China-US relations are expected to face even more challenging times, and China needs to focus on managing its own affairs, Yang Xiyu, a senior research fellow at the China Institute of International Studies, said at the Global Times Annual Conference 2025, themed "Moving forward in Partnership: Resonance of Values between China and the World," which is held in Beijing on Saturday. 

Yang spoke during the session on "Exploring the Ways of Interaction Among Major Powers: Differences and Consensus" of the conference. 

China-US relations encompass a wide range of areas, which can be categorized into three main domains on politics and security, economic/trade and technology, and ideology. Moving forward, the relationship is expected to face even more challenging times, with intense competition and potentially stormy and turbulent scenarios. China must be well-prepared for these developments, said Yang. 

Yang said that the increasingly tense China-US relations stem from two key factors. First, the shifts in the balance of power between the two countries, leading to rising US strategic anxiety toward China. Second, the international political security order centered on the United Nations is facing mounting challenges, while the US dollar-dominated international economic and financial system is becoming increasingly unsustainable and even dysfunctional. 

Currently, the core structural issue in the international system is the dysfunction of the old order and a new one is unable to establish, said Yang. 

In its relations with China, the US has pursued a strategy of competition aimed at outcompeting and beating China. In contrast, China needs to follow three guiding principles: mutual respect, peaceful coexistence, and win-win cooperation.

Given the significant differences between the two sides, what can be done? For China, there is only one path: to focus its efforts on managing its own affairs, said Yang. 

Delegates from China and Indian Ocean countries gathered in Kunming, Southwest China's Yunnan Province on Sunday for a government-business dialogue, aimed at connecting governments, financial institutions, and businesses to promote regional integration in the development of the blue economy.

The Sunday event hosted over 200 delegates from 20 countries and international organizations. 

Zhao Fengtao, vice chairman of the China International Development Cooperation Agency, made three points for the dialogue in his address speech: advocating for consensus building so that governments, financial institutes and companies can work in the same direction; advocating for shared development through the combination of aid, investment and trade; and advocating for openness and inclusiveness with efforts promoting communication and sharing experience of Chinese modernization. 

The Sunday dialogue featured three topics - ocean-based infrastructure, digital empowerment for the blue economy, and cultural exchange for marine tourism. 

Phillianne Ernesta, delegate from Seychelles' ministry of fisheries and blue economy, discussed Seychelles' focus on cold chain development and processing facilities to support its rich fisheries resources, which can assist the related industry and expand market share. 

In the same session, Chu Yili from China Communications Construction Company Ltd. shared insights on the company's automated port projects and equipment that have been applied overseas. Chu also highlighted opportunities for joint development in marine new energy and deep-sea resource exploration. 

Rodrigo Salvado, director general of Asian Investment and Infrastructure Bank, said during the dialogue that the point of the dialogue is to build bridges between different parties with unique strength.     

The Global Times learned from the dialogue that Chinese companies have established automated warehouses and distribution centers that reduce logistics costs and improve efficiency for local communities. Pakistan's first smart distribution center, built by a Chinese firm, has reduced the error rate from 1 percent down to 3 out of 10,000 parcels and below. 

Daniel Tindipu, Papua New Guinea's Vice Minister for National Planning, said in the marine tourism session that as an island nation, PNG has rich marine cultures, including traditional navigation skills and festivals; and marine tourism allows the country to share its story to global visitors. 

Marine tourism creates jobs, improves people's livelihoods and helps protect local ecology and environment, Tindipu said, while proposing regional travel packages to offer diverse experiences. Such packages can connect Indian Ocean countries together and maximize resources and opportunities for regional countries. 

Tindipu told the Global Times that through direct dialogue, "we understand each other's pace in development, vulnerabilities and strengths, build trust and forge partnerships" that will contribute to better economies and better societies of the Global South.  

Tindipu spoke highly of China's vision of a maritime community of shared future. The vision is about cooperation and solidarity to address common challenges, and seeks to build resilience, promote equitable growth, and enhance global partnerships, Tindipu said. 

