Source: China State Council Information Office
China is strongly dissatisfied with and firmly opposes the U.S. decision to impose an additional 10-percent tariff on goods imported from China, the Ministry of Commerce (MOC) said Sunday.
In response to the erroneous action by the United States, China will file a lawsuit with the World Trade Organization and take corresponding countermeasures to firmly safeguard its rights and interests, an MOC spokesperson said in a statement.
Source: China State Council Information Office
Dozens of Palestinians took to the streets in Gaza on Saturday, protesting against U.S. President Donald Trump’s proposal to relocate the Strip’s population to Egypt and Jordan and praising Egypt for rejecting the plan.
Protesters gathered at Al-Saraya Square in central Gaza City and Deir al-Balah in the middle of the Strip, waving Palestinian and Egyptian flags.
Large banners with images of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi displayed slogans that read, “Egypt will always stand as a true supporter and defender of the Palestinian cause and will never accept the displacement of its people.”
In a statement on behalf of families and clan leaders, protesters strongly rejected any plan or measures aimed at displacing Palestinians from their land. “Palestine is our rightful homeland, and we will not allow anyone to undermine that,” the statement read.
The statement urged Palestinians to stand united against any attempts to undermine their rights, calling on them to remain steadfast on their land and committed to their right of return and independence. “We will not accept any threat to our Palestinian identity or any distortion of our history, which has been shaped by generations of struggle and resilience against the occupation,” it added.
The statement further praised Egypt’s stance under its president, highlighting his continuous support for the Palestinian cause and his firm rejection of any attempts to liquidate it or compromise Palestinian national rights.
Earlier in the day, Hamas dismissed the U.S. proposal about relocating Gaza’s population abroad as “absurd and worthless.”
Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri said in a statement that the repeated U.S. claims about “displacing Gaza’s population under the pretext of rebuilding it reflect a persistent U.S. complicity in the crime.”
He also warned that the U.S. administration’s insistence on displacement plans would only “fuel further chaos and tension in the region.”
Also on Saturday, the foreign ministers and representatives of six Arab countries, along with the Arab League, met in Cairo, calling for the swift implementation of a comprehensive reconstruction plan for Gaza to ensure that Palestinians remain on their land.
The meeting was attended by the foreign ministers of Egypt, Jordan, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar, as well as the Secretary-General of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), Hussein Al-Sheikh, and Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul-Gheit.
Source: China State Council Information Office
South Africa’s MeerKAT telescope has discovered a massive new radio galaxy spanning more than 32 times the size of the Milky Way, a researcher revealed Saturday.
“MeerKAT’s newest giant radio galaxy find is extraordinary. The plasma jets of this cosmic giant span 3.3 million light-years from end to end — over 32 times the size of the Milky Way,” said Jacinta Delhaize, a lecturer at the University of Cape Town and one of the lead researchers who made the discovery. She shared insights about the finding in an article published Saturday on Independent Online (IOL), a South African news platform.
According to Delhaize, the colossal galaxy, located 1.44 billion light-years from Earth, has been nicknamed “Inkathazo,” meaning “trouble” in African Xhosa and Zulu languages. “That’s because it’s been a bit troublesome to understand the physics behind what’s going on with Inkathazo,” she explained.
“This discovery has given us a unique opportunity to study giant radio galaxies. The findings challenge existing models and suggest that we don’t yet understand much of the complicated plasma physics at play in these extreme galaxies,” Delhaize added.
The discovery was published on Jan. 17 in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, a peer-reviewed scientific journal.
Giant radio galaxies, or GRGs, are rare cosmic behemoths spewing jets of hot plasma millions of light-years across intergalactic space. These plasma jets, which glow at radio frequencies, are powered by supermassive black holes at the centers of galaxies.
The MeerKAT telescope, located in the Karoo region of South Africa, is made up of 64 radio dishes and is operated by the South African Radio Astronomy Observatory (SARAO). It’s a precursor to the Square Kilometer Array (SKA), which will be the world’s largest telescope when it commences science operations around 2028.
SKA is a network of thousands of radio antennas of varying types and sizes, located at several sites in Western Australia and Southern Africa. With a square kilometer of collecting area, it will feature much higher sensitivity and survey speeds than any other radio instrument developed so far.
The international big science project was jointly funded, built and run by more than 10 countries, with China being one of the seven founding members and a signatory to the SKA Observatory Convention signed in 2019.
Source: China State Council Information Office
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese addresses a celebration of the Chinese New Year in Melbourne, Australia, Feb. 1, 2025. (Xinhua/Ma Ping)
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Saturday expressed the wish to see stronger ties between Australia and China.
Speaking at a Chinese New Year celebration event in Melbourne, Albanese said it is in the interest of both Australia and China to be “great friends and that the Australian government is committed to stabilizing relations and cooperation between the two sides.
The prime minister said that economic ties between the two countries are very important as Australia exports products such as beef, lobsters and wine to China.
He stressed that in comparison with the economic ties, the relationship between the two peoples is even more important.
Tourists attend a celebration of the Chinese New Year in Melbourne, Australia, Feb. 1, 2025. (Xinhua/Ma Ping)
“Chinese culture has enriched Australia and broadened our horizons,” he said, adding that the Chinese New Year celebrations are part of Australia’s cultural heritage.
