China's Shenzhou-19 crewed spaceship separated from the space station combination at 4 a.m. (Beijing Time) on Wednesday, and the astronauts aboard -- Cai Xuzhe, Song Lingdong and Wang Haoze -- started to return to Earth, according to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA).

The spaceship is scheduled to return to the Dongfeng landing site in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region on Wednesday.

The CMSA said that prior to the separation, the Shenzhou-19 crew, with the assistance of the ground staff, completed various tasks such as setting the status of the space station combination, processing and transmitting the experimental data, and transferring remaining supplies. The Shenzhou-19 crew also carried out handover work and exchanged in-orbit work experience with the Shenzhou-20 crew.

The return of the Shenzhou-19 crewed spaceship, originally scheduled for Tuesday, had been postponed due to unfavorable windy weather at the Dongfeng landing site, according to the CMSA.

The agency added that the meteorological conditions at the Dongfeng landing site meet the mission requirements at present, and all preparations have been made to welcome the crew's return.

China launched the Shenzhou-20 crewed spaceship on April 24, sending three astronauts Chen Dong, Chen Zhongrui and Wang Jie to the space station for another six-month mission.

Chinese entrepreneur Liang Wenfeng, founder of AI startup DeepSeek, was named to the Time magazine"100 Most Influential People of 2025" list on Wednesday for shaking up US tech dominance around the world.

"It took a while for Silicon Valley to comprehend exactly what Liang Wenfeng had achieved. But soon markets were reeling, US tech dominance was being openly questioned, and Liang had been propelled to global renown," Time Magazine commended.

On March 27, the Hurun Research Institute released its 2025 Global Rich List, featuring the 40-year-old Liang, who made his debut with a fortune of 33 billion yuan ($44.9 billion).

Officially known as DeepSeek Artificial Intelligence Fundamental Technology Research Co Ltd, the firm was founded in July 2023. As an innovative technology startup, DeepSeek is dedicated to developing cutting-edge large language models (LLMs) and related technologies, according to the Xinhua News Agency.

The startup released DeepSeek-R1, a new open-source model on January 20, which quickly soared to the top of Apple's app store's free charts, surpassing OpenAI's ChatGPT, Xinhua reported.

CCTV News reported on February 13 that DeepSeek's usage surged rapidly, becoming the fastest app to surpass 30 million daily active users.

DeepSeek ranked first with 194 million monthly active users in March, according to a report from QuestMobile, a Chinese mobile internet business intelligence service provider on Tuesday.

The Chinese Embassy in Japan on Thursday evening urged Chinese nationals to increase their personal safety and hygiene precautions, following local media reports of a surge in violent incidents, including indiscriminate killings since December 2024, and multiple mass food safety cases across Japan.

Japanese media reports noted a recent spike in violent crimes across the country. Since December 2024, indiscriminate killings have occurred in Kitakyushu of Fukuoka Prefecture, Nagano of Nagano Prefecture, and Gifu of Gifu Prefecture, resulting in multiple casualties among innocent civilians. In the past two weeks, targeted murders of young women have taken place in Ichinomiya of Aichi Prefecture, Shinjuku of Tokyo, and Saitama of Saitama Prefecture, the embassy said.  

The embassy also reported frequent incidents of theft, robbery, stalking, and telecom fraud, with Chinese nationals among the victims.

According to media reports, mass food safety incidents have recently occurred in several locations, including Tochigi (Tochigi Prefecture), Morioka (Iwate Prefecture), Saitama  (Saitama Prefecture), Shobara (Hiroshima Prefecture), Seki (Gifu Prefecture), and Fukutsu (Fukuoka Prefecture), the embassy said.  

The embassy said customers were infected norovirus after dining, showing symptoms such as diarrhea, fever, and vomiting; in some severe cases, infections led to death. Japanese research institutions have noted that the number of infectious gastroenteritis cases caused by norovirus and similar pathogens has reached the highest level for the same period in the past decade. 

The Chinese Embassy in Japan advised Chinese nationals in Japan—especially tourists visiting Japan—to strengthen their personal safety awareness and take precautions related to personal security and food hygiene. Citizens are urged to remain vigilant, avoid going out alone at night, and stay away from remote or high-crime areas. The embassy also recommended Chinese nationals to make proper preparations before traveling, such as registering with the "Chinese Consular Affairs" app or its WeChat mini-program before departure.

At the invitation of Premier Li Qiang, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez will visit China from April 10 to 11, a spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry announced on Tuesday.

In response to a media inquiry about how China views the frequent high-level exchanges between the two countries—this being Prime Minister Sánchez's second visit to China in less than a year—Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian noted that it will actually be Sánchez's third visit to China in three years.

