China stands ready to deepen coordination and cooperation with the United Nations to jointly advocate for a more just and equitable international order, Chinese Premier Li Qiang said here on Tuesday.
Li made the remarks in his meeting with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on the sidelines of the 17th BRICS Summit.
Over the 80 years since its founding, the United Nations has made vital contributions to safeguarding world peace and tranquility while promoting common development, Li said.
Cautioning that the world is facing mounting unstable and uncertain factors, Li said that the UN needs to play a better role.
The vision of building a community with a shared future for mankind and the three major global initiatives, proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping, are highly consistent with the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, as they embody China's steadfast commitment and pragmatic approach to support multilateralism and the work of the UN, stressed Li.
The more complex the international situation becomes, the more necessary it is to uphold the authority of the UN, said Li, stating that China firmly supports the UN's central role in global governance and stands ready to work with all parties to practice true multilateralism and to better advance the UN's work.
As the global security faces grave challenges, China has made extensive efforts to promote dialogue for the political settlement of hotspot issues, and will continue to support the UN in playing its unique role in de-escalating tensions, he said.
The premier noted that all parties should prioritize development on the international agenda, work together to enhance global development cooperation, allocate resources first and foremost to key areas such as poverty alleviation, education, employment and capacity building, and revitalize the global development partnership.
China, as a responsible major developing country, will continue to firmly pursue opening-up, share its opportunities with the world and promote common development, said Li.
China supports the United Nations as the main channel in addressing the gaps in global governance in emerging areas such as artificial intelligence, cyberspace, the polar regions and outer space, he added.
For his part, Guterres expressed appreciation for China's long-term commitment to multilateralism, as well as its firm support for the work of the United Nations.
The UN chief noted that the three major global initiatives proposed by President Xi dovetail with the goals of the United Nations.
The Chinese side, he said, has made important contributions to promoting the political settlement of hotspot issues, reforming the international economic and financial system, and safeguarding the interests of developing countries.
In the face of the current international situation, the United Nations looks forward to taking its 80th founding anniversary as an opportunity to strengthen cooperation with China, safeguard the authority of the UN Charter and international law, support multilateralism, oppose unilateralism, jointly address climate change and other global challenges, enhance global governance of artificial intelligence, and promote world peace and development, he added.
At the invitation of Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Foreign Minister Wang Yi, Ian Borg, Malta’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Tourism, will pay an official visit to China from July 13 to 16.
In response to the US White House's extension of "national emergency with respect to Hong Kong," which constitutes an unreasonable interference in China's internal affairs, including Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) affairs, a spokesperson of the Commissioner's Office for the Chinese Foreign Ministry in the HKSAR expressed strong condemnation and resolute opposition in a statement released via the office's WeChat account on Saturday.
The spokesperson emphasized that legislation safeguarding national security in HKSAR is both legitimate and necessary, in line with international norms. Since the implementation of the national security law in Hong Kong and the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance, social stability has been restored in Hong Kong, the business environment has improved, and investors from various countries have flocked to the region, as recognized by the international community, said the spokesperson.
Hong Kong ranks first among the world's freest economies, maintains its position as one of the top three international financial centers and has returned to the top tier in global competitiveness rankings. Its talent competitiveness has also re-entered the global top 10. The inflow of foreign direct investment ranks third globally, and this year, it leads the world in the amount raised. Additionally, the air cargo volume remains the highest globally. The HKSAR has become a hub of investment and business opportunities, said the spokesperson.
The spokesperson said that the US has distorted basic facts, disregarded public opinion, trampled on the spirit of the rule of law, and for the sixth consecutive time linked HKSAR to the "national emergency," continuing to impose "sanctions" on HKSAR. This is hegemonic behavior that that weaponizes economic tools, a political manipulation that interferes in HKSAR affairs, and a shortsighted action that goes against the historical trend, said the spokesperson. It fully exposes the hypocrisy, absurdity of its double standards and its bandit logic, according to the spokesperson.
