Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and Chinese president, and Kim Jong Un, general secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) and president of the State Affairs of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), on Saturday exchanged congratulations over the 65th anniversary of the signing of the China-DPRK Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance.
In his message, Xi said that in 1961, the older generations of leaders of China and the DPRK signed the China-DPRK Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance, laying an important political and legal foundation for consolidating the friendship forged in blood between the two peoples.
The treaty has played an important role in carrying forward China-DPRK friendship and safeguarding peace and stability in the region and beyond, he said.
Over the past 65 years, the two sides have upheld the spirit of the treaty, supported each other, stood united, cooperated closely and worked together, vividly demonstrating the defining features of China-DPRK relations -- friendship passed down from generation to generation, a shared future and mutual support, he said.
Xi pointed to a successful state visit to the DPRK in June, when he reached important consensus with Kim on consolidating and carrying forward the traditional friendship between China and the DPRK and enriching it with new dimensions, providing strategic guidance and a new blueprint for the development of China-DPRK relations in the new era.
Facing a rapidly evolving world undergoing profound changes unseen in a century, Xi voiced willingness to work with Kim to further strengthen strategic communication, keep China-DPRK relations on the right track and guide bilateral friendly cooperation to deliver greater benefits to the two peoples, so as to make positive contributions to promoting regional peace and development.
No matter how the international landscape evolves, the firm position of China's Party and government to attach great importance to the traditional friendship between China and the DPRK will remain unchanged; the firm support for Kim in leading the DPRK's socialist cause will remain unchanged; and the determination to safeguard the common interests of both sides and maintain a favorable strategic environment will remain unchanged, he said.
Xi expressed confidence that, under the leadership of the WPK headed by Kim, the DPRK people will fully implement the decisions and arrangements of the Ninth Congress of the WPK and continue to achieve new and greater successes in their socialist cause.
A new round of extreme rainfall is battering large parts of China, prompting authorities to activate a Level-IV emergency response for flood control in Central China's Hunan Province and Southwest China's Yunnan Province, while maintaining the same response level for East China's Anhui and Jiangxi provinces, and Southwest China's Guizhou Province.
According to the National Meteorological Center (NMC), from 8 am Wednesday to 8 am Thursday, parts of northeastern Jiangxi, southern Anhui, southwestern Yunnan and East China's Zhejiang Province were expected to receive torrential rainfall of 100 to 180 millimeters. Heavy to torrential rain was also forecast across places including Guizhou, Hunan, Anhui and Shanghai, as well as parts of Northeast China's Liaoning Province and East China's Shandong Province.
In response, China's State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters activated a Level-IV emergency response in related areas, and two central government working groups remain in Jiangxi and Guizhou to assist and guide local flood-control efforts.
As China enters principal flood season, a CPC top leadership meeting on Tuesday warned that China is expected to see more extreme weather and climate events than usual in its main flood season this year, with droughts and floods occurring at the same time.
The meeting called for measures to strengthen flood control on major rivers and lakes, and highlighted the need to attach great importance to the risk of drought-flood abrupt alternation, and to strengthen the unified management and dispatching of water sources, according to Xinhua.
Emergency rescue and disaster relief must be swift and efficient, and preparations of emergency response forces, equipment and supplies must be stepped up, the meeting noted.
China officially entered its principal flood season on Wednesday, and from July to August, flooding is expected to be more severe in northern China, with a higher likelihood of localized extreme rainstorms and floods, the Ministry of Water Resources announced, the Paper.cn reported.
The ministry warned that multiple rivers in the Haihe River Basin and Songhua-Liaohe River Basin may experience major floods. Rivers in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River Basin and the middle reaches of the Yellow River Basin may see water levels exceeding their warning thresholds, according to the report.
After persisting throughout June in regions along the Yangtze River Basin, the widespread rainfall has continued into July and shows a trend of southward expansion due to a combined influence of three major weather systems: the plum rain, El Niño and Typhoon Mikala, Lin Nan, a meteorological analyst with weather.com, told the Global Times on Wednesday.
"The western Pacific subtropical high has been unusually strong and positioned farther north this year, while cold air from northern China has remained in place. The two air masses have remained locked in a standoff along the Yangtze River, causing the plum rain front to linger over the same areas and repeatedly produce heavy rainfall," Lin said.