During the visit, President Xi Jinping will meet with Prime Minister Sánchez, and Premier Li Qiang will hold talks with him, Lin said.

The spokesperson emphasized that Spain is an important partner for China within the European Union. The two countries have consistently upheld the principles of mutual respect, mutual trust, and win-win cooperation, with bilateral relations remaining at the forefront of China-Europe ties.

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the China-Spain comprehensive strategic partnership. China looks forward to working with Prime Minister Sánchez to deepen strategic mutual trust, expand cooperation on global challenges, and elevate the bilateral comprehensive strategic partnership to new heights, Lin added.

Question: It’s reported that President Xi Jinping and the Indian President have exchanged congratulatory messages, and agreed to advance a sound and steady growth of bilateral ties. How will the Chinese side grow its military relationship with India?

Zhang Xiaogang：To celebrate the 75th anniversary of diplomatic ties between China and India, President Xi Jinping has exchanged congratulatory messages with the Indian President, which set the course of the bilateral relationship. As two ancient civilizations, major developing countries and important members of the Global South, China and India are both in a crucial stage of modernization. Being partners of mutual success serves the fundamental interests of the two countries and the two peoples. The Chinese military stands ready to work with the Indian side to implement the important consensus reached between the two state leaders, strengthen communication and strategic mutual trust, safeguard peace and tranquility in the border areas, promote a sound and stable mil-mil relationship, and maintain peace in the region and beyond.

"This is what China looks like! This is China right here!" popular U.S. influencer IShowSpeed marveled as he live-streamed at Shanghai's Bund area, with a skyline featuring the landmark Oriental Pearl Tower and modern skyscrapers right in front of him.

From there, the 20-year-old content creator, whose real name is Darren Jason Watkins Jr. and whose zesty and contagious shows have won over 38 million subscribers on the social media platform YouTube, embarked on his first tour in China since the end of last month.

Despite a language barrier and fast-paced schedule, IShowSpeed treated his fans worldwide with a feast of uninterrupted live-streaming sessions while traveling along China's streets and alleys, experiencing China's history and culture, savoring China's cuisine and snacks, and interacting with China's enthusiastic fans and local people from various walks of life.

Unlike the bleak and even grim pictures often painted by some Western media, IShowSpeed's unedited and unscripted shows reveal a China that is perky, diverse, hospitable and prosperous.

In east China's metropolitan city of Shanghai, he joined in the colorful park activities of local residents, watched traditional lion-dancing and kung fu, and witnessed first-hand China's burgeoning electric car scene.

In China's capital city of Beijing, he visited the Great Wall and the Palace Museum and performed his signature back-flip stunt, which drew cheers from a welcoming crowd at the two iconic spots of China.

In particular, he experienced the country's high-speed bullet train. During the ride, he hailed the ubiquitous 5G signal and internet access, as he live-streamed smoothly despite being in a tunnel section of the railway line.

Millions of fans flocked to his channel and watched his shows from China. "I admire China's technology and internet, and Chinese fans were very respectful," said a YouTube comment -- which garnered more than 900 likes.

In central China's Henan Province, he traveled to the Shaolin Temple to pursue his kung fu dream. There, a kung fu mentor Master Liang warmly received him, taught him martial arts, and also shared with him a life philosophy inspired by years of painstaking training -- "It's pain, but it's life. It's pain, but it's Shaolin. It's pain, but it's Kung Fu. It's pain, but it's you." -- which struck a chord with many viewers.

In Chengdu, the capital city of southwest China's Sichuan Province, IShowSpeed immersed himself in a variety of unique cultural elements that this city has to offer, including the likes of Sichuan Opera, Sichuan-style hotpot, traditional acupuncture and tea-house performances.

"China has a beautiful culture! I would very much like to visit!" said a netizen from the United States in the comment section.

During his live-stream show in Chongqing, also located in southwest China, IShowSpeed presented a panoramic view of the megacity known for its futuristic vibes. He watched the magic sight of light rail trains passing through a building in Chongqing's iconic station, viewed the jaw-dropping architecture of this mountainous city, and captured its spectacular nightlife.

Against the backdrop of Chongqing's cyberpunk canvas featuring beautifully lit skyscrapers and bridges at night, IShowSpeed said: "I've never been to a country where they have stuff like this. Chongqing is beautiful."

"China is an underrated tour spot. I don't know why people overlooked China," he stated, with this remark echoed by many members of his audience who have lived in the bubble of Western anti-China propaganda.

"Is China so advanced now? This breaks my 30-year-old understanding of China. I have been deceived by the so-called mainstream media for so many years, and I want to go to China to see," read a comment.

