The Philippines is reportedly considering broadening the scope of provisional arrangement with China to ease tensions in the South China Sea.
Alexander Lopez, the spokesperson of the maritime council of the Philippines, said in a televised briefing on Tuesday that the two countries' provisional arrangement on resupply missions to Ren'ai Jiao (Ren'ai Reef) could be "expanded to a bigger area," Bloomberg reported on Tuesday.
The provisional arrangement on humanitarian resupply of living necessities to a Philippine warship illegally grounded at Ren'ai Jiao was reached in July. The latest move of the Philippines came after two Philippine coast guard vessels, without permission from the Chinese government, intruded into the adjacent waters of Xianbin Jiao, and acted dangerously by ramming the China Coast Guard vessel on Monday.
The Chinese Embassy in the Philippines on Tuesday urged the Philippines to earnestly observe the arrangement reached with China and to refrain from taking actions that may complicate the situation. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said Manila's move seriously infringes on China's sovereignty, and threatens peace and stability in the South China Sea.
The Philippines, after seeing China's determination to safeguard its territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests, perhaps has started to reflect on whether its current policies are reasonable and whether they could maximize its national interests, Chen Xiangmiao, director of the world navy research center at the National Institute for South China Sea Studies, told the Global Times on Wednesday.
Chen said that sending such a signal may be also a strategy to "let China put its guard down," and ease pressure on the Philippines through playing the victim.
China's attitude toward the Philippines has always been to listen to what it says and watch what it does, Chen said, adding "it all depends on whether the Philippines keeps its promises."
China's Olympic Delegation announced on Wednesday that table tennis player Ma Long and synchronized swimmer Feng Yu will serve as flag bearers for the Chinese team at the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympics. Ma, the five-time Olympic gold medalist, has been widely welcomed in the Olympic Village. This not only highlights Ma's influence and popularity in the international sports arena but also underscores the beautiful idea that sports transcend national boundaries.
The Paris Olympic media guide has praised Ma as the greatest table tennis player in history, noting his achievements of three team and two singles Olympic gold medals.
The International Olympic Committee said on its website, "This legendary athlete has the opportunity to extend his Olympic legacy."
Ma is the first male player to achieve a career Grand Slam, encompassing Olympic, World Championship, World Cup, Asian Games, Asian Championships, Asian Cup, ITTF World Tour Finals, and National Games singles titles. His consistently high ranking in the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) reflects his enduring dominance in the sport.
Beyond his exceptional achievements in table tennis, Ma's affability and charisma have made him an idol for athletes and fans around the world.
As a key member of the Chinese table tennis team, Ma boasts an enormous fan base in China. He is not only a hero to table tennis enthusiasts but also enjoys widespread admiration from the public.
Ma's high profile and influence extend internationally as well, topping the fan popularity rankings on the World Table Tennis (WTT) website.
His humility, diligence, and professionalism have earned him widespread respect and affection. His tenacity and sportsmanship on the court, combined with his approachable nature, contribute to his esteemed reputation both in and out of the sport.
The Paris 2024 Organising Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games "deeply regrets the incident" and is investigating how table tennis player Wang Chuqin's racket was broken on Tuesday after the mixed doubles final match, according to the Beijing Youth Daily on Thursday.
Paris 2024 said they are investigating the cause to ensure there is no repeat of the incident where a member of the press accidentally stepped on Wang's racket while hustling to take a photograph. Paris 2024 has strongly reminded photographers that they must adhere to the strict guidelines in place and always remain in the designated areas for photographers, according to a reply by the committee posted by the Beijing Youth Daily.
Wang's bat was broken on Tuesday after the mixed doubles final match, so he had to use his backup paddle. The world No.1-ranked player failed to advance to the round of 16 after a shock 2-4 defeat to 26-ranked Truls Moregard of Sweden on Wednesday.
The racket incident occurred right after Wang and his mixed doubles partner Sun Yingsha took gold on Tuesday. When Wang put his racket down to hold the national flag, a group of photographers rushed to capture the moment and stepped on his bat. Some Chinese netizens are repeatedly watching video recordings to figure out how the paddle was damaged.
Chinese athletes Liu Hao and Ji Bowen captured the gold medal in the men's canoe double 500m at the Paris Olympics on Thursday.