The spokesperson reiterated that external interference cannot weaken the central and HKSAR governments' firm resolve to safeguard national security, cannot hinder HKSAR's vigorous progress from governance to prosperity, and cannot reverse the historical trend of the steady development of the "one country, two systems." We advise the US side to recognize the overall situation, face reality, abandon illusions, adhere to international law and the basic norms of international relations, respect China's sovereignty and HKSAR's rule of law, and immediately stop its political manipulation that interferes in China's internal affairs including Hong Kong affairs, said the spokesperson.
The HKSAR government on Friday strongly condemned the US government for wantonly smearing the work of HKSAR in preventing, suppressing and imposing punishment for activities endangering national security in accordance with the law under the pretext of extending the "national emergency," according to a statement posted on its official website.
The HKSAR government strongly demanded the US to immediately stop acting against the international law and basic norms of international relations and interfering in Hong Kong matters which are purely China's internal affairs, according to the statement.
The first volume of selected works of Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, on ecological civilization has been published and is available nationwide.
Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, on Monday afternoon inspected a valve manufacturing company in Yangquan City, north China's Shanxi Province, where he learned about the province's efforts to promote the transformation and upgrade of industries and high-quality development.
At the Yangquan Valve Co., Ltd., Xi inspected the company's production workshop and products display, and had a cordial conversation with workers at the site.
Multiple cities and provinces across the country are ramping up efforts to boost tourism-related consumption during the summer season, as a wave of spending is evident in many places, particularly in inbound travel.
The tourism industry is on the rise, driven by improved services, better infrastructure and supportive policies, a Chinese expert said. With continued efforts from both central and local governments, tourism consumption is expected to become an increasingly important driver of overall consumer spending.
Megacity Shanghai announced on Wednesday that the "Shanghai Summer" International Consumption Season, a city-level campaign aimed primarily at boosting inbound tourism spending during the summer, is set to kick off on Friday. Authorities are launching a series of activities that combine commerce, travel, culture, sports and exhibitions aimed at providing excellent consumption experience for consumers and travelers from across the world.
In the first six months this year, Shanghai facilitated a total of 4.25 million inbound tourist trips in the first six months this year, signifying an increase of 38.5 percent year-on-year. Sales of tax-refundable goods grew by 85 percent year-on-year, with sales under the "instant tax refund" policy soaring by 28.1-fold, Zhu Min, director of the Shanghai Municipal Commission of Commerce, said at a press conference on Wednesday.
Shanghai is just one of the latest Chinese cities to promote summer tourism consumption.
Qingdao, a popular coastal tourist city of East China's Shandong Province, launched a cultural and tourism consumption season this week, part of the province's broader efforts to boost tourism spending, domestic news portal The Paper reported.
Over 4,000 cultural and tourism events will be held across Shandong this summer to boost consumption. More than 1,000 A-level scenic spots and over 500 star-rated hotels across the province are partnering with financial institutions and online travel platforms to offer various discounts and promotional deals, according to media reports.
East China's Anhui Province recently held a provincial meeting on boosting the summer cultural and tourism market and advancing the development of all-for-one tourism as a pillar industry for 2025, according to a report published on the official website of the provincial government.
The meeting called for the full implementation of policies to stimulate cultural and tourism consumption, seizing summer opportunities to accelerate the development of tourism into a pillar industry, said the report.
Cities in China will allocate over 570 million yuan ($79.56 million) in subsidies to boost domestic consumption as part of efforts to kick off the summer consumption season, the Xinhua News Agency reported on Monday.
The Ministry of Culture and Tourism will launch a nationwide campaign from July to August. During this period, regions across the country will introduce a variety of seasonal cultural and tourism products and activities, focusing on summer consumption trends.
Specific activities include coastal vacations, performances and exhibitions, market fairs, family-friendly entertainment and night-time events. More than 4,300 themed activities, totaling about 39,000 sessions, will be held.