"After watching this video, I realized how foolish my previous views on China were. I've decided to plan my trip this year to China. I feel that if I don't go to China, I'll regret it for the rest of my life," said another.

So far, IShowSpeed's five live-stream episodes in China's Shanghai, Beijing, Henan, Chengdu and Chongqing have generated a total of 35.16 million views on YouTube, with many video clips going viral among both Chinese and global netizens.

Just a few months after the ground-breaking exchanges between Western "TikTok refugees" and Chinese netizens on the social media platform Red Note, this live-streaming tour by IShowSpeed serves as another inspiring example of people-to-people amity between China and the world.

One YouTube comment, which was liked over 2,700 times, thus wrote -- "The U.S. has spent billions on anti-China propaganda, only to be undone by Red Note and IShowSpeed stream."

IShowSpeed's tour is also a prominent example of China's inbound travel boom following the country's visa-free policies, which led to an influx of foreign tourists and businesspeople into China, making "China Travel" trendy on social media platforms.

Earlier this week, China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) also responded to such exchanges. "The one-shot live-streaming by foreign influencers presents China as it is in a panoramic view -- one that has not been edited or put in any filter."

"This again spurs growing enthusiasm for China. This shows that cultural and people-to-people exchanges between China and other countries enjoy profound support from the people, and such bonds cannot and will not be severed," said a MFA spokesperson.

The Shandong aircraft carrier task group of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) exercises helped play the role of cutting off “three lines” of “Taiwan independence” forces, namely their energy import life line, their external military aid support line, and their own escape line, an expert told the Global Times, after the PLA Eastern Theater Command announced the carrier group’s exercises to simulate strike on ground and maritime targets in areas to the east of Taiwan island on Wednesday.

The PLA Eastern Theater Command on Wednesday employed Shandong aircraft carrier task group, in coordination with naval and air units, in conducting military drills in areas to the east of Taiwan island, said Senior Colonel Shi Yi, a spokesperson of the PLA Eastern Theater Command in a statement.

The exercises included subjects of vessel-aircraft coordination, seizure of area air superiority and strike on ground and maritime targets so as to evaluate the troops’ capabilities of integrated operations inside and outside the island chain, multi-dimensional blockade and control, and joint operations of multiple services, Shi said.

Zhang Chi, a professor at the National Defense University, told Global Times on Wednesday that during the drills, the Shandong carrier task group quickly maneuvered to the east side of the island of Taiwan, displaying the PLA’s increasingly powerful capabilities in rapid response, precision strike and systematic coordination. The large strategic platform’s deep integration into the joint operation system fully displayed the PLA’s powerful capabilities.

Zhang noted that PLA carrier groups have routinely sailed beyond the island chain for exercises in recent years, many of them in areas to the east of Taiwan island. From the positioning of PLA aircraft carriers in these drills, they took key choke points and formed a solid maritime barrier, creating a situation to block external forces from interfering and suppress and block “Taiwan independence” secessionist forces inside.

For a long time, Taiwan authorities see the east of Taiwan island as a so-called base to preserve combat forces and a comfortable zone, for example, the island’s air force’s largest underground hangar Chiashan Air Force Base is located on the east side of the island, Zhang said, noting that the presence of the Shandong aircraft carrier task group to the east of Taiwan island helps play the role of cutting off “three lines” of “Taiwan independence” forces, namely their energy import life line, their external aid support line, and their own escape line.

“Taiwan independence” secessionist forces long have an illusion that the Chinese mainland will not really launch an attack, and that there would be external forces to help them. A series of drills, especially the military deterrence operations participated by aircraft carrier task groups, sent a clear signal to “Taiwan independence” secessionist forces, that large-scale, highly intensive and diverse operations can completely cut off their escape routes and external support routes, Zhang said. “There is only a dead end that awaits the ‘Taiwan independence’ secessionist forces, and China will be surely reunified,” he said.

As the sea breeze flows over the permanent site of the annual conference of the Boao Forum for Asia, the photovoltaic array radiates a gentle glow, and flower-shaped wind turbines spin, generating green electricity for nearby buildings.

On Dongyu Island in south China's Hainan Province, the near-zero carbon demonstration zone is redefining harmony between humanity and nature-reshaping modern living by integrating cutting-edge technology with sustainable development.

A simple QR code unlocks a zero-carbon coffee experience, where a robotic arm brews coffee using clean energy. An advanced recycling cube sorts materials and converts them into "carbon credits," which can be exchanged for eco-friendly rewards.

GREEN, ECO-FRIENDLY

Spanning 190 hectares, the zone focuses on three key strategies: green building renovation, renewable energy utilization, and eco-friendly transportation.

