When asked by a foreign reporter to comment on the US Department of the Treasury's announcement of sanctions against nine individuals and entities from the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) for allegedly providing support to the Iranian military in procuring weapons, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said on Friday that "we will take all necessary measures to firmly safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese companies and nationals."
Lin added that "as we have repeatedly made clear, China firmly opposes illegal unilateral sanctions that have no basis in international law or are not authorized by the UN Security Council."
General Secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and Chinese President Xi Jinping held talks with General Secretary of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party Central Committee and Lao President Thongloun Sisoulith in Beijing on Friday.
Chinese Vice President Han Zheng met with Belarusian First Deputy Prime Minister Nikolai Snopkov in Minsk on Saturday.
Han said China and Belarus are good friends and good partners. China is ready to work with Belarus to implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state, enhance strategic mutual trust and deepen mutually beneficial cooperation to bring more benefits to the two peoples.
Noting China and Belarus enjoy strong economic complementarity and broad prospects for cooperation, Han said China is willing to strengthen the alignment of development strategies with Belarus and continue to open up new space for win-win cooperation.
He called for joint efforts to build the China-Belarus Industrial Park into an international industrial hub, welcomed more high-quality Belarusian products to the Chinese market, and urged both sides to step up youth exchanges to foster closer ties between the two peoples.
Snopkov said Belarus admires China's remarkable development achievements, and firmly believes the Chinese modernization will greatly contribute to world peace, development and common prosperity.
Belarus will always be a trustworthy and reliable strategic partner of China, he said, adding that his country is willing to work with China to implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state and fully leverage existing bilateral cooperation mechanisms to enhance people-to-people exchanges and expand industrial cooperation.
Young people across the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) widely endorse the concepts and actions of the SCO, highly appreciate its positive role in global governance and hold high expectations for deepening cooperation across various fields among member states, according to a report released in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, on May 27.
The report on interest trends among youth in SCO member states was jointly released by the Secretariat of the Belt and Road News Network (BRNN) and the Global Times at the 2026 China-Kyrgyzstan Media Cooperation Forum held in Bishkek. It is based on a 2025 survey of 10 official SCO member states, as well as data from Global Public Opinion. Focusing on youth perceptions and emerging trends, the report finds that young people are highly invested in employment, entrepreneurship, education, cultural ties, and global partnerships.
The findings show that young respondents strongly identify with the principles of the Shanghai Spirit, featuring mutual trust, mutual benefit, equality, consultation, respect for diverse civilizations and the pursuit of common development. More than 80 percent of respondents believe that development cooperation within the SCO framework has brought tangible benefits to their own countries. Among them, 72 percent cited "promoting high-quality development in home countries," and 62 percent pointed to "bringing more international cooperation and development opportunities." Over 80 percent also affirmed the SCO's positive role in global governance.
China, as a founding member of the SCO, has consistently upheld and acted on the Shanghai Spirit by deepening practical cooperation in various fields with other member states and promoting shared development. The survey shows that among young respondents in SCO countries other than China, more than 90 percent of respondents believe that cooperation with China can positively impact their own country's development and modernization.
More than 90 percent of respodents said that China's development experience in multiple areas is worth learning from. These figures reflect a strong desire among young people across the SCO to deepen cooperation with China and benefit from shared development opportunities.
People-to-people exchanges are one of the most-watched areas of cooperation for young people in SCO member states. More than 90 percent of respondents said they look forward to future SCO cultural and exchange programs and activities. Among the most popular were "youth exchanges," "university/student exchanges," "foreign language learning," and "vocational training." The report concludes that young people are not only interested in macro-level cooperation between countries, but also place great importance on the real-world opportunities brought by education, skills and cross-cultural communication.