Mozambique Ambassador to China Maria Gustava told the Global Times that Chinese brands and projects are already well known in her country, including Huawei which provides 5G services in addition to smart devices. China is also helping with rice farming and built one of the largest suspension bridges in Africa in the country. 

What makes China different is that "we are cooperating for mutual benefit. There is no conditions or obligation. There is no interference," Gustava added.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry released a video on its official WeChat account on Saturday, titled "What Cannot Kill You Will Only Make You STRONGER." The video shows a series of achievements the People's Republic of China has made since 1949. 

The video has been posted by the Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying on her X account on Wednesday. “With no fallback option, the only way ahead is to succeed," she posted with an emoji of Chinese national flag.

China and Nepal have agreed to strengthen the synergy of their development strategies, and pursue deeper and even more concrete high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, according to a joint statement between the two countries issued during Nepali Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli's visit to China which concluded on Thursday.

The joint statement said that both sides agreed to ensure timely and swift implementation of the agreements signed, consensus reached, and decisions made as well as completion of the programs, projects and activities carried out jointly by the two countries. 

According to the National Development and Reform Commission, China and Nepal also signed a framework agreement for advancing Belt and Road Initiative cooperation. 

According to the framework agreement, the two sides will adhere to the principle of extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits, strengthen practical cooperation in key areas such as economy, finance, transportation, logistics, trade, industrial investment and customs. 

Both sides also expressed their commitment to strengthening connectivity between the two countries in such areas as ports, roads, railways, aviation, power grids and telecommunication, and to help Nepal transform from a land-locked country to a land-linked country, the joint statement reads. 

Oli wrote on Wednesday on his X account that "Nepal China economic cooperation will further strengthen under the Belt and Road Framework Cooperation." 

The BRI framework cooperation agreement between China and Nepal has drawn scrutiny from Indian media outlets, casting the cooperation in a negative light. 

The NDTV published a report on Wednesday titled "Nepal joins China's Belt and Road Initiative, raises concerns for New Delhi."

The NDTV report questioned how the agreement between China and Nepal will be carried out, claiming it "paves the way for China to fund these projects and how exactly each project would be financed by Beijing." 

Times of India also attempted to sow discord, claiming that "debt concerns have sparked debate within Nepal's coalition government. While the agreement may unlock new opportunities, the Nepali Congress Party, a key ally in Oli's coalition, opposes reliance on loans for these initiatives."

It's an old trick for Indian media to badmouth BRI cooperation of Nepal, smearing that the cooperation has not been yielding any practical results, but only dragging Nepal into a debt trap, Lin Minwang, a deputy director of the Center for South Asian Studies at Fudan University, told the Global Times.

It shows India's hegemonic attitude, Lin said, adding that some Indian media don't see Nepal as an independent sovereign country.  

If India does not fundamentally change its mindset, it will be difficult for it to gain the respect of neighboring South Asian countries. New Delhi should not consider South Asia its "sphere of influence", Lin added. 

Lin said that South Asian countries need to develop, which should not be viewed through a geopolitical perspective. He also noted that India always hinders those South Asian countries' cooperative ties, but not able to offer alternatives. Other South Asian countries have developed sound relations with China as China advocates equal cooperation and mutual benefits, the expert said.

The joint statement also details various concrete cooperation projects that China will work on with Nepal.

The two sides agreed to jointly advance the fourth phase of the China-aided Araniko Highway maintenance project and the Hilsa-Simikot Road project, implement the second phase of the Kathmandu Ring Road Improvement Project, and welcome the signing of the Letters of Exchange for the Approval of the China-aid Project of Feasibility Study for the Tokha-Chhahare Tunnel. 

Students and teachers from seven universities in Chinese mainland, invited by the Taiwan-based Ma Ying-jeou Culture and Education Foundation, will arrive in the island of Taiwan on Wednesday to begin a nine-day journey, mainland and Taiwan media reported. Olympic champions Ma Long and Yang Qian will also be part of the delegation, sparking excitement among the Taiwan public, according to media reports. 