Since the renovation of infrastructure in the demonstration zone in 2022, this area has proven how technological innovation and urban renovation can shape a low-carbon future, paving the way for sustainable development, particularly in tropical regions worldwide.

According to Liu Hongwen, an engineer from COSCO SHIPPING Boao Co., Ltd.'s digital transformation and technological innovation department, these efforts have led to a drastic reduction in carbon dioxide emissions -- from 12,000 tonnes in 2019 to just 470 tonnes in 2024, a 96.2 percent decrease.

A CHINESE SOLUTION TO ENVIRONMENTAL CHALLENGES

The Dongyu demonstration zone stands as a testament to China's commitment to carbon neutrality and sustainable development. Looking ahead, this green model could inspire urban transformation projects worldwide, providing a Chinese solution to global environmental challenges.

One of the zone's core strengths lies in its energy generation capacity. The zone produces approximately 32 million kWh of green electricity annually, nearly twice its 17-million-kWh demand. The surplus energy is fed into the grid, contributing to an annual savings of 7,720 tonnes of carbon-negative resources, said Ouyang Qinglun, deputy director of the engineering department of COSCO SHIPPING Boao Co., Ltd.

Sustainable mobility is another key initiative. The zone promotes green commuting through electricity-generating bicycles and will implement restrictions on fuel-powered vehicles starting in 2025.

The demonstration zone will serve as a springboard for establishing a research institute dedicated to green and low-carbon technologies. This platform will also support the international certification of China's "zero-carbon" standard and explore regional carbon trading mechanisms, according to the China Academy of Urban Planning and Design (CAUPD).

Zeng Youwen, chief engineer of CAUPD's Hainan branch, said that the goal is to replicate this model nationwide and even globally, showcasing that economic growth and environmental protection can go hand in hand.

Colleges across China have responded to a national advocation for weight loss by releasing weight control directions after a major new initiative announced by China’s top health authority aimed at tipping the scales back toward healthier lifestyles.

Lei Haichao, head of China’s National Health Commission (NHC), announced at a press conference on the sidelines of this year’s two sessions the new initiatives to promote mental health, weight management and healthy lifestyles nationwide. According to the guidelines for weight management released by NHC, the prevalence of overweight or obesity among Chinese adults is anticipated to rise to 70.5 percent by 2030 and the childhood overweight and obesity rate is expected to reach 31.8 percent.

In response to the initiatives, multiple colleges across China such as China Agricultural University, Hubei University and University of Science and Technology Beijing have released weight management instructions and shared successful cases of weight loss.

The University of Science and Technology Beijing shared Tuesday on its official WeChat account a successful weight loss case of a PhD candidate Chen Linyun, who successfully reduced his weight by 52 kilograms from 132 kilograms in July of 2023 to the current 80 kilograms.

According to Chen, the weight loss progress and the sports and exercises not only built up his body but also made him become more confident, optimistic and cheerful when facing all kinds of challenges in his academic path.

In Southwest China’s Yunnan Province, 92 colleges across the province will start from this year's graduation season to implement an assessment system on college students’ physical constitution. As long as the students score above 80 out of 100 in their annual physical fitness tests, they will receive a “super fit” certificate upon graduation, the Xinhua News Agency reported on Tuesday, citing Yunnan provincial education authority.

The certificate, designed by the provincial department of education and made and issued by each university, will bear the official seals of the universities and the signature stamps of the universities’ Party secretaries in order to encourage college students to take part in sports, thereby improving their physical health, according to Xinhua.

Meanwhile, some colleges have rolled out the schedules of weight loss competitions to encourage weight management among students.

Topics related to “fat loss and weight management” have been trending on social media over the past few days.

Some netizens posted on social media platforms the notice on the Fifth Weight Loss Competition of Southern University of Science and Technology

According to the notice, competitors will be weighed for the first time between March 14 and 17 and weighed the second time between May 16 and 19. The rankings will be decided by the body mass index, a calculated measure of weight relative to height.

One netizen who took the competition in the past said that he ended up gaining weight by one kilogram when he was weighed the second time.

While some netizens were more curious about what the prizes will be, others expressed concerns over students’ knowledge on weight control, noting that students’ lack of nutrition knowledge may lead to damages to their health in the process of weight loss.

Commenting on the joint statement of the G7 Foreign Ministers' Meeting and the G7 Foreign Ministers' Declaration on Maritime Security and Prosperity, the spokesperson of the Chinese Embassy in Canada refuted that such statements are filled with arrogance, prejudice and malicious intentions to suppress and attack China. 

