In response to the recent anti-doping tests controversies, the International Testing Agency (ITA) told the Global Times that recent media reports on Chinese Aquatics is part of the reason that led to additional testing on Chinese swimmers ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.

The ITA also expressed gratitude toward athletes for their cooperation and understanding, and said that their contribution to clean sport is fundamental and promotes fair play as well as the Olympic values.

Since April, the New York Times continually sought to hype a 2021 incident in which 23 Chinese swimmers tested positive for trimetazidine (TMZ) due to inadvertent contamination. Despite the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) having defended Chinese athletes' cleanness, Chinese Olympic swimmers were found to be the most tested athletes in the lead-up to the Paris Olympics with an average of 21 anti-doping tests each - almost four times as many as their US counterparts.

Conversely, US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) has allowed American track and field athlete Erriyon Knighton to compete at the Paris Olympics even after he was tested positive for the trenbolone on March 26. USADA attributed the result to meat contamination despite trenbolone not frequently found as a contaminant in meat products.

On August 8, the China Anti-Doping Agency (CHINADA) called for an independent investigation into USADA's misconduct and intensified testing on US track and field athletics and efforts to rebuild global trust in fair competition, after WADA on August 7 exposed a scheme that allowed US athletes who had committed doping violations to compete without sanctions for years.

In an email to the Global Times on Saturday, the ITA did not directly respond to questions as to whether the agency will increase anti-doping tests and monitoring of US athletes, it clarified the excessive anti-doping tests for Chinese swimmers were part of its recent testing regime.

"The ITA establishes an objective risk assessment for each delegation and individual athlete based on the physiological risks of their sport (swimming in general is considered a high-risk sport), historical data (previous anti-doping rule violations), performance, scientific factors (ie. the Athlete Biological Passport) and data analysis (statistics and probabilities), and any information and intelligence that the ITA might obtain."

This process is objective, free from any conflict of interest and is applied to all athletes from all countries in the same way.

In addition, larger country delegations are naturally tested more due to the larger number of athletes representing those National Olympic Committees. Delegations with higher chances of medals may also be tested more in order to "protect the podiums."

The ITA also said that "recent media reports on Chinese Aquatics have also led to additional testing ahead of the Games."

"The Chinese swimming team was also extensively tested ahead of the Games in China and in France by the CHINADA," the ITA told the Global Times.

"We wish to thank all athletes for their cooperation and understanding that anti-doping controls are part of being an international-level athlete and competing at the Olympic Games. Their contribution to clean sport is fundamental and promotes fair play as well as the Olympic values," ITA said.

A Beijing-based sports commentator told the Global Times on the condition of anonymity that the US has politicized and weaponized anti-doping tests to tarnish China's image and disrupt the Chinese athletes' preparations. And it cannot be ruled out that the ITA has also come under some pressure from the US.

"There is still a long way to go before Chinese athletes are treated as equals in world sport," the commentator said, "and it is important to fight for it, we must protect our own rights."

Team China has won 12 medals in the pool in Paris, double the total in Tokyo. The two gold medals in the men's 100m freestyle and men's 4x100-meter medley relay were one of the most significant breakthroughs. China's Olympic delegation for Paris 2024 has also achieved the goal of "zero occurrence" of doping.

Despite the US intention to harass Chinese athletes, their tactics turned out to be the best endorsement of Team China's performance, the commentator added.

Top Chinese diplomat Wang Yi has held phone conversations with the foreign ministers of Egypt and Jordan, condemning the assassination of Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran on July 31, calling for efforts by different parties to prevent further escalation of conflicts and urging countries to form a joint force to help achieve a cease-fire in Gaza.  

Hamas named Yahya Sinwar, who is seen as representing Hamas' hard-liners, as successor to Haniyeh. Arab countries, in a dilemma and feeling more anxious, hope that China can play a positive role in deescalating the situation as they recognize China's efforts and capacity in regional reconciliation, analysts said.

But the complexity of the situation requires joint efforts from all parties to address the current crisis, especially the US and Israel, to avoid escalation, they said. 

