Zhongjin Gold Corporation on Thursday apologized and organized personnel to the scene to manage the aftermath, after six university students accidentally died on Wednesday during an educational visit at its subsidiary corporation in North China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. 

The six students, who were from Northeastern University in the city of Shenyang in Northeast China's Liaoning Province, were learning about the flotation process at a plant of Wunugetushan copper-molybdenum deposit, which belongs to Zhongjin Gold Corporation, when they fell into a flotation tank due to the falling off of a grate, according to the company.

After all efforts to rescue them, the students were retrieved but were confirmed drowned by medical personnel. Additionally, one teacher was injured.

After the incident, the company immediately activated its emergency response plan and sent personnel to the scene to manage the situation, Zhongjin Gold Corporation said in a statement issued on Thursday.

The company expresses its deep condolences to the victims, sincere sympathy to the injured and the families of the deceased, and extended its heartfelt apologies for the social impact caused by this tragedy.

Currently, Zhongjin Gold Corporation has set up an on-site command center, where relevant follow-up work is being carried out, an employee from the company told the Global Times on Thursday, adding that they will provide updates in a timely manner.

At the opening of the A-share market, the stock price of the company plunged by 4.91 percent.

The Chinese Embassy in Israel expressed its firm opposition and has lodged solemn representations with the Israeli side on Friday after certain members of the Knesset jointly signed a statement calling for support for Taiwan's participation in some international organizations, which blatantly challenged the one-China principle. 

Taiwan's participation in international organizations and agreements under the UN framework must be handled in accordance with the one-China principle. Since coming to power, the Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities have obstinately pursued a separatist agenda for "Taiwan independence" and refused to recognize the one-China principle, thereby dismantling the political foundation for Taiwan's participation in the activities of organizations such as the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), the embassy said in a statement. 

A bipartisan group of 72 members of the Knesset signed a declaration Thursday condemning what they described as the "systematic and unjustified exclusion" of Taiwan from international forums, Israeli news site Ynetnews reported. 

As certain members of the Knesset took the lead in initiating such a statement, we cannot but ask: do they truly understand the implications of allowing the Taiwan authorities to join the international organizations they mentioned? the embassy asked. 

The DPP authorities' pursuit of so-called "international space" is, in essence, an attempt to expand the room for "Taiwan independence" and to propagate the fallacy of "one China, one Taiwan" or "two Chinas." The DPP authorities have stubbornly upheld the "Taiwan independence" stance, repeatedly engaging in separatist provocations, spreading fallacies about "Taiwan independence", and inciting cross-Straits confrontation and antagonism, according to the statement. 

This is the root cause of the current tensions and instability in the region. By supporting Taiwan's participation in international fora on an equal footing with sovereign states, are these Knesset members aligning themselves with the "Taiwan independence" separatist forces in an attempt to split China? Are they willing to become complicit in jeopardizing peace and stability across the Taiwan Straits? The embassy asked. 

"We cannot but ask: who is influencing these members of the Knesset, and what ulterior motives are they concealing?" the embassy said. 

The initiators of this statement, Boaz Toporovsky from Yesh Atid and Ohad Tal from the Religious Zionist Party, both visited Taiwan earlier this year, meeting with the so-called "Vice President" and "Foreign Minister." Upon returning to Israel, they engaged in mutual flattery with relevant figures of Taiwan on social media, openly referring to Taiwan as a "country." While the statement asserts that Israel adheres to the one-China policy, their actions blatantly contradict this policy. This is sheer self-deception. What truths are they trying to hide from the Israeli public? By what falsehoods did they mislead other Knesset members into co-signing this statement? read the embassy's statement. 

"We cannot but ask: in which direction do certain members of the Knesset intend to steer China-Israel relations?" the embassy asked. 

They claim that Israel shares common values of human rights and democracy with Taiwan, but the fact is that the DPP authorities are carrying out a "green terror" on the island, suppressing opposition forces as well as those who support peaceful cross-Straits development and exchanges. Where, then, is the freedom and democracy they tout? Does Israel truly intend to stand with the DPP authorities? The embassy said. 

The embassy also urged these members of the Knesset to open their eyes to global trends and the course of history. How many countries actually accept the so-called "democracy versus authoritarianism" narrative propagated by the DPP authorities? Such blatant support for the "Taiwan independence" separatist agenda clearly neither represents the official policy of the Israeli government toward China, nor reflects the original intentions of the Israeli people in electing them as their representatives, it said. 

The Taiwan question lies at the core of China's core interests and concerns the national sentiments of 1.4 billion Chinese people. No one should underestimate the Chinese people's strong determination, firm will, and powerful capability to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity, the embassy noted. 

"We urge certain members of the Knesset to stand on the right side of history and take actions that promote China-Israel relations and benefit the Israeli people, rather than the opposite," it said. 

Liu Jinsong, Director-General of the Department of Asian Affairs of the Chinese Foreign Ministry, urgently summoned Chief Minister of the Embassy of Japan in China Yokochi Akira on Friday to lodge a stern representation and strong protest over the visit to Japan by Lin Chia-lung, head of the “foreign affairs department” of Taiwan's DPP authorities.

Liu stated that the Taiwan question is at the very core of China’s interests and is fundamental to the political foundation of China-Japan relations, as well as the basic trust between the two countries. By allowing Lin to visit under the pretext of a so-called “private capacity” and providing a platform for his anti-China separatist activities, the Japanese side has sent a seriously wrong signal, Liu said.

This year marks the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War, as well as the 80th anniversary of Taiwan’s recovery. China urges Japan to abide by the spirit of the four political documents between China and Japan and its solemn commitments on the Taiwan question, and to take immediate steps to eliminate the negative impact of this incident, Liu said. 

The Chinese Embassy in Japan also lodged a stern demarche with the Japanese side on Saturday. In a statement, the embassy said that the Taiwan question lies at the heart of China's core interests, and the one-China principle is a red line that must not be crossed, leaving no room for political manipulation. 

Despite repeated prior representations from China, the Japanese government allowed Lin Chia-lung to enter Japan and carry out blatant separatist and provocative activities, the embassy said. It emphasized that China will not tolerate this and demands that the Japanese government strictly uphold the spirit of the four China-Japan political documents and its solemn commitments on the Taiwan question. China will closely monitor Japan's actions and respond accordingly.