Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi is scheduled to pay a visit to India and hold talks on the boundary question from Monday to Wednesday at the invitation of the Indian side, his first trip to the country in over three years, according to media reports. 

Chinese experts saw the visit as a step toward further improvement of bilateral relations, although they noted further substantive progress is needed to achieve full normalization. 

From August 18 to 20, Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, Minister of Foreign Affairs and China's Special Representative on the China-India boundary question Wang Yi will visit India and hold the 24th Round of Talks Between the Special Representatives of China and India on the Boundary Question at the invitation of the Indian side, the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson announced on Saturday. 

China and India's special representatives on the boundary question held the 23rd meeting in Beijing in December of 2024 and reached a six-point consensus. 

Wang will hold talks with Shri Ajit Doval, India's National Security Adviser and Special Representative for the China-India Boundary Question, and meet with Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, according to India's Ministry of External Affairs.

The two sides are expected to consider several confidence-building measures to bolster peace and tranquility along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), including the resumption of border trade, and to discuss a mutually acceptable framework for settling the border issue, people familiar with the matter said, according to the Hindustan Times.

In response to a related inquiry, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said on Thursday that China and India are maintaining interactions at various levels. 

"We stand ready to work with India to act on the important common understandings reached between leaders of our two countries, maintain the momentum of high-level exchanges, cement political mutual trust, enhance practical cooperation, properly handle differences, and promote the sustained, sound and steady development of China-India ties," the spokesperson said.

In recent months, officials from both sides have continued to engage. Wang met with Doval in June, with both sides calling for continued peace and tranquility in border areas. The exchanges continued the following month with the top Chinese diplomat holding talks in Beijing with Jaishankar.

Wang's visit comes days ahead of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's planned trip to China to attend the annual summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), the Press Trust of India reported. Since the meeting between Chinese and Indian leaders late last year in Russia on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in Kazan, relations have been heading toward improvement, and in recent months there has been tangible progress, Long Xingchun, a professor from the School of International Relations at Sichuan International Studies University, told the Global Times.

Hu Zhiyong, a professor from Zhejiang International Studies University and a research fellow at the Institute of International Relations at the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times that the visit would place greater emphasis on restoring communication mechanisms and easing border tensions. 

India media outlet The Hindu reported on Sunday that the visit is being viewed as a significant development in India's diplomatic calendar as it comes days after high penalty tariffs imposed on Indian goods by the US, which, according to the expert, has also prompted India to adjust its diplomacy and seek to further improve ties with China.

When asked about how China sees the bilateral relations with India evolve as India's ties with the US face challenges, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said on Thursday that China and India are both major developing countries and important members of the Global South. A cooperative pas de deux of the dragon and the elephant as partners helping each other succeed is the right choice for both sides. 

China stands ready to work with India to act on the important common understandings reached between leaders of our two countries, consistently increase political mutual trust, expand exchanges and cooperation together, properly handle differences while bearing in mind the bigger picture, and strengthen coordination and cooperation on such multilateral platforms as the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, with a view to promoting the sound and steady development of China-India relations, the spokesperson added.

Besides, for some time, the Chinese side has been in close communication with India to promote the early resumption of direct flights between the two countries, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said during a press conference on Thursday. 

Amid the continued improvement of bilateral relations, a recent proposal by an Indian government's think tank to ease rules that require extra scrutiny for investments by Chinese companies has also sent a positive signal.

However, Long added that the normalization of bilateral relations still hinges on economic and trade relations and personnel exchanges, which in turn requires the resumption of regular flights. These key areas are the urgent priority and a critical indicator of whether China-India relations have genuinely returned to a normal state, the expert added.

India said it will resume issuing tourist visas to Chinese citizens from July 24 this year for the first time in five years. Long said that India still needs to demonstrate greater sincerity in improving bilateral relations, such as by streamlining its complicated visa procedures and other barriers.

