A delegation of the Communist Party of China (CPC) led by Zhao Shitong, assistant-minister of the International Department of the CPC Central Committee, visited Japan from Sunday to Thursday, according to the Xinhua News Agency. 

During the visit, the delegation met and exchanged views with Hiroshi Moriyama, secretary general of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, Tetsuo Saito, leader of the Komeito Party, Yoshihiko Noda, leader of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, Yuichiro Tamaki, leader of Democratic Party for the People (DPP), Mizuho Fukushima, head of the Social Democratic Party of Japan, and Kyoto Governor Takatoshi Nishiwaki.

The delegation also attended a friendship event with representatives from various sectors in the Kansai region and engaged in discussions with faculty and students at Ritsumeikan University.

Both sides expressed their commitment to implementing the important consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, deepening inter-party exchanges and political dialogue, and working together to comprehensively advance China-Japan ties while jointly addressing global challenges.

China's State Council Information Office issued a white paper titled China's Rural Roads in the New Era on Friday to introduce the achievements and vision of rural road development and to share the country's wisdom and solution to the world.

According to the white paper, from 2014 to 2023, a total of 2.5 million kilometers of rural roads were built or renovated, and 70,600 villages were connected by paved roads. The total length of rural roads reached 4.6 million kilometers by the end of 2023, an increase of 21.7 percent over 2013, enough to circle the equator 115 times, the white paper said.

China's non-toll rural roads constitute the most extensive component of transport infrastructure and serve a significant majority of the population. They play a critical role in assisting the rural population in their travels, improving their well-being and living environment, and advancing the modernization of agriculture and rural areas, read the white paper.

Ten years ago, Chinese President Xi Jinping issued instructions on rural road construction to eliminate the traffic bottlenecks restricting rural development, and to facilitate poverty alleviation work in the countryside.

He ordered that rural roads be built well, managed well, maintained well and used well. For this reason, these roads have become known as "Four-Wells Rural Roads," or "Sihaonongcunlu" in Chinese. In May, Xi issued a new instruction on work related to rural roads, urging unremitting efforts be made to upgrade rural roads to facilitate rural development.

In recent years, the Ministry of Transport and other central and local authorities have made notable achievements in improving rural roads, boosting the sense of fulfillment, happiness and security of rural residents, Xi said.

Better rural roads will provide solid support to bring common prosperity to rural residents, facilitate rural revitalization, and accelerate the modernization of China's agriculture and countryside, Xi said.

Guided by Xi's instructions, China has continued to implement the high-quality development of rural roads through institutional innovation, better policies, systematic planning and targeted policy implementation. This has led to significant improvements in the coverage, accessibility, maintenance, services, safety, and resilience of rural roads.

Better transport has cleared bottlenecks that had long delayed economic and social development in poor areas, and has laid a solid foundation for rural people to realize moderate prosperity in all respects, the white paper said.

According to the white paper, the steady development of transport facilities in rural areas has attracted more capital, projects and talent to the countryside, creating more job opportunities and broadening the avenues for income growth.

At present, rural road construction projects provide work for about 80,000 people in need as a form of relief, enabling an annual average per capita income increase of around 8,500 yuan (about $1,182.57), the white paper noted.

About 850,000 jobs are provided in rural road management and maintenance, offering an annual average per capita income of approximately 13,000 yuan, it said.

While broad highways connect mountains and rivers over this vast land, rural roads buttress common people's dream of prosperity. China has explored an approach to developing rural roads in light of its realities, contributing Chinese wisdom and solutions to global poverty reduction.

Since 2018, China has supported 24 developing countries, including Cambodia, Serbia, Rwanda, Namibia, Vanuatu and Niger, in highway and bridge construction and maintenance. These efforts have helped these countries improve their transport infrastructure, according to the white paper.

Today, as China embarks on a new journey of promoting national rejuvenation through Chinese modernization, the country's rural road endeavors have entered a period of historic opportunity. China will implement a new round of rural road upgrading programs covering road network expansion, road safety, transport capacity, governance ability, public services, the road environment, the integrated development of transport and local industries, and the growth of employment and rural incomes. These efforts will improve the modern rural transport system, open a new chapter of rural road development, and build up China's strength in transport, read the white paper.