The Chinese Foreign Ministry on Wednesday released information on Wang's phone conversations with Badr Abdelatty, Egypt's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Emigration and Egyptian Expatriates and with Jordan's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Ayman Safadi, which took place on Tuesday. During both conversations, Wang said that China resolutely opposes and strongly condemns the assassination of Haniyeh. 

While talking with Abdelatty, Wang said that retaliatory action leads to a vicious cycle, and violence begets more violence, exacerbating conflict. China will strengthen solidarity with Arab countries, and work with all parties to avoid further escalation and deterioration of the situation.

In talking with Safadi, Wang said that the key to avoiding the deterioration and escalation of the situation is to achieve a full and permanent cease-fire in Gaza as soon as possible and the international community should make a more consistent voice on this issue and form a joint force.

Liu Zhongmin, a professor from the Middle East Studies Institute of Shanghai International Studies University, told the Global Times on Wednesday that Egypt and Jordan are neighbors of the parties in conflict. Both countries established diplomatic relations with Israel early and have upheld a cautious approach to the situation involving Iran. 

At this complex and critical juncture, they seek to engage with China given China's previous role in brokering reconciliation between Iran and Saudi Arabia and among various Palestinian factions, Liu said. 

Fourteen Palestinian factions signed the Beijing Declaration on July 23, seen as a positive move toward ending division and strengthening Palestinian national unity. 

The conflicts in the Middle East not only relate to the Palestinian-Israeli issue, but also result from the US' long-term partial policies toward Israel and Iran's diplomatic inclinations, Liu said, therefore joint efforts from all involved parties are needed to address the crisis.

Simmering escalation of tension

With Iran's retaliation against Israel looming after Haniyeh's assassination, regional countries and major players have been actively engaged in diplomacy to avoid an all-out regional war. Jordan's Foreign Minister Safadi made a rare visit to Iran on Sunday and Russian media reported that Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu also visited Iran on Monday. 

US President Joe Biden called Jordan's King Abdullah II on Monday and spoke with the leaders of Qatar and Egypt on Tuesday to discuss efforts to deescalate regional tensions, the White House said. 

The US is indeed the instigator of the situation which has been spiraling out of control in the Middle East, Sun Degang, director of the Center for Middle Eastern Studies at Fudan University, told the Global Times. 

"If the US had managed to restrain Israel and allow a cease-fire in Gaza earlier, the situation would not have escalated to this extent. Also it is the US' repeated obstruction at the UN Security Council on cease-fire proposals that has led to the current situation," said Sun.

Unlike Haniyeh, Sinwar represents hard-liners in Hamas, Sun said, adding that Hamas' past approach of "fighting while seeking negotiations at the same time" may likely shift to "survival through combat." 

Sun said that Hamas would also seek to form an alliance with Iran, the Houthis and Hezbollah, while trying to gain international support.

Iran did not immediately retaliate after the assassination but tried to tell the world that it is Israel that has infringed international norms and violated Iran's sovereignty, which has forced Iran to respond. The appointment of Sinwar could be a critical moment when Iran might take action, Sun said. 

Liu said Iran is likely to continue missile attacks on Israel and mobilize other militia groups in skirmishes with Israel. However, given Iran's current domestic and international situation, it is unlikely to engage in a large-scale conflict with Israel at the expense of the nation's interests. 

No matter how the crisis unfolds, the hatred between Iran and Israel will accumulate, and the escalating cycle of retaliation and counter-retaliation between them will worsen regional diplomatic relations, said Liu. 

In past decades, the vicious cycle in the Middle East has repeated with no country emerging as a true winner, and if the cycle continues, none of regional countries can have substantial security, analysts said, adding that as China and many other countries have advocated, negotiation and political settlement is the only way out.

US personal computer (PC) maker HP on Thursday became the latest foreign business that responded to allegations of planning to shift away from China, as some foreign media outlets hype rumors and claims to support their long-standing narrative of foreign businesses leaving the Chinese market.

China remains one of the most popular and stable destinations for global businesses amid a global economic downturn and rising protectionism, and the attractiveness of the Chinese market will improve further, as the country continues to open up its market and optimize the business environment, experts said.

On Wednesday, Japanese news outlet Nikkei, citing unidentified sources, reported that HP plans to shift more than half of its PC production away from China and was setting up a "backup" design hub in Singapore "in an attempt to reduce geopolitical risks."