In response to the criticism made by German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul during his visit to Japan, who claimed that China has repeatedly issued public threats in the Taiwan Straits, the East China Sea, and the South China Sea to unilaterally change the status quo, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said on Monday that the Taiwan question is China's internal affair. The one-China principle is the political foundation for China to establish and develop diplomatic relations with countries around the world, a basic norm of international relations, and a broad consensus within the international community. 

To safeguard peace and stability across the Taiwan Straits, it is essential to firmly uphold the one-China principle and oppose "Taiwan independence" separatist activities, the spokesperson said.

The situation in the East China Sea and South China Sea remains generally stable. "We urge relevant parties to respect the joint efforts of regional countries to resolve issues through dialogue and consultation and to safeguard peace and stability, rather than stoking confrontation or hyping up tensions," Mao said.

Ahead of his first trip to Asia since taking office in May, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul claimed that "China's behavior in the Taiwan Straits is aggressive," Reuters reported on Sunday. A Chinese expert on European affairs called such a statement highly discourteous in diplomatic practice, negatively impacting China-Germany and China-EU relations.

Wadephul made this statement before a trip to Japan and Indonesia, Reuters said. Speaking to reporters, he praised Japan's solidarity with Europe over Ukraine as he prepared to board a plane, and highlighted the importance and economic potential of the two populous Asian countries, according to Reuters. 

The German Foreign Ministry also published a separate statement from Wadephul in which he expressed concern about China on the Taiwan question as well as   on the East and South China Seas. 

After holding talks with his Japanese counterpart Takeshi Iwaya on Monday, the German foreign minister repeated those criticism, claiming that China's repeated threats to "unilaterally change" borders in the Asia-Pacific region, the AFP reported.

"It's regrettable that when it comes to China's core interests—particularly the Taiwan question—some German politicians have chosen to make unwarranted remarks rather than show understanding and respect," Jiang Feng, research fellow at the Shanghai International Studies University and president of the Shanghai Association of Regional and Country Studies, told the Global Times on Monday. This provocative move not only reflects a lack of historical awareness but also violates the long-standing political consensus in China-Germany relations, Jiang emphasized.  

The scholar noted that Germany had long been in a state of division and should have a deep understanding of the yearning for national reunification. China's current position on the issue of national unity is, in fact, similar to Germany's own historical aspiration for reunification. 

This was not the first time Wadephul raised the so-called concerns over the Taiwan question. In an interview published by the German Foreign Ministry in July, he claimed that the "status quo" of the Taiwan Straits should not be changed through force. 

Ahead of his visit to Japan, Wadephul also expressed on Sunday his eagerness to reinforce his country's cooperation with Japan in order to stabilize the international order, Japan-based Jiji Press reported.

"Germany and Japan are standing together against the crisis of the global security environment caused by Russia and China," Wadephul said in a statement, per Jiji Press. 

His recent visit and related remarks carry a strong sense of "forming alliances," particularly in interactions with Japan and the US, portraying China as a so-called "aggressor" or "threat," as if positioning themselves as "guardians of regional and even global security," Jiang noted. 

Yet, both Germany and Japan once brought immense disasters to Asia, Europe, and the world at large, which makes their frequent rhetoric on peace and security logically inconsistent, he said. 

"What is more concerning is that, against the backdrop of insufficient historical reflection, voices glorifying war and promoting xenophobia remain present, especially in Japan. As a result, their self-image as 'defenders of peace' inevitably raises questions of legitimacy and credibility, " the expert said. 

It is also worth noting that China and Russia, as victorious powers in WWII, made enormous sacrifices for global peace—China lost tens of millions of lives, and the Soviet Union over 30 million. That sacrifice secured the post-war international order, Jiang said. 

"Today, however, former defeated nations are attempting to reshape the narrative, casting the victors as threats. This is nothing less than a desecration of both history and the sacrifices made," he added. 

In meeting with Wadephul during the 8th round of China-Germany Strategic Dialogue on Diplomacy and Security in July, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Taiwan question, to ensure peace and stability in the Taiwan Straits, it is imperative to firmly oppose "Taiwan independence" and avoid sending any wrong signals to separatist forces. It's also worth noting that during the dialogue, Wadephul said the German government firmly adheres to the one-China policy. The Chinese expert called on Germany to demonstrate consistency between words and actions, and genuinely respect China on the Taiwan question, which is a core interest for China.

