The World Games 2025 closes in Chengdu

When asked about China's expectation regarding Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi's visit to India and the 24th Round of Talks Between the Special Representatives of China and India on the Boundary Question, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said on Monday that China is willing to take the opportunity of Wang's visit to India to work together with the Indian side in implementing the important consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, maintain the momentum of high-level exchanges, enhance political mutual trust, strengthen practical cooperation, properly manage differences, and promote the sustained, healthy, and stable development of China-India relations.

The Talks Between the Special Representatives of China and India on the Boundary Question serves as a high-level channel for border negotiations between the two countries, Mao said. In December last year, the 23rd meeting of the Special Representatives for the China-India Boundary Question was successfully held in Beijing, yielding multiple consensus points on boundary delimitation talks, border management, institutional mechanisms, and cross-border exchanges and cooperation.

Mao said that since the beginning of this year, both sides have maintained communication through diplomatic channels and actively advanced the implementation of these outcomes.

Regarding this upcoming meeting, China is willing to engage with India on the basis of existing consensus, adopt a positive and constructive attitude, and continue in-depth discussions on the aforementioned issues to jointly sustain lasting peace and tranquility in the border areas, Mao added.

Mao added that during his stay in India, Foreign Minister Wang will also hold in-depth exchanges with Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar on bilateral relations and issues of mutual interest.

The Thailand-Cambodia conflict on Thursday escalated with the deployment of heavy weapons such as fighter jets and rocket artillery following landmine incidents along the disputed border, according to media reports. A Chinese military affairs expert said the clashes were intensifying, and warned of further escalation between China's two friendly neighbors.

A Thai F-16 fighter jet bombed targets in Cambodia on Thursday, both sides said. The Thai army claimed one of the six F-16 fighter jets that Thailand readied to deploy along the disputed border fired into Cambodia and destroyed a military target, while Cambodia's defense ministry claimed the jets dropped two bombs on a road, according to a report by Reuters.

The air raid came after clashes began early on Thursday near the eastern border between Cambodia and Thailand, around 360 km from the Thai capital Bangkok, per Reuters.

Both countries accused each other of starting the clash early on Thursday. Reuters reported that Thailand's military claimed Cambodia deployed a surveillance drone before sending troops with heavy weapons to an area near the temple. Cambodian troops opened fire and two Thai soldiers were wounded, a Thai army spokesperson claimed, adding Cambodia had used multiple weapons, including rocket launchers. A spokesperson for Cambodia's defense ministry, however, claimed there had been an unprovoked incursion by Thai troops and Cambodian forces had responded in self-defense.

Zhang Junshe, a Chinese military affairs expert, told the Global Times on Thursday that the latest development of Thailand deploying F-16 fighter jets and Cambodia deploying rocket artillery indicated a worsening of the Thailand-Cambodia border situation, which is on the risk of a further escalation. From a military standpoint, Thailand holds an advantage due to its more advanced weaponry.

Both Thailand and Cambodia are friendly neighbors of China, and this escalation benefits neither side, nor the whole region. The best way out is a peaceful solution through talks, Zhang said.

For more than a century, Thailand and Cambodia have contested sovereignty at various un-demarcated points along their 817 km land border, which has led to skirmishes over several years and at least a dozen deaths, including during a weeklong exchange of artillery in 2011. Tensions were reignited in May following the killing of a Cambodian soldier during a brief exchange of gunfire, which escalated into a full-blown diplomatic crisis and now has triggered armed clashes, Reuters reported.

Reuters credited the outbreak of the latest conflict to landmines. According to its report, Thailand this week accused Cambodia of placing landmines in a disputed area that injured three soldiers. Phnom Penh denied the claim and said the soldiers had veered off agreed routes and triggered a mine left behind from decades of war. Cambodia has many landmines left over from its civil war decades ago, numbering in the millions according to de-mining groups. But Thailand maintains landmines have been placed at the border area recently, which Cambodia has described as baseless allegations.

China has been actively engaged in helping countries including Cambodia solving the landmine issue, a move Zhang said showed China's responsibility in safeguarding peace and stability in the region.

In 2024, The Chinese People's Liberation Army's Army Engineering University hosted two demining courses for personnel from Cambodia and Laos, Zhang Xiaogang, a Chinese Defense Ministry spokesperson, said at the time.

