweeping victory in eliminating absolute poverty in 2020 before embarking on rural revitalization.

None of these goals could be achieved without Party organizations in hundreds of thousands of administrative villages, said Huang Zuhui, an expert at China Academy for Rural Development of Zhejiang University, adding that they are the final link in turning blueprints like the five-year plans into reality.

A VILLAGE CANTEEN THAT BECAME COMMUNITY HUB

Village Party organizations are tasked with a wide range of affairs. After becoming Miaojia's Party secretary, Lu led the whole village to improve its environment, develop flower fields, build public spaces and explore new rural business opportunities. Yet he said rural revitalization cannot be judged by scenery, industries or revenue alone -- it must improve the daily lives of residents ultimately.

One problem kept appearing during his visits: elderly care.

Most elderly villagers chose to remain in Miaojia, but their working children could not regularly prepare daily meals. Seniors aged 60 and over make up nearly a third of the village, making convenient, affordable local dining a vital need.

Lu and the village Party organization began to look for a solution inside the village. In May 2024, the Miaojia Village canteen opened. The renovated building brought together a dining hall, a tea house, a rural auditorium stage and leisure spaces. Villagers can have meals, drink tea, watch performances, play chess and spend time with neighbors there.

The village allocated more than 200,000 yuan (about 29,000 US dollars) each year to subsidize meals for elderly people. Residents aged 70 and above can enjoy discounted meals, while those aged 90 and above can eat for free.

At the canteen's launch, 99-year-old resident Zhou Yinfang was among the first to eat there, praising the meal repeatedly. For Lu, that moment showed why the canteen mattered.

Beyond solving the daily dining difficulties of elderly villagers, the canteen helped complete the village's broader five-minute service network. Miaojia has rolled out a string of amenities, such as a supermarket, childcare facility, and cultural plaza.

The canteen also created a small local economic cycle. Run by the village collective, it employs local residents and sources ingredients from the village's shared-prosperity supermarket. The single public service facility thus delivers multiple gains: elder care support, local jobs, and revenue for the village collective.
RURAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP SUPPORT

In another village of Zhejiang, the story of rural revitalization began with rural space waiting to be rediscovered.

Lizu Village was once known locally as Shuiniujiao, meaning water buffalo horn, a name that reflected its old and remote image. It used to have limited industries, few visitors and little appeal for young people.

Today, Lizu has become known as a cultural and creative village, attracting entrepreneurs, designers, shop owners and youngsters who want to test new ideas in the countryside.

Behind these changes is a daily service system supported by village-level Party organizations and local operators. Local authorities renovate vacant homes, upgrade public areas, recruit entrepreneurs, match business demands with village resources, and back individual stores to join a unified village brand.

An open area in Lizu that used to be idle land was reshaped into an aesthetic farm with lawns, tents, outdoor weddings and camping activities, while a local pond once muddied and used by villagers to wash produce and clothes has undergone full restoration into an ecological scenic spot, with a dedicated eco-friendly laundry facility built nearby.

Bao Liping was one of those who came to Lizu to find business opportunities. At first, Bao was not sure whether her clothes shop would work, as the village was not a traditional commercial district and rural entrepreneurship could be unpredictable. However, the village environment combined with local support gave her a reason to try.

"A clean and attractive village is only the starting point. We want to continuously bring tangible and measurable gains for villagers," said Fang Haolong, Party secretary of Lizu.
CONNECTING FARMERS WITH TECHNOLOGY, MARKETS

Similar stories are unfolding elsewhere across China. In Meixian County of northwest China's Shaanxi Province, kiwi fruit cultivation has evolved into a full industrial chain connecting Party organizations, technical support, cooperatives, processors, and markets.

In the county, more than 2,600 Party-member technicians are working out in the fields to make the farming of this fruit easier for farmers.

With their assistance, fruit grower Zhao Junrong in Tianjiazhai Village can now check his orchard from home via a mobile phone application. On the screen, temperature, humidity and light conditions are all displayed in real time.

