China will continue to share the opportunities stemming from high-quality development with all parties, promote more Chinese brands globally, build more bridges for exchange with other countries, and inject greater impetus into the global economy, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said at a regular press conference on Tuesday.
The remarks were made to a media inquiry seeking comments on multiple foreign media reports recently that an increasing number of Chinese brands, including tea beverages, hot pot chains, and sports brands, have launched a new wave of overseas market expansion and the view that Chinese companies are not only selling products abroad but also winning favor with foreign consumers through technology, design, supply chain efficiency, and localized services, as well as nurturing globally recognized brands.
Lin Jian noted that, China, with its strong innovation capability, massive market vitality, and cultural appeal, is driving the upgrade of "Made in China" and embracing the world market through open cooperation.
Chinese brands have become ambassadors for Chinese quality, serving as a vivid illustration of how China's development benefits the global economy, Lin said.
The Canadian government announced on Monday (local time) an "incremental increase" in the number of direct flights permitted between Canada and China, as Ottawa aims to promote trade diversification, strengthen supply chains, boost tourism and help fuel Canada's economic growth, according to an official press release.
Chinese experts said that the move is conducive to enhancing people-to-people and trade exchanges between China and Canada, and reflects Ottawa's determination to boost cooperation and exchanges with China amid complex international economic and trade relations.
Canadian and Chinese airlines will be allowed to incrementally increase direct passenger-combination flights, and operate up to 20 all-cargo flights per week, according to a press release on the Government of Canada website, with "reciprocal access to all points in each country."
Building on Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney's visit to Beijing earlier this year, this measure delivers on the Canada-China Economic and Trade Cooperation Roadmap and supports the renewal of Canada's economic relationship with China, the press release said.
"Increasing passenger and cargo flights with China is a very positive step toward our trade diversification goals while also reinforcing our strong people-to-people ties. We are giving Canadian travelers more choice and more convenience while growing our commercial relationship with China," Canadian Transport Minister Steven MacKinnon was quoted as saying in the release.
"The Canadian side's move is a pragmatic recalibration of its China policy, framed within the outcomes of Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney's visit to China in January. This increase in flights is a direct response to sustained pressure from Canadian exporters and higher education institutions, aiming to tangibly repair the state of low-frequency engagement previously strained by diplomatic frictions," Liu Dan, a research fellow at the Center for Regional and Country Studies at Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, told the Global Times on Tuesday.
"First, the increase in flight services will directly reduce freight costs and transit times for high-value-added agricultural products and industrial components. This will help Canada diversify away from its over-reliance on exports to the US, bringing immediate benefits to China-Canada bilateral economic and trade cooperation," Liu said.
At the global economic level, amid ongoing geopolitical disruptions to transpacific shipping routes, increasing flights sends a stabilizing signal for trade corridors between North America and East Asia, preventing supply chain ruptures caused by bottlenecks in a single logistics channel, she said.
Flights between the two countries have been rising. Data from industry information provider VariFlight sent to the Global Times on Tuesday showed that between March 21 and April 20, there were 305 flights between the Chinese mainland and Canada, up 21 percent year-on-year.
"The Canadian side's move is a welcome and encouraging sign of carrying out the consensus reached during Carney's visit to China," Li Yong, an executive council member of the China Society for WTO Studies, told the Global Times on Tuesday.
Li said that amid complex and volatile global economic and trade conditions, Canada's actions to actively engage with China to enhance people-to-people exchanges and trade cooperation are sober and rational amid rising protectionism and unilateralism.
"More open and closer cooperation between the two countries will only lead to improved trade and economic wellbeing for people in both countries. In doing so, Canada's economic and market development will be linked to China's market potential and dynamics," he said.
There have been frequent exchanges between Chinese and Canadian officials and businesses this year. Carney paid an official visit to China from January 14 to 17, the first trip to China by a Canadian prime minister in eight years. During the visit, Carney said that Canada will initially allow in up to 49,000 Chinese electric vehicles at a tariff rate of 6.1 percent on most-favored nation terms.
During Canadian Finance Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne's visit to China in early April, the two sides agreed to hold a China-Canada Economic and Financial Strategic Dialogue in the second half of this year, the Xinhua News Agency reported on April 3.
Li said that "those measures will also inject confidence into Chinese business communities looking for trade and investment opportunities in Canada. We can reasonably expect the healthy development of bilateral economic and trade cooperation going forward."
At this year's China International Consumer Products Expo (CICPE), which concluded in Haikou, South China's Hainan Province, on April 18, Canada was the guest country of honor. This year, Canada organized its largest-ever delegation, with about 40 companies participating in sectors including cosmetics, agricultural products, health products and pet food.
