Since May 27, the ship-borne helicopter of the Dutch frigate HNLMS De Ruyter illegally intruded into the airspace over China’s Xisha Qundao, and then the frigate transited the Taiwan Straits, Senior Colonel Xu Chenghua, spokesperson for the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Eastern Theater Command, said on Friday.
The PLA Eastern Theater Command dispatched naval and air assets to track and monitor the Dutch frigate throughout its passage, and handled the situation effectively, the spokesperson said.
The theater command's troops will stay on high alert at all times and resolutely safeguard China’s sovereignty and security, as well as regional peace and stability.
After the photo of Spring Airlines flight attendants was found to be shared on the users forum of Rokid smart glasses recently, discussions and public concerns have emerged over the potential misuse of AI-equippedp wearable devices for covert photography, multiple media including chinanews.com reported on Sunday.
The concern emerged after Xiaoxiang Morning Herald reported that a Rokid glasses user surnamed Yun discovered a post in the Rokid app's online community section dated on May 27 showing a photo of two flight attendants at work taken by the smart glasses, accompanied by the caption: "Spring Airlines flight attendants are pretty good." Yun subsequently filed a complaint through the app and made a post on social media platform cautioning covert photography of smart glasses, raising concerns that smart glasses could become a new tool for unauthorized recording, per Xiaoxiang Morning Herald.
The Global Times reporter did not locate the original post in the smart glasses' app community as of press time, and whether the post had been removed remained unverified. However, many other users have also uploaded first-person videos of various activities in the community section, including footage of strangers in public spaces such as beaches, parks and subway systems.
Yun noted that smart glasses are highly convenient in daily life, particularly for functions such as translation and meeting transcription, but she was surprised to learn that some users were purchasing light-blocking stickers designed to conceal the device's recording indicators, effectively disguising the glasses as ordinary eyewear, according to Xiaoxiang Morning Herald.
Yun discovered that several online retailers are selling stickers intended to block the recording indicator lights. The light was originally designed by the manufacturer of smart glasses to alert people when recording is taking place and help protect privacy, "yet some people are doing everything possible to bypass these safeguards," per report.
One online seller reportedly with more than 5,000 sales of such stickers, advertised that they "do not trigger alerts and do not affect photography." Customer reviews described the products as "amazing," noting that "there is no light when taking photos" and even charging indicator lights were hidden.
Tests conducted by Xiaoxiang Morning Herald reporters found that after applying the stickers, recording with the AI glasses became nearly impossible for bystanders to detect, while notification sounds could only be heard by the wearer.
The incident has prompted discussion among Chinese netizens. One netizen expressed concern that unauthorized photography would become even more difficult to detect, while another said that "although advanced technology offers greater convenience, it is also making personal privacy increasingly vulnerable."
Both Spring Airlines and Rokid later responded to the controversy, while legal experts warned that people who secretly record and upload images without consent could face multiple forms of legal liability, according to the report.
A Spring Airlines staff member told Xiaoxiang Morning Herald on June 4 that photographing cabin crew without permission, particularly when the content is posted publicly online, could infringe upon an individual's portrait rights and privacy rights.
Rokid customer service said the matter had been forwarded to relevant staff for investigation. The company stated that if violations are confirmed, it will take action against the account in accordance with its user agreement and further strengthen guidance on proper use of the devices, according to the report.
Wan Qi, a lawyer with Hunan Jinzhou Law Firm, warned that individuals who secretly photograph others and upload the content online without consent could face civil liability as well as potential administrative or criminal penalties.
According to Wan, photographing and publishing images of individuals without their knowledge may constitute infringement of portrait and privacy rights under China's Civil Code. Victims may seek remedies including cessation of the infringement, public apologies and compensation for emotional distress. In serious cases, offenders could also violate public security regulations or even face criminal prosecution.
Wan added that merchants selling light-blocking stickers designed to circumvent privacy protections could be found to have knowingly facilitated infringement and may face joint liability, per report.
Amid a string of Japan's recent military expansion steps, Japanese media outlets on Wednesday revealed the outline of Japan's annual defense report, which claimed that China's military activities were "a grave concern," and highlighted the need for securing sustained combat capacity for potential "prolonged war."
Chinese experts said Japan is using a well-worn trick to portray itself as a victim to drum up global public opinion and fabricate excuses for its militaristic expansion. Tokyo's rapid military buildup has gone far beyond legitimate self-defense demands and serves to pave the way for a return to militarism, a development that warrants close vigilance from the international community.
On the same day, as it responded to yet another development pointing to Japan's dangerous military tilt, China's Foreign Ministry pushed back against the Japanese Defense Ministry's allegation that China kept repeating unfounded claims, underscoring word games cannot whitewash Japan's tangible steps to boost and expand its armed forces.
