General Secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and Chinese President Xi Jinping held a welcome ceremony on Friday for General Secretary of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party Central Committee and Lao President Thongloun Sisoulith, who is on a state visit to China.

China launched a special maritime law enforcement operation in the waters east of Taiwan island on Saturday. It is a necessary move in response to Japan and the Philippines' unilateral announcement of the so-called "maritime delimitation talks" on the east of China's Taiwan island, which constitutes a serious violation of China's territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests, the Xinhua News Agency reported on Saturday. 

The operation, launched by China's Ministry of Transport, in coordination with the Fujian and Guangdong maritime safety administrations, the East China Sea Navigation Support Center, and the East China Sea Rescue Bureau, aims to fully exercise China's maritime administrative law enforcement jurisdiction, enhance deep-sea cruise enforcement and traffic control capabilities in key waters, ensure maritime traffic safety, and safeguard national rights and interests, Xinhua reported. 

During the Philippine President's recent visit to Japan, the two countries issued a joint statement announcing the start of talks on the delimitation of exclusive economic zone and continental shelf between Japan and the Philippines. The area the two countries announced they will delimit is east of China's Taiwan island.

At a press briefing on Tuesday, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning emphasized that Japan and the Philippines' attempt to bypass China and initiate the so-called "maritime delimitation talks" constitutes a severe violation of UNCLOS and other international laws and basic norms governing international relations.

It also seriously infringes on China's maritime rights and interests and China will not allow this, she continued.

"According to China’s domestic law and international law including UNCLOS, China has exclusive economic zone and continental shelf in this area. As per UNCLOS, the delimitation of the exclusive economic zone and the continental shelf between States with opposite or adjacent coasts shall be effected by the States concerned by agreement on the basis of equity. Any delimitation concerning waters to the east of Taiwan must have China as a party to the talks," Mao stated.

At a press conference of the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office on Wednesday, spokesperson Zhu Fenglian said the waters slated for "delimitation" by Japan and the Philippines lie east of China's Taiwan island. Their proposed so-called "delimitation negotiations" gravely infringe on China's maritime rights and interests, run counter to international law and the basic norms governing international relations, and are entirely illegal, null and void. 

Zhu noted that compatriots across the Taiwan Straits belong to the Chinese nation. They must uphold their national stance, stand for the fundamental interests of the nation, and jointly safeguard China's sovereignty and territorial integrity as well as the overall interests of the Chinese nation. 

Should the DPP authorities collude with external forces to betray national interests, they will surely be spurned by compatriots on both sides of the Straits and punished by history, the spokesperson said. 

A Chinese anti-epidemic medical expert team arrived in Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), on Tuesday for a three-month mission to support the Central African country's response to the Ebola outbreak.

Luku Maleyo Marius, a representative of the DRC Ministry of Health, welcomed the team at the airport, saying that China's dispatch of the medical experts represents timely and strong support for the Congolese government and people.

Whenever the DRC faces major public health challenges, China has consistently extended timely assistance, he said, adding that he looks forward to the mission further strengthening the country's epidemic prevention, control and treatment capacities, and helping bring the outbreak under control as soon as possible.

Lu Ming, head of the Chinese expert team, said the team would begin work promptly in line with the Congolese side's needs and would cooperate with local medical and disease control institutions to provide support in epidemic assessment, case management, and other areas.

He added that the team would work closely with the Congolese side to safeguard people's lives and health, contributing China's expertise to helping the DRC control the outbreak at an early stage.

On May 15, the DRC officially confirmed its 17th Ebola outbreak since 1976. Two days later, the World Health Organization declared the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern.

China's National Health Commission announced on Monday the decision to send a medical expert team to support the DRC's Ebola control efforts.

According to the commission, the first group consists of five members with extensive experience in epidemic control. They will also share practical response experience tailored to local conditions and help enhance the DRC's capacity for Ebola prevention, control and treatment.

"The allegation of so-called 'Chinese espionage threat' is entirely fabricated and constitutes malicious slander. We strongly condemn this," said a spokesperson from the Chinese Embassy in UK when asked to comment on the so-called "warning" issued by the UK Security Service (MI5), together with intelligence agencies from other "Five Eyes" countries, alleging that Chinese intelligence services are approaching individuals in Western countries through fake online recruitment schemes in order to steal military, political, and technological intelligence, according to the embassy on Thursday.

