China is taking countermeasures against 13 US military firms and six senior executives for the US' recent announcement of arms sales to China's Taiwan region, the Chinese Foreign Ministry announced on Thursday.

The US recently again announced arms sales to China's Taiwan region, which seriously violates the one-China principle and the three China-US joint communiqués, severely interferes in China's internal affairs, and seriously undermines China's sovereignty and territorial integrity, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Pursuant to Articles 3, 4, 5, 6, 9 and 15 of the Law of the People's Republic of China on Countering Foreign Sanctions, China hereby decided to take countermeasures against the following US military companies and senior executives:

For the 13 listed companies, namely Teledyne Brown Engineering, Inc., BRINC Drones, Inc., Rapid Flight LLC, Red Six Solutions, Shield AI, Inc., SYNEXXUS, Inc., Firestorm Labs, Inc., Kratos Unmanned Aerial Systems, Inc., HavocAI, Neros Technologies, Cyberlux Corporation, Domo Tactical Communications and Group W, their movable and immovable properties, and other kinds of assets within China shall be frozen, and they shall be prohibited to conduct activities such as trade and cooperation with organizations and individuals in China.

For the six listed senior executives, including Barbara Borgonovi, president of Raytheon's Naval Power strategic business unit, Gerard Hueber, vice president of Raytheon's Naval Power strategic business unit, Charles Woodburn, Group Chief Executive Officer of BAE Systems Land and Armament, Richard D. Crawford, founder and CEO of Alliant Techsystems Operation, Beth Edler, president of Data Link Solutions, Inc., and Blake Resnick, founder and CEO of BRINC Drones, their movable and immovable properties, and other kinds of assets within China shall be frozen, they shall be prohibited to conduct activities such as trade and cooperation with organizations and individuals in China, and they shall be denied visas or entry into China (including Hong Kong and Macao).

This decision shall come into force as of Thursday, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said.

Elaborating on the countermeasures, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said at a regular press conference on Thursday that the Taiwan question is at the core of China's core interests. The US recently announced to sell arms to China's Taiwan region multiple times, which seriously violates the one-China principle and the three China-US joint communiqués, severely interferes in China's internal affairs, and seriously undermines China's sovereignty and territorial integrity. Based on related provisions in the Law of the People's Republic of China on Countering Foreign Sanctions, China decides to take countermeasures against the US military companies and senior executives.

Lin stressed that "Taiwan independence" and peace in the Taiwan Straits are incompatible, and the US insistence on "using force to support independence" cannot shake China's firm determination to oppose "Taiwan independence" and achieve national reunification, but will only push Taiwan into a perilous situation of war and conflict. China urges the US to adhere to the one-China principle and the three China-US joint communiqués, especially the provisions of the August 17 communiqué, to fulfill the commitment made by US leader not to support "Taiwan independence," to immediately stop arming Taiwan, and to cease condoning and supporting "Taiwan independence" forces in their pursuit of "independence" through military means.

A team of 11 Chinese champions from the Paris Olympics kicked off their five-day lecture trip to Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region on Monday to share with the local residents their Olympic experiences and sporting spirit, according to the local government on Tuesday.

On the first day of their lecture tour, representatives of Olympic athletes, including Pan Zhanle, Zhang Yufei and Li Wenwen, were warmly welcomed by teachers and students at an event held at Xinjiang Normal University, according to the Xinhua News Agency.

Athletes Li Yuehong, Pan Zhanle and Li Wenwen shared their personal struggles during their speeches, offering unique perspectives on Team China's journey to bring honor to the motherland at the Paris Olympics. They vividly recounted the dedication and glorious moments of Chinese athletes, which resonated deeply with the audience and elicited a warm round of applause, according to the report.

A student from the university told the Global Times on Tuesday that during the event, some students gifted the champions with their own artwork, and the athletes also participated in the traditional Xinjiang dance alongside the students.

During another meeting with the athletes on Monday, Ma Xingrui, secretary of the Xinjiang regional committee of the Communist Party of China, said that the development momentum in Xinjiang is strong and energetic in all fields.

He noted that the confidence of officials and people from all ethnic backgrounds has significantly increased, with high spirits prevailing. He also highlighted the positive development trend in both the northern and southern regions of the Tianshan Mountains.