The invited students from the mainland come from renowned universities such as Peking University, Tsinghua University, and Fudan University, according to Taiwan local media, citing the foundation. 

Hsiao Hsu-tsen, executive director of the foundation, said the journey covers nine days, adding that the itinerary will include visits to attractions such as Sun Moon Lake and the Palace Museum in Taipei, as well as exchanges with six universities in Taiwan island. Additionally, baseball experience activities will be arranged to provide mainland students a deeper understanding of Taiwan island's history and culture, promoting the development of cross-Straits relations, Taiwan local media reported. 

Taiwan media outlets noted that the journey includes a special arrangement with a Taiwan high school, aiming to provide high school students in Taiwan the opportunity to interact with students from top universities in Chinese mainland. 

Hsiao noted that the future of both sides of the Taiwan Straits lies with the youth, hoping to provide more opportunities for young people across the Straits to interact, laying a solid foundation for the next generation. He emphasized the need for peace instead of war, and for cross-Straits exchanges instead of "Taiwan independence," and added this represents the true voice of the island of Taiwan, Taiwan media reported. 

During the visit, Ma Long is also expected to showcase his table tennis skills during campus visits, according to Taiwan media reports. 

Some netizens from Taiwan island expressed excitement about Ma's arrival, eager to seize the opportunity to see him showcase his skills. Others warmly welcomed Ma and planned to compile a list of Taiwan delicacies for him to try, China News Service reported. 

Hsiao said his phone has been flooded with calls from the public, all wanting to know the details of Ma's itinerary. Hsu Shu-hua, the magistrate of Nantou County in Taiwan, also added that many fans have been calling the county government to ask whether Ma will be visiting and expressing their desire to take photos with him. The magistrate said she is also a fan of Ma and is ready to help arrange related activities, Jimu News reported. 

Responding to the visit by the mainland teachers and students to Taiwan island at the end of November, Zhu Fenglian, spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council said at a press conference earlier this month that she was pleased to see young people across the Straits have regular interactions and close ties.  

 "We welcome more young people from Taiwan to explore the mainland, and bring youthful energy to the promotion of the peaceful development of cross-Straits relations," Zhu added.

The remains of 43 Chinese People's Volunteers (CPV) martyrs who lost their lives during the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea have been handed over to the Chinese side by the Republic of Korea (ROK) and will be returned to China on Thursday, according to China's Ministry of Veterans Affairs.

From 2014 to 2023, the two countries, in accordance with international laws and humanitarian principles, successfully handed over the remains of 938 CPV martyrs, along with related artifacts.

US President Joe Biden will visit Angola from December 2 to 4, as announced by the US Department of State. Analysts said the timing of the trip, as Biden will leave White House in January, raises questions about what the visit is intended to achieve. 

According to US media outlets, Biden postponed his planned visits to Africa twice, once in late 2023 and again in October. The first delay was due to the Israel-Palestine conflict, while the second was because of Hurricane Helene.

Biden's visit to Angola, scheduled to take place one month before his departure, aims to highlight his diplomatic legacy before leaving office. The US and Angola are currently cooperating closely on military security, Ma Hanzhi, assistant research fellow at Department for Developing Countries Studies, China Institute of International Studies, told the Global Times.

Additionally, Biden may also seek to promote the development of the Lobito Corridor and advance the implementation of related funding commitments, said Ma.

Over the last two years, the US has mobilized $60 billion to support projects from South America to Southeast Asia to Africa. "The Lobito Corridor - connecting Angola, Zambia, the Democratic Republic of Congo - is one of our biggest projects," according to VOA in September, citing US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

The US attempts to present the Lobito Corridor as a key contribution to Africa's infrastructure development. However, its actual implementation remains highly uncertain. Song Wei, a professor from the School of International Relations and Diplomacy at Beijing Foreign Studies University, told the Global Times that the Lobito Corridor project is a key US initiative with a focus on securing access to critical minerals in the region to stabilize the US global supply chains.