"We're very excited to be here as the guest country of honor… As the Chinese consumer market grows, there are 1.4 billion consumers. That's very important for Canada," Canadian Minister of International Trade Maninder Sidhu told the Global Times during the CICPE.
According to the Canada-China Business Survey 2025/2026 recently released by the Canada China Business Council, 86 percent of the respondents viewed China as a top or No.1 priority in their global strategies, while more than two-thirds said that they were preparing to expand their operations in China.
Workers operate on a production line in the smart workshop of a special vehicle manufacturing company in Yangzhou, East China's Jiangsu Province, on April 22, 2026. Official data showed that the value-added of industrial enterprises above a designated size grew by 6.1 percent year-on-year in the first quarter of 2026. Photo: VCG
Exhibitors use a massive three-meter cauldron to simmer braising liquid in Guilin, South China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, on April 17, 2026 as the city hosts its inaugural Rice Noodle Super League from April 17-20, 2026, coinciding with the vibrant Sanyuesan Festival, which is a traditional festival celebrated by various ethnic groups in China. Photo: VCG
At the invitation of Premier of the State Council Li Qiang, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez will pay an official visit to China from April 11 to 15, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson announced on Wednesday.
China has expanded its pilot free trade zones (FTZ) to 23 with the establishment of the China (Inner Mongolia) Pilot Free Trade Zone, according to a plan made public by the State Council Thursday.
The plan grants the new pilot FTZ in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region greater reform autonomy and encourages pioneering, integrated and differentiated exploration across a wider range of areas and at a deeper level.
It specifies 19 reform and innovation measures, including developing border trade in an innovative way, strengthening international logistics services, improving the efficiency of technology transfer and application, and expanding external exchanges across multiple fields.
The establishment of the China (Inner Mongolia) Pilot Free Trade Zone is an important strategic move to further deepen reforms comprehensively, advance high-standard opening up, and promote high-quality development, according to the plan.
The plan aims to build the pilot FTZ into a hub for information exchange, transportation and logistics, allocation of resources and production factors, sci-tech innovation and industrial cooperation in key areas, connecting domestic and international markets while radiating to neighboring regions.
The FTZ will fully leverage its role as an important bridgehead for China's opening up to the north, and strive to become a high-level FTZ featuring convenient investment and trade, a sound innovation ecosystem, clustering of competitive industries, and vibrant international exchanges.
The pilot FTZ covers 119.74 square kilometers and comprises three subzones in Hohhot, capital of the autonomous region, Manzhouli, a northern border city, and Erenhot, a land port on the China-Mongolia border, each tasked with differentiated functions and the development of industries tailored to local conditions.
China had earlier established 22 pilot FTZs in areas including Shanghai, Guangdong, Liaoning, Hainan, Shandong and Beijing. The previous addition was the China (Xinjiang) Pilot Free Trade Zone in 2023.
China State Railway Group Co., Ltd. announced on Saturday that railway construction has been advancing with high quality and efficiency in the first quarter (Q1) of this year, laying a solid foundation for the full-year goals and injecting new vitality into economic and social development.
In the first three months, China's railways completed 137.9 billion yuan (about 20.09 billion U.S. dollars) in fixed-asset investment, a year-on-year increase of 5.1 percent. A series of key railway projects, including the Xi'an-Shiyan high-speed railway and the Shandong section of the Xiong'an-Shangqiu high-speed railway, have achieved significant progress since the start of the year.
The company has leveraged favorable policies, including those for major national projects and programs, to fully leverage the advantages of railway construction's long industrial chain and broad reach, accelerating nationwide railway construction.
China will continue to push forward national key railway projects in 2026, with more than 2,000 kilometers of new national railway lines to be put into service. Looking ahead, the company will implement the key railway construction tasks specified in the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030), and further leverage railway construction to support the expansion of domestic demand and economic growth.
In response to a media inquiry regarding a report by The Guardian that Pakistani officials said China had directly encouraged Iran to accept a ceasefire and promised to act as a guarantor of Iran's safety in any talks — including assurances that Iranian officials would not be assassinated if they traveled for future negotiations — Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said on Thursday that China has consistently advocated for an early ceasefire and an end to the fighting, and for disputes to be resolved through political and diplomatic means so as to ultimately achieve long-term peace and stability in the Middle East and the Gulf region, according to The Paper.
She added that China hopes all parties will properly resolve their differences through dialogue and negotiations, and that China will continue to make efforts to ease tensions and help bring an end to the conflict, The Paper reported.
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.