At a press conference on Thursday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun, when responding to a related question related to the Thailand-Cambodia border clash, stated that Thailand and Cambodia are both friendly neighbors of China and important members of ASEAN. Maintaining good-neighborly relations and properly handling differences serve the fundamental and long-term interests of both sides.

He added that China is deeply concerned about the current escalation and hopes both parties will resolve the issue through dialogue and consultation. In light of the common interests and aspirations of regional countries, China, upholding a fair and impartial stance, has been and will continue to play a constructive role in promoting dialogue and de-escalation in its own way.

On Thursday, Thailand and Cambodia exchanged fire along their shared border. According to AFP, both Cambodia and Thailand accused each other of firing the first shot in what is the latest clash stemming from a longstanding territorial dispute near two ancient temples.

According to the China Meteorological Administration (CMA) on Friday, in the national rainfall ranking over the past 24 hours, Yixian county in Hebei, was ranked highest. From 6 am on Thursday to 6 am on Friday, the maximum rainfall in Yixian county reached 447.4 millimeters, and multiple stations reported rainfall exceeding historical extremes. The Yixian meteorological station issued a red alert for heavy rain at 6:11 am on Friday, according to the CMA.

The Hebei provincial meteorological authority upgraded its emergency response for heavy rain to Level III on Friday morning, and issued an orange alert for rain storm, requiring relevant departments to initiate and upgrade their emergency responses to heavy rain disasters in a timely manner, and to make every effort to implement the emergency plans for effective disaster prevention and response, according to the Hebei provincial government.

According to information posted on the official website of the Hebei provincial government, the province sees an average annual precipitation of 484.5 millimeters.

According to the Yixian county government, from 8 am on Thursday to 8 am on Friday, the average rainfall in the county was 253.6 millimeters, with the maximum precipitation reaching 448.7 millimeters in Renyizhuang village. The highest hourly rainfall intensity was 98.1 millimeters, also recorded in Renyizhuang village. As of 8 am on Friday, a total of 1,584 people had been relocated, with no casualties reported, according to the Yixian county government.

From Thursday, heavy rainfall struck areas including Baoding and Chengde in North China’s Hebei Province, as well as Yulin and Yan’an in Northwest China’s Shaanxi Province, leading to flood disasters, according to a notice posted on the website of the Ministry of Emergency Management on Friday.

In response to the local disaster relief requirements, the office of the national commission for disaster prevention, reduction and relief, the Ministry of Emergency Management and the National Food and Strategic Reserves Administration, urgently allocated 23,000 items of emergency relief supplies, including folding beds, blankets, emergency lighting, and family emergency kits, to support the two provinces in the emergency relocation and resettlement of affected residents and disaster relief efforts,  the notice read.

The Hebei provincial meteorological disaster prevention and environmental meteorology center issued an urban rainstorm flooding risk warning at 5 pm on Friday.

It is expected that over the next three days, heavy rain will continue in most of the areas including parts of Hebei Province, with some regions experiencing torrential rain and isolated areas facing extreme rainfall, according to the National Meteorological Center (NMC) on Friday.

Fifteen rivers across Shanxi, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Hebei, Shaanxi, and Guangdong have experienced floods exceeding warning levels, according to CCTV News.

Heavy rainfall lashed north China's Hebei Province and Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, causing two deaths and two others missing so far, said local authorities on Saturday.

Widespread torrential rain has persisted across Inner Mongolia since Wednesday, triggering flooding in several areas.

In Xilingol League and cities of Ordos and Ulanqab, more than 22,000 people have been relocated. Over 14,000 pieces or sets of machinery, 737 drainage devices and 8,287 sets of rescue supplies have been deployed across the region, according to the regional emergency management department.

In Fuping County, Baoding City of Hebei, two were killed and two others missing due to the latest round of heavy rainfall starting from Friday.