The timing of the trip raises questions about what the visit is intended to achieve and raises question about how the Trump Administration will approach Africa, according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).

Also, the Lobito Corridor is the first strategic Global Infrastructure and Investment economic corridor that the US launched to improve its profile and influence in Africa to counter China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), Song noted.

Song said that in August 2022, the Biden administration put forward the "US Strategy Toward Sub-Saharan Africa" with its central focus highlighting China and Russia as the US' main competitors in Africa. Trump also released a strategy toward Africa in 2018 to counter China and Russia. This suggests that regardless of the political party in power, the US perspective on Africa remains relatively stable.

China doesn't engage in geopolitical games in Africa, but is glad to see concrete contribution from all countries to Africa's development, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said in August.

China will take strong and resolute countermeasures to firmly defend national sovereignty, security and territorial integrity, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on Sunday, after the US Department of Defense on Friday announced that the Department of State has approved US$385 million worth of arms sales to Taiwan region.

The arms sales plans include spare parts and support for F-16 aircraft and active electronically scanned array radars and related equipment, as well as improved mobile subscriber equipment follow-on support and related equipment, according to the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said in a statement that the US arms sales to China's Taiwan region seriously violate the one-China principle and the three China-US joint communiqués, especially the August 17 Communiqué of 1982 and China's sovereignty and security interests. The sales are a severe breach of the international law, send a gravely wrong signal to "Taiwan independence" separatist forces, and are detrimental to China-US relations and peace and stability across the Taiwan Straits. 

The decision to sell arms to Taiwan is simply inconsistent with US leaders' commitment of not supporting "Taiwan independence." China deplores and firmly opposes it and has lodged serious protests to the US, according to the statement. 

The spokesperson called on the US to immediately stop arming Taiwan and stop abetting and supporting "Taiwan independence" separatist forces in seeking "Taiwan independence" by building up its military.

The exchanges between China and Southeast Asian countries have recently reached another new height, which speaks to the common aspiration of regional countries for solidarity, cooperation and development, and demonstrates the robust growth of relations between China and neighboring countries, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Lin Jian said on Monday.

Lin made the comment on a media inquiry that China and Southeast Asian countries have engaged in frequent interactions recently and in particular, the exchanges between heads of state and government reached another new height. 

Last Friday, on the margins of the 31st APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting in Peru, President Xi Jinping met with Prime Minister of Singapore Lawrence Wong and Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra. Within a month, Premier Li Qiang, together with the heads of government from Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam, attended the eighth Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) Summit. Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang visited Singapore and co-chaired the China-Singapore bilateral cooperation mechanism meetings. Vice President Han Zheng visited Indonesia and Brunei. Indonesia's newly elected President Prabowo Subianto and Prime Minister of Malaysia Anwar Ibrahim visited China. 

We are also good partners with integrated interests and a shared future, said Lin, while outlining several achievements, including important common understandings reached between China and Indonesia on building a community with a shared future with regional and global influence, the building of a community with a shared future both bilaterally and multilaterally between China and Malaysia and Mekong countries reaching a new level. 

Lin added that Belt and Road cooperation plans were signed between China and Malaysia and between China and Singapore. The Jakarta-Bandung High-speed Railway was officially launched for a year, serving over six million passengers. The China-Laos Railway saw booming passenger travel as well as freight shipping, playing an increasingly important role as a golden route for transportation. Construction of Malaysia's East Coast Rail Link made steady progress. 

The spokesperson said the China-Laos-Thailand international freight train service was officially launched. The China-ASEAN FTA 3.0 Upgrade Negotiations were substantially concluded. Visa-free arrangement between China and Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and Laos produced remarkable results, and the "Lancang-Mekong visa" policy was officially implemented. 

