In response to a question about Vietnam expanding Bai Jiao 10 times by land reclamation, dredging a 299-meter-wide waterway located at the western end of Bai Jiao wide enough to host large vessels including warships, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said on Wednesday that the Nansha Qundao are China's inherent territory, and Bai Jiao is a part of the Nansha Qundao, according to CCTV News.

China always opposes relevant countries conducting construction activities on illegally-occupied islands and reefs, Guo said.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson responded on Tuesday to questions regarding US withdrawing from the Paris Agreement and the WHO, as well as the US President Donald Trump's claims about the Panama Canal.

In response to the White House's announcement to withdraw from the Paris Agreement on Monday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said that China expresses concern over the US announcement. 

Guo noted that climate change is a common challenge faced by all humanity, and no country can remain unaffected or isolated from its impact. China will work with all parties, upholding the concept of a community with a shared future for mankind, to actively tackle the challenges of climate change and jointly promote the global green and low-carbon transformation.

Regarding the US withdrawal from the WHO, Guo said that the WHO plays a central and coordinating role in global health governance. The role of the WHO should be strengthened, not weakened. China will continue to support the WHO in fulfilling its responsibilities, deepen international public health cooperation, enhance global health governance, and promote the construction of a community of shared health for humanity.

China's position on issues related to the Panama Canal is consistent and clear, Guo said in response to a question concerning Trump's claim that China was effectively "operating" the Panama Canal and that the US would take back the canal. "I have no additional information to share," Guo said.  

As the Chinese New Year is approaching, the buzz around "China Travel" continues to dominate social media, with foreign tourists showing growing enthusiasm to visit China. Inbound tourism is expected to see a significant growth, hopefully to become a major highlight of the 2025 Spring Festival tourism market, reported the China Central Television (CCTV) on Tuesday.

With the implementation of the newly introduced "240-hour visa-free policy," which allows citizens in 38 countries to enter China without applying for a visa for the purposes of business, tourism, family visits, exchanges and visits and transit, inbound tourism has been experiencing a rapid growth since 2024. 

Latest data from relevant platforms indicates that inbound travel bookings during the Year of the Snake Spring Festival period have increased by 203 percent year-on-year, CCTV reported. During this year's Spring Festival holidays, the number of foreign visitors is likely to reach a record high, said the report.

There has been a recent increase in tourists applying for visas, with the US, Indonesia and Canada among the countries showing the most significant growth in applications for visas to China, a visa agency told the Global Times on Monday. According to relevant policies, these three countries are not included in the list of 38 nations eligible for the 30-day visa exemption.

According to data provided by travel platform Ctrip to the Global Times, in January 2025 (as of January 19), ticket bookings for flights from the US to China increased 130 percent, hotel bookings grew by 55 percent, ticketing services rose by 36 percent, and bookings for leisure activities surged 44 times.

It is not just travelers from the US - visitors from around the world are immersing themselves in Chinese culture during the holidays leading up to the Spring Festival, a tour guide told the Global Times.

At the Temple of Heaven on Tuesday, Juergen and his wife, a German couple, were listening to a guide explaining the history of the temple and sharing knowledge related to Chinese culture. 

Juergen told the Global Times that the visa-free policy was extremely convenient. He shared how he had initially planned to travel to Southeast Asia but made a last-minute decision to visit China for the Spring Festival.

The couple described their travelling experiences over the past two days as "amazing." As an architect, Juergen mentioned that he had visited grand architectural sites like the Great Wall and the Summer Palace, which he found to be far larger and more beautiful than he had imagined.

Dylan, a 24-year-old from Ireland, said he benefited from the visa-free policy, which allows him to embark on a spontaneous 20-day trip to China to meet his girlfriend's family and spend the Spring Festival with them. 

Dylan said that China is bigger, more technologically advanced, and busier than he had imagined, with crowds of people everywhere. He's looking forward to watching this year's Spring Festival Gala and making dumplings with his girlfriend's family. He shared his love for Chinese dumplings, noting that before coming to China, he had only tried fruit and cream-filled dumplings, and was surprised to discover that dumplings here are typically filled with meat.

According to the Shanghai Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism, Shanghai welcomed over 6 million international tourists in 2024. Preparations for the bustling Yuyuan Garden Lantern Festival and various performances are well underway.

A Japanese netizen, Imukenbb, introduced Shanghai on TikTok, sharing his experience of visiting the Yuyuan Garden Lantern Festival, themed around moon appreciation. He entered the enchanting garden after 6 pm, enjoying the beautiful combination of traditional Chinese gardens and modern lighting.