At the event, Australia’s opposition leader Peter Dutton said the Chinese New Year is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate a connection between Australia and China.
“The future, which is the most important element of this relationship, is brighter than it’s ever been before,” Dutton said.
The event was held by the Asian Business Association of Whitehorse, a non-profit organization to promote and facilitate trade and investment between Australia and China.
Source: China State Council Information Office
Trucks transport railway containers at the Kunming cargo terminal of China United International Rail Containers Co., Ltd. (CRIntermodal) in Kunming, southwest China’s Yunnan Province, on Jan. 2, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]
Having long been poring over China’s diversified culture, German vlogger Robert Adolf is particularly fascinated by Yunnan Province, home to over 20 ethnic groups.
This year’s Spring Festival is unique to Adolf and his mother, who traveled by train to Xishuangbanna, a tropical autonomous prefecture in Yunnan Province and one of the stations along the China-Laos Railway route.
Adolf has previously explored this 1,035 km-long route linking Kunming of Yunnan to the Laotian capital of Vientiane with eight stops in between, and felt a surge of excitement over how railroads have expanded to smaller cities and villages.
“It’s now much easier to visit rural areas,” he said.
Dressed in the traditional attire of the Shui ethnic group, Adolf told Xinhua that he felt “more real … and more to the hearts” in smaller towns. “There’s a family atmosphere.”
In Yunnan, Adolf has observed the Dai people’s Water-Splashing Festival and the Munao Zongge Festival (meaning “Dancing together”) of the Jingpo people. During the journey, Adolf posted videos on social platforms like Douyin and YouTube, with his bio describing him “on the quest to film all 56 Ethnic Groups in China.”
He said that people always find ways to keep traditions up to date, and the government helps preserve them by supporting cultural heritage, investing in museums and funding inheritors. “In China, they really keep the culture alive.”
His mother Anna Adolf referred to the journey in Yunnan as an adventure. “Everywhere I look, people are wearing beautiful clothes, singing and dancing.”
During the Spring Festival travel season, thousands of passengers travel home or explore new destinations via the China-Laos cross-border train.
At Kunming South Station, the starting point of the railway, waiting rooms were abuzz with travelers speaking Chinese, Lao, Thai and English, a testament to the cross-border railway’s growing international appeal.
“We’ve always had a good experience on trains in China. I’m sure this time it will be convenient and comfortable,” Susie, an American living in Beijing, told Xinhua, as she queued up for a train heading to Laos.
The railway also benefits Thai travelers, who said that it makes the homebound journey faster.
Since its launch in 2021, the China-Laos Railway, a flagship Belt and Road Initiative project, has handled over 43 million passenger trips and more than 48.3 million tonnes of cargo.
The Kunming-Vientiane D87 train is painted deep green. It might evoke memories of the old-style passenger trains in China, but its designed speed of 160 km/h integrates efficiency with the need to navigate complex terrain, transporting both passengers and freight.
Inside some of the train compartments during the Spring Festival holiday, red paper-cut decorations on the windows added a festive touch, marking the first Spring Festival since UNESCO listed the tradition as intangible cultural heritage.
For Southikiat Thavisouk, a Laotian TV host returning to Vientiane, the railway trip is more than transportation. “It’s a bridge between the Chinese and Laotian people,” he said.
Having studied at Huaqiao University in China’s Fujian Province, Thavisouk recalled the warm hospitality he received there. Now back in Laos, he sees the Chinese New Year celebrated as well.
Soulideth Lavanphone, a Laotian tour guide accompanying a group of Chinese travelers, shared a similar sentiment. “I studied in Sichuan, and China is my second home. I’ll do my best to make sure Chinese visitors have a great time in Laos,” he said.
“Many travelers from Western countries and ASEAN nations have all come to experience the Laos-China Railway firsthand,” said Laotian Consul General in Kunming Pongdong Paxaphacdy with much pride.
“Tickets are often sold out due to high demand, and we are working on solutions to improve capacity,” Paxaphacdy said.
“This railway has boosted investment, tourism and connectivity, bringing real benefits to the people. With strong support from both governments, this railway will only continue to grow,” he added.
Source: China State Council Information Office
The Ministry of Commerce said Japan’s plans for export controls on semiconductors will undermine the stability of the global industrial and supply chains as well as disrupt normal business operations.
“For some time, certain countries have been stretching the concept of national security and abusing export control measures to impose sanctions aimed at suppressing China’s semiconductor and other industries,” a spokesperson with the Ministry of Commerce said on Friday.
The spokesperson highlighted that Japan’s plans for export controls on chips will also harm the interests of both Chinese and Japanese companies.
According to the MOC spokesperson, China urges Japan to listen to the rational voices of industry stakeholders and reconsider its course of action. “We hope Japan will take into account the broader picture of international trade rules and China-Japan economic cooperation, and promptly correct these measures to avoid hindering the healthy development of bilateral economic relations.”
As Japan has announced tech and trade curbs including sanctions on some Chinese firms, China made it clear that it reserves the right to take countermeasures to safeguard its legitimate rights and interests, the spokesperson said. China also reaffirmed its stance on ensuring the smooth functioning of global industrial and supply chains.
