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.
When responding to a foreign media reporter's question citing a Reuters report on Friday that British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper will visit China according to sources, and asking whether China could confirm the visit and what expectations China has for Cooper's planned visit, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said on Friday that both China and the UK are permanent members of the UN Security Council and major economies in the world. To develop a sustained and steady China-UK comprehensive strategic partnership is an important common understanding reached between the leaders of the two countries.
China stands ready to maintain close exchanges and dialogue with the UK side and jointly work for continued development in our friendly exchanges and mutually beneficial cooperation, the spokesperson noted.
"On the visit you mentioned, I have nothing to share at the moment," Guo said.
According to an exclusive Reuters report on Friday, Cooper is expected to visit China in early June, three sources said, as London seeks to capitalize on relatively cordial ties with Beijing before any fresh setback over a new Chinese embassy in the UK capital.
The British government announced in January that it had approved plans for the construction of a new Chinese embassy in London. The new embassy is scheduled to be built on the former Royal Mint Court site in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, according to the Xinhua News Agency.
When asked to comment on the British government's announcement, Guo told a regular press conference in January that providing support and convenience for the construction of diplomatic premises is an international obligation of host countries. The planning proposal of the new Chinese embassy project is of high quality. The application and its approval are fully in line with international diplomatic practice as well as local legal regulations and procedures.
The recent period has seen improving momentum in China-UK relations. On March 19, Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Foreign Minister Wang Yi had a phone call with Cooper at the latter's request, and the two sides exchanged views focusing on the current situation in the Middle East, per a readout from the Chinese Foreign Ministry.
The two sides also exchanged views on China-UK relations and agreed that both countries should actively implement the consensus reached by the leaders of both countries, enhance exchanges, and continuously advance the long-term, stable comprehensive strategic partnership between China and the UK, so as to inject stability and certainty to a world marked by turbulence and change, according to the readout.
In January, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer made an official visit to China, marking the first by a British prime minister in eight years, per Xinhua.
Starmer's official visit to China yielded fruitful results, demonstrating the breadth and depth of cooperation between the two countries, Guo told a regular press conference in January.
China's U17 men's national football team has secured qualification for the FIFA U-17 World Cup to be held in Qatar this year after advancing to the quarterfinals of the AFC U-17 Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2026.
It marks the return of a Chinese men's football team to a global tournament for the first time since 2005.
China booked its place in the last eight after defeating Qatar 2-0 on Tuesday in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia to finish among the top two teams in its group.
This also guaranteed the team one of Asia's qualification berths for the FIFA U-17 World Cup, which was expanded to 48 teams last year.
Winger He Sifan scored the opening goal for China in the 13th minute. The Chinese youth team, which carries high hopes for the revival of Chinese football, had suffered two consecutive defeats to Indonesia and Japan prior to the game against Qatar in the group.
Substitute Zhang Bolin scored the second goal in the 70th minute to seal the win for China. The Chinese team had to secure a two-goal win to secure a berth for automatic qualification, while also needing Japan beat Indonesia.
The U17 World Cup is scheduled to be held in Qatar from November 20 to December 14, 2026. Under the new format, Asia is allocated nine spots, including the host Qatar.
Even though the game ended in the early hours of Wednesday Beijing time, the Chinese team's progress at the AFC U-17 Asian Cup has been closely followed, partly due to renewed hopes for the development of Chinese youth football, after decades of underachievement by the senior national teams.
The 2026 edition of the FIFA U-17 World Cup will be the second consecutive tournament staged in Qatar and the second under FIFA's expanded annual format, which increased the number of participating teams from 24 to 48.