Moreover, the concerns of young people in SCO member states show clear contemporary characteristics. Hot topics such as AI, skills development and cultural consumption have become key indicators of trends in employment, education and cultural life. According to the survey, in 2025, media coverage of topics related to "youth," "employment" and "entrepreneurship" in SCO member states saw a 141 percent year-on-year increase in mentions of AI. AI is emerging as an important driver for young people to explore innovation and expand their career opportunities. In education, young people place a high priority on digital skills, practical skills and innovation capabilities, with a clear trend toward digital, remote and cross-cultural learning. At the same time, young respondents maintain a strong sense of their own cultural identity and are developing a cultural awareness that is both locally rooted and globally minded.
Youth represent the future of the SCO and are an important force driving regional cooperation and shared development. The report provides a concentrated picture of the common understandings, real concerns and development expectations of young people in SCO member states, offering a valuable public opinion reference for deepening youth cooperation. Despite a complex and changing international environment, young people in the SCO remain positive about multilateral cooperation and shared development - a sign of the deep youth base and broad prospects for SCO cooperation.
"Taiwan independence" is a dead end, and the US' insistence to support it by force will inevitably inflict harm to itself and suffer the consequences of its actions, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on Monday, after the White House announced that it has approved a military package of $567 million in defense support to Taiwan region.
US President Joe Biden on Sunday approved $567 million in defense support for Taiwan, the White House said, according to Reuters.
In response to US' latest move, Lin Jian, a spokesperson of Chinese Foreign Ministry, said at a Monday press briefing that the US' latest arms supply to China's Taiwan region, severely violates the one China principle and the stipulations of the three China-US Joint Communiques.
The US move is in fact to support and encourage Lai Ching-te and the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities in their stubborn pursuit of "Taiwan independence" and their provocation against the one China principle, Lin stressed.
This once again proves that the greatest threat to peace and stability in the Taiwan Straits and the most significant damage to the cross-Straits status quo come from the secessionist activities of Taiwan independence forces and the connivance and support they receive from external forces led by the US, Lin stated.
"Taiwan independence" is a dead end, and the US' insistence on "supporting it with force" will inevitably harm itself and face the consequences of its actions, Lin said on Monday.
"We urge the US side to abide by the one China principle and the three China-US Joint Communiques, and to stop arming Taiwan in any way," Lin said, "No matter how many weapons the US provides to Taiwan, it will not shake our firm determination to oppose 'Taiwan independence' and safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity."
Residents and holders of residence permits in East China's Fujian Province have been able to apply for travel endorsements to Kinmen, an island located off the coast of Fujian, administered by the island of Taiwan, according to the Exit-Entry Administration Bureau under Fujian Provincial Department of Public Security on Friday.
Eligible individuals can apply to the department for an individual or a group tourist endorsement valid for six months. Travelers can depart from the Wutong and Shijing ports via the "mini three links" maritime route and return through the same ports within the allowed duration of stay.
According to the Xinhua News Agency, the maritime safety administration in Quanzhou has established a dedicated window for the ship traffic management system to strengthen dynamic monitoring of passenger ships, and ensure shipping companies comply with baggage and safety requirements, while strictly enforcing regular maintenance and overhaul systems.
The maritime sector will also strengthen the coordination with the meteorological department, urging ships to strictly adhere to sail bans.
A Fujian resident surnamed Chen told the Global Times on Saturday that he has always wanted to travel to the Taiwan region but didn't have the chance in recent years due to previous policy restrictions and his schedule. He said this is a good opportunity for him to visit Kinmen, noting that "both sides of the Taiwan Straits are one family."
On August 30, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism announced the resumption of allowing residents in Fujian to travel to Kinmen. The local government of Kinmen also organized a warm welcome ceremony for the first tour group from the mainland since the pandemic on September 22.
The group of over 20 tourists arrived in Kinmen from Xiamen, Fujian and were on a two-day sightseeing tour that ended on September 23.
The recent resumption of travel endorsements signals goodwill from the mainland, Zhang Wensheng, deputy dean of the Graduate Institute for Taiwan Studies at Xiamen University, told the Global Times on Saturday. He noted that the local residents of Kinmen are also eager for mainland visitors, as their presence would benefit tourism and contribute to local economic development.
