The Philippine side brought in the Typhon system to cater to the US side would only place its national security and defense in the hands of others, and lead to geopolitical confrontation and risks of arms race in the region. It's like holding a candle to the devil and playing the jackal to the tiger, Zhang Xiaogang, a spokesperson for the Ministry of National Defense, said on Friday.
Zhang made the remarks in response to the Philippines' claim that the country would return the Typhon system to the US so long as China stops claiming its territory, harassing its fishermen and attacking its ships.
The Chinese side has made clear multiple times our firm opposition against the US deployment of the mid-range missile system in the Philippines, Zhang said. The Typhon missile system is a strategic asset and an offensive weapon. The Philippine side has repeatedly gone back on its words and brought in the system to cater to the US, he said.
"Such decision would only place its national security and defense in the hands of others, and lead to geopolitical confrontation and risks of arms race in the region. It's like holding a candle to the devil and playing the jackal to the tiger," Zhang said.
As we all know, the territory of the Philippines is defined by a series of international treaties, including the 1898 Treaty of Peace between the United States of America and the Kingdom of Spain, the 1900 Treaty between the United States of America and the Kingdom of Spain for Cession of Outlying Islands of the Philippines, and the 1930 Convention between His Majesty in Respect of the United Kingdom and the President of the United States regarding the Boundary between the State of North Borneo and the Philippine Archipelago, Zhang said.
China's Nansha Qundao and Huangyan Dao fall outside the Philippine territory. It's legitimate, lawful and beyond reproach for the Chinese side to conduct law-enforcement activities in relevant waters, the spokesperson noted.
By using the deployment of Typhon as a bargaining chip on the South China Sea issue, the Philippines is selling out its own national security, putting the well-being of its people and regional peace and stability at grave risk. Such behavior is ridiculous and dangerous, Zhang noted.
"We require the Philippine side to recognize the high sensitivity and severe consequences of this issue, remove the Typhon missile system as soon as possible to honor its open promises, and return to the right track of dialogue and consultations at an early date. China will continue to take necessary measures to resolutely counter provocations and infringements and safeguard our territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests," the spokesperson said.
The first locally-born giant panda cubs at Ocean Park Hong Kong are set to meet the public on Sunday, and residents are encouraged to propose names for the cuddly twins.
The pair of giant panda cubs was born last August and their parents are Ying Ying and Le Le, the giant pandas gifted by the central government to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR).
At a greeting ceremony Saturday, HKSAR Chief Executive John Lee expressed heartfelt gratitude to the experts for taking excellent care of the twins and providing professional postnatal care to Ying Ying after her giving birth to the cubs.
"Ying Ying, the mother of the twin cubs, is on record as the world's oldest giant panda to give birth for the first time. The birth of the twin cubs not only solidifies the outstanding achievements of our country in giant panda conservation, but also demonstrates the Ocean Park's leading position as an important conservation and education base in Hong Kong," he said, adding that the HKSAR government will continue to advance and promote conservation of giant pandas.
Lee also announced the launch of a naming competition for the cubs. At present, members of the public are calling the twin cubs "elder sister" and "little brother." Hong Kong residents are encouraged to suggest a pair of names for the twin cubs by observing their physical features and characteristics, as well as the interaction between the cubs and their daily lives. Results will be announced in the first half of this year.
Over the past six months, the cubs have grown healthily from around 120 grams at birth to more than 12 kg now, according to caretakers.
Responding to an inquiry on the US State Department's recent update of the fact sheet on its relations with Taiwan island by removing the previous statement that the US "does not support 'Taiwan independence'," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said on Monday that US' move gravely backpedaled on its position on Taiwan-related issues.
We urge the US to immediately correct its wrongdoings, abide by the one-China principle and three China-US joint communiqués, handle the Taiwan question with extra prudence, stop using Taiwan to contain China, stop upgrading its substantive relations with Taiwan, stop helping Taiwan expand the so-called "international space," stop emboldening and supporting "Taiwan independence," and avoid further severe damage to China-US relations and peace and stability in the Taiwan Straits, said Guo.
The US State Department has reportedly removed the phrase "does not support Taiwan independence" from a fact sheet on its relations with the Taiwan island, a move that the secessionist Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities have praised as US "support." However, the US has denied the change in its stance toward "Taiwan independence," saying that it is a "routine update," according to Taiwan media report.