China and relevant countries reached important common understandings on properly putting maritime differences under control, enhancing maritime cooperation, speeding up consultations on a code of conduct in the South China Sea, and jointly keeping the South China Sea peaceful and stable, Lin added.

Asia and the wider Asia-Pacific is the shared home of China and neighboring countries. China has all along put the neighborhood as a priority in the overall diplomacy, said the spokesperson. 

Responding to the tiger attack incident in Boli county, the Forestry and Grassland Administration in Northeast China's Heilongjiang Province convened an emergency meeting on Monday to implement protective measures and ensure the safety of both the residents and tigers.

A wild tiger was spotted in a village in Heilongjiang and injured a local resident on Monday. The injured resident is currently receiving medical treatment, according to the Xinhua News Agency.

To address the incident, the Heilongjiang Forestry and Grassland Administration convened an emergency meeting on Monday to discuss protective measures aimed at ensuring the coexistence of humans and Siberian tigers. In recent years, the tiger's range has expanded significantly in Heilongjiang due to continuous improvements in the ecological environment, with tigers even appearing in non-traditional habitats. While this reflects ecological recovery, it also poses new challenges, officials at the meeting said.

"Siberian tigers are territorial animals, and winter is their mating season. During this time, adult male tigers are often more active, sometimes traveling thousands of kilometers in search of mates," Sun Quanhui, a scientist from the World Animal Protection organization, told the Global Times on Tuesday. "If their natural habitat is insufficient or food resources are scarce, wild tigers may venture into other areas to seek survival opportunities. When hungry or injured, they may take risks, such as preying on livestock or even attacking humans."

During the meeting, Hou Xumin, Director of the Provincial Forestry and Grassland Administration, emphasized the need for a multi-faceted and effective approach to ensure human-tiger safety. First, the responsibility for wildlife protection must be strictly enforced. Second, public awareness campaigns should be intensified, such as distributing flyers and setting up warning signs to educate villagers on safety precautions in areas frequented by large wild animals like tigers.

Additionally, local authorities should develop practical emergency response plans, ensuring the availability of tranquilizer guns and related equipment for rapid response in emergency situations. Targeted safety training sessions should also be organized, inviting experts to teach prevention skills and improve the emergency response capabilities of relevant personnel and villagers. Other measures proposed during the meeting included maintaining emergency resource reserves, enhancing positive media coverage, and advancing wildlife damage compensation mechanisms.

The meeting concluded by highlighting that protecting wildlife, such as Siberian tigers, is a key component of ecological civilization. This effort requires not only the government and experts but also the understanding and support of the public to foster harmony between humans and nature.

"While the number of wild Siberian tigers in China has shown a growth trend in recent years, they remain critically rare. Therefore, ordinary citizens outside tiger habitats need not be overly concerned. However, residents in areas where tigers are frequently sighted should stay vigilant, pay attention to warnings issued by authorities," Sun said.

China has successful examples of dealing with wildlife conflicts, such as the Asian elephant early warning system in Yunnan Province, which serves as a model for other regions to establish localized risk prevention systems. In recent years, Yunnan's Asian elephant population has grown steadily to over 300. Like Siberian tigers, this ecological success has also increased human-elephant activity overlap, elevating the risk of conflict, as reported by CCTV. 

To address this, Yunnan has employed digital technology to support elephant conservation. Monitoring systems have accumulated vast amounts of data, images, and videos, providing a foundation for the analysis of elephant behavior and activity patterns, according to CCTV.

The choice of early warning mechanisms often depends on the species' characteristics and associated risks. "In the long term, strengthening the protection of Siberian tiger habitats remains a priority. Efforts should focus on enhancing habitat quality," Sun said. 

"Animals cannot be held accountable for their actions. Achieving peaceful coexistence requires humans to minimize disturbances to wildlife and ensure sufficient living space for them."

"Siberian tigers are a key indicator species for forest ecosystem health. Protecting them not only safeguards the species itself but also helps preserve robust ecosystems and rich biodiversity, which form the foundation for human survival and development," Sun added.