Jin Xu, chairman of the China Association of International Trade, said some countries’ efforts to “decouple and sever industrial and supply chains” and build “small yards with high fences” will not benefit the local people and will ultimately harm local businesses.
China, with its robust technological capabilities, solid industrial foundation, and strong government support, is well-positioned to overcome any technological blockades, Jin said.
“I firmly believe China will make breakthroughs in the fields of chips. I am convinced that the suppression by some countries will not last,” he said.
Source: China State Council Information Office
North China’s coal-rich Shanxi Province achieved a record coal-bed methane (CBM) output of 13.4 billion cubic meters in 2024, up 18.9 percent year on year, according to the provincial statistics bureau.
CBM is a byproduct of coal production and considered a major cause of fatalities in coal mine accidents. This unconventional natural gas is primarily composed of methane and produced from coal seams.
With modern technology, CBM can be stably extracted and used as a clean energy source. Currently, CBM is being explored and utilized in large scale in Shanxi — rather than being discharged to pollute the environment. Through this process, coal mines have also managed to effectively reduce gas explosion accidents.
“In the next stage, Shanxi will take multiple measures to boost CBM storage and production, and vigorously promote CBM development,” said Mao Xiaowen, deputy director of the Shanxi energy bureau.
Shanxi is rich in CBM resources, with about 8.31 trillion cubic meters of proven CBM reserves underground within a depth of 2,000 meters — which accounts for nearly one-third of the country’s total. Notably, the province’s 2024 CBM output amounted to 80.6 percent of China’s total, the provincial energy bureau revealed.
Last year, Shanxi’s raw coal output reached 1.27 billion tonnes, accounting for around 26.7 percent of the national output, the provincial statistics bureau said.
Source: China State Council Information Office
U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Saturday to impose a 10-percent tariff on goods imported from China. The latest U.S. trade protectionist measure has drawn widespread opposition both domestically and internationally.
The White House said the 10-percent tariff is on all imports from China on top of existing tariffs. Trump says the tariffs dovetail with his embrace of protectionist measures.
Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning has said that China always believes that there is no winner in a trade war or tariff war, and remains steadfast in safeguarding its national interests. Spokesperson for the Ministry of Commerce He Yadong said China’s position on the tariff issue is consistent. Tariff measures are not conducive to the interests of either China or the United States, nor to the rest of the world, He said.
According to the executive order, the United States also imposed a 25-percent tariff on goods from Mexico and Canada. For energy products from Canada, the administration imposed a 10-percent tariff.
Source: China State Council Information Office 2
An aerial drone photo taken on Dec. 15, 2023 shows a view of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge in south China. [Photo/Xinhua]
The Zhuhai port of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge handled 156,000 inbound and outbound passenger trips on Friday, a daily record since the bridge’s opening in 2018.
The 55-km bridge links China’s Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR), Macao SAR, and the city of Zhuhai in Guangdong Province. It is the world’s longest bridge-and-tunnel sea crossing.
According to the border inspection authorities in Zhuhai, more than 454,000 passenger trips and over 69,000 vehicle trips were recorded through the bridge’s Zhuhai port from Tuesday to Friday, the first four days of the Spring Festival holiday, up 22 percent and 32 percent respectively year on year.
Daily passenger flows at the port exceeded 100,000 on 50 days in 2024, a 10-fold increase from 2023.
More than 3 million trips by vehicles carrying number plates from Hong Kong or Macao were recorded at the port in 2024, accounting for 55 percent of its total traffic.
Source: China State Council Information Office 2
A research team from the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) has unveiled a groundbreaking biomimetic prosthetic hand with high dexterity, which is capable of combing hair, operating smartphones, and even performing intricate sign language gestures.
The lightweight prosthetic device, which replicates the functionality of a human hand, highlights a significant advancement in prosthetics and humanoid robots, offering hope to millions of amputees worldwide.
The study was published in Nature Communications, the USTC said on its official website.
A leap forward in prosthetics
The human hand, with its 23 degrees of freedom (DOFs) — the number of independent movements it can perform — is a marvel of natural engineering, contributing to 54 percent of the body’s overall functional movements despite weighing only about one-150th of the body’s weight.
Traditional prosthetic hands, often powered by motors, struggle to balance weight and functionality. Most weigh more than 0.4 kilograms, causing discomfort while offering fewer than 10 DOFs. This limitation confines their ability to perform complex tasks, leading nearly half of users to abandon their prosthetic hands.
The USTC team addressed these challenges by using shape-memory alloys (SMAs) — materials that “remember” their original shape and return to it when heated — as artificial muscles.
Combined with a tendon-like transmission system, this innovative approach amplifies the driving force while reducing resistance.
The team also embedded 23 sensor units in the fingers and wrist for precise motion control and integrated 38 SMA actuators with a cooling module. The result is a prosthetic hand weighing just 0.37 kilograms, lighter than the average human hand, yet capable of 19 active DOFs.
High dexterity and versatility
According to the research team, the prosthetic hand demonstrates remarkable dexterity, enabling it to perform tasks such as combing hair, writing, shaking hands, handing out business cards, and even playing chess.
Its advanced design allows it to replicate 33 standard human grasping modes and six new, more complex ones, such as using scissors, operating smartphones, and performing intricate sign language gestures.