A university student from Brazil told the Global Times that he, along with his mother and girlfriend, planned to travel in China for 18 days. They had already visited places such as Shanghai and Chongqing, with Beijing being the last stop on their trip.

He said the most unforgettable part of his experience was the food, particularly hotpot, which he really enjoys, although his girlfriend cannot eat spicy food. While Brazil also has many spicy dishes, he noted that Chinese food has a unique "numbing" flavor, which is very different. Just like Chinese culture, which has many differences compared to Brazil, he added.

"The Chinese dream of national rejuvenation and people's happiness have a huge attraction for foreigners. Many people are eager to experience Chinese cuisine and participate in daily life with younger Chinese people," said Dai Bin, the director of the China Tourism Academy. 

In response to a question regarding Trump’s remarks saying he’d “prefer not to have to impose tariffs on China” during an interview with Fox News, while also claiming that “we have one very big power over China, and that’s tariffs,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning reaffirmed that China has stated its position on this issue many times. 

“China-US economic and trade cooperation is mutually beneficial and win-win. If there are differences and frictions between China and the US, they should be resolved through dialogue and consultation,” said Mao.

“There is no winner in a trade war or tariff war, which serves the interests of neither side nor the world,” Mao noted. 

Since the severe wildfires broke out in Los Angeles area, the Chinese Consulate General in Los Angeles has taken swift action and continues to closely monitor developments, the Consulate General told the Global Times on Saturday, noting that they have not received any reports of Chinese nationals' casualties in the wildfires so far.

From Wednesday to Friday (local time), the Consulate General issued consular reminders through its official website and WeChat account for three consecutive days, providing the latest disaster updates. Chinese citizens in the consular district were urged to remain highly vigilant, enhance awareness of safety precautions, prepare for emergencies, and follow local government's evacuation orders to ensure their personal and property safety, said the Consulate General.

The Consulate General has also strengthened consular protection services and emergency response, and ensured uninterrupted access to phone and email assistance channels.

To ensure that Chinese citizens in need, especially those who may lose their passports due to the wildfires, receive timely and efficient assistance, the Consulate General has kept the consular and passport services operational despite challenges like power outages and poor air quality, the Consulate General said.

Currently, a series of destructive wildfires in the greater Los Angeles area have killed at least 11 people. Authorities have stated that the true death toll remains unknown, with fires decimating entire streets and over 12,000 structures, according to NBC News on Saturday.

Various intelligent technologies, including exoskeleton, robot dog and drone in combination with high-power lasers were utilized in recent drills conducted by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA).

In a recent logistics support exercise organized by a regiment under the PLA Xinjiang Military Command in an undisclosed plateau region, the regiment employed a manned-unmanned collaborative model to enhance combat unit support, the PLA Army said in a release posted on its official WeChat account on Monday.

Faced with terrain obstacles that hindered the convoy’s advance, the troops used all-terrain vehicles and unmanned vehicles to push forward mission. Upon receiving orders that the roads were sabotaged, the unit members unloaded the supplies from vehicles and deployed aerial drones and exoskeletons to navigate around the damaged sections and reach their destination, according to the PLA Army

A photo attached to the release showed that a soldier was accompanied by a robot dog that carried two boxes of supplies.

In a separate exercise practicing explosive ordnance disposal, held by a maritime defense engineering unit under the navy of the PLA Northern Theater Command at a shooting range on an island in the Bohai Bay, the troops deployed a drone equipped with high-power laser, according to a report by China Central Television (CCTV) on Monday.

A drone was deployed first to search for explosives and mark their coordinates, then the laser was deployed to dispose of them, the CCTV report showed.

High-power lasers provide a safer and more efficient means of disposing explosives, as it enables the remote execution of disposal operations from several hundred meters away, with power raised by three times and the time needed to dispose of an explosive reduced to one fifth, CCTV quoted a member of the unit as saying.

Song Zhongping, a Chinese military expert, noted that the PLA is not only deploying unmanned equipment for combat purposes, but also in non-combat operations such as logistics support and explosives disposal. He told the Global Times on Monday that these support missions could be challenging and required man power in the past, but the deployment of intelligent equipment has made them more efficient.

The use of unmanned systems is expanding rapidly, as they can effectively reduce casualties and enhance the effectiveness of other military assets, Song said.

The wide deployment of intelligent unmanned equipment shows that China is closely following this trend, and it reflects the Chinese military’s modernization efforts, Song said.