As China's modernization advances, by 2035, the country will have in place a rural road transport system with a sound scale and structure, high-quality infrastructure and services, and rational and effective governance. By the middle of the century, China will become a great modern socialist country with a safe, convenient, green and beautiful rural road transport system, according to the white paper.

In a spirit of openness and mutually-beneficial cooperation, China will strengthen international exchanges and collaboration in exploring new models and paths of rural road development, further contributing to global rural road development and poverty reduction, and building a global community with a shared future, read the white paper.

As a trailblazer in combating poverty, China has consistently shared its experiences and resources with other countries, fostering shared development that benefits all of humanity.

At the G20 Summit in November, China announced its decision to join the Global Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty, an initiative designed to raise resources and knowledge to implement proven public policies and social technologies to combat hunger and poverty worldwide.

Over the years, China's commitment has been repeatedly evidenced through a range of projects, such as the Luban Workshop, the program of "Access to Satellite TV for 10,000 African Villages" and the "Africa Solar Belt" program, each widely embraced by locals.

China's success in poverty elimination not only offers hope and inspiration to countries worldwide but also provides valuable insights and practical support for their poverty alleviation efforts.

EXPERIENCE IN FIGHT AGAINST POVERTY

In 2021, China declared that it had eradicated extreme poverty, a remarkable achievement following decades of unremitting efforts by the world's most populous country. Having lifted 800 million people out of poverty, the country realized the poverty reduction goal set by the United Nations (UN) 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development a decade in advance.

However, poverty remains a vexing problem that has plagued humanity. In 2023, global hunger levels were stubbornly high for three consecutive years, with a staggering 733 million people -- one in eleven globally -- facing hunger, according to a report from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN.

This persistent challenge has prompted many nations still struggling with poverty to turn to China, hoping to learn from its success and replicate its anti-poverty achievements.

A cornerstone of China's poverty alleviation efforts is its targeted poverty alleviation strategy. With specific individuals, local conditions, and the root causes of poverty in mind, this approach has proven to be a silver bullet to the deeply entrenched problem.

Under this model, China established clear standards and procedures for accurately identifying the poor and implemented robust team efforts to ensure the effective implementation of tailored measures.

During China's battle against absolute poverty, a total of 255,000 teams were dispatched to offer on-the-ground support and over 3 million people were sent to the countryside as special commissioners for poverty relief, official data showed.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in his message for the 2017 Global Poverty Reduction and Development Forum that "targeted poverty reduction strategies are the only way to reach those farthest behind and achieve the ambitious targets set out in the 2030 Agenda."

"China has lifted hundreds of millions of people out of poverty, and its experiences can provide valuable lessons to other developing countries," he added.

Ravshan Nazarov, senior researcher at the Institute of State and Law of the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Uzbekistan, said China's successful approach to combating poverty provides substantial support in implementing the UN's 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and showcases a diverse and systematic model of poverty reduction that can serve as a practical example for other countries.

SUPPORT FOR GLOBAL DEVELOPMENT

At the G20 Summit, China also outlined eight actions for global development. These include pursuing high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, implementing the Global Development Initiative, supporting development in Africa, and supporting international cooperation on poverty reduction and food security.

"China is clearly demonstrating its commitment to the fight against poverty and its real support for the development of countries, especially those in the Global South," said Eduardo Relagado, researcher at the International Policy Research Center of Cuba.

Through various initiatives, China has consistently increased its resource input, optimized cooperation methods, and expanded financing channels to support the shared development of nations around the world.

The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), an important part of the eight actions, has already brought substantial benefits since its launch over 11 years ago.

By June 2023, China had signed more than 200 BRI cooperation agreements with more than 150 countries and 30 international organizations across five continents, yielding a number of signature projects and small-scale yet impactful projects.