In clinical tests, a 60-year-old female amputee mastered the device within half a day, successfully completing tasks from the clinically validated hand function test — Southampton Hand Assessment Procedure (SHAP) — and the Wolf Motor Function Test (WMFT), which measures upper extremity motor abilities.
Its integration with voice recognition technology sets the USTC prosthetic hand apart. It supports 60 languages and 20 dialects with 95 percent accuracy and millisecond-level response times.
This user-friendly interface makes it accessible to a wide range of users, particularly amputees, according to the research team.
Compared to similar projects globally, the USTC team’s design stands out for its high DOFs, lightweight construction, and advanced sensory feedback.
The USTC team’s innovation holds immense promise for both prosthetics and humanoid robotics, according to the research team.
Its high adaptability opens up a wide range of practical applications across multiple fields, including specialized operations in hazardous environments such as nuclear power plant maintenance or deep-sea equipment repair, medical rehabilitation, flexible manufacturing in high-precision production lines, and home services.
Source: China State Council Information Office 2
The Chinese military on Friday conducted combat readiness patrols in territorial waters and the airspace of China’s Huangyan Dao and its surrounding areas.
According to a statement issued by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Southern Theater Command, since January, it has organized naval and air forces to continuously enhance patrols in waters and airspace surrounding the territorial waters of Huangyan Dao, while also strengthening relevant maritime and airspace control and management.
These efforts are aimed at resolutely safeguarding China’s national sovereignty and security, and maintaining peace and stability in the South China Sea, the statement said.
Source: China State Council Information Office 2
More than 304 million inter-regional passenger trips were made across China on Friday, the fourth day of this year’s Spring Festival holiday, as the most celebrated holiday in the country featured many family visits and served as a boost for tourism, official data showed Saturday.
It was the first time in this year’s Spring Festival travel rush, also known as chunyun, that the number of daily inter-regional trips had exceeded 300 million, according to a special work team established to facilitate sound operations during chunyun.
Trips by road increased by 6.9 percent year on year to reach 288.44 million on Friday, while journeys by rail and air rose 5.3 percent and 3.6 percent, respectively.
A record-breaking 9 billion trips are expected to be made during chunyun in 2025, with this annual travel surge running from Jan. 14 to Feb. 22. The Spring Festival, an occasion for family reunions, fell on Jan. 29 this year.
Road trips, including many in new energy vehicles (NEVs), are expected to account for about 80 percent of all inter-regional trips — as a variety of charging options on China’s highways make it easier than ever for NEVs to hit the road.
Notably, railway authorities across various regions have increased capacity on popular travel routes and enhanced station and train services to better meet passenger demands during chunyun, said China State Railway Group Co., Ltd.
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
People enjoy various activities across China during Spring Festival
Source: The White House
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BUILDING ON PAST SUCCESS: President Trump continues to demonstrate his commitment to ensuring U.S. trade policy serves the national interest.
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
Parade held to mark Chinese New Year in Macao
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
Chinese Yingge dance staged to mark Spring Festival in Frankfurt
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
Skiing becomes popular sport in China during Spring Festival holiday
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
FRANKFURT/GUANGZHOU, Feb. 1 — Hundreds of local residents experienced the festive joy of the Chinese New Year or Spring Festival in Frankfurt, Germany on Friday as a group of flamboyantly dressed performers captivated the public with their lively and unique dance in celebration.
The performance was distinctive — an artful fusion of drama, dance, and martial arts — earning it the special name Yingge dance, or “dance to the hero’s song.”
It is a form of folk dance popular in south China’s Guangdong Province and it was listed as the first batch of national intangible cultural heritage in 2006.
The 25-member Ximen Yingge Team from Shantou, Guangdong Province, energized onlookers with their powerful and rhythmic movements against the crisp winter air in Frankfurt as the first Spring Festival temple fair kicked off here.
Organized by the Department of Culture and Tourism of Guangdong Province, the team is currently on an eight-day tour of Germany and France, starting on Tuesday, as part of the “Happy Chinese New Year” event. Frankfurt is one of several stops on their tour, which also includes stops in Hanau, Paris, and Lyon.
Among the mesmerized spectators was Rebecca, a student, who recorded the entire performance in Frankfurt on her phone.
“I love the dance and feel thrilled to experience Chinese New Year celebrations up close for the first time. The performers are so passionate, and they’ve brought so much joy to us. It’s truly spectacular!” she said.
Chen Tanpeng, coach of the Ximen Yingge Team, highlighted the distinctiveness of their innovative performance, saying more Chinese dance elements have been incorporated.
Juergen Scheuermann, chairman of the Hanau-Taizhou Friendship Association, spoke highly of the performance, noting that “We look forward to stronger cultural ties and deeper connections between our peoples.”
For the performers, the experience was just as exhilarating. “We came to Germany … offering a rich cultural feast to friends from around the world,” Chen said, adding, “The atmosphere here is amazing — the people are warm, the food is delicious, and we are truly delighted to celebrate the Chinese New Year in such a wonderful place.”
Wu Yanhua, deputy coach of the team, expressed pride in sharing their heritage. “Through Yingge, we hope to transcend language barriers and bring the joy of the Chinese New Year to people everywhere,” she said.
The team’s preparation for the tour was meticulous, lasting two months to ensure a stellar performance.
