In response to a question regarding Taiwan regional leader Lai Ching-te’s claim calling on Chinese mainland to stop military buildup in the South China Sea, the East China Sea and the Taiwan Straits, and to renounce the use of force against the Taiwan region, and its claim that Taiwan region is willing to engage in exchanges and cooperation with Chinese mainland on the principle of equality and mutual respect, so as to promote peaceful coexistence and common prosperity, Zhang Han, a spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, said that only when the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities recognize the 1992 Consensus, which embodies the one-China principle, and put an end to their separatist acts for “Taiwan independence,” can cross-Straits consultation and dialogue be resumed, and can cross-Straits relations return to the right track of peaceful development.
Zhang said at present, the situations in the South China Sea and the East China Sea remain generally stable. The DPP authorities, by stubbornly adhering to the separatist stance of “Taiwan independence” and attempting to seek independence with external support and by force, are the very root cause of tension and turbulence in the Taiwan Straits, and are also the troublemaker for regional peace and stability, Zhang added.
“What I want to emphasize is we are willing to strive for peaceful reunification with utmost sincerity and greatest efforts, but we make no promise to renounce the use of force, nor will we leave any room for any form of ‘Taiwan independence’ separatist activities,” Zhang noted.
Chinese social media platform Xiaohongshu, also known as RedNote, said on Tuesday that it had banned 40,000 accounts since early June, as part of a stepped-up crackdowns on illegal sports betting and traffic-directing content during the 2026 FIFA World Cup in a bid to promote a rational and orderly viewing environment.
According to a statement released by the platform, since issuing a "notice on governing World Cup-related illegal sports betting" in early June, Xiaohongshu has taken over 12 enforcement actions against coordinated traffic diverting groups as of Tuesday. The crackdown has resulted in the ban of over 40,000 group-affiliated accounts, the removal of 65,000 gambling-related posts, and the cleanup of more than 450,000 comments related to such illicit promotion.
According to the statement, the World Cup is a peak period for organized gambling-related activities. The platform has proactively reported and transferred 12 clues to public security authorities in localities and assisted the law enforcement in Guangxi, Beijing, Zhejiang, and other places in investigating and cracking down on five traffic-diverting groups.
Any form of online gambling, illegal prediction betting, and related traffic-diverting activities are suspected of violating laws and regulations, the statement said. The platform will act against violative content and accounts per its rules - measures include, but not limited to, removing offending posts, restricting private messaging and group chat features, and permanently banning accounts that disseminate illegal sports betting information, according to the statement.
Xiaohongshu has called on its users to watch matches rationally, engage in civilized discussions, and stay alert to all forms of illegal sports betting. It also urged internet users to report suspected violations through the platform's reporting system.
Chinese Vice Premier Liu Guozhong on Tuesday addressed the High-Level Meeting of African Heads of State and Government and Partners on the Ebola Disease Outbreak via video link.
Liu, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said that the vision of building a community with a shared future for humanity and a global community of health for all has charted the course for international cooperation in fighting the pandemic.
Noting that China and Africa have always been a community with a shared future, Liu said China has provided emergency humanitarian assistance to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and the African Union (AU), and dispatched medical expert teams to the DRC.
Meanwhile, nearly 1,000 Chinese medical professionals who are working in African countries stand side by side with local people in combating the disease, he said.
China stands ready to provide more medical support to Africa within the framework of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, and calls for the international community to enhance solidarity and cooperation to increase support for African countries, said Liu.
Burundian President and current Chairperson of the AU Evariste Ndayishimiye chaired the meeting. Heads of state and government from more than 10 African countries, including South Africa, Equatorial Guinea and Zimbabwe, attended the meeting. Representatives from international and regional organizations such as the World Health Organization and partners from outside the region also attended.
China stands ready to provide more medical support to Africa within the framework of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, and calls for the international community to enhance solidarity and cooperation to increase support for African countries, in regard to the ongoing Ebola outbreak on the continent, according to a readout from the Chinese Foreign Ministry on Wednesday.