Cambodia and Laos are the most severely affected countries by mines. The Chinese military attaches great importance to international cooperation on demining. Over the past 20-plus years, China has trained over 700 demining professionals from more than 20 countries, and sent expert groups abroad to conduct on-site teaching multiple times. The Chinese military will continue to strengthen substantive cooperation with militaries in the region, and make contributions to international humanitarian mine action, Zhang Xiaogang said.

Northwest China's Gansu Province issued red alerts for meteorological risks of flash floods and geological disasters on Saturday as heavy rainfall continued to batter parts of the region.

A red alert for flash floods was jointly issued by the provincial department of water resources and the provincial meteorological bureau at 6:10 a.m., citing the heightened risk from short-duration heavy rainfall in parts of Pingliang and Qingyang.

Later the same day, the provincial department of natural resources and the provincial meteorological bureau issued a red alert for weather-induced geological disasters in the same areas, warning of a high risk of hazards such as landslides, soil collapses and mudslides.

Rainfall totals over the next 12 hours are forecast to reach between 80 and 120 millimeters, with the most intense hourly precipitation expected to range from 35 to 55 millimeters, according to the provincial meteorological bureau.

The risk areas are highly vulnerable to heavy rainfall, which could trigger both flash floods and geological disasters. Authorities have urged the strengthening of real-time monitoring, early warning systems, and the evacuation of residents from high-risk zones.

China has a four-tier weather warning system -- with red representing the most severe warning, followed by orange, yellow and blue.

China’s cyberspace regulator has launched a special summer campaign to improve the online environment for minors, rectifying issues such as bullying under the guise of selling anime-themed merchandise.

According to a statement released on Tuesday by the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC), to strengthen the protection of minors online and foster a healthy internet environment, the CAC recently launched a two-month nationwide special campaign Qinglang 2025 Summer Special Campaign to Improve the Online Environment for Minors. 

To implement regulations protecting minors online, this special campaign will further expand the depth and scope of governance, continuing to address and rectify problems that harm minors’ physical and mental well-being.

The cyberspace regulator will strictly investigate and penalize illegal content involving violence and superstition, obscenity and pornography, incitement to suicide or self-harm, and violations of minors’ privacy.

Meanwhile, the authority will also completely remove vulgar, materialistic, and emotionally provocative content, and will crack down on illegal and criminal activities targeting minors.

The authority will focus on rectifying four types of issues arising from new situations and emerging trends including the harmful and illegal activities such as online bullying and virtual sexual harassment targeting minors disguised as offers of rare anime merchandise, celebrity merchandise, free study partners, or custom images.

By using new formats and methods popular among minors – such as trading cards, stories, and animations – some individuals fabricate and spread coded internet slang and crude memes, exaggerate violent or gory content, glorify harmful subcultures, and promote distorted values, thereby endangering the physical and mental health of minors.

Furthermore, the cyberspace regulator will also address the inducement of minors to participate in dangerous offline activities, including luring them into offering prohibited services such as paid companionship for chatting, gaming, or traveling, teaching minors to make so-called “creative DIY” weapons like pen guns or toothpick crossbows, and encouraging minors to imitate dangerous actions such as “stair jumping” or the “choking challenge,” which can result in real harm.

Moreover, the authority will crack down on the exploitation of minors’ images for profit. This includes the malicious posting of inappropriate content featuring minors, creating and spreading suggestive or violent “toxic” content to drive traffic, hyping child “couple” pairings, staging fake plots such as “pranking children” or “siblings fighting,” and showcasing minors engaging in inappropriate behavior – all to attract attention, gain views, and generate profit. 

While carrying out the special rectification campaign, the cyberspace regulator will also focus on the inappropriate application of AI in contexts involving minors and issues related to addiction.

As artificial intelligence (AI) continues to transform industries and daily life in the digital era, China's Ministry of State Security on Wednesday reminded the public about the technology's potential to threaten national security if misused. In an article published on its official WeChat account, the ministry cautioned that AI tools, if exploited by malicious actors, could be used to fabricate disinformation, steal sensitive data, and incite ideological confrontation—turning them into a "hidden weapon" capable of undermining critical infrastructure and social stability.

