Chinese young mathematicians Deng Yu and Wang Hong were awarded Fields Medals, becoming the first Chinese recipients of the prestigious honor, the Xinhua News Agency reported on Thursday. The achievement also marks the first time two Chinese mathematicians have won Fields Medals at the same International Congress of Mathematicians (ICM) - a historic breakthrough for the country's mathematical community, China News Service reported.

The other recipients of the 2026 Fields Medals are American John Pardon and Canada's Jacob Tsimerman, per Xinhua.

"I'm overjoyed to receive this honor. It is a great privilege to have my name listed alongside many masters I have long admired. This recognition acknowledges not only myself but also my work and research field. No matter what the future holds, I will press forward on my mathematical journey," Deng told the Science and Technology Daily in an exclusive interview.

The accolade was conferred on Thursday morning local time at the 2026 ICM hosted in Philadelphia, the US. 

Established by the International Mathematical Union (IMU), the Fields Medal is a prestigious honor exclusively conferred on prodigious mathematicians under the age of 40. It is awarded once every four years, with a cap of four laureates per session. Owing to its unparalleled academic prestige and stringent selection benchmarks, the Fields Medal is universally hailed as the "Nobel Prize of mathematics," China News Service reported.

Wang was born in 1991, and Deng born in 1989, both are undergraduate alumni of Peking University's 2007 intake, per China News Service.

Wang earned her doctorate at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In February 2025, in collaboration with Joshua Zahl, she resolved the three-dimensional Kakeya conjecture, a puzzle that had perplexed the global mathematical community for over a century, domestic media outlet The Paper reported.

Tian Gang, a member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and chair professor at Peking University, who taught Wang during her undergraduate years, once said that though Wang was not a math competition participant and did not stand out the most in class, her passion for mathematical analysis and years of persistent efforts ultimately led her to groundbreaking achievements, Beijing Daily reported.

Deng obtained his PhD from Princeton University in 2015 and currently serves as a professor of mathematics at the University of Chicago. Jointly with fellow scholars, he settled the narrow formulation of Hilbert's Sixth Problem, for the first time deriving a complete mathematically rigorous logical chain bridging microscopic particle systems to the macroscopic Boltzmann equation, per The Paper.

Deng's fascination with mathematics took root at an early age. Back in the third year of junior high school, he could already score over 130 points on college entrance exam-level mathematics papers. In 2006, he claimed a full-mark gold medal at the China Mathematics Olympiad Winter Camp and secured a spot on the national training team, before winning another gold medal at the subsequent International Mathematical Olympiad, domestic media outlet Global People reported.

Citing earlier reports from Jiefang Daily, domestic media outlet Jimu News reported that Deng enjoys poetry and anime and is eager to share his thoughts on public forums. The report added that Deng believes mathematician is the ideal career for him, and he would write science fiction novels if he did not pursue mathematics.

Jiang Lue, spokesperson for the China Coast Guard (CCG), stated that the CCG on Friday took necessary countermeasures in accordance with the law against the Philippine rights-violation vessels. Chinese experts said that the Philippines is resorting to a tactic of "saturation incursions" that betrays its deep-seated anxiety. Lacking any prospect of gaining the upper hand through military means and having exhausted its arsenal of cognitive warfare tactics, Manila sees no other option but to orchestrate intense confrontations to generate media buzz and plead for attention on the international public opinion stage, experts added.

On Friday, the Philippine side organized seven public vessels, three coast guard ships and one fish transport ship, and egged on a large number of fishing boats to illegally assemble in the waters under China's jurisdiction at Huangyan Dao, Jiang said.

During this period, three Philippine public vessels - MMOV 3001, MMOV 3005 and MMOV 3017 - ignored repeated dissuasion and warnings from the CCG and obstinately intruded into the territorial waters of China's Huangyan Dao, Jiang added.

The CCG took necessary countermeasures in accordance with the law against the Philippine rights-violation vessels, including verbal warnings, blocking, and shooting water cannons, to resolutely expel them.

The Global Times learned that the Philippines harbored clear provocative intentions in this aggressive intrusion. Its vessel MMOV 3001 repeatedly charged at high speed into the 12-nautical-mile territorial waters surrounding China's Huangyan Dao. On-site footage obtained by the Global Times also shows this Philippine vessel was fitted with anti-collision padding, prepped for anticipated vessel collisions.