Commenting on a recent global public opinion survey conducted by the Global Times, which covered over 51,000 participants in 46 countries, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said "the figures speak to growing friendships with China around the world." 

More than 90 percent of foreign respondents believe that China's economy will continue to grow in the next decade, nearly 60 percent believe that China is a major driving force of world economic growth, 63 percent of foreign respondents express a favorable opinion of China, and in terms of different country groups, African countries hold the highest favorable view of China, reaching 84 percent. Nearly 70 percent of overseas respondents look to China to participate in international affairs more and play a greater role, the survey found.

When asked for comment, Guo told a regular press conference on Tuesday that as the world's second largest economy, China is committed to high-quality development and high-standard opening up and has long been a top contributor to global economic growth. As the biggest developing country, China belongs to the Global South and its heart and roots are with the Global South. 

China supports Global South countries in pursuing development and making life better for their people. As a permanent member of the UN Security Council, China advocates true multilateralism, keeps its position fair and just and plays a constructive role in seeking a political settlement on hotspot issues. This has earned China wide recognition from the international community, the spokesperson said. 

Guo continued to note that no matter how the world may evolve, China will remain a force for peace, growth, progress and good, and will continue working with other countries for a world of greater peace, shared prosperity, mutual learning among civilizations and a community with a shared future for mankind.

This is a global public survey with the largest scale, the largest sample size, and the most comprehensive and in-depth questionnaire design since the founding of the People's Republic of China. The survey reveals that China's comprehensive national strength and various other strengths are generally evaluated as "strong/high" by international respondents. The country's economic strength has the highest favorable rating at 77 percent, followed by sci-tech strength (75 percent), and financial strength (72 percent).

The survey finds that a majority of international respondents have a positive outlook regarding the prospects of China's economic growth and development potential. Nearly 80 percent of foreign respondents show confidence in China's development prospect. More than 90 percent of foreign respondents believe that China's economy will continue to grow in the next decade, and nearly 60 percent believe that China is a major driving force of world economic growth.

China stands as the crucial stabilizer of development confidence, said Song Wei, a professor from the School of International Relations and Diplomacy at Beijing Foreign Studies University, noting that the global economic downturn and political unrest have sparked a rise in protectionism, while the self-serving actions of major powers have contributed to bleak economic outlooks and diminished development confidence. In contrast, China has emerged as one of the most sought-after investment destinations through pragmatic actions.

China is an important driving force for global economic growth. Despite the complex internal and external situation, China's economy has maintained overall stability and made steady progress, providing strong support for the stabilization and recovery of the world economy, Song said.

As China developed domestically, it also began to play a more prominent role in global affairs through existing multilateral institutions and via the creation of new ones, Warwick Powell (Powell), adjunct professor at the Queensland University of Technology and former policy advisor to Kevin Rudd, told Global Times. Through initiatives such as the Belt and Road Initiative, and institutions like BRICS, China has increased its role in the development of capabilities in the developing world. 

He said China speaks of a shared future and indivisible security through proposals like the Global Development Initiative, the Global Civilization Initiative and the Global Security Initiative. Its experience showed that sovereign economic development can be achieved without waging wars across the globe. That's an inspiration that remains hard to shake.

Taiwan is a province of China, and there is no such thing as a "president" or a "foreign ministry" of the Taiwan region, a Chinese FM spokesperson said on Thursday, in response to a question about the so-called "foreign minister" of Taiwan, Lin Chia-lung, attending the inauguration ceremony of the President of Palau as a so-called "presidential envoy" from January 15 to 18.

There is only one China in the world, and Taiwan is an inseparable part of it. The one-China principle is a fundamental norm of international relations and a common consensus of the international community. The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities' attempts to seek "independence" and split the country by relying on foreign support are ultimately futile, the spokesperson said.

The spokesperson added that while the DPP authorities are busy "solidifying alliances," friendly individuals from countries such as Tuvalu, Palau, and the Marshall Islands have repeatedly expressed their willingness to establish or restore normal diplomatic relations with China. 

The establishment or restoration of diplomatic relations between China and these countries is an inevitable trend that reflects the will of the people, the spokesperson said, noting that I would like to reiterate that regardless of the order, China is willing to open a new chapter in the development of relations with these countries based on the one-China principle.

The Chinese Consulate General in Chiang Mai confirmed with the Global Times on Monday that Chinese actor Wang Xing has gone missing at the Myanmar-Thailand border, noting that they have maintained good communication with the family and will continue to follow up on the case, ensuring the safety and legal rights of Chinese citizens within the jurisdiction. 