The US PC maker swiftly refuted the alleged relocation and stressed its commitment to the Chinese market.

"We remain committed to China and our China operations, and the important role they play in our global supply chain. As part of our standard operating procedures, we regularly engage in scenario planning, exploring various options to ensure we are enhancing the agility and resiliency of our global supply chain to meet the evolving needs of our customers," HP China told the Global Times on Thursday.

Earlier on Thursday, HP told Chinese news outlet Jiemian News that China is an indispensable and key link in HP's global supply chain and it is unswervingly committed to its operations and development in China.

"In China, HP's PC manufacturing business still maintains a pivotal position, providing high-quality products and services to the global market," HP said, according to Jiemian News.

The US PC maker is only the latest foreign company in China that has been forced to refute allegations of leaving China made by some foreign media outlets. In March, South Korean chipmaker SK Hynix said that it was not scaling back its operations in China and had not changed its China strategy, after some foreign media reports suggested that the company planned to close its Shanghai base as it "aims to reduce risks associated with the US' policies toward China."

In January, SK Hynix denied foreign media reports suggesting that the company was selling its factory in Dalian, Northeast China's Liaoning Province.

Chinese experts said that it has become a tactic of some foreign media outlets to make baseless allegations of foreign businesses leaving China in order to support their claims that foreign businesses are "abandoning" China; however, despite the relentless smear campaign, China remains to be a very attractive market for global firms.

"Against the backdrop of the overall slowdown in world economic growth and sluggish global recovery, China maintains a very high level of foreign investment," He Weiwen, a senior fellow at the Center for China and Globalization, told the Global Times on Thursday, noting that China is among the top recipients of foreign investment despite a worldwide decline. "The Chinese market is still very attractive to foreign investment."

In the first half of 2024, foreign direct investment in China in actual use dropped 29.1 percent year-on-year to 498.91 billion yuan ($69.57 billion). However, the total amount has remained at a relatively high level over the past decade, and the decline was mainly due to a high base during the same period in 2023, an official of the Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) said last week, noting a 14.2 percent rise in the number of newly established foreign businesses in the country.

"Many multinational companies, including those from the US, Japan and Germany, have a large part of their supply chains in China. This also determines that foreign investment will not leave China on a large scale, and on the contrary, some new investment will come in," He said.

In the first half of 2024, foreign investment in certain sectors such as advanced technology increased significantly, with investment in medical equipment manufacturing jumping 87.5 percent year-on-year. Also notably, investment from Germany rose 18.1 percent and investment from Singapore increased 10.5 percent, according to the MOFCOM.

He said that while some foreign businesses might plan to adjust their strategies due to geopolitical risks and growing competition, it is inaccurate to claim that foreign businesses are leaving China on a large scale.

"From a global perspective, from the perspective of the entire industrial chain and supply chain, China's position is quite stable," He said, adding that China is also making efforts to further improve the environment for foreign businesses.

A communique of the Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China in July, which offered a clear window into China's reform agenda for years to come, stated that opening-up is a defining feature of Chinese modernization, and vowed to steadily expand institutional opening-up, deepen the structural reform of foreign trade, and further reform the management systems for inward and outward investment.

China's foreign trade in goods expanded by 6.2 percent year-on-year to reach 24.83 trillion yuan ($3.46 trillion) in the first seven months of this year, hitting a new record in trade volume, customs data showed on Wednesday, buoyed by the country's manufacturing strength, rising overseas demand, as well as the diversification of its trade partners overseas.

The brisk data add to an array of fresh evidence underscoring that the world's second-largest economy has been maintaining steady growth momentum, despite facing internal and external challenges. It also underlines a bullish outlook for the country's trade engine, which observers expect could roar at a quicker pace in the second half of the year to support the economy to grow and reach the GDP growth goal of around 5 percent for 2024.

The magnitude of China's trade growth in recent months has also defied certain Western countries' protectionist measures and blatant tariff hikes imposed on Chinese goods. This underscores the resilience, competitiveness and inherent vigor of the world's largest manufacturing powerhouse, analysts said, while pointing to China's unfazed pivotal role as a stabilizer and locomotive of the global supply chain.