World Bank has estimated that by 2030, BRI-related projects and investments could lift 7.6 million people out of extreme poverty and 32 million others out of moderate poverty.

The Global Development Initiative, launched three years ago, has provided nearly 20 billion U.S. dollars in development funds and launched more than 1,100 projects. Over 80 countries have joined the "Group of Friends of the Global Development Initiative," further strengthening global consensus on poverty reduction.

The country has trained over 400,000 professionals from more than 180 countries in a bid to strengthen their capacity to combat impoverishment and drive sustainable development.

In addition to these initiatives, China is expanding its trade openness with the least developed countries and has pledged to offer zero-tariff treatment on all products from these countries with diplomatic relations with China.

Dennis Munene, executive director of the China-Africa Center at the Africa Policy Institute in Nairobi, Kenya, emphasized that the launch of tariff-free measures for more African products will help open up China's market of over 1.4 billion people to them.

This move will promote trade and economic development in the poorer countries and help many of them escape absolute poverty, he added.

There is no fundamental conflict of interests between China and Australia, Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Monday.

Xi made the remarks when meeting with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro.

Xi said that as long as the two sides adhere to mutual respect, treat each other as equals, and seek common ground while shelving differences, China-Australia relations will surely develop well.

In his meeting with Albanese, Xi also called on China and Australia to strengthen coordination and cooperation and oppose protectionism.

Noting that both China and Australia are supporters and defenders of economic globalization and free trade, he urged the two sides to promote the sharing of opportunities and benefits among various countries via opening up, so as to realize common development.

Xi also said he is ready to work with the Australian side to build a more mature, stable, and fruitful comprehensive strategic partnership between China and Australia to inject more stability and certainty into the region and the world.

Xi pointed out that in November last year, he and Albanese had in-depth communication in Beijing on strategic, overall, and directional issues concerning the long-term development of China-Australia relations.

Over the past year and more, the two countries have maintained close communication and exchanges at all levels, actively promoted the implementation of the important consensus reached between the two leaders, and achieved positive progress, Xi said.

Xi pointed out that more than 250 Australian companies participated in this year's China International Import Expo, a record high, which is a "vote of confidence" by Australian companies in China's economy and cooperation between the two countries.

Noting that the two sides should be firm in expanding the pattern of mutually beneficial and win-win cooperation, Xi said China is willing to import more quality Australian products, encourage Chinese companies to invest and do business in Australia, and hope that Australia will provide a fair, transparent and non-discriminatory business environment for Chinese companies.

Albanese said he is very glad to meet with President Xi again on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the Australia-China comprehensive strategic partnership.

Since his visit to China last year, Albanese said, the Australia-China relationship has made encouraging progress in various areas, including trade, bringing tangible benefits to the two peoples.

The Australian side stays committed to the one-China policy, opposes "decoupling," advocates promoting economic globalization, and hopes to strengthen cooperation with China in such areas as energy transition and climate change, he said.

Noting that China's development has made important contributions to the long-term stability and growth of the Asia-Pacific region, Albanese said that Australia appreciates China's important role in APEC and other multilateral mechanisms, supports China's role as the host of APEC in 2026, and stands ready to strengthen multilateral communication with China to promote regional peace, stability, prosperity and development.

China and France, as major countries, share common responsibilities to lead the international community to unite in efforts to address global challenges at a time when many new changes are unfolding in the international landscape, said Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday.

Xi made the remarks while meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron on the sidelines of the G20 Leaders' Summit held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

China-France relations are of unique strategic significance and global influence as both are independent, mature and responsible major countries, Xi noted, adding that in May this year, he and Macron outlined a vision for the next 60 years of China-France relations and jointly spoke out on global challenges and hotspot issues, leaving a wide and positive impact on the international arena.

He urged the two countries to deepen strategic communication, strengthen mutual support, maintain a momentum of steady and positive development of bilateral relations, and make greater contribution to the sound development of China-Europe relations and world peace and stability.