Zhu Fenglian, a spokesperson for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, said in a statement on Monday that the US move severely violates the one-China principle and the three China-US joint communiqués, violently interfering in China's internal affairs and sending seriously wrong signals to the separatist forces for "Taiwan independence" will only jeopardize peace and stability in the Taiwan Straits.
Zhu also warned the DPP authorities that seeking independence by soliciting US support is doomed to fail. No matter how DPP authorities and the US collude and scheme, they cannot change the fact that there is only one China in the world and that Taiwan island is a part of China. They also cannot change the trend that China is destined and bound to achieve national reunification, Zhu said.
The fact sheet, titled "US relations with Taiwan," was released on February 13 on the US Statement Department's website. The Taiwan News, a news outlet in Taiwan island, displaying a screenshot of the previous version published under former US secretary of state Antony Blinken, noted that the new version removed the phrase "we do not support Taiwan independence."
The media also noted other additions include a sentence declaring that the US expects "cross-Straits differences to be resolved by peaceful means." The sentence has been expanded to include "free from coercion, in a manner acceptable to people on both sides of the Straits."
Following the changes, on Sunday, Lin Chia-lung, the head of the external affairs authority of Taiwan island, expressed his welcome for "the support and positive stance shown toward Taiwan-US relations" in the relevant content. He claimed that Taiwan will continue to strengthen its self-defense capabilities, reported Taiwan media.
However, when questioned about the revision and whether it signifies a shift in Washington's stance on "Taiwan's independence," a US State Department spokesperson rejected the suggestion, saying that it is a routine update, according to Taiwan local media UDN.
The spokesperson said that the US remains "committed to its one-China policy," reaffirming that US policy is guided by the "Taiwan Relations Act," the three US-China joint communiques, and the "Six Assurances" to Taiwan. The US opposes any unilateral changes to the status quo and supports cross-Straits dialogue, UDN reported.
When a new US administration takes office, there are often changes in the way Taiwan question are phrased in the fact sheet regarding relations with the Taiwan island. However, shifts in wording alone do not necessarily indicate a significant change in US policy, Zheng Jian, director of the Graduate Institute for Taiwan Studies of Xiamen University, told the Global Times on Monday.
Zheng said that the secessionist DPP authorities' interpretation of the "changes" reflect their willingness to read the statements in a way that suits their own agenda and it is nothing but merely "self-comfort."
Charging a higher price
Zheng said that the wording change is the US' old tactic for pressuring Taiwan to bear a higher cost. For example, US President Donald Trump recently made remarks on tariffs on Taiwan island and the semiconductor TSMC. Trump said on Thursday that Taiwan had taken away the US chip business and said that he wanted it back in the country, according to the Associated Press.
"Selling out Taiwan and appeasing the US will not bring security to Taiwan; it will only harm the interests of the Taiwan people and create instability in the Taiwan Straits," Zheng said.
Against the backdrop of intensifying strategic competition, the US has intensified its use of the "Taiwan card" as part of a broader strategy to counter China. This approach is not new under the Trump administration, but reflects a continuation of an ongoing strategy, Zheng said, warning that the Taiwan question is the first and most unbreakable red line in China-US relations.
The US continues to use the "Taiwan card" as a tool of strategic leverage, pressuring not only the Chinese mainland but also the Taiwan island, said Zheng.
In May 2022, during the Biden administration, the State Department removed the statement it "does not support Taiwan independence" from a fact sheet. However, less than a month after these initial changes, the description of US-Taiwan relations was restored, according to Taiwan News.
Throughout the history of China-US relations, we've seen similar extreme pressures on China exerted by the US government, so we have been prepared and will fight to defend our core interests, said Li Zhenguang, deputy director at the Institute of Taiwan Studies at Beijing Union University.
After a several-year pause in dialogue, high-level delegations from Russia and the US met on Tuesday in the Saudi capital Riyadh to discuss the prospects for resolving the conflict in Ukraine and ways to break the impasse in bilateral relations, which according to TASS, lasted about 4.5 hours.
Russia was represented by Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Presidential Aide Yury Ushakov, and CEO of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) Kirill Dmitriev. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, national security adviser Mike Waltz, and special envoy for the Middle East Stephen Witkoff were participating in the negotiations. The talks were held in one of the royal family's palaces - Al Diriyah in the Albasateen complex, TASS reported.
Dmitriev, the Russian negotiator, told Reuters it was too early to talk of compromises following the talks with US officials, but that the two sides started listening to one another, treating each other with respect and as equals.