It must be pointed out that the "Five Eyes" are the world's largest intelligence network. Its members have engaged in unscrupulous espionage and intelligence-gathering activities around the globe. They are the real threat to peace-loving countries, the spokesperson said.

"We urge the UK side to immediately stop this clumsy self-staged show of thief crying catch thief. Otherwise, it will only bring shame upon itself," the spokesperson continued.

Chinese Foreign Ministry also responded on the same day. Spokesperson Mao Ning said as the world's largest intelligence cooperation network, the "Five Eyes" has long engaged in massive systemic espionage all over the world. It is ironic that such an organization is accusing China of "spy threat."

According to Reuters on Wednesday local time, security agencies from the US, Britain, Canada, Australia and New Zealand claimed that Chinese military intelligence services ultimately seek to "acquire privileged military, political and economic intelligence that can provide China with a strategic and tactical advantage over the Five Eyes."

A Chinese expert told the Global Times on Thursday that the Five Eyes Alliance's current hype over the so-called "Chinese espionage threat" is essentially a carefully crafted rhetorical trap. Ostensibly framed as an effort to safeguard "national security," the campaign is in reality designed to fuel the "China threat" narrative, the expert stressed. 

Regarding similar allegations, China has stated its position more than once. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said during a press conference in November 2025 that China never interferes in other countries' internal affairs and has absolutely no interest in the so-called "intelligence" of the UK Parliament.

The response came after MI5 in 2025 issued an official warning to British politicians about two LinkedIn accounts that it claimed were posing as "headhunters" but were in fact operating on behalf of the Chinese Ministry of State Security. 

 "Time to stop those phantom allegations and the false projection," the spokesperson said at the time.

In global geopolitics, the Five Eyes ranks among the world's largest intelligence surveillance blocs, having long leveraged its technological advantages to conduct indiscriminate mass surveillance across the globe, Wang Hanyi, a research fellow at the Shanghai International Studies University, told the Global Times on Thursday. Wang noted that the bloc's credibility is therefore highly suspect when it loudly hypes alleged "Chinese espionage threat." 

Wang said that the joint initiative results from a mix of domestic pressures and the strategy to contain China. Some Five Eyes countries are plagued by weak economic growth, worsening social conflicts and rising political polarization. Against this backdrop, exaggerating external threats serves as an easy tool to divert domestic disputes and consolidate political consensus, the expert added.

The Reuters report noted on Wednesday that although there have been similar so-called warnings from individual countries in the past, the joint bulletin was described as unprecedented.

"Such an 'unprecedented' scale stems from a collective anti-China anxiety and coordinated escalation of containment strategies against China," Wang said.

Their practice will severely disrupt regular people-to-people exchanges, normal economic and trade cooperation between China and certain Western countries, and erode the long-built foundation for global cooperation, the expert noted. 

An academician at the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) successfully performed a prostate cancer surgery on a patient 220 kilometers away from him in Jingzhou, Central China's Hubei Province, by remotely operating a surgical robot via a 5G network, Jimu News reported. 

Using clear endoscopic images displayed on a large screen, Zhang Xu, an academician at the CAS, operating from a control console at Tongji Hospital affiliated with Tongji Medical College of Huazhong University of Science and Technology (HUST) located in Wuhan, Hubei, precisely manipulated robotic arms to perform the surgery on the patient surnamed Cao, according to Jimu News.

The display screen showed that the system recorded a network round-trip latency of just nine milliseconds - the complete round-trip time from the doctor issuing an operation command to the surgical robot responding and the doctor receiving feedback, such as image transmission, was only nine milliseconds, or 0.009 seconds, Jimu News reported. 

According to Liao Yixiang, director of the Urology Department at Jingzhou Central Hospital, the 57-year-old patient had early-stage intermediate-risk prostate cancer, and the remote robotic surgery helped preserve his urinary and other functions through advanced precision techniques, Jimu News reported.

With close cooperation between the medical teams in the two locations, Cao's prostate tumor was safely and completely removed in about one hour, with minimal bleeding and no intestinal damage, which is expected to help the patient recover faster and return to normal life sooner, per Jimu News. 

China attaches great importance to protecting the personal safety and legitimate rights and interests of Chinese citizens in the Philippines, and expresses grave concern over the recent frequent detention of Chinese citizens by Philippine military and law enforcement authorities, the spokesperson Ji Lingpeng of China's embassy in the Philippines said, according to the embassy's WeChat account on Wednesday.