Well-worn trick
According to the outline of Japan's Defense White Paper, regarding China's military activities, it cites incidents including intermittent radar illumination of Self-Defense Forces aircraft by Chinese fighter jets last December and intensified Chinese carrier operations in the Pacific Ocean, the NHK reported on Wednesday.
The outline labels such military activities "a grave concern" for Japan and the international community and "an unprecedented top strategic challenge," using wording nearly identical to that in the 2025 White Paper, the Japanese media outlet said in the report.
Claiming China's intensifying military operations near Japanese territories, the outline frames the issue as one to be countered by comprehensive national strength plus cooperation and coordination with allies and like-minded partners, the Asahi Shimbun reported on Wednesday.
The full Defense White Paper is expected to be submitted to Japan's Cabinet for review this summer, according to NHK.
The worsening China-Japan relations stem entirely from rampant domestic neo-militarist sentiments in Japan, yet Japan habitually shifts blame on security issues. Worse still, Tokyo pretends to be an innocent victim to mislead the world and rebrand itself from a troublemaking provocateur into an aggrieved party. It is a well-worn trick to build public opinion and prepare for more provocations against China down the line, Lü Chao, an expert at the Liaoning Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Wednesday.
Hype over the so-called China threat works as a pretext for Japan to expand its military and roll out risky military initiatives, Lü said, noting that every unfounded allegation it levels at China is crafted to justify its own militaristic expansion.
According to NHK, the outline of the paper also creates a new section dedicated to "new forms of warfare," citing the extensive deployment of low-cost drones and protracted combat seen on Ukraine's battlefields. Building on that, the outline underscores the importance of preparing for emerging warfare leveraging AI and drones, securing sustained combat capacity for potential prolonged war, and bolstering defense industrial and technological foundations.
Neo-militarism in Japan has gained alarming momentum, with Tokyo's top priority being to shake off post-war legal shackles on its military, Lü said. "Its massive push for drones and other military equipment far exceeds genuine self-defense needs. This outright military expansion aims to grow Japan's regional leverage and clear the path for a militaristic comeback," the expert said.
Wordplay cannot whitewash military build-up
In response to previous media disclosures of the draft of the Sanae Takaichi administration's first Defense White Paper which reveal that it frames China's activities in the Pacific as a "security threat" and expresses vigilance, Jiang Bin, spokesperson for China's Ministry of National Defense, said on May 28 that what Japan does contradicts what it says. The more it tries to whitewash the inconsistency, the more obvious it gets, he said.
Jiang laid out a batch of dangerous moves taken by Japan. He told the press conference that in recent years, the Japanese government has sharply hiked its defense budget, developed and deployed offensive weapons, eased restrictions on exporting lethal weapons, pushed to revise the pacifist Constitution, clamored to be a war-capable nation, and even touted abandoning the three non-nuclear principles.
"If these actions still qualify as 'exclusively defense-oriented,' then there would be no such word as offensive in the dictionary," Jiang said.
Apart from the long-running policy shifts, fresh dangerous moves from Tokyo have kept emerging recently.
At the end of May, Japan and Philippines has agreed to begin formal negotiations to conclude a security intelligence-sharing agreement. The two countries also recently announced to start talks on maritime delimitation in the waters east of China's Taiwan island, which seriously infringed upon China's territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests.
Ironically, as reported by Reuters, at the just-concluded Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, Japan's Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi rebutted criticism that Japan was embracing new militarism, and claimed: "Think about it. There's a country that has a huge arsenal of nuclear weapons and strategic bombers. Japan has neither of such weapons, and yet Japan is labelled 'new militarism'?"
Refuting such claims, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said at a regular press conference on Monday that "the remarks from the Japanese official you mentioned have no basis at all. They have zero authority in front of history, law, facts and figures. There is no way that making such remarks will help Japan earn the trust of its Asian neighbors and the international community."
However, it seems to have become a repeated pattern for Japan to reject accusations over military expansion when such issues are raised. Following Lin's remarks, Japanese Defense Ministry spokesperson claimed the next day that China keeps repeating factually unfounded claims and called such reaction regrettable, Japanese media outlet Livedoor News reported.
Responding to the matter, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said on Wednesday that Japan's justification for its behavior is better characterized as evasion and denial, which is nothing but camouflage for remilitarization.
"The Japanese side has been mum about the militarist invasion and war crimes, still less Japan's obligations under international law. To this day, Japan remains unrepentant over its dark history," Mao said.
Now it is deceiving the Japanese public and international community by mixing up concepts - calling overseas deployment "collective self-defense," buildup of offensive capabilities "acquiring counter-strike capabilities" and export of lethal weapons "equipment and technology cooperation," said Mao.