"In the past, farming depended on the weather. Now we look at the mobile phone app," Zhao said. "When to water and when to fertilize, the system understands better than people."
Wang Fang, a fruit grower in Zaolin Village, echoed this sentiment. "Previously, when I planted by myself, I worried about technology and sales," Wang said. "Now the cooperative handles all management and sales collectively. I only need to focus on farming."

In recent years, Meixian County has also introduced processing enterprises to boost the villagers' income from the fruit. Last year, a total of 18,500 tonnes of fresh fruit and processed products were sold to markets as far as Southeast Asia and Russia, with sales reaching 154 million yuan.

From Miaojia's community canteen, to Lizu's entrepreneurship, and to Meixian's kiwi orchards, China's rural revitalization unfolds through dedicated villagers, robust grassroots Party organizations, and the belief that the countryside will surely have an even brighter future.

In two consecutive days, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda has remarked on ties with China. He said on Friday the future of Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys in his post will depend on progress in two areas: Normalizing relations with China and "delivering on commitments made to Taiwan," Lithuanian media LRT reported.

A Chinese scholar argued that despite Lithuania's overtures for better bilateral ties, the remarks reveal an opportunistic mindset. By linking the foreign minister's political fate to both China rapprochement and pledges to the Taiwan region, the statement lays bare a fence-sitting approach and a lack of sincerity in improving ties with China.

"Certain results must be put on the table," Nauseda told reporters in Brussels, according to LRT. "If they are satisfactory, everything will be fine and I hope that Budrys will be able to continue in office. If not, then we will look at the matter differently."

The remarks marked the second time in two days that the Lithuanian president has underscored the importance of ties with China and voiced expectations for mending bilateral relations.

On Thursday, Nauseda has told the Bloomberg TV in an interview in Brussels that he expects to see the first results of the country's diplomatic outreach to China within the next six months, as the Baltic nation moves to mend ties with China following a spat over island of Taiwan.

A Chinese diplomatic scholar who requested anonymity told the Global Times on Saturday that Lithuania's eagerness to mend ties with China has become plainly evident. Having repeatedly provoked and crossed red lines over the Taiwan question in the past, the country is now trapped in a dual economic and diplomatic predicament. Its only way out lies in mending ties and deepening cooperation with China.

According to the scholar, the president's pressure on the foreign minister also reveals deep rifts within Lithuania's political establishment regarding its past anti-China policies. Current decision-makers have acknowledged that the previous path is untenable and intend to readjust their course.

Nevertheless, the expert pointed out that despite Lithuania's overtures for better bilateral ties, the remarks reveal an opportunistic mindset. Such fence-sitting tactics demonstrate a grave lack of sincerity and prove that the country still fails to grasp the full gravity of the Taiwan question.

According to LRT, recent criticism [on Budrys] has focused in particular on what some see as insufficient efforts to restore diplomatic ties with China, and on remarks Budrys made about NATO's potential to strike the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad. The minister himself has said that relations with China are not currently his top foreign policy priority.

The Lithuanian government, in disregard of the Chinese side's strong objection and repeated dissuasion, approved the establishment of the so-called "Taiwanese Representative Office" in Lithuania by Taiwan authorities in August 2021. Under the one-China principle, any exchanges with China's Taiwan should be civil and non-official. By allowing the establishment of a "representative office" under the name of "Taiwanese," Vilnius has apparently reneged on the political commitments it made in the communiqué on the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Lithuania.

Since then, China has adopted a slew of legitimate, reasonable and lawful countermeasures including a diplomatic downgrade between China and Lithuania.

Over the past four years, economic and trade relations between China and Lithuania have experienced a "precipitous drop": Data showed that Lithuania's exports to China plummeted by more than 50 percent; pillar industries such as timber and dairy suffered heavy losses, with the century-old dairy company Rokiskio Suris also taking a hit; and the Baltic deep-water port of Klaipeda saw a sharp reduction in throughput due to the rerouting of China-Europe freight trains. It can be said that Vilnius has paid a heavy price for its strategic shortsightedness and political opportunistic actions.