Lin added that El Niño has intensified ocean evaporation, leaving atmospheric moisture levels nearly 20 percent higher than in a normal year, making rainfall along the plum rain front significantly heavier; although Typhoon Mikala is not expected to make landfall in China, it has acted like a massive "water pump," redistributing moisture from the Yangtze River Basin toward southern regions, shifting the focus of this round of rainfall to central and eastern Yunnan as well as coastal areas of South China.
The emergency response requires authorities at all levels in Hunan, including Hengyang City and Liuyang City, to prioritize reservoir operations and water conservancy projects, mountain flood and geological disaster prevention, flood control along small and medium-sized rivers, protection of water-related infrastructure and urban waterlogging prevention.
Authorities have also been instructed to pre-position emergency supplies and rescue teams in high-risk areas, strengthen inspections and early response measures, relocate residents from danger zones in advance, and make every effort to prevent casualties.
In Yanshan county of Wenshan Zhuang and Miao Autonomous Prefecture in Yunnan, local natural resources authorities have conducted comprehensive inspections of all 80 registered geological disaster hazard sites. Monitoring equipment has been installed at 31 high-risk locations to strengthen early warning capabilities, according to local authorities.
The Chinese side has always been willing to promote cooperation with the Indian side in various fields on the basis of equality and friendship, including cooperation between news agencies, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said on Tuesday. Guo made the remarks when asked whether China could confirm or provide any updates on reports that the Indian Embassy in China recently met with personnel from Xinhua News Agency to discuss the issue of Chinese journalists in India, among other topics.
As for the specific situation mentioned, Guo said that he was not aware of it.
Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko in Beijing on Monday.
China and Belarus should maintain strategic communication, and promote the continuous progress of bilateral relations that are already running at a high level to better benefit the people of the two countries, Xi stressed.
China supports Belarus in safeguarding its national sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity, and in pursuing a development path that suits its own national conditions, Xi said, expressing China's willingness to continue to offer assistance within its capacity for the development of Belarus.
Xi said China and Belarus are true friends who trust and support each other, good partners for common development and prosperity, and all-weather comprehensive strategic partners.
Having withstood the test of a changing international landscape, the bilateral relationship has made leapfrog development in recent years and has now entered the best period in history, he said.
The two sides have enjoyed solid political mutual trust, achieved fruitful results in high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, made tangible progress in key cooperation projects, and conducted productive multilateral coordination, Xi said.
The facts have proven that deepening the all-weather and all-round cooperation between China and Belarus is in line with the trend of the times and serves the fundamental interests of the two peoples, Xi said.
The two countries should mobilize resources from various sectors to advance Belt and Road cooperation, and enhance coordination and cooperation within multilateral frameworks to serve as a stabilizing force in a turbulent world, Xi said, adding that China is ready to work with Belarus to build a community with a shared future for humanity and implement the four major global initiatives proposed by China.
Hailing the comprehensive and in-depth practical cooperation between Belarus and China, which provides important support for Belarus' economic and social development, Lukashenko said the Belarusian side attaches great importance to its relations with China and looks forward to strengthening strategic communication, expanding cooperation areas, and promoting greater development of bilateral ties.
President Xi has put forward four major global initiatives to promote the political settlement of hot-spot issues, making significant contributions to world peace, stability and prosperity, said Lukashenko, adding that Belarus is willing to maintain close coordination with China on international and regional affairs and jointly promote global and regional peace, development and stability.
The Ministry of Emergency Management on Saturday activated a Level-IV national geological disaster emergency response for Anhui, Hubei, Hunan and Guizhou provinces.
China has a four-tier emergency response system, with Level I being the most severe.
Meteorological forecasts warn that heavy downpours are expected to lash regions spanning from the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and Guizhou to the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River.
Joint assessment by the Ministry of Emergency Management and the Ministry of Natural Resources indicated higher risks of geological disasters in parts of southern and western Anhui, southwestern and eastern Hubei, western Hunan, and southern Guizhou.
The ministry has urged local authorities in these regions to closely monitor rainfall, flood conditions and geological disaster risks.
US-Iran talks in Switzerland underwent twists and turns amid threats from US side and an Iranian delegation walkout. Mediators Qatar and Pakistan called high-level talks concluded on Monday positive and constructive. Both sides agreed to set up a de-confliction cell to resolve hostilities in Lebanon, with lower-level talks scheduled for the rest of the week.