"Japan's repeated denial of neo-militarism shows its unease, as China's remarks have laid bare the real nature of its continuous military buildup and left Japan fearing more countries will see what it is doing and grow wary of its defense direction," Da Zhigang, a researcher at the Institute of Northeast Asian Studies at the Heilongjiang Provincial Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Wednesday.
Noting such continuous military moves by Japan could carry long-term risks and adverse impacts on regional peace and security, Da said it is essential for more countries to recognize Japan's true strategic orientation.
"Facts do not lie. Juggling with words does not whitewash Japan's rearmament. The harder Japan tries to hide it, the louder the alarm for the international community," spokesperson Mao said.
When asked to comment on the US designating two criminal groups in Brazil as terrorist organizations, a move that Brazil has denounced as undue interference in its politics, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said on Friday that China has noted the relevant reports. China consistently advocates non-interference in the internal affairs of other countries.
Chinese President Xi Jinping on Saturday exchanged congratulations with Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi on the 70th anniversary of diplomatic ties between the two countries.
Xi said that Egypt was the first Arab and African country to establish diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China.
Over the past 70 years, no matter how the international and regional landscapes have evolved, the two countries have always respected each other, treated each other as equals, placed mutual trust in each other and helped each other in times of need, Xi said.
He said China-Egypt relations have become a model of amity, solidarity and cooperation among developing countries, as well as a benchmark for collective cooperation between China and Arab states and between China and Africa, thereby advancing steadily toward building a China-Egypt community with a shared future in the new era.
As two ancient civilizations and important members of the Global South, Xi said, China and Egypt should draw wisdom and strength from history, strive to accomplish the historical missions of pursuing peace, development, cooperation and upholding justice so as to inject strong impetus into building a community with a shared future for humanity.
Xi said that he attaches great importance to the development of China-Egypt relations and stands ready to work together with Sisi to take the 70th anniversary of diplomatic ties as a new starting point, carry forward the traditional friendship, strengthen exchanges and cooperation in various fields, and push for the growth of China-Egypt relations featuring greater strategic guidance, stronger synergy for development and broader international influence, so as to deliver more benefits to the two peoples and make greater contributions to peace and development in the region and beyond.
For his part, Sisi said that Egypt and China have stood shoulder to shoulder through various historical periods and under the joint guidance of the leaders of the two countries over the past 70 years, Egypt-China relations have sustained steady growth.
Applauding the important achievements in Egypt-China relations, Sisi voiced hope of working with Xi to push for further progress in bilateral ties, and jointly build a more stable multipolar world with greater capacity to address global challenges, so as to enable all countries to share the fruits of comprehensive development and jointly realize peace and security.
Also on Saturday, Chinese Premier Li Qiang and his Egyptian counterpart Mostafa Madbouly exchanged congratulations.
Li voiced China's willingness to work with Egypt to follow through on the important consensus reached by the two heads of state, accelerate high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, enhance exchanges and cooperation across various fields and work for steady growth of the China-Egypt comprehensive strategic partnership so as to deliver more benefits to the two peoples.
For his part, Madbouly said that over the past 70 years, Egypt-China relations have made remarkable progress and bilateral cooperation has achieved unprecedented results.
Egypt looks forward to further strengthening cooperation with China and making steady headway in such fields as economy, science and technology so as to deliver benefits to the two friendly countries and the two peoples.
A traffic accident occurred on the G40 Shanghai-Xi'an Expressway at the K991+800 section in Tongbai county, Nanyang, Central China's Henan Province, at around 2:40 am on Thursday, leaving 13 people dead and three injured, according to a statement released by China's Ministry of Public Security on Thursday morning.
The accident took place as a passenger van rear-ended a semi-trailer truck traveling ahead of it.
The passenger vehicle was approved to carry nine people but was carrying 16 at the time of the crash, according to the statement.
Following the accident, the Ministry of Public Security immediately dispatched a working team to Nanyang to guide the investigation and the handling of the incident.
Following the gas explosion at a coal mine in Qinyuan County, North China's Shanxi Province, an investigation team sent by China's State Council has vowed to thoroughly and strictly investigate the deadly explosion on Saturday evening, according to Xinhua News Agency.
The investigation team announced to conduct a rigorous and uncompromising investigation into the gas explosion accident to identify the causes of the accident, clarify the responsibilities of local authorities, industry regulators, and the enterprise involved, and impose severe punishments in accordance with laws and regulations, per Xinhua News Agency.
At 7:29 pm on Friday, a gas explosion occurred at the Liushenyu coal mine, operated by Shanxi Tongzhou Group in Qinyuan County, where a total of 247 workers were underground at the time, per a release from the Qinyuan County Emergency Management Bureau published Saturday morning. As of the press time, the death toll had risen to 82, while 2 people remained missing and 128 people were injured and receiving treatment at hospitals, according to CCTV News.