In the first seven months this year, China's exports jumped by 6.7 percent, while imports gained 5.4 percent, according to customs data. The 6.2-percent foreign trade expansion also outpaced the 6.1-percent rise recorded in the first six months.

"Since the beginning 2024, China's economy has generally maintained a stable performance with steady progress, and foreign trade has continued to show a steady improvement," the General Administration of Customs (GAC) said.

In July, foreign trade in goods soared 6.5 percent year-on-year in yuan terms, with exports gaining 6.5 percent and imports expanding by 6.6 percent. The year-on-year growth rate of imports and exports has been higher than 5 percent for four consecutive months, according to GAC.

"A reading of 6.5-percent in July is a relatively high growth rate, so it is palpable that trade in July sustained the robust expansion streak from the previous month. As July marks the beginning of the second half, the positive data bode well for the second-half trade development," Tian Yun, a veteran economist based in Beijing, told the Global Times on Wednesday.

Tian also took note of import growth in July, reversing the 0.6-percent contraction in June, which signifies that China's domestic demand is "gaining traction in the second half of the year."

As trade data are a barometer of economic development, the freshly released July figures have led economists to project that China's third-quarter GDP is likely to grow by around 5 percent, or at least gain pace from the second-quarter, which saw a 4.7-percent year-on-year increase.

Li Chang'an, a professor at the Academy of China Open Economy Studies of the University of International Business and Economics, told the Global Times on Wednesday that he expected the economy to continue rebounding throughout the second half, and on a firm trajectory to achieve the GDP growth target of around 5 percent.

"The trade strength will buffer against headwinds, including rising geopolitical tensions and gloomy global economic outlook, while more targeted stimulus will be rolled out following major tone-setting conferences, injecting new impetus into the economic development," Li explained.

Positive trade momentum

According to Tian, the positive trade momentum in July is bolstered by a range of factors, including growing overseas demand amid looming global interest rate cut cycle. The 2024 Paris Olympic Games have also partly helped to drive the global demands for "Made in China" commodities, ranging from sports equipment, souvenirs to other goods.

Despite US-led blockade against China's industries, the exports of integrated circuits recorded a year-on-year increase of 25.8 percent, while the exports of auto vehicles went up 20.7 percent.

The buoyant vehicle export mirrored that the impact of tariff imposition on China's overall trade pattern remains limited, observers said. And on the contrary, the US is now "shooting itself on the feet" with its reckless crackdown on Chinese imports, which blunts its efforts to tame down inflation.

The US reported a sharp slowdown in job growth last week, which elicited fears of an economic recession.

In contrast, Li also ascribed its limited impact on Chinese exports to the country's complete industrial chain, the resilience and competitiveness of high-tech trade, as well as private companies' strengthened trade cooperation with a more diversified grouping of trade partners.

In the first seven months, China's trade with ASEAN, Central Asia, Latin America, and Africa totaled 7.6 trillion yuan, up 9.8 percent year-on-year, with its share in total trade gaining by 1 percentage point compared to the same period last year. Meanwhile, trade with the Belt and Road Initiative partners and other members of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) rose by 7.1 percent and 5.7 percent year-on-year, respectively.

The refusal by the US to recognize Vietnam as a market economy appears to be both an economic decision and a political one, influenced by its domestic economic conditions and its strategy to counter China. Washington's increasing trend of politicizing its trade policy has become a source of growing uncertainty in the global economy.

The US Commerce Department announced on Friday its determination that Vietnam will continue to be classified as a non-market economy country for purposes of calculating US antidumping duties on imports from Vietnam, Reuters reported.

This decision brings uncertainty to Vietnam's exports to the US and sends a worrying signal, meaning that many of Vietnam's products may face the challenges of high import tariffs and anti-dumping measures. Vietnam's exports to the US have been increasing significantly. According to figures from Vietnam customs, in the first half of this year, Vietnam's exports to the US reached $55.1 billion, up 24 percent year-on-year and accounting for 30 percent of Vietnam's total exports.

The decision also contrasts sharply with recent efforts by the US government to strengthen economic relations with Vietnam. For instance, US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen once promoted Vietnam as a "friend-shoring" destination.