In February this year, Lithuanian Prime Minister Inga Ruginienė said that she would be prepared to consider renaming an office set up by the Taiwan regional authority in her country, and she reiterated that the opening of the so-called "Taiwanese Representative Office" in Lithuania has "brought no benefits" from the region and has damaged relations with China, LRT reported.

"The Taiwan question is purely China's internal affair. Lithuania's wishful thinking of profiting from both the Chinese mainland and Taiwan is bound to end in vain," Chinese expert stressed. Only by abiding by relevant UN resolutions and basic norms of international relations, and firmly adhering to the one-China principle, can Lithuania bring bilateral relations back on track. Should it continue to gamble and play with fire on Taiwan question, Lithuania alone will bear all the consequences and losses, the expert said.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said at Monday's regular press conference that Japanese invaders, who conducted large-scale and gruesome human experimentation and germ warfare, shall forever be nailed to the eternal pillar of shame, adding, "We call on Japan to do serious soul-searching, make a clean break with militarism, and earn the trust of its Asian neighbors and the international community with concrete actions."

These remarks were made when he was asked to comment on Japanese media reported that according to records from a Japanese military medical conference held in 1940, the Imperial Japanese Army may have repeatedly conducted experiments involving the transfusion of animal blood into humans during its aggression in the autumn of 1938. The report indicates that the gender, age and nationalities of the 23 test subjects were not specified and the experiments were probably carried out in China. It is also mentioned that Japan's military authorities attempted to destroy evidence related to human experimentation after the country's defeat in WWII. Before that, archives from the Soviet Union's Khabarovsk Trial of Unit 731 show that Japanese military doctors described live human xenotransfusion experiments as a "standardized, routine program."

Guo said that "we noted relevant reports," adding that the Khabarovsk Trial in 1949, an extension and complement to the Tokyo Trials, left behind numerous well-preserved audio recordings, transcripts and physical evidence. They form a complete chain of solid evidence that brings to light the crimes of the Japanese military's germ warfare. Discoveries like these have opened the eyes of many in the world, including the Japanese public, to this dark and horror-filled chapter of history. 

"Only by respecting the verdict of history and facts, recovering their missing pieces and upholding peace, can the tragedy of war stop repeating itself. By remilitarizing itself, Japan is summoning the past and heading down a treacherous path," Guo said.

A Chinese research team has developed a new artificial intelligence (AI) system capable of automatically detecting space hurricanes in the upper atmosphere, providing alert information to support further polar communications and navigation safety, the Global Times learned from the development team at the National Space Science Center under the Chinese Academy of Sciences on Tuesday.

A recently discovered type of space weather phenomenon, a space hurricane is huge, funnel-like spiral geomagnetic storm. It appears as a massive, rotating auroral structure near Earth's magnetic poles and is named for their resemblance to typhoons in the northwestern Pacific and tropical cyclones in the North Atlantic. Scientists have previously found that these storms, which occur in the ionosphere and magnetosphere, can cause navigation and positioning errors and significantly degrade the performance of over-the-horizon radar systems.

The Chinese research team, in collaboration with international scientists, reported a long-lasting space hurricane in the polar ionosphere and magnetosphere in 2021. They pointed out in subsequent follow-up studies that current methods for detecting space hurricanes lacks automated identification tools and instead relies entirely on manual inspection of satellite images, making the process subjective and inefficient.

"Establishing an intelligent space hurricane monitoring framework carries significant scientific value. It can not only enhance monitoring of hazards in the space environment, possibly promoting the transition of space weather monitoring from passive response to proactive early warning, but also build space weather modeling and forecasting, supporting alert information for polar communications and the safety of navigation," Zhang Qinghe, the leading researcher from the team of the state key laboratory of solar activity and space weather at the center, told the Global Times on Tuesday.

To build the AI system, researchers used 300,000 auroral images collected from both hemispheres between 2005 and 2021, selecting more than 500 confirmed space hurricane events as training samples, and deliberately incorporated a large number of ordinary aurora images that are easily confused with space hurricanes into the dataset. They then developed a deep-learning system that uses algorithms to automatically identify and accurately locate space hurricanes in satellite ultraviolet imagery. The team has also built a complete software platform with a visual interface to streamline researchers' workflows.