Xi reaffirmed that China is willing to continue to strengthen high-level exchanges with France, deepen exchanges and cooperation in such fields as culture, education, youth, and at local level, so as to promote people-to-people exchanges between the two countries.

The Third Plenary Session of the 20th Communist Party of China Central Committee has launched a new round of reform and opening-up process in China, creating fresh opportunities for China-France cooperation and broadening the scope for practical cooperation between the two nations, he said.

Xi expressed his hope that the two sides will make good use of mechanisms such as the high-level economic and financial dialogue and the joint committee of trade and economic cooperation to further tap the potential of cooperation, strengthen complementary advantages, properly resolve differences, and achieve mutual benefit and win-win results.

For his part, Macron recalled Xi's successful visit to France in May this year, during which they jointly celebrated the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between France and China.

Noting that the world today is full of instabilities and uncertainties, Macron said that France is willing to work with China to earnestly implement the consensus reached by the two heads of state, continue to strengthen high-level exchanges, enhance people-to-people exchanges, continue traditional friendship and forge a new type of state-to-state relations.

France upholds strategic autonomy and is willing to engage in dialogue and cooperation with China in the spirit of mutual respect, properly handle economic and trade disputes, maintain a sound and steady development of bilateral economic and trade relations, and strengthen cooperation in climate change, global AI governance and other fields, he said.

The two sides exchanged views on the Ukraine crisis. Xi noted that China's position on the crisis is consistent, and China hopes that the conflict will be eased.

Neither spillover of the crisis nor escalation of the conflict is what China wants to see; instead, China will continue to play a constructive role in its own way for the ceasefire and end of the conflict, he added.

No meeting was held between the Chinese and US defense ministers during the ASEAN Defense Ministers' Meeting (ADMM)-Plus, and the responsibility lies entirely with the US side, China's Ministry of National Defense spokesperson Wu Qian said on Thursday when commenting on US Defense Department officials' statement that China had refused a meeting between the defense ministers due to US arms sales to the island of Taiwan.
 
The US cannot undermine China's core interests on the Taiwan question while engaging in exchanges with the Chinese military as if nothing has happened. The US should immediately correct its mistakes, truly respect China's core interests, and work to create favorable conditions for high-level military exchanges between the two countries, Wu said.

Out of boredom, a man in Changzhi city, North China's Shanxi Province, released a “wanted notice” on the internet for himself, causing significant social disruption. The man is now placed under police custody for possible criminal offenses. 

The man, named Wang Yibo, claimed to be armed with an assault rifle and 500 rounds of ammunition and blackmailed a company for 30 million yuan ($4.14 million) on social media platforms, stating that a reward of 30,000 yuan ($4,140) would be offered for his capture if anyone found him.

The local police in charge of internet security discovered the post during routine online monitoring and promptly launched an investigation. 

Following clues, the police recently decided to detain the man. Wang said he acted out of frustration and boredom with his daily life.

The police conducted a thorough search of Wang’s residence, finding no prohibited items such as firearms or ammunition.

By the time Wang was detained, his video had garnered 350,000 views, with 2,459 likes, 799 favorites, 80 comments and 1,155 reposts, causing widespread social disruption.

Wang is facing further police investigations for intentionally disseminating false information and causing social disruption. 

The one-China principle is a widely accepted consensus in the international community, and the Taiwan authorities' attempt to use so-called "diplomatic allies" for political manipulation and provocations aimed at seeking "Taiwan independence" is futile, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian told a press conference on Friday.

Lai is planning to stop at Hawaii or maybe Guam on a visit to Taiwan's "diplomatic allies" in the Pacific in the coming weeks, sources told Reuters.

Lin said that Taiwan authorities' such attempt cannot shake the strong international commitment to the one-China principle, nor can it prevent the historical trend of China's inevitable reunification.

We urge the US to adhere to the one-China principle and the three joint communiqués between China and the US, not allow Lai's "transit," and refrain from sending any wrong signals to the "Taiwan independence" forces, said Lin.

Lin urged the US to take concrete actions to safeguard China-US relations and peace and stability across the Taiwan Straits.