Russia's chief foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov has said it "went well" and was "a serious conversation on all issues," according to Interfax and Tass, via Reuters.
He also said that the two sides agreed for negotiators to talk about Ukraine, and briefly discussed the conditions needed for a Putin-Trump summit, although he noted it was unlikely to take place next week.
According to the US Department of State statement following the meeting, the US and Russia agreed to establish a consultation mechanism to "address irritants to our bilateral relationship with the objective of taking steps necessary to normalize the operation of our respective diplomatic missions."
The two sides also reached agreements including appointing respective high-level teams to begin working on a path to ending the conflict in Ukraine as soon as possible in a way that is enduring, sustainable, and acceptable to all sides, and laying the groundwork for future cooperation on matters of mutual geopolitical interest and historic economic and investment opportunities which will emerge from a successful end to the conflict in Ukraine, according to the US statement.
When asked about what role China wants to play or can play in any peace agreement that solves the Ukraine crisis, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said at Tuesday's press conference that on any dispute and conflict in the world, China always advocates dialogue, consultation and political settlement. This is also true when it comes to the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
China is not the creator of the Ukraine crisis nor a party to it. That said, we have not just sat by and watched the crisis unfold or profiteered from the crisis. Right after the Ukraine crisis broke out, China proposed to settle the crisis through dialogue and consultation, Guo said.
China will continue to support all efforts conducive to the peaceful settlement of the crisis, maintain communication with relevant parties and play a constructive role in promoting the political settlement of the crisis, according to Guo.
"We are glad to see dialogue between the US and Russia, and we support the political and diplomatic resolution of the Ukraine crisis. But we are also well aware that achieving results through one single dialogue is very difficult," said Li Haidong, a professor at China Foreign Affairs University.
Li explained that the Ukraine crisis is merely a symptom of the broader issue of European security. If the US and Russia only discuss a ceasefire without addressing the root cause of the conflict - NATO's excessive dominance and expansion over Europe, the crisis could not be resolved, he told the Global Times.
Sun Xiuwen, an associate professor at the Institute for Central Asian Studies at Lanzhou University, said Russia is unlikely to make significant compromises on core interests, particularly regarding limiting NATO expansion, ensuring a land corridor to the militarily occupied territories and the Crimean Peninsula, and pushing for Ukraine's "neutrality."
While for the Trump administration, key considerations include claiming personal credit for resolving the Russia-Ukraine conflict through negotiations and reducing investment in Ukraine to focus resources on addressing challenges in the Asia-Pacific, Sun told the Global Times.
Ukraine, Europe in dismay
No Ukrainian officials were present at the meeting. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said his country won't accept any outcome from this week's talks since Kiev isn't taking part. European allies have also expressed concerns they are being sidelined, AP reported.
When asked to comment the meeting without the participation of Ukraine, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo said that China has always maintained that dialogue and negotiation are the only viable path to resolving the Ukraine crisis. "We welcome all efforts dedicated to achieving peace, including the consensus on peace talks reached between the US and Russia."
"At the same time, we look forward to the timely participation of all relevant parties and stakeholders in the peace negotiation process," Guo noted.
Signs of tension have emerged between Ukraine and the White House in recent days following the following the dramatic turnaround of Trump's attitude toward Russia.
Ukrainian drones attacked the Kropotkinskaya oil pumping station on Monday, which primarily pumps oil for American and European companies through Kazakhstan, Sputnik News reported. "Undoubtedly, this was a deliberate and calculated response by Zelensky to Trump's stance," the report said.
The move came after Zelensky told his aides to reject the Trump administration's proposal that would grant the US 50 percent of Ukraine's rare earth minerals, NBC News reported on Monday.
A few days before the Riyadh meeting, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told Kiev that a return to Ukraine's pre-2014 borders was "unrealistic" and the Trump administration does not see NATO membership for Kiev as part of a solution to the conflict with Russia, Reuters reported.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said the issue of Ukraine's accession to the European Union was its sovereign right. Peskov added, though, that Russia's position was different when it comes to Ukraine joining military alliances, Reuters reported.
Despite that the stances of the US and Russia seem to be converging on the dealing of Ukraine crisis, if Ukraine and Europe do not accept it, such a consensus will not be able to materialize, Li said. He added that the US approach, which sacrifices the interests of other parties to fulfill its own desire, cannot lead to a lasting and stable solution.