"China supports the mediation efforts by parties including Pakistan and Qatar. We hope Iran and the US will keep the talks going, further narrow differences and strive for good progress in their negotiation," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said on Monday, when asked to comment on that Iran and the US agreed Monday to set up communication lines to keep the Strait of Hormuz open and end fighting in Lebanon, according to mediators, Pakistan and Qatar.
US-Iran negotiations concluded constructively in Switzerland overnight and technical talks will continue this week, according to mediators, after US President Donald Trump's threats stalled progress. At one point, an Iranian source told CNN talks had stalled after Trump took aim at Iran in an interview with Fox News. Trump threatened to resume bombing Iran and take over the Strait of Hormuz, saying "If they don't make a deal, we'll collect tolls."
Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said Iran initially refused to continue after Trump's threats were aired, according to state media, per CNN.
But high-level negotiations continued before concluding in the early hours of Monday, with Pakistan and Qatar saying technical talks between the two sides would continue for the rest of the week, said the report.
Moreover, after round one of the talks concluded, the Iranian delegation refused to take part in a planned handshake and joint photo opportunity with American officials, according to the FirstPost.
Video footage shared by Iran's semi-official Tasnim News Agency showed the Iranian delegation leaving the conference room ahead of the scheduled media event with the US side. According to Iran's state news agency IRNA, the delegation exited the venue after the meeting owing to Trump issuing threats on social media.
According to one report, Pakistan's Shehbaz Sharif was shocked at the walkout and then sent the country's Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi with the Iranian team as he discussed the matter with another key player, Pakistan's army chief Asim Munir, per FirstPost.
Later on Monday, mediators Pakistan and Qatar said the US and Iran agreed to establish a High Level Committee to provide "political oversight on the mediation." Negotiators reporting to the committee will lead groups focused on nuclear issues, sanctions, and other means to implement the US-Iran agreement, the mediators said in a joint statement, according to CNN.
The mediators also said "encouraging progress" had been made in the talks — a surprising outcome after a long stretch of uncertainty.
A statement from mediators Pakistan and Qatar said the cell would include the Lebanese government and would "ensure the adherence of the termination of military operations in Lebanon." But it remains unclear whether that will be enough to stop fighting between the Hezbollah and Israel, which occupies Lebanon and insists it must maintain a free hand to attack militants who are launching attacks into northern Israel, according to the Associated Press.
The talks marked the start of a 60-day diplomatic process that seeks to reach a permanent deal to end the Iran war. But the fighting in Lebanon remains one of the key sticking points, according to AP.
Iran's foreign minister has shared a post responding to Pakistan and Qatar's statement. "Tireless Pakistani and Qatari mediation has delivered major progress to end Lebanon War," Seyed Abbas Araghchi wrote on X.
"Oil and [petrochemical] exports are waived, blockade lifted, some frozen assets released, and major reconstruction and development plan launched for Iran," he added. However, he concluded by saying that the first "real test" will be the "Lebanon deconfliction cell."
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said that his government entered the ongoing negotiations "with dignity and pride, without backing down," and described the outcome of this process as creating "good openings" in trade and investment, according to Iran Wire.
According to ISNA, speaking on Monday at the National Guilds Day ceremony at the Tehran Summit Hall, Pezeshkian said the negotiation process progressed in such a way that "we signed off on all the clauses we expected," and that the Islamic Republic "will not back down or bow down" when its rights are ignored.
Also on Monday, US Vice President JD Vance said that the Strait of Hormuz is open and crude oil and natural gas are flowing through. "We wanted to build a mechanism for keeping the Strait of Hormuz open. It is open," said Vance as he delivered remarks after the first session of US-Iran talks concluded at central Switzerland's Buergenstock resort, Xinhua reported.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif wrote on X on Monday that the First High-Level Committee Meeting under the framework of the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding has concluded successfully in Burgenstock, Switzerland. The discussions were held in a positive and constructive atmosphere and yielded encouraging progress, including agreement on a roadmap toward a final deal within 60 days, the establishment of a High-Level Committee to provide political oversight, and the commencement of further technical talks.
Pakistan will continue to play its honest and sincere role in advancing dialogue and diplomacy towards a peaceful and lasting resolution, he added.
Sun Degang, director of the Center for Middle Eastern Studies at Fudan University, told the Global Times on Monday that the upcoming technical talks are a critical juncture. The true test of this mediation hinges on four seemingly irreconcilable pillars: the jurisdictional battle over the Strait of Hormuz, the concrete timeline for unfreezing Iranian assets, the nuclear material transfers, and a viable exit strategy for the ongoing conflict in Lebanon, Sun added.