The Chinese Embassy and Consulates in the Philippines have immediately lodged stern representations with the Philippine side over each case, the spokesperson said.

"We demand that in accordance with the Consular Agreement between the People's Republic of China and the Republic of the Philippines, the Philippine side inform our diplomatic missions within four days of any Chinese citizen being detained, arrested or otherwise deprived of liberty, together with relevant reasons, require the Philippine side to handle relevant cases impartially in accordance with law, and effectively guarantee the personal safety, legitimate rights and interests as well as humanitarian treatment of the involved Chinese citizens," Ji said.

If investigations confirm the citizens have violated no Philippine laws, they shall be released without delay, and no illegal or prolonged detention shall be imposed, the spokesperson added.

Meanwhile, the embassy and consulates have provided immediate consular protection and assistance to the affected Chinese citizens. Officials have conducted multiple consular visits to help improve their detention conditions and address difficulties.

China respects the Philippines' judicial sovereignty and law-based case handling, yet firmly opposes selective and discriminatory law enforcement targeting Chinese citizens, Ji said. China urges the Philippine side to properly resolve relevant cases in accordance with the law as soon as possible. 

"It must refrain from abusing power for law enforcement or engaging in political manipulation, and must not jeopardize the personal safety and legitimate rights and interests of Chinese citizens, to avoid disrupting normal people-to-people exchanges and economic and trade ties between the two countries," Ji added, noting China reserves the right to take further measures.

Given the frequent detention of Chinese citizens by Philippine law enforcement authorities recently, the embassy once again reminds Chinese nationals in the Philippines to abide by local laws and regulations, engage in lawful employment and business operations, refrain from activities inconsistent with their entry purposes or visa categories, and avoid overstaying, according to the embassy.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi is expected to begin a three-day visit to Canada from Thursday to Saturday at the invitation of Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand, a trip that has drawn wide attention from Canadian political and media circles amid improving bilateral ties.

The visit marks the first trip to Canada by a Chinese foreign minister in a decade, which a Chinese expert believes shows growing interest in stabilizing and expanding China-Canada relations at a time of shifting global trade dynamics.

At the invitation of Canada's Minister of Foreign Affairs Anita Anand, Foreign Minister Wang Yi will visit Canada from May 28 to 30, according to an earlier announcement of the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney told reporters Wednesday that he looks forward to the Chinese minister's visit and will meet with him personally. He said the visit will offer a "valuable exchange of views", the Canadian Press reported Wednesday.

Canadian International Trade Minister Maninder Sidhu said Tuesday that the planned visit offers a positive sign on the state of the Canada-China relationship, according to the report. 

"It shows that our relationship is growing in the right direction," Sidhu told The Canadian Press.

Canadian media have also highlighted the economic dimension of the visit. According to a report by the Globe and Mail, the Chinese and Canadian foreign ministers are expected to discuss expanding two-way trade during the visit, including progress in the opening of the Canadian market to 49,000 Chinese-made electric vehicles this year, citing a Canadian source familiar with the trip.

The media outlet also noted that their meeting "is a sign of blossoming relations between Canada and China under Carney, who is trying to diversify foreign trade away from the increasingly protectionist US."

"The Chinese Foreign Minister's Canada visit is expected to further implement a series of outcomes achieved following high-level exchanges between the two sides," Huang Zhong, deputy dean of the Academy of International and Regional Studies at Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, told the Global Times on Thursday.

Huang added that since taking office, Carney has promoted "middle power multilateralism," and closer cooperation with China could help Canada broaden its diplomatic options, enhance its international standing, and further advance its foreign policy agenda.

At a regular press briefing last week, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun announced Wang's visit and said that during the visit, Wang will have in-depth exchanges with the Canadian side on how to implement the important common understandings at the leadership level and the outcomes of Prime Minister Mark Carney's recent China visit in January, and how to build a truly substantive China-Canada new strategic partnership, as well as international and regional issues of mutual interest.

Huang said that China and Canada are currently advancing efforts to build a China-Canada new strategic partnership, adding that cooperation in areas such as electric vehicles and agricultural products is expected to deepen following Wang's visit.

"At the same time, China and Canada are also expected to pursue deeper cooperation in artificial intelligence, academic exchanges and institutional cooperation," Huang said.