However, Cui Heng, a scholar from the Shanghai-based China National Institute for SCO International Exchange and Judicial Cooperation, said that it is also possible that the US may reach an agreement with Russia and then pressurize Europe and Ukraine, who have little bargaining chips. The EU's lack of sufficient diplomatic autonomy and its disunity have left it in a weak position where it must now face the consequences, Cui said.
French President Emmanuel Macron posted on X while the US-Russia meeting convenes that he has just spoken with Trump and then with Zelensky. He said working together with all Europeans, Americans, and Ukrainians is the key to resolving the conflict.
He noted that Europeans must invest better, more, and together in their security and defense. "To this end, Europeans want to accelerate the implementation of their own agenda for sovereignty, security, and competitiveness."
Following Macron, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also posted on X that "Financially and militarily… we will step up." She added that "We want to partner with the US to deliver a just and lasting peace for Ukraine. Now is a critical moment."
A hasty summit was held in Paris on Monday among European leaders, but has ended with little unity on crucial points, including the idea of sending a European peacekeeping force to the country, the Guardian reported.
Breaking the ice
Apart from peace deal talks, Peskov said the Riyadh meeting would focus on "restoring the whole complex of US-Russian relations." Lavrov on Monday said the time had come for the two countries to end what he called an "absolutely abnormal period" of estrangement, according to the Washington Post.
The Russian and US delegations in Riyadh are addressing a variety of accumulated problematic issues, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova said at a briefing, TASS reported on Tuesday.
"They have been amassing not just over the three years when we had no contacts at all because of [former US president Joe] Biden's administration, but over all previous years," the diplomat said. "This is why the work began."
The potential directions for US-Russia rapprochement may include two aspects: first, strategic coordination such as extending the New START Treaty or restarting the negotiations, and coordinating on regional issues such as Syria and Afghanistan; second, interest exchange between two sides, for example, the US partially lifts economic sanctions on Russia while Russia concedes global LNG market share to the US, Sun said.
Cui, however, said this round of negotiation is unlikely to yield immediate breakthroughs, as both sides need time to reengage after years of no contact. It only serves as a preliminary step, Cui told the Global Times.
"It is one thing for the US and Russia to express a willingness to break the ice… however, over more than 30 years of post-Cold War history has shown us clearly that improving US-Russia relations is fraught with difficulties," echoed Li.
The Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST), commonly known as China's "artificial sun," set a new world record by sustaining high-confinement plasma operation for 1,066 seconds, the Global Times learned from the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) on Tuesday.
The engineering design of the next-generation "artificial sun" has been completed. According to China's roadmap for magnetic confinement nuclear fusion, the country aims to construct the world's first demonstration fusion power plant, the Xinhua News Agency reported.
The duration of 1,000 seconds is considered a key step in fusion research. The breakthrough, achieved by the Institute of Plasma Physics under the CAS, surpassed the previous world record of 403 seconds, which was also set by EAST in 2023.
The Global Times learned from CAS that the ultimate goal of developing an artificial sun is to replicate the nuclear fusion processes that occur in the sun, to provide humanity with unlimited clean energy and enable deep-space exploration.
"Fusion reactions need to reach the order of thousands of seconds to sustain themselves. The latest record marks the first time humanity has simulated conditions necessary for operating fusion reactors in an experimental setup," said Song Yuntao, director of the Institute of Plasma Physics, reported Xinhua.
According to CAS, since its inception in 2006, EAST has served as an open testing platform for both Chinese and international scientists to pursue fusion-related research and experiments.
China officially joined the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) program in 2006 as its seventh member. Under the agreement, China is tasked with contributing about 9 percent of the project's construction and operational requirements.
ITER, currently under construction in southern France, is set to become the world's largest magnetic confinement plasma physics experiment and the largest experimental tokamak nuclear fusion reactor upon completion.
Gong Xianzu, the chief physicist of the EAST project, told Xinhua that researchers have improved the stability of the heating system, the accuracy of the control system, and the precision of the diagnostic system. These advancements have solved many frontier issues, highlighting China's comprehensive scientific and technological expertise in this area.
Responding to an inquiry concerning a meeting between Quad foreign ministers on Tuesday (US time) during which they claimed that China seeks to change the status quo in the East and South China Seas, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said on Wednesday that China believes that cooperation between countries should not target any third party.