"We need to learn from the Olympic athletes' belief of prioritizing the country above all and striving to bring honor to the nation, and their character of self-transcendence and self-improvement, so as to better revitalize the spirit of unity and progress," Ma said.

The Olympic champions have arrived in Xinjiang, aiming to better promote the spirit of Chinese sports, tell the good stories of Chinese sports, and promote reform, development and stability of Xinjiang, especially in deepening cultural nourishment, Gao Zhidan, president of the Chinese Olympic Committee, said on Monday.

Gao added that the Olympic athletes will have in-depth exchanges and interactions with people of all ethnic groups in Xinjiang, especially the youth, to share their experiences and spread their spirit, and to contribute their sports power to forge the strong sense of community of the Chinese nation in Xinjiang.

The Olympic champions said that they would actively support the development of sports in Xinjiang and contribute to the cultivation of sports talents and improvement of sports level in Xinjiang.

Wang Jiang, an expert at the Institute of China's Borderland Studies at Zhejiang Normal University, told the Global Times on Tuesday that sports development in Xinjiang has flourished, especially with the recent National Traditional Games of Ethnic Minorities in South China's Hainan Province, which have seen participation from many ethnic minorities in Xinjiang.

Wang said that the visit of the Olympic champions is beneficial for the long-standing sports culture in Xinjiang, particularly in promoting sports among youngsters.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has urged supply and marketing cooperatives to act as bridges for the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the government to maintain close ties with farmers, and strive to write a new chapter in the high-quality development of the supply and marketing cooperative cause.

Xi, also general secretary of the CPC Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks in an instruction on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the founding of the All China Federation of Supply and Marketing Cooperatives.

Chinese mainland authorities said on Friday that Shenzhen residents will be able to apply for multiple-entry permits to Hong Kong starting from December 1.

A spokesperson for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government stated that the HKSAR welcomes and is grateful for this arrangement, adding that it is expected to inject new momentum into the city's tourism, dining, retail and other sectors.

Starting from December 1, 2024, residents and residence permit holders in Shenzhen, South China's Guangdong Province, can apply for the multiple-entry permit for travel to the HKSAR, allowing unlimited entries within one year, and with each stay not exceeding seven days, according to a statement from the National Immigration Administration on Friday.

HKSAR Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu said in his annual policy address in October that the HKSAR government proposed to the central government further enhancements in mainland residents' tourism visit endorsements to Hong Kong, including resuming the multiple-entry Individual Visit Endorsements for Shenzhen residents and expanding the coverage of pilot cities for implementing policies on the "one trip per week" Individual Visit Endorsements. The central government said relevant departments were studying the expedited implementation of the proposal proactively.

From January 1, 2025, residents of Zhuhai, South China's Guangdong Province can apply for a one-trip-per-week permit for travel to the Macao SAR. This will allow them to go to Macao once every week for a whole year. Each visit can last up to seven days, but they can only go once each week.

Residents and residence permit holders in the Guangdong-Macao in-depth cooperation zone in Hengqin, Zhuhai city, can apply for multiple-entry permits for travel to Macao. This allows for unlimited trips to Macao in one year, with each stay not exceeding seven days.

China firmly opposes US arms sales to China's Taiwan region, Chen Binhua, a spokesperson for the State Council's Taiwan Affairs Office, said on Sunday, calling on the US side to take concrete actions to fulfill its political promise of not supporting "Taiwan independence," to cease arming Taiwan and stop sending wrong signals to "Taiwan independence" separatist forces. 

Selling arms to China's Taiwan region is a serious violation to the three China-US joint communiqués, especially the August 17 Communiqué of 1982, Chen said.

The US' latest arms sales plans of $385 million include spare parts and support for F-16 aircraft and active electronically scanned array radars and related equipment, as well as improved mobile subscriber equipment follow-on support and related equipment, according to the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency.

Chen warned the Lai Ching-te authorities that buying weapons will not bring security, and "protection fees" cannot save "Taiwan independence." Relying on the US to pursue "independence" is destined to fail, and attempting to achieve "independence" through military means will only lead Taiwan to danger and ultimately to its own demise.