Chen Yu-jen, a legislator from Kinmen, described the move as a positive start and expressed hope for more frequent progress between the two sides of the Taiwan Straits.
She added that the relationship between Kinmen and Xiamen would grow closer, according to the United Daily News, a media outlet from Taiwan.
Chinese President Xi Jinping has extended congratulations to the faculty, students and alumni of the Communication University of China on its 70th founding anniversary.
In a reply letter to its faculty and students, Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, called on the university to cultivate more high-caliber journalism and communication professionals.
In one of the northern exhibition halls of the National Museum of China, a sculpture of a gargoyle, which was originally designed as a foremost part of the rainwater drainage system of Paris' famed Notre Dame cathedral, sits silently among orderly arranged devices, ready to accompany visitors on a journey between the past and the present, the virtual and the real.
With Notre Dame cathedral about to complete its restoration and reopen to the public in December after a massive fire, an immersive augmented reality (AR) exhibition depicting the cathedral's history of construction, destruction and reconstruction will kick off at the National Museum of China on Thursday.
The exhibition, jointly held by the museum and the Public Establishment in Charge of the Conservation and Restoration of Notre Dame de Paris and sponsored by the L'oreal Group, is also part of celebrations of the 60th anniversary of the establishment of China-France diplomatic ties and the China-France Year of Culture and Tourism.
Although this is a touring exhibition, the unique part of the stop at the National Museum of China is four original sculptures embellishing the cathedral and reflecting the mid-19th century taste for symbols and a fantasy Middle Ages, including a gargoyle, a chimera and a plant-covered human figure. The Chinese curatorial team of the National Museum put forward the idea of adding real cultural relics to the AR exhibition to enhance immersion and successfully reached an agreement with the French side.
"We would like to relate the history of the Notre Dame de Paris, a shared cultural legacy of the whole world with a novel digital method that has been approved and appreciated by younger generations," Zhu Xiaoyun, director of the Department of International Cooperation of the National Museum of China and the Chinese curator of the exhibition, told the Global Times on Wednesday.
Zhu noted that the exhibition, a result of China-France cultural cooperation, interprets the meaning of exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations very well.
"Mutual learning refers to learning from each other's advantages. What the exhibition showcases regarding how a cultural legacy with a history of more than 800 years has been revived from fatal destruction provide us new insight into the museum's duty to conserve immovable cultural legacies," Zhu noted.
Stepping into the exhibition hall, visitors can use a provided tablet computer to travel across the ocean and through time to see the world of Notre Dame. There are over 20 cylinder-shaped tables set in the hall with a QR code pasted on each one. When scanning these codes with a tablet, a portion of a painting depicting the cathedral at different eras unfolds so that visitors can see the many details of its history, such as how its Gothic ceiling was built.
Building a private conversation with the cathedral throughout the exhibition, visitors can explore the secrets of its Gothic architecture, including its religious background and historical changes, in the virtual world by clicking the buttons on the screen. According to the curator, the information about the cathedral is so vast that it would take at least four hours to finish scrolling through the entire content on the tablet.
Four original fragments of the building are arranged among these devices, allowing visitors to shuttle between the virtual and real worlds and get closer to the essence of French culture.
"This was just a digital exhibition at the beginning in which we used new technology to introduce something that the public doesn't know very well. Now we also have real artifacts. This is important because we are using all these elements to recreate reality and to provide more information," Gergely László, director of operations and quality of French tech company Histovery and also the French curator of the exhibition, told the Global Times on Wednesday.
Zhu said that cultural institutions in China and France have jointly launched a series of events to celebrate 2024's special anniversary and promote people-to-people exchanges. This year, the cultural symbol that is Notre Dame will be a messenger for this celebration.
The exhibition will travel to Hong Kong after the Beijing leg.