The first and second volumes of selected works of Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, on Party building have been published and are available for distribution in China.
The two volumes compile 102 pieces of the most important and fundamental works by Xi on Party building from November 2012 to February 2026, which come in forms such as reports, speeches, articles and instructions.
The publication of the works will provide authoritative materials for Party members, officials, and the public to study and implement Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, especially Xi Jinping Thought on Party Building.
It is of great significance for the entire Party to apply Xi Jinping Thought on Party Building to plan and advance the Party's development and exercise full and rigorous Party self-governance with higher standards and more concrete actions.
Compiled by the Institute of Party History and Literature of the CPC Central Committee, the books were published by the Central Party Literature Press.
A senior Chinese official on Wednesday refuted foreign media reports claiming that boarding schools in Southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region represent "forced assimilation," "compulsory boarding," and "human rights violations." Those reports are completely inconsistent with the facts, the official said.
The boarding school system reflects China's commitment to ethnic equality and educational equity, Duan Yijun, vice minister of the United Front Work Department of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, told at a press conference on Wednesday. The State Council Information Office (SCIO) held a press conference on Wednesday regarding the Ethnic Unity and Progress Promotion Law and China's work on ethnic affairs.
China's Compulsory Education Law stipulates that county-level people's governments may establish boarding schools where necessary. The law also emphasizes that the purpose of boarding schools is to ensure that school-age children and adolescents living in dispersed areas can receive compulsory education. This policy was introduced by the Chinese government based on the country's specific national conditions to ensure equal access to education for all ethnic groups, not any particular ethnic group, Duan noted.
Second, China's boarding school system simply means that schools provide accommodation, meals, and other support services for students. They are not closed institutions, let alone militarized facilities, Duan said.
Whether a student boards at school is entirely a voluntary choice made by the student and their parents based on family circumstances and educational needs. In fact, the number of boarding students changes dynamically: some students switch from boarding to commuting, while others move from commuting to boarding, depending entirely on their own preferences and those of their families. Boarding students can return home on weekends, holidays, and during winter and summer vacations. Parents are free to visit their children at any time and may take them home whenever necessary, he introduced.
Third, judging from the results of the policy's implementation, Xizang farmers and herders have shown a strong willingness to enroll their children in boarding schools, Duan said.
As is widely known, Xizang covers a vast territory with a highly dispersed population. The cost of sending children to school is high, and the burden on parents who must transport them to and from school is considerable. To ensure that children of all ethnic groups on the plateau enjoy equal access to high-quality education, and in response to public demand, the government has implemented boarding education in certain rural and pastoral areas. This provides students with safer and more convenient conditions while meeting the needs of both parents and children, the official noted.
Duan also emphasized two other facts during the press conference. In old Xizang, there was not a single modern school in the true sense of the term. The enrollment rate of school-age children was less than 2 percent, and more than 95 percent of the population was illiterate. The children of serfs were deprived of the right to education. In particular, children in pastoral areas could only follow livestock as they moved from place to place. Equal access to education was simply beyond the reach of ordinary people. It is only under the leadership of the Communist Party of China that the light of educational equity has reached every tent and every household on the plateau. According to official statistics released by the Xizang Autonomous Region in 2024, the enrollment rate for school-age children reached 99.98 percent, while the retention rate for compulsory education stood at 96.94 percent.
Second, in world history, it was precisely some countries that now politicize human rights issues that once forcibly sent Indigenous children to colonial-style boarding schools, suppressing their culture and identity. China's boarding school system is fundamentally different from those practices, Duan pointed out.
It is also worth noting that, in order to better safeguard the equal right to education for people of all ethnic groups, the Ethnic Unity and Progress Promotion Law contains comprehensive legal provisions concerning language and script education, the compilation and use of teaching materials, shared learning and growth among students of different ethnic backgrounds, cross-regional exchanges among young people, and the allocation of public service resources. These provisions fully embody China's experience of pursuing common unity and common prosperity, and can provide valuable reference for ethnic affairs governance in other countries, Duan said.
When asked to comment on that the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas said the EU had verified reports alleging that the Chinese military had been training Russian military personnel to fight in Ukraine, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said at a regular press conference on Tuesday that the relative claims have no factual basis and are purely slander and defamation.
China's State Council Information Office on Wednesday released a white paper titled "More Just and Equitable Global Governance: China's Principles, Proposals and Actions."