Engaging in group politics and bloc confrontation will not bring lasting peace and security, and is not conducive to peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific and the world as a whole, Mao said, noting China's activities in relevant waters are lawful, legitimate and completely justified.
Top diplomats from the US, Japan, India and Australia met in Washington, DC on Tuesday local time to reaffirm their shared commitment to strengthening a so-called "Free and Open Indo Pacific," according to US State Department.
"Our four nations maintain our conviction that international law, economic opportunity, peace, stability and security in all domains including the maritime domain underpin the development and prosperity of the peoples of the Indo-Pacific," read the official release of the joint statement by the Quad foreign ministers available on the US Department of State website.
We look forward to advancing the work of the Quad in the coming months and will meet together on a regular basis as we prepare for the next Quad Leaders' Summit hosted by India, it said.
The two-paragraph joint statement did not single out any country, however some Western media have characterized the meeting as "China-focused."
A Reuters report suggested the wording of the joint statement that "we also strongly oppose any unilateral actions that seek to change the status quo by force or coercion" is "an apparent reference to the threat that China will act on its claim to sovereignty" over the island of Taiwan.
"The four ministers held strategic and frank discussions on the situation in the Indo-Pacific region, and confirmed their strong opposition to unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force including in the East and South China Seas," the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan updated in a later release on Wednesday.
The Quad group was established in 2007 to bring together countries that had worked together in response to the devastating 2004 earthquake and tsunami in the Indian Ocean, according to the Associated Press on Wednesday. The Quad is referred to by the AP as "a major component of the American strategy to counter China's growing assertiveness and vast territorial claims in the region."
As President Donald Trump has clearly showed a tendency to reverse his predecessor Joe Biden's foreign and domestic policies as he returned to the White House, the new US administration is likely to change its commitment to multilateral frameworks such as Quad and AUKUS, and the other countries are also clear about this, which is affecting their loyalty, Chen Hong, Executive Director of the Asia Pacific Studies Center at East China Normal University, told the Global Times on Wednesday.
The wording in the statement and omitting China in the text reflect that internal differences among the Quad grouping are on the rise, and other members are adjusting their views of the Quad's anti-China positioning, Li Haidong, a professor at the China Foreign Affairs University, told the Global Times on Wednesday
Japan's Kyodo News Agency reported on Tuesday that Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said that he wants to emphasize to Trump the benefits of enhancing bilateral ties while each country pursues its own interests, while characterizing the US leader as "favoring bilateral, rather than multilateral, arrangements."
Ishiba's view that Trump favors a bilateral over a multilateral approach highlights the uncertain future of the Quad framework. This perspective is also shared by India and Australia, as both countries are rebalancing their foreign policies and strengthening ties with China, rather than exclusively aligning with the US in its strategic rivalry with China, Li said.
"The recent QUAD foreign ministers' meeting continued its usual indirect approach when addressing sensitive issues, appearing rather subtle. On one hand, this reflects the varying degrees of differences among Quad members regarding their relations with China. On the other hand, India, Japan and Australia have recently seen improvement in their ties with China, while Trump, prior to taking office for his second term, has also sent positive signals about valuing US-China relations. However, it is clear that while the Quad mechanism publicly champions the goal of building a 'free and open Indo-Pacific,' its actual actions involve creating tension, forming cliques, and fostering exclusivity - moves that run counter to the region's pursuit of peace and development, Qian Feng, director of the research department at the National Strategy Institute at Tsinghua University, told the Global Times.
Qian added that the Quad mechanism essentially took shape during Trump's first term, aligning closely with the rollout of the "Indo-Pacific Strategy." After Biden took office, it was elevated to a regular leaders' summit to counter China's growing influence in the region, becoming a key pillar of the US' Indo-Pacific Strategy.
He believes that judging from the signals Trump has sent regarding his second term priorities, the Quad mechanism aligns well with his focus on the Indo-Pacific and is likely to be retained. However, at its core, Quad remains a coalition with diverging interests, particularly on China-related issues. Each member country has its own priorities and is unlikely to fully align its interests with the US at the expense of its own national agenda, Qian said.
China is deeply shocked at the attack and strongly condemns the killing of a Chinese mine worker who had been murdered in Afghanistan's northern Takhar province, spokesperson of China's Foreign Ministry Mao Ning said on Thursday. China has lodged serious protests to Afghanistan right after the attack, and asked the country to conduct thorough investigations into the attack, and bring the perpetrators to justice, she said.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning made the remarks while answering a question about the Chinese mine worker who had reportedly been killed in Afghanistan, and that the Islamic State's regional chapter reportedly had claimed responsibility for the attack, according to a monitoring group called "SITE."