China last won this event at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, when Meng Guangliang and Yang Wenjun successfully defended their title. Sixteen years later, Liu and Ji have once again brought glory to China, breaking the Olympic record.
The pair advanced to the semifinals with a time of 1:37.40 in the heats, setting a new Olympic record for the event. They then secured their spot in the final as the top team from the semifinals.
In the final, Liu and Ji dominated the race, leading from start to finish to clinch the gold medal with a commanding performance.
Liu, who won silver in both the men's 1000m double sculls and single sculls at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, came to Paris with the goal of completing his medal collection with a gold. After the 2021 National Games in Shaanxi Province, Liu partnered with the younger Ji, as the Paris Olympics saw a shift from the 1000m to the 500m distance in the men's double sculls.
Despite the changes, the 30-year-old Liu quickly adapted, forming a strong partnership with Ji. Liu described Ji as fast and noted that he soon became a role model.
"I feel responsible for keeping the team's morale high. I can't let the energy drop, especially during long training sessions," Liu said.
Ji also spoke about their partnership: "We first met in 2019 at a competition. I thought I was fast, but compared to Liu, I was far behind. I see him as a role model and strive to meet his standard."
Their hard work paid off when they secured their Olympic spot with a second-place finish at the 2023 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships. Their gold medal in Paris now stands as a testament to their dedication and teamwork.
Fujian Maritime Safety Administration and Donghai Rescue Bureau, both under the Chinese Ministry of Transport, jointly conducted maritime patrol and law enforcement operations in the Taiwan Straits from Saturday to Sunday, with a total duration of 30.5 hours and a total cruising distance of 413 nautical miles.
Experts said the operation has enhanced the Chinese mainland's maritime management agency's control over maritime traffic and emergency rescue capabilities in the Taiwan Straits. Previously, maritime departments from the mainland had already achieved regular law enforcement patrols in the waters near Kinmen, and now this "regularization" has been further extended, they noted.
The operation was jointly carried out by a patrol flotilla consisting of three vessels, China Central Television (CCTV) reported.
The primary tasks of the operation involved patrolling the waters of the Taiwan Straits, examining coastal shipping routes, anchorages, offshore construction sites, high-risk collision zones for commercial and fishing vessels, busy traffic areas, accident-prone zones, Taiwan Shoal, and other waterways, according to the report.
Additionally, tasks include investigating and addressing maritime traffic violations, upholding navigational regulations, inspecting shipping routes in the central Taiwan Straits, organizing and controlling traffic, conducting spot checks on passing vessels, and inspecting on-site the implementation of emergency search and rescue plans.
The operation also involves inspecting and verifying navigational aids in the Taiwan Straits, confirming ship identification code details on-site, testing communication capabilities over land and sea, and ensuring the orderly conduct of radio communications on the water. Since the fishing ban in the southeastern coast of China was lifted on Friday, a large number of fishing vessels entered the Taiwan Straits, increasing the risk of collisions between commercial and fishing vessels, CCTV said.
The operation reached within two nautical miles east of the middle of the Taiwan Straits, and the southernmost point reached the Taiwan Shoal, covering an area that was wider than in previous years, Yuyuan Tantian, a social media account affiliated with state broadcaster CCTV, said in a post on WeChat on Sunday.
Due to geographical reasons, the Taiwan Straits has relatively large winds and waves, making it prone to accidents. The operation served to protect the safety of navigation for ships passing by, and also to demonstrate the mainland's jurisdiction over the relevant waters of the Taiwan Straits, an expert who requested anonymity told the Global Times on Sunday.
With an interval of less than a month, China's aircraft carrier Shandong reportedly launched its second far seas drill of the year on Monday, with experts on Tuesday highlighting the carrier's increasing comprehensive combat capabilities.
The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force spotted the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy's aircraft carrier Shandong, a Type 055 guided missile destroyer, a Type 052D guided missile destroyer and a Type 054A guided missile frigate sailing in the West Pacific waters to the south of Miyako Island on Monday, with the Shandong having hosted takeoff and landing operations of fighter jets and helicopters, Japan's Ministry of Defense Joint Staff said in a press release late on Monday.