Chinese Vice Premier Liu Guozhong made the remarks on Tuesday when addressing the High-Level Meeting of African Heads of State and Government and Partners on the Ebola Disease Outbreak via video link.
Liu, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said that the vision of building a community with a shared future for humanity and a global community of health for all has charted the course for international cooperation in fighting the outbreak.
Noting that China and Africa have always been a community with a shared future, Liu said China has provided emergency humanitarian assistance to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and the African Union (AU), and dispatched medical expert teams to the DRC, the readout said.
Meanwhile, nearly 1,000 Chinese medical professionals who are working in African countries stand side by side with local people in combating the disease, Liu said.
At a regular press conference on Wednesday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian briefed the media on China's participation in the meeting, saying that China will implement the Partnership Action for Health under the framework of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, and provide assistance to the best of our capability in combating the outbreak. "We call on the international community to strengthen solidarity and cooperation to help Africa defeat the outbreak at an early date," Lin added.
According to the official website of the African Union, the virtual meeting served as a platform to mobilize urgent political commitment, financial resources, and operational support to strengthen Africa's collective response to the outbreak and reinforce continental health security.
Burundian President and current Chairperson of the AU Evariste Ndayishimiye chaired the meeting. Heads of state and government from more than 10 African countries, including South Africa, Equatorial Guinea and Zimbabwe, attended the meeting. Representatives from international and regional organizations such as the World Health Organization and partners from outside the region also attended the meeting, per the Xinhua News Agency.
Addressing the meeting, the head of Africa's Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) warned that the Ebola outbreak in DRC could be the worst ever, and that currently tens of thousands of contacts of those ill with the disease had not been traced, Reuters reported.
"If we don't stop the outbreak very soon it will be worse than what we had in West Africa and eastern DRC," Africa CDC Director-General Jean Kaseya told the virtual meeting. He was referring to the outbreak that affected Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone in 2014-2016 that killed over 11,000 people and a less deadly 2018 outbreak in DRC, per Reuters.
Amid the grim situation of the ongoing spread of the Ebola outbreak in parts of Africa, the Chinese government has decided to provide additional emergency humanitarian assistance on top of its previous anti‑outbreak support for Africa. The assistance includes continued aid to the DRC, a batch of anti‑outbreak supplies for Uganda, and sustained support for Africa CDC to fulfil its mandate, helping Africa contain the outbreak at an early date, Tang Ying, spokesperson for the China International Development Cooperation Agency, said on Wednesday.
The number of confirmed cases in the DRC has increased to 837, including 196 deaths, government data showed on Tuesday. Neighboring Uganda has recorded 19 cases, 14 of them among people who had travelled from the DRC. The country has also reported two deaths, according to the Al Jazeera.
A Red Cross official said that the outbreak had not yet peaked in the DRC. "We are afraid that this could last one year to end this disease," said Bruno Michon, operations manager for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, Al Jazeera reported.
Zhuang Shilihe, a Guangzhou-based medical expert, told the Global Times on Wednesday that given the outbreak situation, case numbers across Africa are likely to keep rising in the coming months. The security situation in the DRC may also hamper medical‑relief personnel operating in outbreak‑hit regions.
Amid the ongoing outbreak in Africa, China's National Disease Control and Prevention Administration released an updated Ebola prevention and control plan Tuesday, setting out tracking and health management requirements for people arriving from affected regions.
The plan requires health monitoring and management for people arriving in China from Ebola-affected countries or regions, foreign nationals who traveled to affected areas within 21 days before entering China, and Chinese citizens returning from outbreak zones.
Zhuang noted that this plan represents proactive contingency preparation given the currently low overall domestic risk level. It helps authorities enforce more detailed preventive measures.
China on Thursday released a new national human rights action plan at the opening of the 2026 Forum on Global Human Rights Governance, aiming to ensure the principal position of the people is respected and the people's fundamental interests are safeguarded.