The article highlights that AI-powered "deepfake" technology, combining deep learning with digital forgery, can intelligently generate realistic images, audio, and video through automated data processing. While widely used in film, gaming, and advertising to enhance virtual experiences, the technology also carries serious risks.
If misused, deepfakes can infringe on individual rights, disrupt social order, and threaten national security. Chinese national security authorities have uncovered instances where hostile foreign forces have used deepfake technology to produce fake videos aimed at misleading the Chinese public, stirring panic, and undermining social stability, posing a potential threat to national security.

According to public reports, a malfunction in an open-source library allowed some users of a foreign AI model to access chat titles - and in some cases, names and payment addresses - of other active users, resulting in a personal data breach. Without proper safeguards, such sensitive information could be exploited by foreign intelligence agencies for recruitment, subversion, or infiltration, creating potential risks to national security, said the article. 

Moreover, AI algorithms are designed to reorganize, generate, and output knowledge. When biased data or deliberately manipulated algorithms are introduced, they can produce ideologically skewed content - becoming a powerful tool for anti-China hostile forces abroad to incite unrest. This risk is particularly acute during the early stages of sensitive social incidents, when public attention is high and emotions are volatile. In such moments, AI-generated rumors often exploit the information vacuum to spread false narratives, misleading public opinion and triggering serious disruption, said the article.
National security authorities have uncovered that certain Western countries and foreign actors are systematically operating large numbers of online accounts to flood social media with targeted viewpoints or emotionally charged content. By weaponizing topics such as gender conflict and labor disputes, they aim to infiltrate, discredit, and destabilize Chinese society, said the ministry. 

At the conclusion of the article, the ministry emphasized that as AI technology brings both new opportunities and challenges, it is crucial to proactively assess emerging risks, enhance national security awareness, and strengthen individual vigilance. Only through joint efforts can a robust public defense line be built to safeguard national security, it said.

Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng said on Wednesday that China will adhere to the principles of division of labor and cooperation, openness and inclusiveness, while acting as a promoter of mutual benefits and win-win outcomes in global industrial and supply chains.

He, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the remarks in a speech at the opening ceremony of the third China International Supply Chain Expo in Beijing.

China is a crucial link in global industrial and supply chains and has consistently taken practical actions to ensure the stable operation of global industrial and supply chains, contributing to deepening global industrial and supply chain cooperation and promoting world economic recovery, the vice premier said.

China will also advance the digital, intelligent and green transformation and upgrading of global industrial and supply chains, said the vice premier. 

Regarding China's Ministry of Education's second study abroad alert for 2025 on Friday, warning that the security situation in the Philippines has been unstable recently, the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said on Friday that the Chinese government issued the travel warning out of a sense of responsibility, aiming to ensure the safety and rights of Chinese students abroad.

The spokesperson once again reminded Chinese students planning to study in the Philippines to assess the risks, and urged the Philippines to take concrete measures to protect the safety, dignity, and rights of Chinese students.

China's Ministry of Education has issued its second study abroad alert for 2025 on Friday, warning that the security situation in the Philippines has been unstable recently, with a surge in crimes targeting Chinese nationals. The ministry advised students to carefully assess safety risks and to strengthen their awareness and precautions when considering pursuing study in the Philippines.

The Tianzhou-8 cargo craft, tasked with carrying supplies for China's space station, separated from the station combination on Tuesday, according to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA).

The cargo craft will re-enter the atmosphere in a controlled manner, the CMSA said.

Chinese Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) announced on Wednesday that it has added eight entities from China's Taiwan region to the export control list, a move Chinese mainland analysts described as "precision strike" against the military industrial enterprises supporting secessionist authorities on the island and will weaken the attempts of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities to "resist reunification by force."

According to a statement, a MOFCOM spokesperson said that the eight entities from the Taiwan island had deliberately collaborated with "Taiwan independence" separatist forces in their attempt to "seek independence through military means.

The decision was made to safeguard national sovereignty, territorial integrity, as well as peace and stability across the Taiwan Straits, and in accordance with Chinese laws and regulations, the statement said.

The export of dual-use items to these eight companies will be prohibited, the spokesperson said, emphasizing that no exporter will be allowed to violate these control measures.

Following the announcement, Chen Binhua, a spokesperson for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office on Wednesday voiced strong support for the MOFCOM's decision to include eight Taiwan entities in the export control list.

Chen stated that since Lai Ching-te came to power, he has stubbornly adhered to the "Taiwan independence" stance, vigorously propagated separatist fallacies, and attempted to "seek independence by relying on foreign forces" and "seek independence through military means."