It marks the aircraft carrier Shandong's second far seas exercise beyond the first island chain this year, observers said.
The first drill took place in the same region from July 9 to 18, according to the Japanese Defense Ministry. The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force lost track of the Shandong on July 16, and from July 9 to 15 and July 17 to 18, it counted a total of about 420 aircraft sorties hosted by the PLA Navy carrier.
Fu Qianshao, a Chinese military aviation expert, told the Global Times on Tuesday that the Shandong's drills demonstrate a significant increase in its training intensity, which greatly enhances the aircraft carrier's comprehensive combat capabilities.
Launching a second drill less than a month after the first shows that the aircraft carrier is able to conduct consecutive missions in short intervals, and displays a high level of maintenance capability, observers said.
The West Pacific waters where the Shandong is conducting drill is of strategic significance, analysts said. The area is located in the Philippine Sea to the east of the island of Taiwan, to the northeast of the Philippines, to the south of Japan and to the northwest of Guam.
During the PLA's previous large-scale joint drills around the island of Taiwan, Chinese mainland experts stressed that this area can seal the island off while blocking external reinforcements. During the Shandong's last far seas drills in July amid recent China-Philippines tensions, foreign analysts claimed that the Chinese carrier aimed to deter the Philippines.
Responding to a media query about the Shandong's drill near the Philippines in July, Senior Colonel Zhang Xiaogang, a spokesperson at China's Ministry of National Defense, said on July 12 that the carrier's far seas combat drill was an annual routine arrangement that does not aim at any specific target.
"The PLA Navy will regularly hold similar drills so as to continuously enhance the carrier group's systematic combat capabilities," Zhang said.
China supports Iran in defending its sovereignty, security and national dignity in accordance with the law, and supports the Iranian side in its efforts to maintain regional peace and stability, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Sunday during a call with Iranian Acting Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri Kani, adding that China is ready to maintain close communication with the Iranian side.
The two sides focused their exchange of views on the situation in the Middle East, according to a statement released by the Chinese Foreign Ministry on Sunday. Bagheri introduced the position of the Iranian side on the assassination of Hamas leader and its views on the regional situation, stressing that the Iranian side will resolutely defend its national sovereignty, security and territorial integrity, and at the same time is committed to maintaining security and stability in the region.
Bagheri also thanked China for its impartial stance on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and expects China to play a greater role in easing the situation and promoting security in the Middle East.
Wang said that China has always upheld justice in Middle East affairs and supported all parties in safeguarding their legitimate rights and interests, especially in supporting the restoration of the legitimate national rights of the Palestinians.
China firmly opposes and strongly condemns the act of assassination and considers it a serious violation of the basic norms of international relations, a grave infringement on Iran's sovereignty, security and dignity, and a direct undermining of the cease-fire negotiation process in Gaza, as well as an impact on regional peace and stability.
It is imperative that the international community form a joint effort to urge all parties to the conflict to effectively implement the relevant UN Security Council resolutions and create conditions for a comprehensive and permanent cease-fire in Gaza as soon as possible, Wang added.
Iran is a regional country with important influence, and China and Iran are comprehensive strategic partners, Wang said. China has always promoted China-Iran relations from a strategic and long-term perspective, and is willing to work with the new Iranian government to continue to firmly support each other on issues of mutual core interests, steadily promote practical cooperation in various fields, unswervingly promote the healthy development of relations between the two countries, and continue to add new connotations to the China-Iran comprehensive strategic partnership.
China welcomes the active participation of the Iranian side in the activities hosted by China as the rotating chair of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, with a view to strengthen this new type of international organization, Wang said.
China is ready to strengthen cooperation with the Iranian side within the framework of the BRICS mechanism, further enhance the voice and influence of the Global South and promote the development of international governance in a more just and rational direction.
Bagheri said that the Iranian side is willing to strengthen coordination with the Chinese side on international and regional affairs and give the relationship a richer strategic connotation.
China on Friday initiated dispute settlement proceedings against the EU's provisional anti-subsidy measures against Chinese electric vehicles (EVs) at the WTO to safeguard the interests of its EV industry's development and global green transition cooperation, China's Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) said on Friday.