The National Human Rights Action Plan of China (2026-2030) will also promote social fairness and justice and ensure that the fruits of modernization benefit all people fairly.
The action plan is divided into an introduction and eight chapters. It was jointly unveiled by the representatives of the members of the joint meeting mechanism for the national human rights action plan.
The Chinese government implemented its fourth human rights action plan between 2021 and 2025. With the effective implementation of its objectives and tasks, the country achieved remarkable progress in human rights protection, providing much-needed stability and certainty for global human rights development, the latest action plan says.
At the invitation of Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi, Nepal’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Shisir Khanal will visit China from June 14 to 17.
Asked to comment on China-related remarks made by intelligence agencies of the "Five Eyes" alliance, Chinese FM spokesperson Mao Ning said on Friday that "I addressed this question yesterday. It is ironic that the 'Five Eyes,' as an intelligence agency, has a long track record of conducting espionage across the globe, yet it leveled accusations against China over so-called espionage threats."
Newly discovered historical records have shed fresh light on the operations of a Japanese poison gas bomb factory during World War II, revealing details of chemical weapons production, workplace accidents and the wartime mobilization system that prioritized military expansion above all else.
The documents were recently uncovered by Seiya Matsuno, a historian and researcher at the International Peace Research Institute of Meiji Gakuin University, in Japan's National Archives. Matsuno said the materials not only provide new evidence about Japan's wartime production of poison gas munitions but also illustrate the dark reality of a government and military apparatus that placed war above society and human life.
The newly found document, titled "Compilation of Reports on the Implementation of Military Mobilization," is a production report covering fiscal 1941 operations at the Sone Manufacturing Plant of the Tokyo Second Army Arsenal. Matsuno analyzed the material and published his findings in the June 2026 issue of the Japanese magazine Sekai.
According to Matsuno's research, the Sone plant, formerly located in Kitakyushu City in Fukuoka Prefecture, was responsible for filling artillery shells with toxic chemical agents and assembling poison gas bombs. The facility also manufactured smoke shells and incendiary bombs.
The material documents accidents that occurred during poison gas bomb production and the injuries suffered by workers. Until now, such incidents had largely been known only through testimonies from former employees. The newly discovered records provide documentary evidence supporting those accounts.
Matsuno told Xinhua that the material also shows how poison gas bomb production expanded alongside Japan's growing war efforts. During fiscal 1941, the Sone plant increased its workforce and boosted output. He noted that, at the time, Japan was continuing its war in China, preparing for a possible conflict with the Soviet Union and planning military expansion into Southeast Asia.
Matsuno emphasized that the Japanese military's use of chemical weapons in China and elsewhere violated international law, adding that the military also conducted human experiments and committed other war crimes, which reflected the brutal nature of Japan's wartime aggression.
Under the rule of Japanese militarism, the country became increasingly consumed by war fervor. Matsuno said that the newly discovered records reveal a period in which the government and military subordinated all aspects of society to the war effort, while dissenting voices were systematically suppressed.
War brings only suffering and misfortune, Matsuno noted, stressing the importance of uncovering the realities of wartime history to prevent similar tragedies from recurring. Understanding how Japan became a country that inflicted serious harm on many Asian nations, and examining the conditions that made such developments possible, remain important tasks for contemporary Japanese society, he added.
A spokesperson of Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday that fear-mongering of so-called threats to justify military buildup is a go-to tactic for Japanese militarism.
Spokesperson Mao Ning made the remarks when asked to comment on recent social media post by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi which claimed the review of the three principles on Japan's defense equipment transfer is aimed at enhancing deterrence for the sake of "defense" and preventing conflicts before they occur, as well as US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's welcome of this Japanese initiative and agreed to strengthen military cooperation with Japan.
Mao said that as explicitly stipulated in international instruments such as the Potsdam Proclamation, Japan is obligated under international law to be "completely disarmed" and not to maintain industries that "would enable her to re-arm for war."