In response, Mao said at the Thursday press brief that China is deeply shocked at the attack and strongly condemns it. We mourn the death of the victim, she said.
China firmly opposes all forms of terrorism and calls for resolute and strong efforts in cracking down on ISIS, the ETIM and other terrorist organizations designated by the UN Security Council with zero tolerance. China will closely follow the security situation in Afghanistan and continue supporting Afghanistan in combating all forms of terrorism and violence, and upholding national security and stability, said Mao.
We urge the Afghan interim government to take resolute and effective measures to ensure the safety and security of Chinese citizens, institutions and projects in Afghanistan, the spokesperson said.
At the beginning of this year, the China Coast Guard (CCG) released a video for its training mobilization for 2025. In addition to various types of CCG vessels, the patrol aircraft and shipborne helicopters featured prominently. Zhang Jianming, head of the law enforcement department of the CCG, said that the CCG has developed initial capabilities for coordinated ship-aircraft law enforcement and remote joint operations, during an interview event on maritime law enforcement held by the CCG on Sunday.
In 2024, the CCG dispatched patrol aircraft and shipborne helicopters to conduct law enforcement operations in waters surrounding the Xisha Qundao and Huangyan Dao in the South China Sea, Zhang revealed.
"China's Coast Guard Law authorizes the CCG to conduct law enforcement activities to protect rights in the maritime areas under the jurisdiction of the People's Republic of China and in the airspace above them," Zhang said. In recent years, the CCG has enhanced its aviation law enforcement capabilities, focusing on low-altitude patrols, personnel deployment, and ship-aircraft joint operations, said Zhang.
"Currently, the CCG has established initial capabilities for ship-aircraft coordination and remote joint enforcement. This capability has been widely practiced across various levels of the CCG, and the new model has greatly improved the CCG's enforcement efficiency and effectiveness" said Zhang.
Zhang said that in 2024, the CCG for the first time deployed helicopter with CCG vessel formation to the Pacific and Arctic Oceans for fisheries law enforcement in international waters. They also sent patrol aircraft and shipborne helicopters to conduct law enforcement in territorial and adjacent waters near the Xisha Qundao and Huangyan Dao. So far, this patrol model has proven to be very effective, significantly enhancing the overall law enforcement capabilities of the CCG, Zhang noted.
The CCG will continue to strengthen the capabilities of its diverse law enforcement teams, particularly by refining its aerial and maritime coordination model, thereby increasing the CCG's ability to safeguard national territorial sovereignty and maritime rights, and actively engage in international maritime governance, Zhang said.
In response to an inquiry regarding reports that the Philippines said it filed a diplomatic protest against China's "continued illegal presence and activities" within Manila's "exclusive economic zone" in the South China Sea, which came after the Philippines said a large Coast Guard vessel, the China Coast Guard (CCG) 5901, returned to the area, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said that China's sovereignty and rights in the South China Sea were established in the long course of history. They are solidly grounded in history and the law, and are consistent with international law and practices, Guo said.
CCG's patrols and law enforcement activities in relevant waters are lawful, justified and beyond reproach. China calls on the Philippines to stop the malicious accusations, said Guo.
The Philippines' continuous hyping about the CCG vessel in its so-called "exclusive economic zone" reflects its longstanding distorted position, which is actually untenable from a legal standpoint, Li Kaisheng, vice president of the Shanghai Institutes for International Studies, told the Global Times on Monday.
The Philippines' smearing campaign thoroughly exposes the psychological impact of a few Philippine politicians who have been deterred by the patrol and law enforcement of CCG vessels, said Yang Xiao, deputy director of Institute of Maritime Strategy Studies at China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations.
According to Reuters, Philippines' President Ferdinand Marcos Jr's office said US President Joe Biden also commended the Philippine leader for his diplomatic response "to China's activities in the South China Sea", during a call among Japan, the Philippines and the US.
Yang said that even in the final week of his term, Biden continued to lend support to Marcos Jr., laying bare the collusion between Biden administration and Manila.
The Philippines also hopes to maintain the tension in the South China Sea in order to continue binding the US government's policies, expecting the US to continue supporting the Philippines' stance and even provocative actions in the South China Sea, Li said.
