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.

The Shenzhou-19 manned spaceflight crew made its public debut on Wednesday afternoon at a press event held in the Astronaut Center of China (ACC） in Beijing, over 2 months after their return to Earth. The crew spent 183 days living and working in the China Space Station during the mission.

Cai Xuzhe, serving as mission commander of the Shenzhou-19 as well as the earlier Shenzhou-14 manned spaceflight mission, shared with the press on Wednesday that "each flight mission is not a simple repeat of the previous one, but a continuous leap toward a higher level."

According to Cai, the crew carried out 88 experiments during their stay in orbit, covering fields such as space life sciences, microgravity fundamental physics and aerospace medicine. They also successfully prepared more than 13 types of 102 experimental samples. 

Additionally, the Shenzhou-19 taikonauts also completed tasks including in-orbit testing and verification of a space station pipeline inspection robot, object weight perception tests, emotional state testing capability assessments and experimental sample replacements.

Cai, during the extravehicular activities of the Shenzhou-19 mission, set multiple records. His first spacewalk lasted nine hours, breaking the world record for the longest single spacewalk, and he completed a total of five spacewalks across two missions, making him the taikonaut with the most spacewalks to date.

Cai emphasized that "every successful spacewalk is the result of the crew's unity and the seamless coordination between space and ground, fully demonstrating the reliability of the extravehicular spacesuit and the confidence in Chinese aerospace technology."

Cai also recalled how they managed to fix an unexpected payload adapter jamming problem during their first spacewalk, saying that facing challenges such as tight time constraints and unfamiliarity with the extravehicular equipment, the crew calmly responded after receiving training via space-ground video calls with the ground team. After exiting the cabin, they assessed the equipment's condition and, following communication with the ground support team, successfully resolved the issue. When he heard the enthusiastic applause from the ground support team through his earpiece, he felt deeply "proud of the leading role and value that taikonauts play in manned spaceflight."

Song Lingdong, China's first taikonaut born in the 1990s who has performed a spacewalk, said the moment he opened the hatch was a moment that his dream came true.

"Performing a spacewalk as a post-1990s is our generation's mission, and this moment was destined to arrive," he said. 

Interestingly, Song also took the lead in attempting to grow sweet potatoes in orbit during the mission, and the plants showed very good growth. 

"I collected samples of these sweet potatoes as per ground instructions and brought them back, which would provide crucial data for verifying the feasibility of sweet potatoes as a food source for long-term spaceflight," Song said. 

Wang Haoze, the third member of the crew who is also the country's first female flight engineer to enter the space station, said she has brought new energy to the crew with her meticulous operational habits, scientific thinking and gentle demeanor. 

Having confidently completed all tasks, she said at the Wednesday event that "being able to contribute more to scientific exploration and showcase the brilliance of women to the world makes all my efforts profoundly meaningful."

According to the ACC, the Shenzhou-19 crew has completed the isolation recovery and recuperation phases and has fully transitioned to the observation and recovery phase. 

Currently, under the close care and support of the scientific support team at the ACC, the Shenzhou-19 crew is in good physical and mental condition. All medical examination results are normal, and their muscle strength, endurance and cardiovascular functions during exercise have essentially returned to pre-flight levels. After completing all tasks in the recovery period and undergoing a health assessment, the three astronauts will resume normal training, the center disclosed. 

A workshop held Thursday brought experts together from multiple countries to examine the historical context and current realities of the South China Sea issues, with some refuting the legitimacy of the so-called South China Sea arbitration award, from a legal perspective.

The Workshop on History and Reality of the South China Sea 2025 was held in Beijing on Thursday, organized by the Huayang Center for Maritime Cooperation and Ocean Governance and the National Institute for South China Sea Studies. More than 150 experts from over 10 countries including China, Malaysia, Japan, Philippines, and Germany participated in the event.

China's sovereignty over the islands in the South China Sea has a full historical and legal basis, and the Chinese people have administered the South China Sea since ancient times, Wu Shicun, Chairman of Huayang Center for Maritime Cooperation and Ocean Governance, said during his keynote speech at the beginning of the workshop.

History reflects reality, showing that China's efforts to safeguard these islands are a defense of the post-WWII international order and the fundamental principles of international law recognized by the UN Charter, rather than an attempt to undermine them, Wu said.

Wu said that the South China Sea situation currently faces three major challenges. First, the US' involvement has intensified tensions, strengthening military deployments under the pretext of "freedom of navigation" and supporting other countries' unlawful claims.

Neighboring states have escalated infringing activities, with the Philippines provoking incidents at Ren'ai Jiao and introducing intermediate-range missile systems, endangering regional security, Wu noted.

Also, negotiations on the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea allow no optimism, as external forces exploit illegal arbitration rulings to interfere with the process and undermine crisis management efforts between China and ASEAN, he added.

Wu also rejected the so-called South China Sea arbitration award in 2016, stating that it is completely invalid due to the tribunal's overstepped authority, unfair composition, and erroneous fact-finding. He emphasized that the ruling has become a "ticking time bomb undermining stability in the South China Sea."