The Embassy in Myanmar has also been informed of the situation, a staff member told the Global Times on Monday. The embassy is taking the incident seriously, and has reached out to the relevant authorities in Myanmar for an urgent investigation. Further updates will be provided once any progress is made, as the situation is still under verification and no results have been obtained thus far, the staff member said. 

A post on Sina Weibo on Sunday night, which said Wang Xing, also known by his stage name Xing Xing, went missing at the Myanmar-Thailand border, has sparked widespread discussion on Chinese social media platforms on Monday. 

The post was released by a netizen Jia Jia, who claimed herself as Wang Xing's girlfriend, saying that Wang had received a casting notice through an actors' group chat. After successfully auditioning and adding the production coordinator on WeChat, he decided to go to Thailand to join the shoot.

According to the post, Wang traveled from Shanghai Pudong International Airport to Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport on Friday, and then took a vehicle arranged by the cast. Initially updating his location, Wang then lost contact after signaling for help on Friday noon in Mae Sot, Jia Jia said in the post. 

The post also claimed that both she and Wang's brother had been actively pursuing the case for the past three days but had limited progress.

A staff member of the Chinese Consulate General in Chiang Mai confirmed with the Global Times on Monday morning that the consulate received a call from the actor's family on Friday regarding his disappearance in Mae Sot, a city in western Thailand that shares a border with Myanmar to the west. 

"The consulate responded promptly, providing detailed information on how the situation would be handled, and has maintained good communication with the family," said the consulate staff. "We will continue to follow up on the case in accordance with relevant regulations, ensuring the safety and legal rights of Chinese citizens within our jurisdiction."

The Chinese Embassy in Thailand said Monday evening on its official WeChat account that it had received a request for help from Wang's family, and was in close communication with the Thai authorities and the family to actively provide the necessary assistance to find out his whereabouts.

Jia Jia's post has garnered wide attention online, especially within the Chinese entertainment industry, with many actors sharing the post to help find out Wang.

Wang has featured in several popular Chinese TV dramas, including Fox Spirit Matchmaker: Red-Moon Pact, The Tale of Rose and Under The Skin. His disappearance has once again sparked discussion on China's social media platform Sina Weibo regarding topics related to telecom fraud. 

Mae Sot, Wang's last known location, is across the river from Myanmar, and on the other side of the river is the Myawaddy region of Myanmar. 

In recent years, China has actively carried out cooperation with other countries to crack down on cross-border crimes. In March 2024, more than 800 Chinese nationals involved in online gambling and telecom fraud crimes have been repatriated from the Myawaddy region, Myanmar under the joint efforts of Chinese police and law enforcement authorities of Myanmar and Thailand, the Xinhua News Agency reported on March 13, 2024. 

The girlfriend of Chinese actor Wang Xing updated her situation on Weibo, revealing the latest developments. After arriving in Bangkok at noon on Monday, she received notification of a case filed by the Shanghai police, along with contact from the Chinese Embassy in Myanmar and the Chinese Consulate General in Chiang Mai. The Chinese Embassy in Bangkok assigned a representative to accompany her in filing a report at the Suvarnabhumi Airport Police Station. After repeatedly confirming key details of the case, the Thai police issued a case report and expressed a positive attitude toward the case's development.

Diplomats from Indonesia and China unveiled a logo on Tuesday to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two nations.

The logo was created by an Indonesian youth who won a design competition organized by the Chinese Embassy in Jakarta, the Indonesian Embassy in Beijing, and the Foreign Policy Community of Indonesia (FPCI).

"In this design competition, we are delighted to see designers and art enthusiasts from both countries actively participating, with over 600 submissions from Indonesia alone. Each participant skillfully incorporated the historical ties, cooperative achievements, and shared visions for a brighter future between China and Indonesia," said Chinese Ambassador to Indonesia Wang Lutong at the unveiling ceremony held at the China Space within the Istiqlal Mosque in Jakarta.

Indonesian Ambassador to China Djauhari Oratmangun praised the competition for reflecting the strong and enduring partnership between the two nations.

"The bilateral collaboration continues to benefit the welfare of the Indonesian people," he noted, emphasizing the importance of strengthening ties in security, economy, and people-to-people exchanges.

Dino Patti Djalal, founder and chairman of FPCI and a former Indonesian diplomat, expressed optimism about the future development of Indonesia-China relations

The 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations is not only a milestone of friendship, but will also lay a firm foundation for the future development of bilateral cooperation, he added.

Indonesia and China established diplomatic ties on April 13, 1950.