Beyond trade and technology, Huang noted that China and Canada hold similar positions on issues including non-traditional security challenges, climate change, opposition to unilateralism, and support for free trade, creating further room for bilateral cooperation.

According to a release issued by Global Affairs Canada on May 22, the ministers will meet in Ottawa to advance pragmatic engagement and the implementation of the updated Canada-China Strategic Partnership, including on trade and investment, global security, as well as respective bilateral issues.

The release also highlighted the extensive ties between the two countries, stating that strong people-to-people ties link Canada and China. Over 1.7 million Canadian residents are of Chinese origin. Tourism flows and ongoing cultural exchanges enrich bilateral linkages. 

It further noted that China remains an important commercial market for Canadian businesses, with two-way bilateral merchandise trade in 2025 totaling $125.1 billion, representing a 5.2 percent increase over 2024.

Canadian scholars and analysts have also expressed expectations for the meeting between the two foreign ministers. Jeff Mahon, former deputy director at Global Affairs Canada's China Division, described the meeting as "a natural milestone in the path to not only normalizing but also deepening bilateral relations," according to the Institute for Peace & Diplomacy, a North American non-profit and non-partisan international affairs think tank.

Mahon also said that "increasing trade with China and determining for itself the nature of its relationship with China will be key to maintaining real autonomy and sovereignty."

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo also expressed hopes for the visit's broader significance for bilateral ties. It is our hope that through this visit, the two sides could enhance political mutual trust, expand mutually-beneficial cooperation, properly manage differences, and ensure that bilateral ties will continue to move forward on the track of sound, steady, and sustainable development to deliver more benefits to both peoples, Guo said.

Three people were killed and another 17 were unaccounted for after heavy rain battered Yongchuan District in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality starting Saturday night, said local authorities.

In addition, two people were also unaccounted for after the rain lashed Beibei District in the municipality.

Rescue and response efforts are currently underway in full swing.

Starting from 2 p.m. Sunday, Chongqing has adjusted Yongchuan District to a Level-I flood control emergency response at the municipal level, 29 districts and counties, such as Rongchang District and Beibei District, to a Level-II response, and nine districts and counties, including Yuzhong District, to a Level-III response, said the flood control and drought relief headquarters of Chongqing.

The Chashanzhuhai subdistrict of Yongchuan District logged the maximum rainfall of 296.6 mm between 2 a.m. and 4 a.m. Sunday, with a maximum hourly rainfall intensity of 103.6 mm, according to the on-site command headquarters for flood control and rescue operations.

The maximum rainfall in Xinglong Town in Beibei District reached 122.9 mm between 12 a.m. and 3 a.m. Sunday, with a maximum hourly rainfall intensity of 59.4 mm, said the district's emergency management bureau.

Heavy rains have hit 22 districts and counties in Chongqing, and the water levels of 22 rivers in the municipality have exceeded the warning level, according to Chongqing's hydrological monitoring station.

The China National Commission for Disaster Reduction on Sunday activated a Level-IV emergency response for floods and geological disasters in Chongqing.

A work team has been dispatched to the disaster-hit areas to assess the situation on the ground and assist local disaster relief efforts, including ensuring the basic living needs of affected residents, according to the Ministry of Emergency Management.

Former US secretary of state Antony Blinken's claim that the US would lose if it "competed one-on-one" with China has sparked debate on social media X, after he cited China's market size, manufacturing capacity, academic output and patents to argue that Washington must work with allies and partners to make it "harder" for China to "ignore."

The remarks, made at the Center for American Progress (CAP) annual 2026 IDEAS Conference and was reported by Clash Report, quickly sparked discussion on social media, with many netizens opposing Blinken's views, though a smaller number of commenters expressed support for them.

Their opinions were divided, with some accusing the US of using its alliance system to exploit partners or blaming past US policies for hollowing out American manufacturing, while others questioned why Europe should follow Washington in confronting China.

Li Haidong, a professor at China Foreign Affairs University, told the Global Times on Thursday that the idea of one-on-one competition itself is a false proposition, arguing that China and the US should pursue mutual benefit and win-win cooperation rather than confrontation. He said claims that the US would "lose" in direct competition with China serve as a political excuse for some US politicians to rally allies to contain China and engage in bloc confrontation.

Some netizens expressed similar views. User @Masonch31178202 wrote, "China is also very important trading partner with EU, Aus, Canada and Korea. It's not winner takes all." Another user, @JKH_Smith, argued that "the problem isn't the number of allies….."