Japan, however, has been lifting the ban on lethal weapon export, rebuilding the war machine, and rapidly shifting to offense-oriented security and defense policies. Those dangerous moves bear an alarming resemblance to the course of actions taken by militarists in pre-war Japan, Mao noted.
History has taught the world a painful lesson on appeasing and condoning militarism. Once that Pandora's box is opened, no one will be safe from the danger of raising a monster, Mao added.
The second session of the 14th National People's Congress (NPC) and the second session of the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) will open on March 5 and 4, respectively. The two sessions are a crucial window into China's whole-process people's democracy and will offer the world a window to observe the country's development and understand its policy direction for the following year.
Every year, China's top legislators and political advisors bring up the most concerning livelihood issues to the two sessions for discussion, so that the Chinese governments can have a deep understanding of the people's situation and demands and formulate corresponding policies that directly address the pain points.
In 2023, various departments of the Chinese State Council handled a total of 7,955 motions from NPC deputies and 4,525 proposals from members of the CPPCC National Committee, according to a press conference of the State Council Information Office on February 29.
In light of this, the Global Times has initiated a series of "understanding China through motions and proposals." This article, the first installment of the series, examines the significant livelihood issues that the two sessions have addressed in previous years. The second installment will compare the motions and proposals that have been adopted in a certain field with some new proposals this year, so that readers can gain insight into the new challenges in this field and have an overview of the society China will become in the future. February 29 marks the 17th International Rare Disease Day.
The World Health Organization defines diseases with a prevalence of 0.065 percent to 0.1 percent of the total population as rare diseases.
As of the end of September 2023, around 780,000 cases of rare disease had been registered in China since the inception of a rare disease diagnosis and treatment service information system in 2019, according to the China Global Television Network.
To improve the diagnosis and treatment level of rare diseases and safeguard the health rights and interests of rare disease patients in the country, the Chinese National Health Commission, together with other four Chinese government departments, released the first catalog of rare diseases in 2018. Various localities in the country are implementing policies on medication, health insurance and research according to the catalog.
The catalog was revised in September 2023. It now contains 86 rare diseases of 17 medical specialties, including hematology, dermatology and pediatrics, according to the National Medical Products Administration.
In 2021, China also for the first time included a rare disease treatment in its National Reimbursement Drug List. These moves together benefited thousands of Chinese suffering from rare diseases, including spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) patient Zhang Jianuo and his parents.
SMA treatment Nusinersen was included in the NRDL in November 2021 for the first time, which cut the price of the treatment from 700,000 yuan ($97,266) per dose to 33,000 yuan per dose.
"Me and Jianuo's father cried when the news was announced. We are truly grateful to the country for showing us that our child has a chance to be saved and has hope," Zhang Jianuo's mother Li hui was quoted as saying by CCTV.
Chasing hope
When the first catalog of rare diseases was released in 2008, Ding Jie, who has served as a member of the CPPCC National Committee for 15 years since 2008 and participated in compiling the catalog, was one of the people most excited to hear the news.
Ding, former vice president of Peking University First Hospital, believed that this catalog was a milestone, and the joint release by five departments is a key demonstration that "the Chinese government is ready to face the rare disease problem," Ding said.
During the 15 years serving as a CPPCC member, Ding's focus has been almost entirely on rare diseases. She had reportedly offered proposals such as the establishment of a rare disease medical security system and regulations for the assistance of rare disease patients. In 2017, she once again suggested that rare diseases be included in the national medical insurance catalog, according to reports at the time by China National Radio.
When Ding first began her CPPCC journey, the public's attention to rare diseases was low. "At first, when I spoke at the conference, there were always people around me showing puzzled expressions. But in the past decade, the situation has changed. Whenever rare diseases are mentioned, the members are particularly concerned and want to contribute to solving the problem," she was quoted as saying in a report of the CPPCC Daily.
"In the past, it was 'I' suggesting, but in recent years it has become 'we,'" Ding was quoted as saying.