"Their legal interpretation of what constitutes an island that is entitled to claim full jurisdictional zones is unheard of. They adopted it based on a very strange interpretation," Phillip Saunders, adjunct professor from the Schulich School of Law of Dalhousie University in Canada, told the Global Times.

"China had the right to exclude jurisdiction over issues related to matters of sovereignty over land territory, and this clearly involves sovereignty over land territory," he added.

"The South China Sea is currently the source of tension and problems between the Philippines and China, because they are focusing on territorial disputes and maritime jurisdictional conflict, but we need to emphasize the idea that the South China Sea shall not define the overall bilateral relationship between the Philippines and China," Rommel Banlaoi, president of the Philippine Society for International Security Studies, told the Global Times.

Banlaoi pointed out that the best way to resolve the dispute is to resume bilateral relations through dialogue and consultations, with rebuilding confidence as the key factor. He explained that both sides need to start talking again, rebuild trust, and promote mutual understanding in order to cooperate, as there is currently a lack of confidence between the two sides.

Certain countries are complicating the peaceful resolution of disputes in the South China Sea, Banlaoi said, adding that the ASEAN way is the best approach to managing conflict in the South China Sea, while the current [Philippine] government's alignment with the US approach is only complicating the issue.

He told the Global Times that the relationship between the US and China is also impacting the current situation, as the Philippines, heavily influenced by the US, is being used in its "geopolitical rivalry against China."

"For Malaysia, we always believe in cooperation and no conflict," Salawati Mat Basir, professor from the National University of Malaysia, told the Global Times, adding that Malaysia doesn't want to harm its relationship with China. External interference, particularly from the US, only makes the situation worse for ASEAN countries, she added.

During the workshop, Wu called on regional countries to jointly safeguard the post-World War II international order, reject external interference, accelerate consultations on the Code of Conduct, and build a South China Sea community with a shared future through practical maritime cooperation.

China has made substantial progress in curbing groundwater overexploitation in recent years, driven by efforts to reduce extraction and enhance replenishment, a government official said on Friday.

The number of provincial-level regions facing groundwater overexploitation has dropped from 21 in 2015 to 18 now, with the volume of overexploitation down by 31.9 percent compared to 2015 levels, Zhang Xiangwei, an official of the Ministry of Water Resources, told a press conference.

The improvement has been particularly striking in northern China, one of the country's most water-scarce regions, where groundwater overexploitation has been reduced by 85.8 percent compared to 2015 levels, according to Zhang.

Data from the ministry show that shallow groundwater levels in parts of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region have risen by 3.19 meters since 2015, while deep groundwater levels have rebounded by an average of 8.46 meters.

To consolidate the progress, Zhang noted that China will adopt a comprehensive approach, including water conservation, industrial restructuring and enhanced replenishment efforts, to ensure the sustained recovery of groundwater levels.

A full roster of Japan's Unit 8604, obtained from the National Archives of Japan, was unveiled in China for the first time on Monday, and such complete personnel list serves as crucial evidence of the Japanese Imperial Army germ-warfare in South China during its invasion of China, CCTV News reported on Monday.

Donated by Japanese scholar Seiya Matsuno, the list was long classified as a military secret by Japan after World War II. Under mounting pressure, the roster of Unit 8604's personnel was finally released on May 14. It is the only known core archival document detailing the unit's members and serves as vital primary evidence of the Japanese army's bacteriological warfare in South China.

During the Chinese People's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression, the Japanese army launched multiple germ warfare attacks across China. Alongside the infamous Unit 731, Unit 8604—based in Guangzhou, South China's Guangdong Province—conducted live human experiments using bacteria and viruses, resulting in the mass killing of refugees from Guangdong and Hong Kong.

Compiled in 1945 and sent to Tokyo for archival purposes, the roster contains the names of 860 members of Unit 8604—exceeding both the number listed in the postwar veterans' association registry and the number identified by Chinese scholars to date.

The roster includes detailed information such as members' names, birthdates, places of origin, dates of assignment to the unit, prior military affiliations and transfer dates, service category, branch, rank, monthly salary, enlistment date, date of current rank conferment, as well as the names and addresses of next of kin in Japan.

Notably, the roster also contains information not found in personnel records of other Japanese biological warfare units, such as the postwar status of more than half of the listed members—including causes of death, dates of arrest by Chinese war crimes tribunals, and other developments after Japan's defeat.

Wu Peijun, a researcher at the Center for South China Anti-Japanese War History at South China Normal University, described the roster with four superlatives: the most authoritative archive, the most complete personnel list, the most detailed records, and the most crucial document. He called it a key to unlocking the secrets of Unit 8604 and Japan's broader biological warfare operations during the invasion of China.

According to Wu, the roster enables historians to clarify fundamental facts such as the personnel structure, organizational setup, and scale of Unit 8604. 

By comparing it with rosters from other Japanese biological warfare units—such as Unit 731 and Unit Oka 9420—scholars can trace internal and external connections among these units and uncover how they coordinated during the war. This significantly enhances understanding of Japan's biological warfare system and plays a vital role in fully exposing the extent of its wartime atrocities.