"Since the start of summer, many provinces and cities across China have actively innovated and enriched consumption scenarios. Driven by tourists' personalized and quality-oriented demands, these localities have been continuously improving tourism services," Cong Yi, a professor at the Tianjin School of Administration, told the Global Times on Wednesday.
Cong said that diverse consumption supply will help spark spending potential and overall market vitality. "Consumption is a crucial engine for economic growth and a key driver in smoothing domestic circulation. Promoting strategic synergy between culture and tourism at the consumption level will make significant contributions to stimulating consumption and comprehensively expanding domestic demand," he said.
'China travel' highlighted
Among the highlights of China's growing tourism consumption trend, inbound tourism has gained strong momentum and emerged as a new driver of domestic tourism-related spending. The rollout of unilateral visa-free policies and other supportive measures has made China an increasingly attractive destination for foreign visitors this summer, experts said.
In the first five months of this year, East China's Jiangsu Province received a total of 1.15 million inbound tourists, a year-on-year increase of 37.8 percent. In Suzhou's Tongli Ancient Town, the number of inbound tour groups rose by 85 percent, with visitors from around the world taking boat rides to experience the town's rich historical and cultural heritage.
Meanwhile, Northwest China's Shaanxi Province, known for its deep cultural and historical roots, remains one of the most popular destinations for both domestic and international tourists. According to media reports, the number of inbound trips to Shaanxi has exceeded 445,000 so far this year, up 66 percent year-on-year.
"An increasing number of domestic cities and scenic spots are becoming popular destinations among foreign tourists. This not only demonstrates the development of China's cultural and tourism industry but also reflects the attractiveness of China's vast market to global consumers," Cong said, noting that localities should seize the opportunity to further enrich tourism product and service supply to promote consumption and cultural prosperity.
With continued improvements in service quality, tourism infrastructure and supportive policies such as the visa-free policy, more cities and scenic spots across China are emerging as must-visit destinations for both domestic and international travelers, Hu Qimu, deputy secretary-general of the Forum 50 for Digital-Real Economies Integration, told the Global Times on Wednesday, noting that this rising popularity is not only boosting tourism activity, but also driving growth in related sectors such as accommodation, dining and transportation, injecting fresh momentum into overall consumer spending.
Looking ahead, the potential is immense, as China's continued efforts to open up, along with improved services and infrastructure, are making the country an increasingly attractive destination for international travelers, the expert said, adding that this momentum is further energizing the tourism sector and providing fresh impetus for the recovery and growth of consumption.
Unlike NATO, which is a military alliance, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) can help promote peace and serve as an important tool for safeguarding the development of countries in the region, said Pakistani Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif on Wednesday when attending the SCO Defense Ministers' Meeting in Qingdao, East China's Shandong Province.
Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun met with Asif on the same day. Asif praised China's efforts in preventing the escalation of regional tensions, noting that recent months have seen rising instability and conflict across the region. He said Pakistan highly values its ironclad friendship with China and is willing to work closely with Beijing to implement the three major global initiatives, deepen practical defense cooperation, and jointly safeguard regional peace and stability.
In a media interview later on, he described the meeting with Dong as "very fruitful," adding, "We are friends, we are brothers. We discussed matters of mutual interest."
He said that SCO member states would unite to confront regional terrorism and work collectively for the region's stability. "We hope the SCO members will get together to fight this menace in this region and work for the stability of the countries of our region and the region as a whole," Asif said.
"SCO can be an alternate platform for cooperation within this region and also beyond," Asif told the Global Times among a group of reporters. "This platform can be a very important vehicle to further the peace in this region and protect the countries of this region so they can live in harmony and work for the economic development of our citizens."
Previously, the accession of Belarus was formalized at the 24th Meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the SCO in 2024. Since its inception in Shanghai in 2001, the SCO has so far expanded from a regional organization with six members into a trans-regional organization with 10 full members, two observer countries, and 14 dialogue partners, according to the Xinhua News Agency.