For the county, the record-breaking downpour has caused direct economic losses of about 203.5 million yuan (about 28.5 million U.S. dollars).

As of 6 p.m. Saturday, more than 46,200 people in the county have been affected by the rainstorms. So far, more than 4,600 local residents have been evacuated, according to the county's flood control and drought relief headquarters.

From 8:00 a.m. on Friday to 8:00 a.m. on Saturday, precipitation was recorded at 1,854 stations across 12 leagues or prefecture-level areas and 92 banners or counties in Inner Mongolia, with heavy rainfall concentrated in Xilingol League and the cities of Ulanqab, Hohhot and Tongliao, said local meteorological authorities.

In response, the region has activated Level-IV alerts for flooding and geological disasters and a Level-III alert for rainstorms. Currently, it has also allocated 34,000 items or sets of relief supplies to support its affected areas.

Chinese President Xi Jinping said Tuesday that China and Russia should bolster mutual support within multilateral frameworks, safeguard their development and security interests, unite the Global South countries, and push the international order toward a more just and equitable direction.

Xi made the remarks during his meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Beijing, calling on both sides to support each other in steering the development direction of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), injecting new momentum into the SCO, and making the strategic platform more substantive and stronger.

After a vote on the Security Council resolution regarding the Red Sea, Geng Shuang, China’s deputy permanent representative to the United Nations (UN), made an explanatory statement, emphasizing that the relevant resolutions of the Security Council should not be misinterpreted or abused, and that Yemen’s sovereignty, security, and territorial integrity should be respected, according to a statement posted on the website of the Permanent Mission of China to the UN. 

Based on the current situation in the Red Sea and Yemen and in line with its consistent position, China abstained in the voting of draft resolution just put to vote, said Geng.

The tension in the Red Sea has recently escalated again. Israel and the Houthi armed forces have engaged in a new round of clashes, with the Houthis attacking commercial ships in the Red Sea, resulting in casualties. China expresses deep concern over this, said Geng.

“We call on the Houthis to respect the navigational rights of commercial vessels of all countries in the Red Sea in accordance with international law, to cease attacks on commercial vessels, and to safeguard the security of the Red Sea waterways,” said Geng.

China abstained in the voting of Council Resolution 2722 regarding the situation in the Red Sea and its subsequent extensions. After the adoption of resolution 2722, certain countries took military actions against Yemen, severely impacting the peace process in Yemen and exacerbating tensions in the Red Sea, with negative effects continuing to this day. I would like to emphasize that the Security Council’s resolutions should not be misinterpreted or abused, and Yemen’s sovereignty, security, and territorial integrity should be respected, said Geng.

The tensions in the Red Sea are a significant manifestation of the spillover from the Gaza conflict. The resolution of the issues in the Red Sea and Yemen cannot be separated from the overall easing and de-escalating of the regional situation, said Geng.

China stands ready to work with all parties to achieve positive outcomes at the High-Level Conference for the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution scheduled for the end of this month, said Geng, according to the statement.

On Tuesday, the Security Council adopted resolution 2787 with a result of 12 votes in favor, zero votes against, and three abstentions, extending the Secretary-General’s monthly reporting requirement on Houthi attacks in the Red Sea until January 15, 2026. Algeria, China, and Russia abstained from voting, according to the Xinhua News Agency.

China's Ministry of State Security warned Thursday that as great-power rivalry rapidly extends into outer space - with nations racing to develop and exploit space assets and some openly advocating space hegemony and an arms race - it will, in accordance with the law, severely punish any infiltration, espionage or sabotage targeting China's key space technologies and data, forging a robust security shield for the country's ambition to become a leading spacefaring nation.

The article reviewed the rapid developments of China's astronaut career from satellites delivering communications, navigation, remote sensing and other services across near-Earth orbit, to spacecraft and space stations chasing dreams in the cosmos; from the Chang'e lunar missions to Zhurong's Martian exploration and Xihe's solar probe, the Chinese have left solid footprints throughout the vastness of space.