Also on the very same day, Philippine Coast Guard vessel 9701, which took part in the incursion, was repelled with water cannons by CCG vessel 5306. Sources told the Global Times that Philippine Coast Guard vessel 9701 deliberately closed in on CCG vessel 5306 in a blatant provocation and even maneuvered its stern directly toward the trajectory of CCG 5306's water cannons. After being repelled by water cannons, the Philippine ship swiftly turned and withdrew, leaving obvious traces of a deliberate staged provocation. 

Yang Xiao, a research professor at the Institute of Peaceful Development under the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times that footage from the scene proves that the Philippines' staged provocative incursion ended in failure. Yang said that is partly because China's response was unequivocal, resulting in any breach of the red line triggering immediate and forceful action, and partly because China's law enforcement presence on the scene is both ample and has gone through thorough preparations. 

Spokesperson Jiang said that following its violent assault on CCG law enforcement personnel at Ren'ai Jiao on Monday, the Philippine side has, for two consecutive days, sent ships to intrude into the waters under China's jurisdiction at Huangyan Dao. It is stirring up troubles at multiple points in the South China Sea and deliberately making provocations, which seriously violates China's sovereignty and maritime rights and interests, and severely undermines peace and stability in the South China Sea, Jiang added.

Chen Xiangmiao, a research fellow at the National Institute for South China Sea Studies, believed that the Philippine military is currently gripped by acute attention anxiety as the Philippines' provocative ploys follow a rigid, predictable pattern, and its rhetoric targeting China is repetitive and formulaic. This series of moves has seriously eroded the credibility of the Philippine government and created a sense of "visual fatigue" in international public opinion, Chen said.

To grab headlines and sustain public attention, the Philippine military has no choice but to deploy its servicemen and so-called fishermen to the frontlines of provocation, urging them to act more aggressively, Chen said.

"This is the only way for Manila to stir up buzz and keep the spotlight on itself - consolidating its domestic narrative clout while soliciting more external backing," said Chen, adding "this partly explains the Philippine military's extraordinary belligerence as of late."

"We caution the Philippine side to immediately stop its rights-violation and provocative acts. Otherwise, the Philippine side shall bear responsibility for all consequences arising therefrom. The CCG will continue to carry out rights-protection and law-enforcement operations in accordance with the law in the waters under China's jurisdiction, and resolutely safeguard China's territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests," Jiang said.

China has deployed flood-control and emergency response measures as Typhoons Maysak and Bavi are expected to bring heavy rainfall and heighten flood risks in several river basins across the country, according to the Ministry of Water Resources on Tuesday.

The ministry held a consultation to analyze the development and potential impact of the two typhoons and arrange measures for flood prevention and handling potential emergencies.

Recent extreme rainstorms triggered by Typhoon Maysak, the 10th typhoon of the year, have caused severe flooding in parts of south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in the Pearl River basin. Continued rain and flooding could pose further threats, the ministry said.

Earlier on Tuesday, Guangxi upgraded its flood alert to the highest-level red warning, which was quickly followed by another flood red alert issued by neighboring Guangdong Province.

The ministry said Typhoon Maysak is expected to continue affecting China through July 9, bringing significant rises in rivers across the Pearl, Yangtze, Huaihe and Songliao river basins, with some rivers expected to exceed warning levels.

From July 10, Super Typhoon Bavi is expected to approach China's eastern coast and affect the country's six major river basins for about a week, bringing a high risk of flood-related disasters.

The ministry urged efforts to strengthen flood prevention in Guangxi, improve monitoring and early warning systems, ensure reservoir safety, guard against mountain torrents and flooding in small and medium-sized rivers, and enhance inspections of dikes and water conservancy projects.

China's weather in recent days has also been influenced by a cold vortex over northeast China and the southwest monsoon, with heavy rainfall triggering floods in parts of northeast, north and south China, causing casualties and house collapses.

China's State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters on Wednesday activated a Level-IV emergency response for flood control and typhoon prevention in the provinces of Zhejiang and Fujian, the Ministry of Emergency Management said.

The headquarters will upgrade or adjust the emergency response in accordance with the development of the typhoon, the ministry said.

According to meteorological forecasts, the center of Super Typhoon Bavi was located over waters about 1,490 kilometers southeast of Keelung, Taiwan, at 2 p.m. on Wednesday.

The typhoon is forecast to move westward before turning northwestward at a speed of around 15 to 20 km per hour, and may make landfall along the coast between Fuqing in Fujian Province and Wenling in Zhejiang Province on Saturday night, as either a strong typhoon or a typhoon.