Beyond their performance, the team also brought a touch of home to Europe, presenting handmade gifts to local spectators, including paper cuttings, embroidered sachets, mini Spring Festival couplets, and Yingge-themed keychains.
Anna Breit, a local resident, said, “It’s wonderful … The performers’ costumes are stunning, and their performance not only brings joy but also allows us to feel the rich spirit of the Chinese New Year.”
At the close of 2024, UNESCO added the Spring Festival, social practices of the Chinese people in celebration of traditional new year, to its Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. A year earlier, the 78th UN General Assembly recognized the Chinese New Year as an official UN holiday, underscoring the festival’s growing global presence.
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
BELGRADE, Feb. 1 — The Lajkovac-Valjevo motorway in Serbia, built by China’s Shandong Hi-Speed Group, was officially inaugurated on Saturday, marking the full completion of the main route.
The motorway will open to traffic on Sunday.
Serbian Prime Minister Milos Vucevic, Minister of Public Investments Darko Glisic, and Chinese Ambassador to Serbia Li Ming attended the ceremony and delivered speeches.
Vucevic described the motorway as a “road of hope, promise, and solutions,” emphasizing that its completion ends the isolation of Valjevo and the entire Kolubara District.
Glisic highlighted the project’s role in the region’s development, stating that it will attract investment and boost local incomes.
Li Ming praised the Chinese construction team for overcoming challenges to complete the project on schedule with high quality.
He expressed confidence that the road’s opening will spur economic growth and attract investment along its route. He also voiced hope for future cooperation in building more such roads.
Spanning 18.3 kilometers, the motorway, with a design speed of 100 kilometers per hour, links the central-western Serbian cities of Valjevo and Lajkovac. It is expected to ease traffic congestion and further enhance Serbia’s transport network.
Source: US GOIAM Union
WASHINGTON, Feb. 1, 2025 — Brian Bryant, International President of the 600,000-member IAM Union, and David Chartrand, IAM Canadian General Vice President, issued the following statement in response to President Donald Trump imposing a 25% tariff on all Canadian goods imported into the United States:
“The IAM is a strong advocate of trade policy that helps protect and grow jobs in the United States and Canada. This includes both nations working as allies, not enemies, with regards to policy to combat illegal trade practices by countries such as China.
“The IAM represents hundreds of thousands of members in the aerospace, defense and other manufacturing sectors in both countries. Many IAM members work at companies that rely heavily on integrated supply chains between the U.S. and Canada.”
“The blanket 25% tariffs on all Canadian goods imported to the U.S., will result in job losses, increased prices, and a variety of other negative impacts. This trade war action is unjust and should be reconsidered.
“As we’ve stated in the past, the IAM supports tariffs when used properly. Tariffs are just one tool in the toolbox to combat wrongdoing by nations, such as China, that cheat global trade rules for an unfair advantage of the U.S. and Canada.
“The U.S. and Canada have a longstanding history of being close allies and working collaboratively to help level the global playing field. The Trump administration’s imposing across-the-board tariffs on Canadian imports could reverse this partnership and ultimately lead to job losses for both nations.”
The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) is one of North America’s largest and most diverse industrial trade unions, representing approximately 600,000 active and retired members in the aerospace, defense, airlines, railroad, transit, healthcare, automotive, and other industries across the United States and Canada.
goIAM.org | @MachinistsUnion
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COMMENTARY: By Barbara Dreaver, 1News Pacific correspondent
There has rightly been much debate and analysis over New Zealand’s decision to review the aid it gives to Kiribati.
It’s a big deal. So much is at stake, especially for the I-Kiribati people who live with many challenges and depend on the $100 million aid projects New Zealand delivers.
It would be clearly unwise for New Zealand to threaten or cut aid to Kiribati — but it has every right to expect better engagement than it has been getting over the past year.
What has been disturbing is the airtime and validation given to a Kiribati politician, newly appointed Minister of Women, Youth, Sport and Social Affairs Ruth Cross Kwansing.
It’s helpful to analyse where this is coming from so let’s make this very clear.
She supports and is currently a minister of a government that in 2022 suspended Chief Justice William Hastings and Justice David Lambourne of the High Court, and justices Peter Blanchard, Rodney Hansen and Paul Heath of the Court of Appeal.
She supports and is part a government that deported Lambourne, who is married to Opposition Leader Tessie Lambourne — and they have I-Kiribati children. (He is Australian but has been in the Kiribati courts since 1995).
She supports and is part of a government that requires all journalists — should they get a visa to go there — to hand over copies of all footage/information collected.
She also benefits from a 220 percent pay rise that her government passed for MPs in 2021.That same year, ministers were gifted cars with China Aid embossed on the side, as well as a laptop from Beijing.
1News broke story
This week, 1News broke the story of New Zealand putting aid sent to Kiribati on hold — pending a review — after a year of trying to get a bilateral meeting with the Kiribati President Taneti Maamau, who is also the Minister of Foreign Affairs.
NZ-Kiribati fallout: A ‘Pacific way’ perspective on the Peters spat
Amidst a gushing post about a president who recently gave this rookie MP a ministerial post, Cross Kwansing wrote of the “media manufactured drama” and “the New Zealand media, in its typical fashion, seized the opportunity to patronise Kiribati, and the familiar whispers about Chinese influence began to circulate”.