Carrying essential life supplies and experimental samples including those for future lunar base missions, the Tianzhou-8 cargo spacecraft blasted off from the Wenchang Space Launch Site in South China's Hainan Province at 11:13 pm on Friday aboard the Long March-7 Y9 carrier rocket.

About 10 minutes later, the Tianzhou-8 successfully separated from the rocket and entered its designated orbit. Subsequently, the spacecraft's solar panels were successfully deployed, marking a complete success for the launch mission, the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) said.

The Tianzhou-8 is loaded with supplies for taikonauts' in-orbit stay, propellant, experimental devices, and other materials. It also delivered New Year gifts for the Shenzhou-19 crew in celebration of the Year of the Snake.

The mission marked the last one in 2024 heading for China's space station, drawing an end to this year's manned space program launch schedule.

Tianzhou-8 is the largest operational cargo spacecraft in the world, with the most comprehensive in-orbit support capabilities. The previously launched Tianzhou-6 and -7 already increased the loading capacity compared to earlier spacecraft of the series.

Tianzhou-8 further increases the cargo capacity by over 200 liters and more than 100 kilograms, the Global Times learned from the China Academy of Space Technology (CAST), a company affiliated with the state-owned China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation.

However, the increase in capacity is not the biggest highlight of Tianzhou-8, said Dang Rong, deputy chief designer of the Tianzhou cargo series. "The enhancement for loading temporary cargo is even more noteworthy," she said.

"Our research teams have created a sliding rail that allows us to first place items that were originally stored in the refrigerator inside, and once everything is packed, we can push the rail to utilize the new space for some temporary cargo. This has increased the craft's temporary loading capacity from a few dozen kilograms to over 100 kilograms," Dang noted.

This will enable taikonauts to have access to more fresh fruit and vegetables, as well as further expanding the capacity for loading low-temperature experimental samples, thereby enriching the scientific experiment projects available in orbit, CAST said in a statement sent to the Global Times.

The space application system led by the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) has sent 36 space science experiments and over 80 products, weighing approximately 458 kilograms, to the space station aboard Tianzhou-8, the CAS revealed.

These experiments cover various fields, including space life sciences and biotechnology, space materials science, microgravity fluid physics and combustion, as well as new technology experiments for space application.

Notably, this mission will carry "lunar soil bricks" for the first time, which are made from special materials that simulate lunar soil. These bricks will undergo space exposure experiments at the space station to verify whether they can be used for building structures on the moon. After completing the experiments, the first brick is expected to return to Earth by the end of next year, CCTV reported.

After entering orbit, Tianzhou-8 will use a three-hour rapid autonomous rendezvous and docking approach and connect with China's Tiangong space station at the aft port of the core module, forming an integrated structure, according to CAST.

Since the first autonomous rendezvous in 2011, when Shenzhou-8 docked with Tiangong-1 after 44 hours, China's docking technology has seen continuous advancements. In 2017, Tianzhou-1 docked with Tiangong-2 using a 6.5-hour fast docking model. In 2022, Tianzhou-5 set a world record with a 2-hour ultra-fast rendezvous, and in 2024, Tianzhou-7 validated the 3-hour model.

Tianzhou-8's docking will mark the establishment of a standard operational mode for future missions. While not the fastest, the choice of 3-hour docking has taken into consideration all factors more comprehensively, Kang Guohua, a senior member of the Chinese Society of Astronautics and professor of Aerospace Engineering at Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, told the Global Times.

The mode integrates the "speed" factor from the 2-hour plan and the "reliability" factor from the 6.5-hour plan, successfully elevating China's space supply delivery to "express delivery," according to Kang. This demonstrates strong adaptability to meet the needs of different missions, making it an "optimal solution." The 3-hour mode also eases demands on rocket orbit conditions, measurement and control precision, and guidance accuracy, thereby boosting both flexibility and dependability for mission execution.

The Tianzhou-8's launch had previously been delayed due to Super Typhoon Yagi. It was the strongest typhoon that hit the Chinese mainland in autumn on record, making two landfalls in Hainan Province in September.