However, the policies of the US government, especially its foreign policy, are in large part tied to the personal stance of the president, according to Li. "With the Biden administration now coming to the end of its term, Marcos Jr. may not achieve what he had desired."
Large models, robots, intelligent manufacturing, autonomous driving… In recent years, artificial intelligence (AI) has made headlines around the world.
In real life, AI has permeated all aspects of human society, helping with scientific research in laboratories, assisting in the restoration of mysterious ancient scrolls at archaeological sites, and helping to find abducted children in the vast sea of humanity. The development of technology has also brought challenges in various aspects such as in ethics and law. Many experts advocate that humans should see technology as a tool created for the ultimate purpose of serving humanity, making life and work more efficient and comfortable.
In light of this, the Global Times has launched the "AI empowers industry and improves people's livelihoods" series, showcasing the tremendous energy and broad prospects that AI brings across every aspect of society.
This is the sixth installment in this series. It focuses on the integration of AI technologies into the silver economy. It demonstrates what a vital role robots and other intelligent products can play in facilitating the lives of senior citizens given the increasingly aging population."Hi, robot, play a Peking opera piece for me!"
"Hi, robot, do you remember where I put my key?"
"Hi, robot, call my daughter."
"Hi, robot…"
Whenever you want something, you can just call your nursing robot. Would you like to live a later life like this when you get old?
No matter what your answer is, such a scenario is happening in the daily lives of more and more Chinese senior citizens as AI technologies are rapidly integrated into the eldercare industry in China.
According to the Xinhua News Agency, 297 million Chinese people were 60 and above as of 2023, accounting for 21.1 percent of the total population. Projections estimate that by about 2035, the number of people aged 60 and above in China will exceed 400 million, accounting for more than 30 percent of the total population.
Meanwhile, according to the National Health Commission, the majority of senior citizens in China live in home- and community-based care, forming a pattern known as "9073." This means that about 90 percent of senior citizens are cared for at home, around 7 percent rely on community support for their care, and 3 percent reside in institutional care facilities.
Faced with the contradiction of growing pressure along with an aging society and the deep-rooted in-home care tradition for senior citizens, China's current silver generation chooses to embrace technologies for a wonderful and independent later life.
Chinese governments at different levels have also stressed the importance of technologies in the deepening of its eldercare service reform. According to new guidelines to streamline eldercare service reforms by the Chinese State Council, national key sci-tech projects to promote the development of humanoid robots, brain-computer interfaces (BCI), and AI technologies for eldercare, Xinhua reported on January 7.
Accelerated efforts
Senior care robots are familiar products in many countries facing increasingly aging populations. In Japan, for example, robots have been rolled out in nursing homes, offices, and schools as the country's population ages and its workforce shrinks.
Many places in China have been accelerating their efforts to explore the integration of AI with eldercare.
In a draft plan (2025-2027) to cultivate the humanoid robot industry in Beijing that was open to public opinion between January 6 and 10, the Beijing municipality government stresses the deployment of robots in caregiving roles such as emotional companionship, health monitoring, and intelligent household services.
In practice, Beijing is promoting intelligence upgrade in care services for the elderly group in communities and nursing houses. In some communities in Haidian District, community committees are helping senior citizens who live alone, especially those who have difficulty in moving around, by installing an AI robot called Xiao Lian in their homes, according to the Beijing Daily.
Equipped with more than 100 eldercare service programs and a base of 200,000 in eldercare knowledge, Xiao Lian can meet the basic quotidian needs of seniors, such as emergency assistance, nursing, shopping, transportation, maintenance, and bill payment, not to mention basic functions like delivering news reports, playing music, and suggesting comedies, according to the report.
Due to the upgrades of the large models in recent years, care robots now possess stronger language learning, understanding, and generative capacities. They can engage in more natural and fluent communication based on the senior citizen's different interests, hobbies, and personality traits. For these robots, every conversation with the senior citizens is a training opportunity, helping them to continuously optimize service quality and provide a more heartfelt emotional companionship for seniors.
In an eldercare home in the Hedong district, North China's Municipality of Tianjin, a special employee, an AI robot called Xiao Bao, chats with and tells jokes to senior citizens at the facility.
"Xiao Bao is so intelligent! It's so much fun chatting with it," one senior living at the facility was quoted as saying in an introduction for the local construction of intelligent eldercare services by the Hedong district government released in December 2024.