But if the US truly considers Vietnam to be a crucial partner in its "friend-shoring" strategy, the irony and protectionism of rejecting Vietnam's "market economy" status becomes glaringly apparent. There is every reason to be perplexed by Washington's contradictory behavior of putting up obstacles behind its displays of support. According to the Vietnamese Ministry of Industry and Trade, 72 countries recognize Vietnam as a market economy, including Australia, UK, Canada and Japan, demonstrating its active participation and open cooperation in global trade.

Meanwhile, the US economy is grappling with various challenges, such as high trade deficits, a decline in manufacturing and other issues. The US rejection of Vietnam's bid is a clear indication that the US is more inclined to take protectionist measures to protect its domestic industries and reduce the impact of external competition when it comes to dealing with economic challenges. 

Therefore, in the current economic situation, the US is unlikely to pursue an open trade policy as it did in the past. Washington may opt to leverage its market dominance to reshape the global distribution of industrial and supply chains, and consolidate its economic position and influence by putting up trade barriers, adjusting tariff policies and other means.

Washington's decision-making in terms of trade policy toward Vietnam is often deeply influenced by political motives and strategic considerations. Some US politicians are concerned that recognizing Vietnam's market economy status may indirectly help Chinese companies circumvent US curbs on Chinese imports. The mind-set reflects the increasingly politicized reality of US trade policy.

The US has been trying to squeeze out Chinese manufacturing by restructuring global industrial and supply chains, forcing many American and foreign companies focusing on exports to the US market to shift production to Southeast Asia, with Vietnam being seen as a key alternative. However, the reality is that instead of being squeezed out of the global industrial chain, China's manufacturing sector is constantly expanding and extending its supply chains to other regions like Vietnam and Mexico. The gap between expectations and reality indicates that it is not so easy as some thought to reshape the economic and trade landscape simply by using politically motivated policies.

This may explain why it is becoming more common to see Vietnam, Mexico and other countries face growing risks of being affected by US trade measures. 

If anything, it lays bare the short-sightedness and contradictions in US strategy and the politicization of its trade policy. The growing trend of relying on politicized trade measures disrupts international trade and exacerbates uncertainty and tension in the global economy.

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the comprehensive strategic partnership between China and Italy, as well as the 700th anniversary of Marco Polo's death. Both sides should view and develop bilateral relations from a historical dimension, facing important opportunities for mutual development. On the afternoon of July 29, Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who is on an official visit to China, at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing. Xi's remarks highlighted not only the profound historical significance of China-Italy relations but also their contemporary relevance as a bridge for East-West exchange. Meloni said that as ancient civilizations, Italy and China have always admired and learned from each other. Italy highly values China's international status and role and is willing to inherit the long-standing spirit of the Silk Road to develop a closer and higher-level partnership with China, she noted.

In addition to coinciding with these two important anniversaries, Meloni's visit to China itself has garnered widespread attention. She is the first G7 leader to visit China following the third plenary session of the 20th CPC Central Committee and this is her first visit to China since taking office. Meloni announced this visit during a press conference following the G7 summit last month, which was seen as a subtle shift in Italy's approach to China, seeking to develop relations with China beyond the G7's tough stance. On July 28, Meloni stated that her five-day trip was a "demonstration of the will to begin a new phase, to relaunch our bilateral cooperation."

From the current perspective, this visit, widely interpreted as a "new chapter" and "restart," has indeed yielded fruitful results. It has met Italy's domestic aspirations for cooperation with China and provided strategic planning and arrangements for bilateral economic and trade cooperation. Most notably, the two sides issued a 2024-2027 action plan on strengthening their comprehensive strategic partnership. The bilateral cooperation covers emerging fields such as electric vehicles, renewable energy, and artificial intelligence and aims to upgrade traditional cooperation in areas such as trade and investment, industrial manufacturing, technological innovation, and third-party markets. Additionally, China and Italy signed several bilateral cooperation documents in industry, education, environmental protection, geographical indications, and food safety.