Tests showed that the model achieved a detection accuracy of nearly 97.9 percent, significantly outperforming previous methods. Researchers said the system could be directly applied to analyze ultraviolet imaging data from the recently launched Solar wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer (SMILE) satellite.

SMILE is a joint mission developed by the CAS and the European Space Agency. The satellite carries an ultraviolet imager designed to capture continuous, high-resolution auroral images.

The SMILE satellite will conduct more than 40 consecutive hours of observations, performing X-ray imaging of Earth's magnetosheath and polar cusp regions, while also capturing ultraviolet images to map the global distribution of auroras. The AI system developed in this study could be used to systematically analyze the vast amount of aurora data collected by SMILE. 

By leveraging SMILE's long-duration observations, researchers expect to further improve the model's reliability and gain a deeper understanding of how space hurricanes form, evolve and move over time. Ultimately, the work could help shift research from simply identifying these rare events to uncovering the physical mechanisms behind them, providing a more complete picture of how interactions between the solar wind and Earth's magnetic field give rise to space hurricanes.

The research team's next step will be to develop space hurricane forecasting capabilities. Researchers plan to integrate real-time data sources and establish an integrated space-air-ground monitoring network supporting real-time monitoring short-term forecasting.

Meanwhile, constrained by the need for a unified data processing framework, the difficulty of modeling under small-sample conditions, and the limited physical understanding of the formation mechanisms of space hurricanes, many challenges still need to be overcome before practical, operational applications can be achieved, Zhang noted.

There is absolutely no so-called "forced relocation" or "forced labor" and such claims are extremely absurd and ridiculous, Chen Ruifeng, vice minister of the United Front Work Department of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and director of the National Ethnic Affairs Commission, said at a press conference on Wednesday in response to some Western media's claims about "forced labor" regarding China's Xinjiang region.

The State Council Information Office on Wednesday held a press conference to brief on the Ethnic Unity and Progress Promotion Law, a fundamental law on ethnic affairs in China, which was adopted at the closing meeting of the fourth session of the 14th National People's Congress (NPC) and will take effect on July 1, 2026, according to the Xinhua News Agency. 

At the press conference on Wednesday, a reporter mentioned that some Western media reports alleging "forced labor" and "forced relocation" among ethnic minorities in China's Xinjiang region, and asked about how China views rhetoric that links measures aimed at promoting the common development of all ethnic groups with "forced labor" narrative, as well as how Chinese law protects the lawful rights and interests of workers of all ethnic groups in mobile employment.

Chen said that the Ethnic Unity and Progress Promotion Law clearly stipulates that the lawful rights and interests of citizens who seek employment or start businesses across regions shall be protected. These provisions are mainly embodied in Article 25. The purpose of such provisions is to safeguard the equal right to development of people of all ethnic groups, broaden channels for increasing incomes, and promote exchanges, communication and integration among all ethnic groups. The core principles have always been full voluntariness, two-way choice, compliance with laws and regulations, and freedom to come and go.

The transfer of labor for employment in China's Xinjiang region is carried out on the basis of respecting the wishes of people of all ethnic groups. Its purpose is to help people of all ethnic groups gain more employment opportunities and increase their incomes. It is entirely and purely a practical and beneficial undertaking for the people of Xinjiang. All regional residents in Xinjiang who work outside their home areas have signed up voluntarily based on their personal desire to improve family living conditions and enhance their own skills, said Chen. 

The official also noted that China's Constitution, Labor Contract Law and a series of other laws and regulations fundamentally prohibit all forms of forced labor, labor discrimination and restrictions on personal freedom. The Ethnic Unity and Progress Promotion Law, from the perspective of ethnic affairs, further clarifies measures such as protecting the rights and interests of workers employed across regions and providing legal aid, so as to safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of workers of all ethnic groups. China will always protect, in accordance with the law, the labor rights and right to development of people of all ethnic groups, enabling them to share the fruits of development and create a better future through free and equal labor.