The article noted that low Earth orbit has become a finite, non-renewable strategic resource vital to national development. As launch rates climb and orbital traffic intensifies, low Earth orbit grows ever more crowded, underscoring the urgent need for a binding international framework to safeguard space security.

Outer space is the common heritage of humankind, and its exploration, development, and peaceful use are shared aspirations of all humanity. China has always upheld the view that space endeavors belong to everyone, adhering to the principles of peace, respect for sovereignty, universal benefit, and co-governance. It advocates transforming space into a new domain of cooperation rather than an arena of competition, said the ministry. 

The national security authorities will fully implement the holistic national security concept and, in accordance with the law, severely punish infiltration, espionage and sabotage targeting our space sector's critical technologies and data, thereby forging a robust security shield for building a strong spacefaring nation, according to the ministry.

Responding to media inquiries for comment after Taiwan island's deputy regional leader Hsiao Bi-khim said in a press conference Friday that "aggressive military posturing by China is counterproductive" and that "defending the status quo with China is consistent with the interests of the entire region," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said that no matter what the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities say or do, they cannot change the fact that the two sides of the Straits belong to one and the same China, the prevailing international commitment to the one-China principle, nor can they change the trend toward ultimate and inevitable reunification.

Taiwan is part of China's territory and the Taiwan question is China's internal affair. Resolving the Taiwan question is a matter for the Chinese people and Chinese people only, Lin said at a regular press conference on Friday.

He said that the real status quo across the Taiwan Straits is that both sides of the Straits belong to one and the same China, and Taiwan is an inalienable part of China's territory. 

The biggest threat to peace in the Taiwan Straits is the separatist activities of "Taiwan independence" forces and the external connivance and support they receive, said Lin.

President Xi Jinping has called on north China's Shanxi Province to further promote the transformation and development of the resource-based economy and strive to write its own chapter in advancing Chinese modernization.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks during his inspection tour in Shanxi from Monday to Tuesday.

On Monday afternoon, Xi visited a monument square in Yangquan City and paid tribute to heroes of the Eighth Route Army who died in the Hundred-Regiment Campaign. The campaign took place in northern China between August 1940 and January 1941 during the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression.

Xi described the campaign as a powerful testament to the CPC's role as the pillar of the nation's resistance war against Japanese aggression. He called for passing on the great spirit of resisting aggression from one generation to the next.

Speaking to young students visiting an exhibition on the campaign, Xi called on the younger generation to carry forward the revolutionary legacy and rise to the task of national rejuvenation.

When inspecting the Yangquan Valve Co., Ltd., Xi was briefed on the province's progress in industrial transformation and upgrade in recent years. He also learned about the production and sales of some valve products at the company's workshop.

He emphasized that traditional manufacturing is an important part of the real economy, and called for efforts to respond to market demand and enhance sci-tech innovation to breathe new life into traditional industries.

Noting that China's industrial development today relies on advanced technologies and equipment for improvement, Xi encouraged the company's staff members to contribute more to the country's growing manufacturing strength.

On Tuesday morning, after listening to a work report from the CPC Shanxi Provincial Committee and the provincial government, Xi made requirements for the province's future work.

Xi noted that building a national pilot area of comprehensive reform for the transformation of resource-based economy is a strategic task entrusted to Shanxi by the CPC Central Committee.

While ensuring the coal supply for the country's power generation, efforts should be made to promote the low-end to high-end transformation of the coal industry and the upgrading of coal products from primary fuels to high-value products, Xi said.

He also required efforts to push forward the transformation and upgrading of traditional industries and develop emerging and future industries in light of local conditions to foster new quality productive forces.

It is imperative to make good use of various development conditions, optimize the business environment and stimulate the vitality of business entities, he said.

Xi also highlighted the bottom line of security and stability in this process, urging efforts to ensure people's livelihoods, maintain social stability, safeguard ecological security and boost workplace safety.

Persistent work should be done to enforce the Party's full and rigorous self-governance, Xi added, calling for cultivating a clean political environment and improving the long-term, regular mechanisms for Party conduct.