In recent years, due to the influence of some internal and external factors, there have been some twists and turns in the China-Italy relationship. It should be said that through this visit, the two sides have not only reached many cooperation agreements and brought new opportunities to both sides, but also deepened political mutual trust and once again stood at a new starting point. Practice has proven that China and Italy are indispensable partners on the path of development, and can share development opportunities on the basis of equality and mutual benefit. Italy's choice also indicates that as long as dialogue is conducted based on a pragmatic and rational attitude, the space for win-win cooperation and mutual development between China and Italy is still very imaginative.

From a deeper perspective, whether it is the establishment and deepening of the comprehensive strategic partnership between China and Italy, or the historical echoes of Marco Polo spanning 700 years, the key to the enduring vitality of the China-Italy relationship lies in the ability to approach and understand each other with equality and sincerity. China and Italy are both ancient civilizations on the Eurasian continent. Marco Polo was the first person to introduce China to Europe. If we can continue to uphold the spirit of the Silk Road of civilization exchange and mutual learning, then China-Italy relations will have a continuous source of vitality and dynamism.

Just as President Xi Jinping pointed out, "China and Italy should uphold and promote the Silk Road spirit, view and develop bilateral relations from a historical dimension, strategic height and long-term perspective, and push their relations to go steady and far."

We also noticed that Prime Minister Meloni said during this visit that Italy is ready to play a positive role in the candid dialogue between the EU and China and foster a more stable cooperative relationship. She said in a speech at an exhibition themed around Marco Polo and the Silk Road that the road from Italy to China is sometimes easy, sometimes difficult, but this road is always passable. In the current global era of great changes, as two major civilizations and markets, China and Europe urgently need more and deeper equal exchanges and mutual understanding. At this moment, Italy, as a bridge between East and West and a role in maintaining road access, will surely have a lot to offer.

China wins men's 4x100m medley relay gold at Paris Olympics

Venezuela has decided to sever diplomatic relations with Peru due to Peruvian Foreign Minister Javier Gonzalez-Olaechea's statement on the presidential election results in Venezuela, Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yvan Gil said on social media X late Tuesday local time.

"We are forced to make this decision after the reckless statements of the Peruvian foreign minister," Gil said on social media platform X, adding that the decision was made based on Article 45 of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations of 1961.

Before Venezuela's announcement, Peru on Monday refused to recognize the results of the Venezuelan presidential election and announced it had recalled its ambassador to Venezuela. In a post on X on the day, Peru's foreign minister slammed the result as "fraud," and a "violation of the will of Venezuelan people."

The presidential election of July 28 saw Nicolas Maduro secure a third term in office with 50.2 percent of the vote, according to the result presented by Venezuela's electoral council. Leader of the opposition Maria Corina Machado disavowed the results. 

Before severing ties with Peru, the Venezuelan government on Monday announced the withdrawal of all diplomatic staff from the embassies of seven countries that questioned the election result - Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica, Peru, Panama, Dominican Republic and Uruguay, and also demanded those countries withdraw their diplomatic representatives from Venezuelan territory.

Meanwhile, Cuba, Honduras and Bolivia congratulated Maduro on his victory. China and Russia also congratulated Maduro on his re-election.

The presidential election is an extremely sensitive topic, and compared with other countries, Peru's questioning of Maduro's re-election is more straightforward and fiercer, which may be the reason for the severing of diplomatic relations between the two countries, said Wang Youming, director of the Institute of Developing Countries at the China Institute of International Studies in Beijing.

The election has sparked protests in Venezuela, with clashes reported between the police and opposition supporters, causing at least 11 deaths, injuries to 48 military and police officers, and hundreds of arrests, media reported.  

Zhou Zhiwei, an expert on Latin American studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said the controversy and chaos around Venezuela's election, both in the country and across the Latin America, reflects the sharp and intense political polarization of Latin American politics, despite the fact that left-wing governments are in power on a relatively broad scale.

"Not only in Venezuela's election, but also in other Latin American countries, the intensity of political power struggle between left and right wings is really high," Zhou said. "The elections in Brazil in 2022 and in Argentina in 2023 have both shown political rifts and a sense of tearing apart between factions."

According to Zhou, in such an environment of political confrontation, the cohesion of the whole region is weakened, and it is precisely an opportunity for external forces to play games.

US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said on Monday that the US has "serious concerns" regarding Maduro's reelection. He called for election officials to publish the full results transparently and immediately. 