The Xinjiang region has adhered to an employment-first strategy and made every effort to promote high-quality and sufficient employment. Over the past five years, the region has taken multiple measures to expand employment. Some 2.392 million people have been newly employed, and agricultural workers have taken up jobs outside their home areas 16.1 million times. The per capita disposable income of urban and rural residents has grown by an average of 5.3 percent and 8.1 percent annually, respectively, according to Chen. 

Employment creates a better life. By improving a fair employment policy system and a mechanism for protecting labor rights and interests, the Xinjiang region has not only safeguarded workers' lawful rights and interests, but also enabled all those who are able to work to find employment, maximizing the protection of voluntary employment and decent work for people of all ethnic groups, Chen said. 

The opening ceremony of the China-UN-Africa small arms and light weapons control capacity building training course was held in Beijing on Tuesday, according to Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Lin Jian at a press briefing on Tuesday. 

The training program is jointly organized by China and the United Nations, primarily targeting countries in the African Great Lakes region. Its aim is to help African countries enhance their small arms and light weapons control capabilities, reduce the risk of illegal arms proliferation, and support the African Union's "Silencing the Guns in Africa" initiative, Lin said. 

China has always attached great importance to and actively promoted peace and development in Africa. Cooperation with African countries on small arms and light weapons control is an important component of the "Ten Major Partnership Actions" for China and Africa to jointly advance modernization. It is also one of the key areas of the Global Security Initiative. 

China possesses a comprehensive set of policies and measures for small arms and light weapons control and has been one of the countries with the lowest incidence of gun-related and explosive violent crimes in the world for many consecutive years, Lin said.

The spokesperson said China is willing to continuously strengthen exchanges and cooperation with African countries in this regard, and support them in achieving peace, stability, development, and prosperity.

A major maritime drug trafficking case jointly investigated by law enforcement authorities from China, Thailand and the US has been selected as one of China's top 10 exemplary drug enforcement cases of 2025, the Global Times learned at a press conference held by China's National Narcotics Control Commission (NNCC) on Wednesday.

The NNCC briefed the media on the investigation of major drug-related cases nationwide since the beginning of 2025. Among the cases highlighted was the "Jisheng" vessel case, a large-scale maritime drug smuggling operation uncovered through trilateral law enforcement cooperation.

According to the briefing, on February 24, 2025, Chinese anti-drug and coast guard authorities, working in coordination with the Royal Thai Police and the Drug Enforcement Administration of the US Department of Justice, successfully intercepted the drug-smuggling vessel "Jisheng" in waters near Huangyan Dao in the South China Sea. Seven suspects were arrested and 4,973.4 kilograms of methamphetamine were seized on board, setting a new record for the largest quantity of drugs confiscated in a single maritime case in the Asia-Pacific region in recent years.

Authorities said anti-drug agencies in South China's Guangdong Province, together with counterparts in Fujian and Shandong provinces and the China Coast Guard, spent more than seven months investigating the case and uncovering the full criminal network behind the operation.

According to information released by China's Ministry of Public Security, the Royal Thai Police and the US drug enforcement authority conducted extensive investigations and proactively shared intelligence regarding the maritime trafficking operation with Chinese authorities. Acting on the information, Chinese law enforcement agencies responded swiftly, intercepted the vessel and seized the narcotics, making the case a model of international anti-drug cooperation.

Although the Jisheng case involved coordinated efforts among Chinese, Thai and US law enforcement agencies, it also serves as a notable example of deepening practical cooperation between China and the US in the field of narcotics control.

Over the past two years, China and the US have maintained communication and cooperation on anti-drug law enforcement and have achieved a number of concrete results. On May 11, China's Ministry of Public Security announced that Chinese and US anti-drug authorities had jointly cracked a cross-border drug trafficking case involving smuggling operations spanning both countries.

In another example of bilateral cooperation, on April 3, 2025, following intelligence provided by Chinese anti-drug authorities, the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) deported and transferred to China a Chinese national surnamed Han who was suspected of drug smuggling and trafficking, through established immigration law enforcement cooperation channels.