Some entities in the Taiwan region have participated in these activities, acting as accomplices. In accordance with relevant laws and regulations, MOFCOM's decision is a necessary measure to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity and maintain peace and stability across the Taiwan Straits, as well as a solemn warning to the "Taiwan independence" separatist forces for their repeated separatist provocations, Chen said.

Seeking "Taiwan independence" is a dead end, and aiding "independence" is an evil path, Chen said. Enterprises, groups and individuals that are willing to be the claws and teeth of "Taiwan independence" separatist forces, participate in splitting the country, and incite crimes of splitting the country will definitely be severely punished in accordance with the law, Chen said.

According to MOFCOM, the eight entities include Aerospace Industrial Development Corp, GEOSAT Aerospace & Technology Inc, "National" Chung-Shan Institute of Science & Technology (NCSIST), JC Technology Inc, CSBC Corporation, Taiwan, Jong Shyn Shipbuilding Co Ltd, Lungteh Shipbuilding Co Ltd and Gong Wei Co Ltd.

The "NCSIST" has close ties with the defense authority on the island and it develops, manufactures, and sells defense technology and weapons including missiles, publicly available information shows.

According to Zheng Jian, a professor at the Taiwan Research Institute at Xiamen University, these eight entities constitute the backbone of military-industrial complex in Taiwan, encompassing critical sectors such as aircraft manufacturing, shipbuilding, drones, software, and information network warfare — priority areas for Taiwan island's military.

Zheng told the Global Times that from raw materials to components and software, many so-called "Taiwan-made" weapons and equipment rely on mainland-sourced elements.

The mainland's sanctions will sever these firms' access to key mainland products and services, disrupting supply chains. As a result, some products may face production halts, while others could be rendered incomplete or lack essential functionalities, Zheng said.

This move by the mainland represents a targeted and precision strike, serving as a clear warning to military-industrial entities that support separatists, the expert stressed.

Li Zhenguang, deputy director at the Institute of Taiwan Studies at Beijing Union University, told the Global Times the mainland's latest move will effectively weaken secessionists' ability and attempts to "resist reunification by force."

He said that the senior personnel overseeing the island's military authority are diehard and highly aggressive secessionists. Therefore, the mainland must undertake targeted preparations to address this.

Peace vs conflicts

The mainland's latest measure coincides with "Han Kuang exercise" held by Taiwan region's military which started on Wednesday.

The exercise focusing on scenarios such as the so-called "response to gray-zone harassment," "joint anti-landing operations," and "resilient defense on the island," with many US weapons making their debut during the exercise. Senior Colonel Jiang Bin, spokesperson for China's Ministry of National Defense, said on Tuesday that the Han Kuang exercise is nothing but a bluff and a self-deceiving trick played by the DPP authorities to hijack Taiwan compatriots on board its "Taiwan Independence" war chariot.

Taiwan regional leader Lai Ching-te's "10 talks on unity" campaign was another secessionist provocation from DPP authorities recently. Taiwan Affairs Office spokesperson Chen Binhua has previously slammed the series speech as a blatant "Taiwan independence manifesto," inciting confrontation across the Straits.

The Chinese mainland, while taking firm action against secessionists in Taiwan region, continues to promote cross-Straits exchanges.

On Wednesday, spokesperson Chen announced the eighth cross-Straits youth development forum will be held from July 10 to 15 in East China's Zhejiang Province. Approximately 1,000 guests and youth representatives from various sectors across the Taiwan Straits are expected to attend, including former chairperson of the Chinese Kuomintang party Hung Hsiu-chu.

Taiwan media also reported that students from the island will join a skills invitational competition in Shanghai with youth from mainland, Hong Kong and Macao, which includes events such as beauty styling, network tech, and robotics.

On July 3, the annual cross-Straits youth summit opened in Beijing, gathering more than 700 individuals from all walks of life and youth representatives on both sides of the Taiwan Straits, according to Xinhua.

While firmly opposing Taiwan secessionists, the mainland is committed to promoting the peaceful development of cross-Straits relations and advancing comprehensive socioeconomic integration across the Straits, according to Li.

Despite the DPP's attempts to obstruct exchanges and stoke tensions, the mainland remains committed to pursuing the prospect of peaceful reunification with the greatest sincerity and utmost effort, Li noted.