During the 2022 two sessions, the Chinese government included "strengthening research of rare diseases and better ensure the supply of medicines" in its yearly work report. This is an achievement thanks to previous efforts of NPC deputies and CPPCC National Committee members like Ding. It is also an encouragement to more political advisors to continue to fight for patients suffering from rare diseases in the future.
For example, this year, Sun Jie, a member of the National Committee of the CPPCC and deputy dean of the school of insurance at the University of International Business and Economics, will reportedly propose landmark legislation for rare disease drugs to ensure that patients have access to lifesaving medication.
With the increased awareness of rare disease, increased investment is being made available, and the medical needs of patients are becoming an increasing priority. It is imperative to clearly formulate or introduce a landmark law or special policy for rare disease drugs, and to systematically regulate research and development, Sun told chinatimes.net.
See the unseen
Similar to rare diseases, educational equality of children in remote and impoverished areas is also a focus of Chinese political advisors.
"It is such a good news for children in former underdeveloped revolutionary old areas, ethnic minority autonomous counties, and former key poverty-stricken counties in our province!" Li Xingling, a deputy to the 12nd and 13rd NPC, posted on her WeChat in April 2023, after South China's Guangdong Province released the special enrollment plan for key universities in 2023, relaxing admission requirements to cover more students in these areas, according to a report on the Guangdong provincial government's official website.
The special enrollment plan is one of the preferential policies in China to better promote educational equity and allow more rural students to enjoy high-quality higher education. Li was so happy as the move Guangdong made is an outcome after she submitted a motion during 2022 two sessions to call for adjustment to the plan in order to help more rural and impoverished students to be able to enroll in high ranking universities.
"Although I am no longer an NPC deputy [since 2023], I am still very happy to see my suggestions being adopted. I will continue to pay attention to this policy. In the future, I will continue to focus on my job, strengthen my responsibilities, and make efforts to promote the high-quality development of basic education in mountainous areas," Li was quoted as saying in the report.
Since being elected as an NPC deputy in 2013, Li has never stopped focusing on education. In 2013, she submitted a motion on providing subsidies to teachers in mountainous areas, and in 2015, she proposed increasing the per capita funding for high school students. From 2018 to 2021, she has put forward a total of 25 motions, with 13 of them related to education, according to a report of thepaper.cn in 2022.
Many rural teachers received subsidies after my motion was adopted, allowing them to teach in rural areas with more peace of mind and reducing talent drain, this is one of the happiest things that happened during my 10 years of service as an NPC deputy, Li told thepaper.cn. Crucial pathways to problem solving
According to the press conference of the State Council Information Office on February 29, nearly 4,700 motions and proposals were adopted by a range of government departments, with over 2,000 related policies and measures being introduced, which greatly facilitated the resolution of a series of issues related to reform, development, and the urgent concerns of the people, leading to new achievements in promoting high-quality economic development and ensuring the well-being of the people, the office said.
"The two sessions play a powerful role in addressing people's most demanded livelihood issues," said Su Wei, a professor from the Party School of the CPC Chongqing Municipal Committee. Su has served as a CPPCC member in Chongqing for many years. "Besides my regular duties, I also participate in research and discussions organized by the NPC and CPPCC to investigate issues concerning people's livelihoods," he told the Global Times.
Su noted that because NPC deputies and CPPCC members usually come from different sectors such as healthcare and education, they can delve deeper into problems from their own professional experience, providing solutions to government departments. Therefore, the two sessions indeed play a unique and significant role in resolving medical and educational issues.
Motions and proposals during the two sessions are crucial pathways for addressing issues impacting people's livelihood, and they're becoming increasingly effective. First, it is because that governments are placing greater importance on proposals and motions put forward by CPPCC members and NPC deputies. Every year, during the two sessions, government departments are required to inform the NPC deputies, the CPPCC member as well as the public of the progress they've made in implementing motions and proposals of the previous year. Second, the quality of motions and proposals is improving, truly reflecting issues impacting everyday people. Furthermore, there are some reward mechanisms and regulations on NPC deputies and CPPCC members, which to some extent encourage them to brainstorm better ideas, according to Su.