"I lost my son, essentially," American tech mogul Elon Musk said in an interview on July 22. He said in the interview that he was "tricked" into agreeing to trans-related medical treatment. The changes in his son led Musk to despise the "woke culture." Many right-wing individuals and Republicans in America share Musk's views on the so-called "woke culture," but for many left-wing individuals and Democrats, "woke culture" is seen as a progressive ideology. "Woke culture" has evolved into a cultural conflict surrounding identity politics in America, and this ideology has also spread to Europe, stirring up the political and social landscape. Obscure definitions
In recent years, Musk has been heavily critical of "woke culture," describing it as a threat to modern civilization and even stating that his previous acquisition of Twitter, now X, was to combat it. However, when asked to define what "woke culture" is, this tech giant's description was not accurate.
At a conservative breakfast meeting in Iowa on June 1, 2023, former US president Donald Trump stated, "I don't like the term 'woke' because I hear, 'Woke, woke, woke.' It's just a term they use, half the people can't even define it, they don't know what it is."
The Australian news website The Conversation commented that Trump's words "inadvertently highlighted the confounding and contradictory nature of American politics today."
"The term 'woke' can be either an insult or a marker of pride - it can shift depending on the context," said the article.
According to the Spanish newspaper El País, the term "woke" has been used for years to "describe those who are sensitive and involved in the struggle against social injustice, especially in US politics, but also in the politics of other countries following suit perhaps to a lesser degree."
"Woke was a label proudly worn by activists in pursuit of social and climate justice: From Black Lives Matter (BLM) to the #MeToo movement, and the fight against global warming. Woke seemed to advocate a new era of equality and justice," read the article.
It's been reported that many media and political figures have claimed that the "woke culture" is only about justice and decency. It showed that the country acknowledged the cruelty of its past and recognized that its past still shapes this country's present.
However, according to ABC News, "woke" is used as a derogatory term by some Republicans to refer to identity-based social justice issues pushed by some Democrats and progressives.
USA Today quoted a Florida Governor Ron DeSantis spokesperson who called "woke" a slang term for "progressive activism" and a "general belief in systemic injustices in the country."
Manhattan Institute scholar Zach Goldberg believes that "woke" signifies more than just "left-wing radicalism" and essentially involves believing that differences in outcomes between groups - whether based on race, "genders," or sexes - are largely a product of oppressive societal forces and structures, read the USA Today article.
In fact, the term "woke" was originally created by progressive African Americans and was used in the early to mid-20th century in the racial justice movement. According to the website of the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, stay woke "became a watchword in parts of the black community for those who were self-aware, questioning the dominant paradigm and striving for something better."
The Smithsonian Folkways Recordings, an American popular record company, includes the protest song "Scottsboro Boys" sung by Lead Belly in the 1930s, in which the term "stay woke" is often considered to be the earliest source of the word. The "Scottsboro Boys" refers to nine black teenagers who were falsely accused, in 1931, of raping two white women in Alabama, and later eight of them were hastily sentenced to death. The case is one of the most famous civil rights cases in American history. According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, the term "woke" became more widely used in 2014 as part of the BLM.
"The term 'woke' has become so divisive that it is harming support for the issue it is meant to be highlighting," according to Al Jazeera. "The broad use of the term has caused it to become heavily weaponized by both the left and the right, turning what was once a welcoming creed into a toxic and divisive word, particularly in Western countries including the US, Canada, the UK, and other European nations," it said.
A New York University student told the Global Times that today's "woke culture" has gone too far, with "woke" individuals always tending to label those who disagree with them as "conservatives" or "Trump supporters," and sometimes things that were acceptable to say the year before suddenly become "offensive" at the present time. Jason, an engineer living in New Jersey, believes that the so-called "woke culture" is a pseudo-concept created by American interest groups to incite division among the public in order to ensure their continued control over American society.
According to USA Today, Democrats seem to view this term as a badge of honor, while Republicans see it as something that must be stopped. The struggle over "woke culture" in the US has spread to various fields.