China strongly deplores and opposes this and has lodged solemn representations with the Canadian side, the embassy spokesperson said in a statement published on its website on Friday local time, criticizing that "such statements repeat the same old rhetoric, ignore facts and China's solemn position, grossly interfere in China's internal affairs, and blatantly smear China."

According to the Statement of the G7 Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Charlevoix, a city in Quebec, Canada, the Global Affairs Canada released on local time Friday, the G7 members smeared China in several ways over topics involving situations in Ukraine, security and resilience across the so-called "Indo-Pacific" region. 

These G7 foreign minister joint statements clearly carry the intent of fostering internal unity by exaggerating the so-called "threats from China." This once again demonstrates that the G7 is a small clique that creates division, confrontation, and chaos in the world, rather than, as these seven countries claim, a group that brings stability to the world on economic or broader issues, Chinese observers said.

The G7 members hyped in the joint statement their support for Taiwan's meaningful participation in appropriate international organizations while being "concerned by the situations in the East China Sea as well as the South China Sea and continue to oppose strongly unilateral attempts to change the status quo, in particular by force and coercion."  

China firmly safeguards its territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests, and resolutely opposes the G7's misdeeds of harming China's sovereignty, the embassy spokesperson said in the statement. 

Taiwan is an inalienable part of China's territory. The Taiwan question is purely an internal affair of China, which brooks no external interference. The key to upholding peace and stability across the Taiwan Straits lies in abiding by the one-China principle, and firmly opposing the "Taiwan independence" separatism. The Taiwan region's participation in the activities of international organizations must and can only be handled in line with the one-China principle, according to the statement.  

Currently, the situation in the East China Sea and the South China Sea is generally stable. The South China Sea is one of the safest and freest maritime passages in the world. "I want to emphasize that the Asia-Pacific region is a promising land of peace and development, not a chessboard for geopolitical rivalries. The G7 should earnestly respect regional countries' efforts for peace and stability, abandon the Cold War mentality, and stop creating bloc confrontation and fueling tensions in the region," the spokesperson urged.

The G7 members in the statement also baselessly accused China of providing weapons and dual-use components to Russia, calling it a "decisive enabler of Russia's war and of the reconstitution of Russia's armed forces." 

"I want to reiterate that China is not a creator of or a party to the Ukraine crisis, and has never provided weapons to any party of the conflict," the Chinese embassy spokesperson refuted. "On the contrary, the G7 members are constantly pouring fuel on the fire, so it is in no position to scapegoat China."

China rejects the unreasonable accusations made by the G7. While the G7 has abandoned the basic principles of maintaining global strategic stability and undermined the international nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation regime, it chose to attack and discredit other countries' nuclear policies. This will only intensify confrontation and create obstacles for the international nuclear disarmament process, the spokesperson remarked.

Slamming the remarks in the statement that "China should not conduct or condone activities aimed at undermining the security and safety of our communities and the integrity of our democratic institutions," the spokesperson noted that China has never interfered in other countries' internal affairs and has no interest in doing so. The label of "interference in other countries' internal affairs" shall never be pinned on China. 

Today, the G7's discussions are no longer confined to economic matters. Originally established as an organization to address economic affairs, it has now shifted its focus to international crises and major political issues, such as the South China Sea, Taiwan, and the Russia-Ukraine conflict. This reveals that the G7 has effectively become an alliance that sustains its existence — and even strengthens its role—by fabricating external threats. Such an approach is undoubtedly a ticking time bomb for recent global security and prosperity, or in other words, a destabilizing factor, Li Haidong, a professor at China Foreign Affairs University, told the Global Times on Saturday. 

At the same time, we must note that the G7's series of accusations regarding China reflects the views of some elites or establishment factions within Western politics. However, in some Western countries, including the US and Italy, anti-establishment political forces are steadily gaining influence. This suggests that the G7 is undergoing a profound internal rift, he pointed out.

This division was deliberately obscured at the recent G7 foreign ministers' meeting through the amplification of external threats, he said, noting that "no matter how the G7 exaggerates external threats to bolster its existence and functions, it cannot conceal the deepening of its internal divisions, nor the resistance from countries worldwide to its obstruction of global prosperity and creation of global disorder."

China wants to stress to the G7 that a lie even if repeated thousands of times will not become a fact. The world will not be misled by the smearing against China. Suppressing and attacking China is not a "panacea" for resolving G7's internal disagreements. We once again urge the G7 to abandon Cold War mentality and ideological biases, refrain from going against the overwhelming trend of the world and the times, stop the unwarranted and condescending remarks on and gross interference in other countries' affairs, so as to avoid creating confrontation and division within the international community, the Chinese embassy spokesperson stressed.