On Tuesday local time, Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez denounced an alleged coup attempt that was instigated by the opposition and the US amid violent protests, according to media reports. 

Over the past two decades, Latin America's joint development, regional integration, and diplomatic diversification have all advanced particularly quickly, coinciding with the "pink wave" of left-wing governance. But one of its spillover effects is to further weaken US hegemony and control in the region, Zhou said. 

Washington is certainly attempting to pursue a political ecology that suits its own interests, so it will seek to support the moderate right wing, pro-market forces and pro-American forces throughout the region, he added.

"It does not rule out the option of the US to further expand sanctions against Venezuela, along with further diplomatic isolation and political repression," Wang said, adding that "the US is also very likely to continue to increase its support for the opposition, whether it is financial support, public opinion support and personnel training, all kinds of means of color revolution shall be used."

Wang said the chaotic situation is unlikely to end in the short term, and the unity of Venezuela and Latin America will be tested. 

Pro-reunification groups in Taiwan island expressed strong opposition on Tuesday against external interference on the Taiwan question and protested against attempts by the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) to collude with anti-China forces to destabilize cross-Straits relations as the International Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC) held its annual conference in the island on the same day. 

Some 48 lawmakers from 24 countries arrived in Taipei on Sunday for the IPAC conference, a cross-country anti-China coalition formed in 2020. According to media reports, this year's annual IPAC meeting will focus on "crafting a coordinated campaign" aimed at maintaining so-called "stability and peace" across the Taiwan Straits.  

The so-called coalition is centered on maliciously hyping issues related to China and spreading lies and rumors about China, and has no credibility whatsoever, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said on Tuesday. 

Lin emphasized that there is only one China in the world, and Taiwan is an inseparable part of China's territory. The Taiwan question is purely a matter of China's internal affairs and any external interference will not be tolerated. 

Taiwan regional leader Lai Ching-te attended the IPAC meeting on Tuesday and claimed that "a threat from China to any country is a threat to the world." In response, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin said that the DPP authorities under Lai are seeking "Taiwan independence" by relying on military force, which is like a mantis trying to stop a chariot. 

The one-China principle is a fundamental norm in international relations and a universal consensus of the international community. The DPP authorities under Lai are going against the current, seeking independence and resisting reunification, which is destined to be a dead end, Lin said. 

"The Taiwan question is China's internal affair and not interfering with other countries' domestic affairs are international norms. Not allowing foreign forces to interfere with our internal affairs is the basic and shared stance of Taiwan people who are committed in safeguarding cross-Straits peace," a statement sent to the Global Times by the Cross-Straits Peace Forum on Tuesday read. 

The Cross-Straits Peace Forum and other pro-reunification political and civil groups in Taiwan island have organized a joint action to oppose foreign interference on the Taiwan question. On Tuesday, they protested against the IPAC conference and the DPP's collusion with anti-China forces and sent the joint statement to Luke de Pulford, the creator and Executive Director of IPAC

Hostility across the Taiwan Straits cannot bring peace. Anti-China and confrontational policies adopted by the DPP authorities and international politicians will not safeguard peace across the Taiwan Straits; instead, they will incite conflict, the statement said.

Wu Jung-yuan, chairman of the Labor Party, who participated in the protest activity on Tuesday, said that as a transnational alliance, IPAC must abide by international law and it should stop interfering in China's internal affairs. IPAC should respect the majority public opinion in Taiwan, which desires peace and stability across the Taiwan Straits.

Chi Chia-Lin, president of the Reunification Alliance Party in Taiwan, said that IPAC is a thoroughly anti-China organization that deceives the world under the guise of a so-called "global parliament." Residents on Taiwan island should resolutely oppose IPAC's illegal interference in Taiwan Straits affairs.

Against the backdrop of the international community's widespread adherence to the one-China principle, the IPAC politicians' political stunts in Taiwan not only waste public resources but are also futile in changing the reality, Wang Wu-lang, secretary-general of the Cross-Straits Peace Forum, told the Global Times on Tuesday.

The DPP authorities' pursuit of "Taiwan independence" is unsustainable and unachievable. More and more people will realize that Taiwan separatism and external interference are the true disruptors of peace and the main sources of instability in the Straits and the region, Wang said.