The Taiwan question is at the core of China's core interests, Chen said. "No one and no force should underestimate the firm will and strong capability of the Chinese people to defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity."

Xi calls for more bridges of cooperation, less 'small yard, high fences'

The "Haiwei GD11000," China's first and the world's only all-depth optical cable winch system, jointly developed by Dalian Maritime University and other technology companies, recently completed its first deep-sea survey in the South China Sea, demonstrating its full capabilities for maximum-depth ocean research, Science and Technology Daily reported on Tuesday.

During the voyage aboard the Guangzhou Marine Geological Survey Bureau's Haiyang Dizhi 2 (Ocean Geology 2) ship, the towing operation achieved a cable deployment length of over 11,000 meters and an operational depth exceeding 4,000 meters. This fully validated the stability and operational capability of China's domestically developed deep-sea winches system, according to the report.

The "Haiwei GD11000" can conduct scientific research operations at the maximum depths of all oceans worldwide. It is China's first and the world's only all-depth optical cable winch system, according to a statement published by Dalian Maritime University.

The optical cable winch system is designed for deploying, recovering, and towing large systems such as deep-sea towing systems and cable-controlled underwater robots. It serves as a fundamental piece of equipment for research vessels and is indispensable for deep-sea resource exploration and development.

As marine scientific research ventures into even deeper waters, harsher environments, and more precise scientific investigations, higher demands are being placed on winch systems. Traditional optical cable winch systems, limited by the heavy weight of metal-armored cables, cannot support full-depth operations. 

This prompted the domestic and independent development of an all-depth optical cable winch system, said the university.

The "Haiwei GD11000" will be deployed for routine deep-sea and polar survey operations aboard research vessels in the future, and will provide technological support for China's marine scientific research endeavors and deep-sea resource exploration and utilization, it said.

The Five Eyes alliance hosted an intelligence group meeting in Japan on Wednesday, the first time that such a meeting has been held in a non-member country, a reflection of Tokyo's "critical position for gathering information on nearby China," Nikkei Asia reported. 

Chinese experts warned of Japan's eagerness to join the alliance, but suggested that as the Five Eyes countries are all of Anglo-Saxon origin, Japan will seem "an outsider." The group is only using Japan's zeal to serve their own hegemonic purposes, analysts said.

The decision to hold the meeting in Japan reflects its "growing importance as an intelligence-collecting base in the Indo-Pacific region," Nikkei Asia reported. 

The meeting with members from the grouping - comprising the US, UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand - took place as part of a broader conference held in Tokyo among senior enlisted personnel from across Japan's Self-Defense Forces, the Japan Times reported on Wednesday. 

While this marks the first such meeting outside a Five Eyes country, it is not the first time Japan has been involved in such gatherings. In October, Japan's Self-Defense Forces participated in a meeting in Canada for the first time by invitation, according to Nikkei Asia.

Japan has long sought to enhance its status by pursuing membership in the Five Eyes grouping. And to gain this position, Japan is striving to align itself more closely with the Five Eyes in various fields, including military, security, politics and culture, Zhou Yongsheng, a deputy director of the Japanese Studies Center at the China Foreign Affairs University, told the Global Times on Wednesday. 

While the possibility of Japan becoming the "sixth eye" is increasing, potential membership will depend on negotiations among member states, as the Five Eyes is not merely an intelligence sharing group, it is rooted in shared ethnic heritage and cultural ties, as all members are of Anglo-Saxon origin, Zhou said. 

In contrast, Japan does not share the same ethnic and cultural background with these countries, which will make it "an outsider" in this context, Zhou said.

By offering incentives to "award" Japan - in this case, choosing Tokyo to host the meeting - the Five Eyes alliance is creating a perception that Japan is "highly valued." In reality, the partnership serves the Five Eyes' hegemonic purposes by forming camp confrontation, Lü Chao, a research fellow on Northeast Asia studies at the Liaoning Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times.

The meeting took place against the backdrop of a changing international landscape. At the just-concluded APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting in Lima, Peru and the G20 Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, China demonstrated an ever-more influential role in promoting peace and development across the globe through cooperation, as local officials hailed China's pivotal role in advancing inclusive, sustainable development across the Asia Pacific and globally.