As the NATO summit began on Tuesday in The Hague, Netherlands, and is set to last for two days, Asif also emphasized the difference between NATO and the SCO. "NATO is basically a military alliance. It's a very exclusive club, completely influenced by Western countries."
In contrast, the SCO is not a military alliance, he said, adding that "it's more of an economic alliance. However, the situation that has developed over the past few months in this region definitely calls for security cooperation among SCO member states."
A new study by a Chinese research team exploring how exercise helps the body at a molecular level has discovered that a substance called betaine can mimic the effects of exercise and may support healthy aging.
The study, published in the journal Cell, was jointly conducted by researchers at the Institute of Zoology under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the China National Center for Bioinformation, and the Xuanwu Hospital under the Capital Medical University.
As the biological basis of life activities, exercise is recognized with well-established health benefits. However, its scientific principles, especially the molecular mechanisms, have not been fully revealed.
With joint efforts over six years, the study team carried out an integrated multi-omics analysis on the molecular-cellular dynamic responses of the human body to acute exercise and long-term regular exercise.
The study revealed for the first time that the kidney is a key response organ to exercise effects. Its endogenous metabolite betaine binds to and inhibits TANK-binding kinase 1 (TBK1), thus reducing inflammation and alleviating the aging process of multiple organs.
The new findings revealed the molecular benefits of exercise and positioned betaine as an exercise mimetic for healthy aging, showed the study.
Chinese President Xi Jinping met with New Zealand's Prime Minister Christopher Luxon in Beijing on Friday, calling on both sides to place greater emphasis on cooperation, according to the Xinhua News Agency.
For more than 50 years, since the establishment of diplomatic ties, China-New Zealand relations have long been at the forefront of China's relations with Western developed countries, Xi said.
As the China-New Zealand comprehensive strategic partnership enters its second decade, both sides should work to grow the partnership and bring more benefits to the two peoples, he said.
Xi stressed that China and New Zealand should place greater emphasis on cooperation in bilateral relations, leverage their complementary strengths, deepen trade and investment cooperation, and explore potential for cooperation in scientific and technological innovation, climate change, and infrastructure.
He encouraged both sides to strengthen exchanges in education, culture, among youth and at non-governmental and sub-national levels.
"There are no historical grievances or fundamental conflicts of interests between China and New Zealand. Both countries should respect each other, seek common ground while reserving differences, and appropriately view and address differences and disagreements," Xi said.
As builders and defenders of the post-war international order, China and New Zealand should jointly uphold the international system with the UN at its core, and maintain the multilateral trading system with the World Trade Organization at its core, he said. He urged both sides to work together to safeguard international fairness and justice and make the international order more just and equitable.
New Zealand attaches great importance to its relations with China and will continue to adhere to the one-China policy, Luxon said, adding that his country is willing to uphold mutual respect and understanding with China and maintain high-level exchanges.
He expressed hopes for expanding trade and investment, deepening cooperation in agriculture, fishery and dairy industry, and enhancing exchanges in tourism and education.
Luxon said the world today is full of uncertainties, and the international community expects China to play a greater role. He said New Zealand is willing to actively communicate and coordinate with China to safeguard the multilateral trading system and jointly address global challenges.
Wang Xiaolong, Chinese ambassador to New Zealand, said that "The key outcome of the visit is the reaffirmation by both sides of the shared commitment to the bilateral relationship, a relationship defined and underpinned by mutually respectful and mutually beneficial cooperation. It is particularly pertinent given the fundamental interests of the two countries and the turbulent times we are going through at the moment."
The key highlight of the meeting was the shared emphasis by President Xi and Prime Minister Luxon on further expanding bilateral cooperation, Chen Hong, a professor and director of the New Zealand Studies Centre at East China Normal University, told the Global Times on Friday.