Based on previous practices, normally it is the cargo resupply that first arrives at the space station and then the new crew. However, due to the typhoon, the Tianzhou-8 mission, which was intended to arrive before the Shenzhou-19 taikonauts, is the first to reverse such common practice.

Wang Ya'nan, chief editor of Beijing-based Aerospace Knowledge magazine, told the Global Times that the delay of the launch mission has little impact on the taikonauts' lives, as there is always a buffer of supplies left in Tiangong before the next cargo arrives, ensuring there will be no shortage of materials due to delays. However, the delay may have some short-term impacts on certain experiments, particularly those that rely on specific experimental equipment.

Australia, Japan and the US on Sunday committed to closer military cooperation in training their forces, agreeing to the regular deployment of Japanese troops in northern Australia's Darwin. 

Chinese observers said the "cooperation" signals a dangerous shift in Japan toward further militarization, and the irony was especially profound given that Darwin was a major base for Allied forces in World War II and was heavily bombed by Japanese forces to a point that it was sometimes described as "Australia's Pearl Harbor."

Under the new agreement, Japan's Amphibious Rapid Deployment Brigade will be deployed to Darwin to regularly work and train alongside Australian and US forces, the VOA reported. 

Around 2,000 US Marines are already hosted in Darwin, capital of the Northern Territory, for six months of the year. The military deployment is attributed to growing concern among Washington and its allies about China's growing military power in the Indo-Pacific region, according to Reuters. 

Japan's new Amphibious Rapid Deployment Brigade will join the annual US-Australian exercises held by the Marine Rotational Force-Darwin, starting with Talisman Sabre 2025 and building toward the countries' first air- and missile-defense live-fire training event in the exercise's 2027 edition, according to Defense One.

The increased coordination between Japan, Australia and the US will take place under a new structure called the Trilateral Defense Consultations, Defense One reported, citing Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles. 

The trilateral defense meeting reveals a clear agenda: to enhance military cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region in line with the US Indo-Pacific strategy. The so-called security issues in this region are largely fabricated, serving as a pretext for these nations to strengthen their military ties while portraying China as a threat, a hypothetical enemy, Lü Chao, a research fellow on Northeast Asia studies at the Liaoning Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Sunday.

In the context of ongoing conflicts in various regions around the world, the Asia-Pacific region is leading global economic development. Most countries in this region are making efforts to maintain prosperity and stability. The "cooperation" promoted by Japan and Australia under the instigation of the US undoubtedly threatens regional peace and stability, raising concerns among regional countries and their people, Chen Hong, director of the Australian Studies Center of East China Normal University, told the Global Times.

Apart from the fact that Japan and Australia are acting as US pillars for its Indo-Pacific Strategy, the move came against the background of the reciprocal access agreement between Japan and Australia, which is viewed as a quasi-military alliance that allows both countries to send military personnel and deploy military equipment to each other, Chen said. 

Reuters said that the deployment has special significance given Darwin was a major base for Allied forces in World War II and was heavily bombed by Japanese forces. The wartime air raids on the port city are sometimes described as Australia's Pearl Harbor.

For Japan, it signals a dangerous shift toward further militarization. Its WWII bombing of Darwin should be viewed as a historical warning against Japanese militarism. In recent years, Japan has also continuously breached the constraints of its peace constitution in an attempt to expand its military capabilities, Chen said. 

In addition, by expanding its overseas military presence, Japan, as a post-World War II defeated nation, is openly violating the defensive limitations set forth in the Potsdam Declaration, which forms a cornerstone of the post-war international order, according to Lü. 

This escalation of military actions by Japan is inherently dangerous, particularly for many countries in the Asia-Pacific that have historically suffered from Japanese militarism and colonialism, Lü warned.

Also, domestically there are growing concerns over Australia becoming a tool of the US. Some individuals are calling on Australia to prioritize its own interests, exercise political wisdom and handle its relationships with Japan and the US with caution, Chen said.