Experts said that the move suggests that China has legitimately resorted to the multilateral mechanism to address the China-EU dispute over provisional tariffs on China-made electric cars. Mediation through the WTO could lead to some new changes in discussion mechanisms within the bloc, they noted.
Industry insiders also urged the EU to face up to healthy competition with China in the EV sector and ramp up green cooperation, in order to maintain the stable development of bilateral economic and trade ties as well as jointly address climate change.
According to the MOFCOM official website, the ministry noted that the findings in the EU's preliminary ruling lack factual and legal basis, seriously violate WTO rules, and jeopardize the overall situation of global cooperation in addressing climate change.
We urge the EU to immediately rectify its wrong practices and jointly safeguard China-EU economic and trade cooperation and the stability of the EV industry and supply chains, said the ministry.
"The MOFCOM's move is a legitimate response by China to the EU's investigation and subsequent decision to impose provisional tariffs on Chinese EVs against WTO rules. It also shows that China uses the multilateral platform to resolve bilateral trade disputes, which will help keep the bilateral economic and trade relations on track," Jian Junbo, deputy director of the Center for China-Europe Relations at Fudan University's Institute of International Studies, told the Global Times on Friday.
Jian noted that China is taking diversified approaches to addressing the issue, in order to avoid bringing things to an impasse.
"Mediation through the WTO indicates China's desire to resolve the dispute started by the EU through talks and minimize its harm to car companies in both countries, as the cooperation between Chinese and European carmakers has become inextricably intertwined," Zhang Xiang, secretary general of the International Intelligent Vehicle Engineering Association, told the Global Times on Friday.
China's move comes after a Financial Times report on Monday said that Valdis Dombrovskis, the European commissioner for trade, said EU member states are likely to support the imposition of proposed tariffs on Chinese EVs in November.
Experts noted that Dombrovskis' remarks also sent a signal that the EU is encountering some difficulties in pressuring certain members to formulate a united supporting stance on additional tariffs on Chinese EVs, as the interests of some member countries, such as major auto producer Germany, and Hungary, which is a major recipient of Chinese investment including from BYD, apparently stand in contrast to EU tariff hikes.
"The MOFCOM's action may have some impact on the EU's consideration on whether to impose the proposed tariff rates in November. Taking the issue to the multilateral platform for mediation may stimulate different ideas among different EU member states, which may lead to new mechanisms for discussion within the bloc," Jian said.
Cui Dongshu, secretary-general of the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA), said that the EU's unreasonable tariff measures against China's EVs are mainly aimed at curbing the development of Chinese electric carmakers in the EU, so as to protect its backward industry, which has subjected Chinese EV enterprises to unfair treatment.
The EU is coming under increasing pressure from the US government and has rolled out policies to curb the development of China's new-energy vehicle industry. However, the EU should know that scrapping the provisional tariffs is of great benefit to China-Europe trade cooperation, Zhang noted.
"The entry of Chinese EVs into the European market can help further accelerate the electrification process of the auto industry in Europe and make its industrial layout more optimized. At least Chinese EVs give European consumers more choice," said Cui.
"The EU should see that trade protectionism does not help competition in Europe's auto industry, and win-win cooperation is the right way to go," Jian noted.
He Yongqian, a spokesperson from MOFCOM, said in July that the ministry hopes the EU will face the fact that the competitive advantages of Chinese EVs do not come from subsidies, that China-EU industrial cooperation in the auto sector is beneficial for shared development, and that the EU's industry opposes trade protectionist measures. "We hope the EU will make reasonable, objective decisions that are truly based on facts and rules," He noted.
Despite rising protectionist pressure from some Western countries, China's NEV sector saw a good performance in its sales and exports in July.
Retail sales of NEVs rose 36.9 percent year-on-year to 878,000 units in July, according to statistics released by the CPCA on Thursday. China's domestic sales of new-energy passenger cars surpassed those of gasoline-powered cars for the first time that month, showcasing the resilient growth momentum of the NEV industry and strongly refuting allegations of so-called overcapacity.
In July, China's NEV exports reached 92,000 units, up 1.3 percent year-on-year. Tesla exported 27,890 China-made NEVs in the same month, a significant increase from the June figure of 11,746, which highlighted the strength of China's NEV supply chain and its role in enhancing the global competitiveness of foreign brands.