Beyond traditional areas such as trade, investment, agriculture, education, and tourism — which have long underpinned the relationship — both sides aim to tap new potential in emerging sectors including technological innovation, climate change response, and infrastructure development, said Chen.
"These new areas of cooperation are both complementary and mutually beneficial, offering fresh opportunities for growth while reflecting joint efforts to address global challenges," said Chen.
In a post on X, Luxon said that his meeting with President Xi was "constructive" and said that "in a complex world, open dialogue is more important than ever."
In a report on Friday, Radio New Zealand described the meeting as "highly anticipated" and said that it took place "against a backdrop of global volatility."
During the Friday meeting, the two leaders also underscored the importance of the multilateral system and their shared commitment to safeguarding global frameworks, including trade. Luxon highlighted growing global uncertainties and expressed expectation for China to play a greater role, which showed that New Zealand has viewed China as a reliable partner in promoting certainty amid global volatility, Chen said.
New momentum
The Friday meeting and Luxon's visit to China will inject new momentum into future bilateral cooperation, experts said, citing new visa arrangements, frequent high-level exchanges, and broader sectoral engagement during Luxon's visit to Shanghai and Beijing.
Rhys Griffiths, CEO of Deer Industry New Zealand, told the Global Times that the official visit shows the importance of the relationship between the two countries and he is optimistic that bilateral relations will continue to prosper.
"China is New Zealand's No. 1 trading partner. I think Chinese consumers in turn recognize the quality of the products our farmers produce back in New Zealand. We are very excited by the prospects of the China market," Griffiths said.
New Zealand is simplifying transit procedures and lowering costs for Chinese travelers to enhance tourism and trade. Starting in November, Chinese passport holders will no longer require a traditional Transit Visa to pass through New Zealand airports. Instead, they will be able to obtain a New Zealand electronic Travel Authority (NZeTA), which is cheaper and faster to process, according to a Xinhua report on Thursday.
Data from Chinese online travel platform Ctrip sent to the Global Times on Friday showed that as of Wednesday, inbound travel bookings to New Zealand in 2024 have increased by 95 percent year-on-year.
The outcomes of Luxon's visit reflect the steady strengthening of China-New Zealand relations. Frequent high-level and people-to-people exchanges have fostered mutual understanding and trust, driving deeper cooperation across various sectors. This positive cycle continues to enhance bilateral ties, Chen said.
Luxon's visit to China has also drawn attention from Western media. A Reuters report referred to New Zealand's "mature relationship" with China, mentioning that the country seeks to balance economic pragmatism while talking about Pacific security.
New Zealand has shown a strong adaptability to balance its relationships with China, the US and Australia. While being a Five Eyes member with deep alliances, New Zealand values its relationship with China and navigates geopolitical complexities with independence and flexibility, said Chen.
On Pacific Island issues, China and New Zealand also have opportunities to work together and contribute positively to regional development rather than adopting policies of exclusionism, said the expert.
Luxon's visit reflects a proactive and positive approach to China policy, which forms the foundation of New Zealand's broader strategy. "Amid growing global uncertainties and regional tensions, both China and New Zealand, as key Asia-Pacific nations, share a responsibility to help maintain stability and promote development," said Chen.
Premier of the State Council Li Qiang will attend the 16th Annual Meeting of the New Champions (AMNC) in Tianjin from June 24 to 25. Premier Li Qiang will attend the Opening Plenary and deliver a special address, meet with foreign guests, and have a conversation with representatives of the foreign business community.
President of Ecuador Daniel Noboa, Prime Minister of Singapore Lawrence Wong, Prime Minister of Kyrgyzstan Adylbek Aleshovich Kasymaliev, Prime Minister of Senegal Ousmane Sonko, and Prime Minister of Viet Nam Pham Minh Chinh will attend the AMNC. Over 1,700 representatives from the political, business, academic and media communities from over 90 countries and regions will also take part in the AMNC.