"The broader trend across the international community over the past decade or so has been a shift away from the West's long-dominant model of values-based and bloc diplomacy toward a realist approach centered on national interests, sovereign autonomy and pragmatic self-interest. This trend is increasingly challenging the alliance system long built by the US, as countries are no longer willing to align purely on the basis of ideology," Li told the Global Times.

Li described Antony Blinken as a representative figure of the US political establishment, saying, while acknowledging China's growing strength, Blinken's remarks also carried a strong Cold War and bloc-confrontation mentality.

The expert traced the issue back to its historical roots, noting that for a long period after the end of the Cold War, the US relied on ideological narratives to rally allies, drawing some countries into a US-led values camp. "But now countries around the world are returning to the most basic logic of realism: Europe needs energy security and industrial interests, while some other countries also care about their economies and markets," he said.

According to Li, more and more countries are pursuing strategic autonomy, hedging strategies and balanced diplomacy rather than acting as US followers. "The idea of making the US 'harder for China to ignore' essentially means pressuring countries to choose sides," he said.

Some netizens argued that alliances would not necessarily bring benefits. User @RohitKarir wrote: "First, think about what the US does to countries it aligns with, with friends, with alliance partners, and with fellow democratic countries. Yours is an America-first, my money first, and my interests first policy, and then you want us to help you out in your hot and cold wars? "

Another user referred to India — one of the countries mentioned by Blinken — saying, "Don't count India in." One American netizen commented that the US treats its so-called allies as "vassals."

User @AvMuhammadOsman used the single word "Pathetic!" to describe Blinken's call for countries to align with the US, adding that "Sovereign nations aren't US vassals." Citing Europe as an example, the user argued that "Europe's current sickness is largely made in Washington."

"The world is exhausted by unfair US tariffs, bullying, threats to destabilize economies, and attacks on independent foreign policies. They crave peace & progress which China delivers. China wins through real partnerships, infrastructure, and production, not coercion. China respects others sovereignty, China prefers mutual cooperation over containment," the netizen wrote.

Notably, in some of the comments, "stability" emerged as one of the most frequently used words when describing China. User @CheburekiMan wrote, "China got to where it is by sowing stability and not starting wars all over the planet. The US is the opposite, sows chaos and misery whenever a sovereign nation rises up to claim its fair share of global power."

These views echoed the expert's analysis. Li said China's political, economic, policy and diplomatic stability closely aligns with the core logic of today's realist diplomacy, and has helped drive the recent wave of high-level visits to China.

From an economic perspective, he said that international relations are ultimately driven by interests. "No matter how many allies the US tries to rally, any attempt to contain China would disrupt global division of labor and supply chains, drive up inflation worldwide, and ultimately force US allies to bear the costs as well."

A late-stage paraplegic patient who became the world's first to simultaneously receive the invasive "Beinao No.1" brain-computer interface (BCI) and a temporally programmed spinal cord stimulation system has shown significant neurological recovery after one year of surgery and staged rehabilitation, marking a major breakthrough in China's clinical application of brain-inspired intelligent technology and spinal cord injury repair, China Central Television (CCTV) reported on Tuesday.

The joint treatment research program, carried out by a team from Xuanwu Hospital Capital Medical University in collaboration with leading domestic brain science research institutions, led to the patient's neurological function improving from complete spinal cord injury (ASIA Grade A) before surgery to incomplete spinal cord injury (ASIA Grade C).

The patient had suffered a severe T12-L1 spinal cord injury in an accident five years ago, resulting in the loss of sensation and motor function in both lower limbs. Traditional rehabilitation treatments failed to produce notable improvement, per reports.

On May 16, 2025, the medical team performed a multi-target combined surgery on the patient. The procedure enabled the "Beinao No.1" system to accurately decode the patient's motor intentions from brain signals and, within seconds, trigger temporally programmed spinal cord stimulation to activate the damaged lower spinal cord. The system was further integrated with an exoskeleton device to reconstruct gait through closed-loop control.

The breakthrough challenges the long-held medical belief that complete spinal cord injuries lead to irreversible loss of motor and autonomic nervous system functions. It has also verified the safety and neurorestorative effectiveness of the "brain-spinal cord-exoskeleton" multimodal integrated regulation system in clinical applications.