These comments shouldn’t come as any surprise as blaming the media is a common tactic of politicians and Cross Kwansing is no different.
Just because the new minister doesn’t like what New Zealand has decided to do doesn’t mean it must be “media manufactured”.
Her comment that “the New Zealand media, in its typical fashion, seized the opportunity to patronise Kiribati” is also ridiculous.
The journalist that broke the story — myself — is half I-Kiribati and incredibly proud of her heritage and the gutsy country that she was born in and grew up in, with family who still live there.
Cross Kwansing has been a member of parliament for less than six months. To not discuss the geopolitical implications with China, given the way the world is evolving and Kiribati’s close ties, would be naive and ignorant.
Pacific leaders frustrated
It is not just New Zealand that Maamau has refused to meet. Over the last two years, Pacific Island leaders have spoken of frustration in trying to engage with the president.
Maamau is known to be a pleasant man and enjoyable to converse with. But, for whatever reason, he has chosen not to engage with many leaders or foreign ministers.
Cross Kwansing has helpfully shared that the president announced to his cabinet ministers that he would delegate international engagements to his vice president so he could concentrate “intently on domestic matters”.
Fair enough. Except that Maamau has chosen to hang on to the foreign minister portfolio.
It is quite right that New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters would expect to engage with his Kiribati counterpart — especially given the level of investment and numerous attempts being made, and then a date finally agreed on by Maamau himself.
Six days before Peters was meant to arrive in Kiribati, the island nation’s Secretary of Foreign Affairs told the NZ High Commission there that the president was now “unavailable”. In the diplomatic world, especially given the attempts that had preceded it, that is hugely disrespectful.
There are different strategies the New Zealand government could have chosen to take to deal with this. Peters has had enough and chosen a hardline course that is likely to have negative impacts on New Zealand in the long term, but it’s a risk he obviously thinks is worth taking.
Cross Kwansing has spoken about prioritising cooperation and mutual respect over ego and political posturing. Absolutely right — except that this piece of helpful advice should also be taken by her own government. It works both ways for the sake of the people.
Barbara Dreaver is of Kiribati and Cook Islands descent. She was made an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2024 for services to investigative journalism and Pacific communities. This TVNZ News column has been republished with permission.
Source: China State Council Information Office 3
A man learns to perform Ansai waist drum during the Spring Festival temple fair in Frankfurt, Germany, on Jan. 31, 2025. The first Spring Festival temple fair in Frankfurt kicked off on Friday. The fair celebrates Chinese New Year with a wide range of festive events, and will run until Feb. 2. (Xinhua/Zhang Fan)
The first Spring Festival temple fair in Frankfurt kicked off on Friday. The fair celebrates Chinese New Year with a wide range of festive events, and will run until Feb. 2.
It features authentic Chinese national intangible cultural heritage, such as Chaoyang Yingge dance from Guangdong, Ansai waist drumming from Shaanxi, traditional folk crafts like sugar painting, and performances by Chinese robots and robotic dogs.
Last December, the Spring Festival was officially inscribed on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
Chinese Consul General in Frankfurt Huang Yiyang said: “The Spring Festival originates from China but belongs to the world. The Frankfurt Spring Festival temple fair is not only an event for the Chinese compatriots in Germany to celebrate their traditional festival but also an important platform for promoting the Global Civilization Initiative and fostering cultural exchange and mutual understanding between China and Germany, bringing our peoples closer together.”
Turgut Yueksel, a member of the Hessian State Parliament, said at the opening ceremony of the first temple fair for Spring Festival in Frankfurt that this event is very precious. It conveys Chinese cultural characteristics and brings a unique style to the local residents of Frankfurt, Yueksel said.
Chen Tanpeng, coach of the Ximen Yingge Team from Shantou, Guangdong province, told Xinhua that the performers will offer a rich cultural feast to friends from all over the world through their Chaoyang Yingge dance, a unique art form combining drama, dance, and martial arts.
“I find the environment in Germany to be excellent, the people incredibly warm, and the food absolutely delightful. We are very happy to be here and are thrilled to celebrate the New Year in such a wonderful place,” Chen said.
Source: China State Council Information Office 3
Beyond festive foods and goods, during the ongoing Spring Festival holiday, people in China can also immerse themselves in delightful experiences featuring more cultural elements.
The holiday film lineup may leave Chinese moviegoers spoiled for choice. Six domestic movies debuted during the period, covering a diverse range of genres, such as Chinese mythology, comedy, fantasy, animation and drama.
Statistics showed that China’s daily box office hit an impressive record of over 1.8 billion yuan (about 249 million U.S. dollars) in earnings on Wednesday. The total holiday box office so far has topped 5 billion yuan.
“Ne Zha 2,” a sequel to the 2019 animated blockbuster “Ne Zha,” led the charts with total box office revenue of over 1.9 billion yuan as of Saturday morning.
The second and third highest-grossing films on the leaderboard are “Detective Chinatown 1900,” the newest installment of the “Detective Chinatown” franchise that debuted in 2015, and “Creation of the Gods II: Demon Force,” the second episode of the Chinese myth trilogy.