"At such a time of change, establishing closer ties with or even joining Five Eyes is not in line with Japan's interests," Lü said, noting that the recently reelected Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has been actively engaging with China. 

Since the US implemented its so-called Indo-Pacific strategy, the Five Eyes alliance has strengthened intelligence and military interactions in the region, which have brought about great uncertainty. In this context, the latest move will cause further unrest among regional countries, Lü said.

China is ready to continue working with Morocco to firmly support each other on issues concerning their respective core interests, and push for greater development of China-Morocco strategic partnership, Chinese President Xi Jinping said when meeting with Moroccan Crown Prince Moulay Hassan on Thursday during a technical stop in Casablanca after wrapping up his state visit to Brazil. 

Assigned by Moroccan King Mohammed VI, Hassan and Moroccan Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch greeted Xi at the airport, where a welcome ceremony was held. Xi asked Hassan to convey his cordial greetings and best wishes to King Mohammed VI.

Xi pointed out that China and Morocco have witnessed sound development in their relations, with fruitful practical cooperation and increasingly vibrant exchanges in various fields. In 2016, Xi said, King Mohammed VI paid a state visit to China, during which they held productive talks, bringing China-Morocco relations to a new level. 

China is ready to work with Morocco to implement the outcomes of the Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation and the 10th ministerial conference of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum, and work for more outcomes in practical cooperation across various fields within the framework of Belt and Road cooperation, Xi said. 

China supports Morocco's efforts in safeguarding national security and stability, Xi added, calling on the two countries to expand cultural and people-to-people exchanges, so as to enhance public support for their friendship. 

Hassan conveyed the sincere greetings and warm welcome from King Mohammed VI to Xi, saying that bilateral ties have maintained a sound development momentum. He thanked China for its valuable support to Morocco during the COVID-19 pandemic, which the Moroccan people will never forget.

The Moroccan royal family and government are firmly committed to further developing bilateral relations, and are willing to maintain high-level exchanges with China and strengthen cooperation in various fields, he said. 

The Chinese language and culture are very popular among the Moroccan people, Hassan said, expressing his hope for promoting bilateral people-to-people exchanges. Noting that the two countries hold similar positions on many issues, he said the Moroccan side stands ready to work with China to firmly support each other in safeguarding national sovereignty, security, and stability.

The visit highlighted the deep friendship between China and Morocco and also Morocco's strong emphasis on its relationship with China. It is expected to further strengthen bilateral ties, deepen cooperation, and enhance people-to-people exchanges between the two nations, Song Wei, a professor from the School of International Relations and Diplomacy at Beijing Foreign Studies University, told the Global Times on Friday. 

Song noted that President Xi's speeches at the G20 and APEC meetings highlighted China's willingness and confidence in sharing its development experience and working to build consensus among the Global South countries on advancing economic growth. 

As a key regional player in North Africa and an important partner in the China-Africa Cooperation Forum, Morocco seeks to foster win-win cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative while drawing from China's expertise in development and poverty alleviation, said the expert. 

The Chinese national football team secured a key win in the World Cup Asian qualifying round on Thursday, beating Bahrain 1-0 away from home and moving up to fourth place in the group.

Beijing Guoan forward Zhang Yuning scored the only goal for China in the 90th minute. 

Both China and Bahrain were seeking to get their qualifying campaigns back on track, but chances were scarce at the Bahrain National Stadium. 

Thursday's match was the first time under coach Branko Ivankovic that no naturalized players appeared in the starting lineup for China.

The 70-year-old Croatian has stated that the goal for the team is a top four finish in the group, which would take them through to the fourth round of the Asian qualifiers. 

The Chinese team, which is now ranked 92nd in the world, played Thursday's match without several key players, including injury-plagued domestic top striker Wu Lei. Midfielder Xie Wenneng, who scored against Australia in the 3-1 defeat in October, was also missing.

The Chinese team will next host Japan in Xiamen, East China's Fujian Province, on Tuesday.

Chinese forward Behram Abduweli will have to skip the Japan match due to accumulation of yellow cards, after receiving a caution in the 20th minute against Bahrain.