"She can remember everything I have said. I really enjoy chatting with her. Usually, my children are busy with work, and I often feel lonely at home; now it accompanies me like a real person, making life much more interesting," Wang Jie in Zhengzhou, North China's Hebei Province, told People's Daily when commenting on her robot Yun Yun. More supportive products
Overall, China's smart eldercare industry is still in its infancy. It entered a vigorous promotional phase in 2021 after the release of an action plan for the development of the smart health and elderly care industry (2021-2025), Hong Yinglan, president of the Guangdong Aging Industry Association, told the Global Times.
With expanding demand and the development of AI technologies and robotics, China's eldercare robot industry has accelerated its growth in recent years. Hong expects the market size for eldercare robots to continue to rise, probably reaching $13.2 billion by 2029.
Specifically, the industry may see a significant increase in 2025 as a result of the empowerment of comprehensive policies following the 2021 action plan. On the other hand, people born during the second baby boom in China starting in 1962 are entering their old age. With advanced awareness of retirement and stronger consumption abilities, these people will bring about new opportunities for the industry, Hong explained.
As the market scale continues to expand and relevant technologies are continually upgraded, the application scenarios for eldercare robots will also continue to broaden from simple companionship and caregiving functions to diversified applications such as health monitoring, rehabilitation training, and psychological intervention, covering all aspects of senior citizens' lives, and becoming an indispensable part of their daily existence, especially for those with medical conditions or living with disabilities.
According to a report by China Central Television, in October 2024, there were approximately 45 million senior citizens living with disabilities or dementia in China, while there were only 500,000 certified eldercare professionals. According to the national standard ratio of eldercare professionals to senior citizens, which is 1:4, the gap for caregiving talent exceeds 10 million.
The Global Times searched eldercare robot products on China's leading online shopping website Taobao, with various products popping out including feeding robots, cleaning robots, and robots that aid paralytic seniors to walk and use the restroom. The prices of these products ranges from 1,000 yuan ($136) to 40,000 yuan.
Various smart eldercare products are also continuously being launched to enrich the smart life of seniors, such as smart beds for paralyzed seniors, smart watches, and smart smoke detectors.
The Global Times learned that exoskeletons are also being widely used by elderly people for walking assistance and rehabilitation training for the elderly, providing them with greater convenience and safety in their daily lives.
For example, an exoskeleton developed by Guangzhou Shipeng Technology Co, LTD combines with an ergonomic design, aligns well with human movement and is equipped with advanced sensors, control systems, and AI algorithms. By continuously learning and optimizing its algorithms, the exoskeleton can better adapt to the needs of different users and adjust training programs. This personalized training approach allows each user to experience walking training that is most suitable for them, the Global Times learned from the company.
Improvements needed
In a previous interview with the Global Times, Zhang Rui, founder and executive director of Beijing Ironman Technology, said that the ultimate dream of global humanoid robot developers is to let humanoid robots be integrated into people's daily lives and serve every family.
But it won't be easy to realize the goal due to the complex environment in families, raising high requirements for robots, according to Zhang.
In terms of the development of the smart eldercare industry in China, despite the breakthroughs in recent years driven by supportive policies and developing technologies, there is still significant room for growth in standard formulation, technology research and development, support services, and talent development, according to Hong.
From the perspective of techniques, the main challenge at present is the need to improve their perception and interaction capabilities. In complex home environments, accurately identifying the intentions, emotions, and actions of the seniors is quite difficult, Hong said.
The high cost is another challenge faced by elderly care robots. Currently, the price of patrol robots used in the eldercare field is around 100,000 yuan; AI interactive robots can be priced below 100,000 yuan; while logistics and delivery robots are relatively cheaper, ranging from 30,000 to 40,000 yuan. Additionally, the costs associated with robot maintenance, upkeep, and software upgrades also raise concerns among consumers, she noted.
According to the guidelines of the State Council, an elderly care service network will be basically completed in China by 2029, with enhanced service capabilities, expanded capacity, improved quality, and efficiency. By 2035, the network will be more complete, and service supply and demand will be more coordinated with all in China being able to enjoy basic eldercare service, and an eldercare service system suitable for China's national conditions will have been finalized.
To seize these development opportunities along with the country's deepening reform in eldercare industry, in the future, smart eldercare enterprises need to significantly reduce costs, while on the other hand, they must focus on the overarching direction of integrating medical care with eldercare to ensure seniors can receive necessary medical care services at home or communities, or in eldercare facilities, according to Hong.