“We brought our kid to watch ‘Ne Zha 2’ and were informed that all tickets for afternoon screenings were sold out, and there were only seats available for the shows after 7 p.m.,” said Xu Yiwei, a resident in the city of Hohhot, north China’s Inner Mongolia, noting that the box office during this year’s Spring Festival looks more prosperous than in previous years.
For those who prefer to sit comfortably on their sofas and feast on entertainment programs on TV, the annual Spring Festival gala on Chinese New Year’s Eve is undoubtedly something not to be missed. The gala, featuring significant intangible cultural heritage content, garnered 16.8 billion views across all media platforms.
More people could enjoy the festive atmosphere of the gala this year. The 2025 gala featured its first-ever accessible broadcast for visually and hearing-impaired audiences. Sign language performers attended the broadcast, and audio programs provided narratives and background interpretations of the gala for relevant groups.
Chinese museums and cultural facilities also offer options for those wishing to spend an entertaining and educational festival.
The Natural History Museum of China has launched a special exhibition featuring snake-themed cultural relics to celebrate the Year of the Snake. In addition to natural science knowledge about snakes, the exhibition also explores the development and evolution of zodiac culture, offering a comprehensive display of the rich and diverse symbolism of snakes in traditional Chinese culture.
The 3,300-year-old Yin Ruins, confirmed as the capital site of the late Shang Dynasty (1600-1046 BC), is also the historical era depicted in the “Creation of the Gods” series. Anyang City in central China’s Henan Province has seized the opportunity of the latest movie’s release to launch a series of activities promoting the culture of the ancient period.
“Watching the Chinese mythology and experiencing the rejuvenated appeal of traditional classics, this Spring Festival is truly extraordinary,” said Anyang resident Lyu Tianyu after watching the film.
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
NANJING, Feb. 1 — At midnight, after a busy day, a high-speed train rolls into Nanjing South Railway Station, a key hub in east China’s Jiangsu Province. Here, a team of technicians and intelligent robots stand ready to perform inspection tasks.
Using laser radar navigation and positioning technology, the robots move smoothly along tracks. Equipped with two articulated arms featuring imaging devices, they adjust height and angle, meticulously scanning the train’s underside and components, while transmitting real-time artificial intelligence (AI) analysis for further review.
During this year’s 40-day Spring Festival travel rush, which began on Jan. 14, China’s railway network is expected to transport 510 million passengers, with around 14,000 trains operating daily. To ensure operational safety during this high-traffic period, trains must undergo rigorous inspections every three days of service.
Inspecting these sophisticated trains is no small task. A standard eight-carriage high-speed railway requires a comprehensive check of more than 10,000 components, from bolt tightness to oil leakage and component wear.
“The manual inspection of a standard train requires at least two inspectors working for two and a half hours. With the use of robots, the process is reduced to just one hour, and staff only need 10 minutes for a final review — tripling efficiency compared to manual inspections, while also improving our working conditions,” said Qi Zhengang, an inspector at the railway station.
Currently, intelligent inspection robots are deployed not only in Jiangsu but also in railway stations across cities like Jinan, Beijing and Shanghai.
Across the country, a variety of high-tech solutions are being implemented to ensure the safety of the high-speed rail network during the travel surge.
Electricity is the primary power source for high-speed trains. To meet soaring energy demand, the Haogang substation in south China’s Guangdong Province has adopted drones equipped with infrared, ultraviolet and sonic imagers to patrol the Shenzhen section of the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong high-speed railway.
With the technology, invisible currents can be converted into visual patterns, cutting the maintenance time from 30 minutes to 15 minutes, said Tan Chuanbin, an employee at the substation.
Featuring a wide field of view and AI-driven analysis, drones are also used to monitor and assess precarious rock formations and geological hazards along railway tracks in mountainous regions such as southwest China’s Guizhou and Sichuan.
China’s high-speed rail network has seen extraordinary growth. In 2010, the country had 8,358 kilometers of operational high-speed rail. The number had skyrocketed to 48,000 kilometers by the end of 2024.
“China’s high-speed rail advancements are built on continuous technological innovation,” said Duan Wei, deputy chief of the high-speed rail infrastructure department of the Huai’an section of Jiangsu.
“Looking ahead, we expect AI and the Internet of Things to be further integrated, enhancing real-time monitoring and predictive warnings to better ensure passenger safety,” he said.
Source: China State Council Information Office
One person was confirmed dead and three others went missing Saturday after two fishing boats carrying 15 crew members ran aground in waters off South Korea’s southern resort island of Jeju, according to Yonhap news agency.
It was reported to the coast guard at about 9:24 a.m. local time (0024 GMT) that a 32-ton fishing vessel with seven people on board and a 29-ton vessel carrying eight were stranded in waters off the island.
Twelve people were rescued around noon (0300 GMT), and three remained unaccounted for.
Among the rescued, a captain of the 32-ton vessel in his 50s was taken in cardiac arrest to a hospital while receiving first-aid treatment such as cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), but he died later.
The others showed symptoms of hypothermia, but it was not a life-threatening injury.
The captains of both vessels were South Koreans, while the other crew members were foreigners, such as Vietnamese and Indonesians.