US right-wing vs 'woke capitalism'
Due to resistance from conservatives against "woke culture," the US has witnessed the emergence of an "anti-woke culture" movement, with Governor DeSantis as one of its leaders.
According to ABC, DeSantis enacted the "Parental Rights in Education" bill and the "Stop WOKE Act" in Florida, implementing policies that limit classroom discussions on race, oppression, gender, and sexual orientation. The state government also banned funding for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs on public university campuses and rejected the introduction of an Advanced Placement African American Studies course in state high schools.
Notably, the battle over "woke culture" in education is not confined to Florida. In 2023, more than 20 states across the US considered or approved new laws targeting DEI programs.
The term "woke capitalism" was coined by conservative columnist Ross Douthat in a 2018 New York Times article, defining it as corporations supporting progressive causes to maintain their societal influence. Some view the practice of casting black actors in traditionally white roles in films as an example of "woke capitalism."
LGBTQ+ rights have also become another "battleground" in US bipartisan conflicts. According to PBS in March 2023, since beginning his campaign, Trump has targeted LGBTQ+ communities, stating that if elected, he would sign executive orders to cut federal funding to schools promoting Critical Race Theory, transgender mental disorders, and other "inappropriate racial, sexual, or political content" to American teenagers.
In contrast, President Biden and Democrats, as reported by AFP, have signed multiple executive orders supporting LGBTQ+ rights. On June 15, 2022, Biden, along with Vice President Kamala Harris and other Democratic leaders, met with LGBTQ+ representatives at the White House to show solidarity.
Wang Yufan, a scholar at the Department of American Studies at the China Institute of International Studies, told the Global Times that the popularity of "woke culture" and identity politics in the US is related to its economic inequality.
She explained that growing income inequality, with wealth concentrated among a few rich individuals, has increased economic pressure on the middle and low-income classes, who are more likely to support "woke culture" emphasizing fairness and justice. Identity politics has also become a crucial means for them to express themselves and strive for economic equality.
The Guardian noted that in the US, various groups, including whites, blacks, Latinos, and Asians, men and women, all feel attacked, bullied, persecuted, and discriminated against. Coupled with record inequality levels, identity politics is evident on both ends of the US political spectrum.
Wang believes that on one hand, "woke culture" and identity politics have raised public awareness of issues such as racial and gender discrimination, promoting social discussion and resolution, and playing a positive role in advancing social equality and inclusion.
On the other hand, "woke culture" has become a form of political correctness, being oversimplified and symbolized, leading to overcorrections. Additionally, the left's "woke culture" has faced backlash from right-wing conservatives, leading to more severe social divisions. The cultural wars between the two parties over "woke" and "anti-woke" have intensified political polarization, creating a vicious cycle.
Spreading across ocean
The concept and actions of "woke culture" born in the US have crossed the Atlantic, sparking an "anti-woke culture" movement in Europe.
According to an Independent report in December 2021, six months prior, most French people would have mistaken the term "woke" for the "wok" used in cooking, but by the end of 2021, the concept of "woke" had taken France by storm.
The French media reported that this term, originating from the American black rights movement, had not entered the French public's consciousness until 2021, when it appeared multiple times in political debates. For example, Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo publicly stated that she would not base her campaign on "woke culture."
Many Western media outlets and politicians are highly wary of "woke culture." For instance, a 2021 article by Euronews argued that the ideology behind "woke culture" and "cancel culture" endangers European democracy. Al Jazeera also warned that "woke culture" can sometimes stifle meaningful causes. Additionally, many people have been "canceled" simply for expressing views differing from "woke culture."
Wang noted that similar to the US, the impact of "woke culture" in Europe is complex and diverse. On one hand, it has increased attention to racial equality and social justice in European countries.
On the other hand, it has also caused social divisions. "Woke culture" has led European societies to reckon with colonial histories and overemphasize identity, exacerbating group conflicts and social estrangement, causing a backlash from far-right forces, and promoting the rise of far-right parties in Europe.