Days after China's test launch of a strategic missile by a submarine, countries including the US and Australia have issued a fresh round of unreasonable hype, even though the Chinese side has already highlighted that the launch was a routine annual training arrangement of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy and had notified relevant countries in advance. 

Chinese analysts observed that such hype by certain countries stems from ulterior motives and self-serving geopolitical calculations, as the countries concerned seek to hype the so-called "China threat" narrative.

The PLA Navy conducted the test launch on Monday. The navy said the launch complied with international law and international practice, and was not directed at any specific country or target.

However, certain countries have sought to make issue out of this routine missile test. 

In one of the latest responses, a US State Department official claimed China only gave the US a few hours notice ahead of the test launch and provided "insufficient detail." The official also claimed the notification fell considerably short of standards adopted by all other P5 nuclear weapon states, according to Reuters on Wednesday.

A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson on Thursday called the US' pointing fingers at China's routine missile launch a typical example of double standards and hegemonism, urging it to view the development of China's national defense and military in an objective and rational light and earnestly uphold global strategic stability.

"China has stressed more than once that the test launch is a routine arrangement in China's annual military training program designed to verify the reliability, safety and effectiveness of relevant weapon systems," Mao Ning, the spokesperson, said.

The activity complies with international law and customary international practice and is not directed at any specific country or target. The Chinese side released the relevant information in a timely manner and notified the US and other countries beforehand, which demonstrates the openness and transparency of the Chinese military, Mao said. 

Mao noted that the US is the only country to have actually used nuclear weapons. It sits on the world's largest and most advanced nuclear arsenal, and launches strategic missiles from nuclear-powered submarines annually. "Yet it points fingers at China's routine missile launch—a typical example of double standards and hegemonism," she added.

Song Zhongping, a Chinese military affairs expert, said on Thursday that certain countries are acting with malicious intentions, noting that some countries including the US regularly conduct missile test launches, yet China's operations, which have been far fewer, are the ones facing accusations.

As the test complied with international law and practice, the accusations leveled by the certain countries are entirely groundless and unreasonable, the expert said. 

China's development of strategic weapons is designed solely to safeguard its national security and development interests, and to counter nuclear blackmail from certain countries — this is probably the fundamental point at issue, Song said.

Geopolitical factor

US ally Australia, which is advancing AUKUS, a multi-billion-dollar submarine deal, is also exploiting China's routine missile test for its own geopolitical interests. 

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese met his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi on Thursday for talks covering topics of defense and security cooperation, as Australian media again linked the test to the talks. 

During the talks, Albanese welcomed the establishment of an Annual Defense Ministers' Dialogue as a mechanism to enhance consultation and cooperation, according to a joint statement published by the Australian Prime Minister's website. 

A report by Australian news site News.com.au claimed on Thursday that much of the talks between Albanese and his Indian counterpart would center on defense and security, with China's test "driving home the importance of deeper co-operation."

Albanese claimed on Wednesday that Pacific Island leaders are considering a "very strong" joint statement condemning China's missile test, according to AFP. He also described the test as "destabilizing and provocative", the country's ABC News reported on Tuesday.

Qin Sheng, a research fellow at the Center for Australia, New Zealand and South Pacific Studies, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Thursday that Australia in recent years has been expanding military and security cooperation with Pacific Island countries through a series of defense and security agreements, and the motive behind such moves is largely to maintain its dominant position in the South Pacific and advance its geopolitical interests.

"By hyping up China's recent missile test, Australia is attempting to create a narrative unfavorable to China in the South Pacific, justify closer military cooperation with Pacific Island countries, and even portray China as an 'imaginative enemy,'" Qin added.

Australia is stepping up military cooperation with India in a bid to give a four-way partnership with Japan and the US "teeth", in what sources say is a play to keep Washington engaged amid so-called concerns over China, according to News.com.au.

As a key driver of the Quad, Australia has put China's missile test high on its agenda during bilateral talks, and the aim is to hype up the so-called "China threat" narrative in a bid to draw the US back into deeper engagement of the bloc, Qin said.

However, with Washington showing little regard for engaging in Quad, Australia has moved to deepen security cooperation with India and Japan to build a mini-multilateral partnership aimed at containing China's influence, the expert continued.

Less engagement by Quad members would place Australia in an unfavorable geopolitical position, prompting it to hype recent China-related developments to shore up the so-called practical effectiveness of the mechanism, as the country still intends to expand its regional influence and avoid marginalization in the so-called "Indo-Pacific" order, Qin said.

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.