Search and rescue operations had been underway for the missing three crew members
Source: China State Council Information Office
China expresses deep condolences to the victims and profound sympathy to their families following a mid-air collision of a passenger plane and a helicopter near Reagan National Airport in the United States Wednesday night, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said on Friday.
The foreign ministry and the Chinese embassy in the U.S. launched the emergency response mechanism immediately after the incident. Unfortunately, two Chinese nationals lost their lives in the incident, according to preliminary verification of the victims, the spokesperson said.
China has asked the U.S. to provide timely updates on the search and rescue efforts, identify the cause of the accident as soon as possible, and handle the ensuing matters properly, according to the spokesperson.
“We will provide necessary assistance to the families of the Chinese victims as they deal with the incident,” the spokesperson added.
The mid-air collision that happened in Washington, D.C. involved an American Airlines regional jet with 60 passengers and four crew members on board and a military Blackhawk helicopter with three U.S. Army soldiers.
U.S. President Donald Trump confirmed no survivors in the collision at a Thursday press conference in the White House.
Source: China State Council Information Office
More than 500,000 displaced Palestinians have returned to northern Gaza in the past 72 hours, the Hamas-run media office said on Wednesday.
A Palestinian child is seen on a destroyed building in Jabalia refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip, on Jan. 29, 2025. More than 500,000 displaced Palestinians have returned to northern Gaza in the past 72 hours, the Hamas-run media office said on Wednesday. (Photo by Abdul Rahman Salama/Xinhua)
“More than half a million (500,000) displaced Palestinians have returned in the past 72 hours from the southern and central governorates to Gaza and northern governorates via Al-Rashid and Salah Al-Din roads,” the media office said in a statement.
Israel began allowing displaced people to return to the north of the Gaza Strip on Monday, following a ceasefire agreement with Hamas that put a pause on 15 months of fighting.
Hamas’s armed wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades, said it would release three Israeli detainees on Thursday. Israeli public radio reported that Israel would free 110 Palestinian prisoners in exchange.
Gaza’s health authorities said hospitals received 63 bodies in the past 24 hours, including 59 recovered from rubble, two who died of injuries, and two new fatalities. This brings the total death toll since Oct. 7, 2023, to 47,417, with 111,571 injured, the authorities said.
Source: China State Council Information Office
NASA said on Wednesday it is working with SpaceX to safely return the agency’s stranded astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore back home “as soon as practical.”
“NASA and SpaceX are expeditiously working to safely return the agency’s SpaceX Crew-9 astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore as soon as practical, while also preparing for the launch of Crew-10 to complete a handover between expeditions,” NASA said on X.
NASA and SpaceX are targeting no earlier than late March 2025 to launch Crew-10 to the International Space Station (ISS).
The agency’s SpaceX Crew-9 mission with NASA astronauts Nick Hague, Suni Williams, Butch Wilmore, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov will return to Earth following the arrival of Crew-10 to the orbital laboratory.
Williams and Wilmore have been stuck in space since June last year due to technical problems of Boeing’s Starliner which took them to ISS.
NASA’s previous plan was to get them back in February. But the new launch schedule of Crew-10 meant the two astronauts will stay in space at least one more month.
Source: China State Council Information Office
Authorities in southeast Australia have ordered communities to evacuate as bushfires in western Melbourne, the capital city of Australia’s state of Victoria, continue to spread.
Victorian emergency services on Thursday morning urged about 100 residents of four small towns near the southwestern edge of the Grampians National Park, about 250 km west of Melbourne, to leave immediately to escape the threat posed by a nearby out-of-control fire.
A warning issued by VicEmergency shortly after 7:30 a.m. local time said that there was a significant increase in fire activity overnight that caused a fire burning along the national park’s western edge to spread in multiple directions.
“Leaving immediately is the safest option, before conditions become too dangerous. Emergency services may not be able to help you if you decide to stay,” it said.
Residents of three more towns to the east of the fire, which was sparked on Monday by dry lightning, have been told that leaving now is the safest option.
Incident controller Peter Western told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) that the fire had increased in size to 7,000 hectares overnight despite mild conditions.
He said that it has burnt through some private property at the western edge of the park.
Communities near a second fire in the national park’s north have been told to monitor changing conditions and prepare to evacuate.
He added that crews were working hard to contain the fires before a heatwave that is forecast to last from Saturday until Tuesday.
Source: China State Council Information Office
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that he will instruct the Pentagon and the Homeland Security Department to prepare a facility for 30,000 migrants at Guantanamo Bay, a U.S. naval base located on the southeastern coast of Cuba.
“We have 30,000 beds in Guantanamo to detain the worst criminal illegal aliens threatening the American people. This will double our capacity immediately,” Trump made the remarks before he signed the Laken Riley Act at the White House.
The Laken Riley Act, which mandates the detention of undocumented migrants charged with certain crimes, was approved by Congress earlier this month. It marks the first major legislation of the new administration.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem told CNN that the base could be reserved to detain what she described as “the worst of the worst.”
During his campaign, Trump promised to carry out large-scale deportations of illegal immigrants once he took office. After his inauguration on Jan. 20, deportation operations have ramped up in several parts of the United States, reportedly focusing on criminals.
On Sunday alone, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) made nearly 1,000 arrests, with lots of activity taking place in the southeastern part of the country, Fox News cited various ICE field offices as saying.