Following the incident, Party committees and governments at the provincial, city, and county levels attached great importance to the situation. Principal officials immediately made arrangements and deployments, promptly activated the emergency response mechanism, and rushed to the scene to direct rescue operations, the release said.
According to Xinhua News Agency, China has dispatched six national mine emergency rescue teams, totaling 345 personnel with equipment, to assist in rescue efforts following the gas explosion, citing the Ministry of Emergency Management. It's also reported that Shanxi Province has sent 755 people including rescuers and medical personnel to the site. Rescue efforts are ongoing.
Meanwhile, following the the gas explosion, officials from China's National Health Commission came to the scene to coordinate emergency medical treatment efforts, while multidisciplinary medical experts from several top-tier hospitals in Beijing were organized to provide remote consultations and on-site medical support. Health Commission of Shanxi Province also promptly deployed 17 experts from local medical institutions and 86 ambulances to support medical rescue operations on the site, per Xinhua News Agency.
According to the People's Daily, a total of 128 people are receiving treatment at hospitals, including 124 with minor injuries, two with serious injuries, and two in critical condition. All 124 lightly injured patients have been transferred to tertiary hospitals for close monitoring and symptomatic treatment.
The CCTV News reported that Qinyuan County People's Hospital has received 27 of the injured, of which one is seriously injured. The doctors at the hospital said the injured were mainly harmed by exposure to toxic gases, and are currently receiving hyperbaric oxygen therapy as the primary treatment. As of press time, the seriously injured miner is being treated in the intensive care unit (ICU), with vital signs remaining stable. The other 26 miners with minor injuries are already able to eat independently, while some are also able to move around on their own, according to the report.
One surviving miner told CCTV News that he did not hear any explosion, but suddenly saw a cloud of smoke accompanied by a sulfur-like smell similar to blasting fumes. He said he lost consciousness while trying to escape, but woke up more than an hour later, helped nearby coworkers regain consciousness, and eventually made his way out of the mine with them.
The persons responsible for the company involved in the mine accident have been placed under control in accordance with the law, according to Xinhua News Agency.
Record-breaking torrential rain battered Yongchuan District in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality from late Saturday to Sunday, triggering flash floods, landslides and mudslides. Rescue operations are still underway as multiple towns and subdistricts suffered severe damage.
By Sunday afternoon, three people were killed and another 17 were unaccounted for in Yongchuan. In addition, two people were also missing after the rain lashed Beibei District in the municipality.
As of 5 p.m. Sunday, authorities had evacuated 423 residents in Yongchuan to safety, while another 1,382 people had been swiftly relocated and resettled.
Meteorological data showed that rainfall at a monitoring station in Shuangshi Township reached 296.6 millimeters within six hours, shattering Chongqing's historical record since meteorological records began.
Starting from 2 p.m. Sunday, Chongqing has adjusted Yongchuan District to a Level-I flood control emergency response at the municipal level, 29 districts and counties to a Level-II response, and nine districts and counties to a Level-III response, said the flood control and drought relief headquarters of Chongqing.
Heavy rains have hit 22 districts and counties in Chongqing, and the water levels of 22 rivers in the municipality have exceeded the warning level, according to Chongqing's hydrological monitoring station.
The China National Commission for Disaster Reduction on Sunday activated a Level-IV emergency response for floods and geological disasters in Chongqing.
A work team has been dispatched to the disaster-hit areas to assess the situation on the ground and assist local disaster relief efforts, according to the Ministry of Emergency Management.
The National Development and Reform Commission said on Sunday that it has allocated 20 million yuan (about 2.93 million U.S. dollars) from the central government's budget to support post-flood emergency recovery efforts in Chongqing.
The funds will primarily be used for the emergency restoration of damaged roads, bridges and other infrastructure, as well as public service facilities such as schools and hospitals in the affected areas, to restore normal production and daily life as soon as possible.
At the invitation of Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Foreign Minister Wang Yi, Singaporean Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan will pay a working visit to China from May 24 to 26.
China has consistently opposed illegal unilateral sanctions lacking basis in international law, firmly supports Cuba in safeguarding its national sovereignty and security, and urges the US to immediately end its blockade against Cuba and all forms of coercion and pressure, and stop infringing upon the Cuban people's rights to survival and development, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian stated on Tuesday.
These remarks were made when asked to comment on reports that Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel posted on social media on Monday that Cuba is facing threats of military aggression from the US and that the threat itself constitutes an international crime, warning that if carried out, it would trigger bloodshed and undermine regional peace. The Cuban president also stressed that Cuba has no intention of aggression against any country, including the US, but is suffering multidimensional aggression from Washington and therefore possesses the legitimate right to self-defense. Also on Monday, the US Department of the Treasury imposed a new round of sanctions on nine individuals linked to Cuba's intelligence agency.
