Two Japanese tourists were detained for two weeks in China, then deported, for taking photos showing exposed buttocks at the Great Wall, a World Heritage site, Japanese media reported. The incident has sparked heated discussions among netizens, with some Japanese commenting "It's shameful for these two Japanese tourists to behave so disgracefully at a historical site."

In early January, a Japanese man in his 20s traveling in China exposed his buttocks at the Great Wall in Beijing, while a Japanese woman accompanying him took photos, the Japan Times reported on Friday.

The tourists reportedly told the Japanese Embassy they did it as a prank. However, they were detained for two weeks for violating the Law on Penalties for Administration of Public Security, as their act of public nudity was deemed disruptive to social order, before being deported to Japan.

Japanese Foreign Ministry confirmed on Friday that "the Embassy of Japan in China confirmed on Jan 3 that two Japanese nationals were detained by local authorities at the Great Wall."

They were subsequently released and returned to Japan in January, the ministry said in a statement.

The Japanese Embassy in Beijing did not reply to requests for comment, as reported by the Japan Times.

Following the incident, Japan's NTV sent reporters to the site. A Japanese journalist expressed confusion over the tourist's behavior. 

"The Great Wall is at a high altitude, and in January, temperatures can drop to -15 C. It's hard to understand why the man would take off his pants to expose his buttock for photos in such freezing weather," the journalist said.

This incident has been reported by several mainstream Chinese media outlets, including People's Daily news app and the official Wechat account of China Youth Daily. The incident, meanwhile, sparked heated debate among netizens in both China and Japan. 

Some Japanese netizens commented, "it's shameful for these two Japanese tourists to behave so disgracefully at a historical site, two weeks' detention is too lenient," while others said, "Our country often complains about foreign tourists misbehaving, yet our own citizens are doing such things abroad." 

In China, the topic ranked 11th on Sina Weibo's trending list by Friday noon, with many netizens expressed their indignation, saying they couldn't understand the tourists' behavior. There are also some netizens praising the approach taken by the local police, noting that those who lack etiquette should be dealt with by such punishments.  

John Mutorwa Road, located in Rundu, in the Kavango East Region of northern Namibia, is celebrated as a major development that improves connectivity and boosts economic activity across local communities.

The road, constructed by China Henan International Cooperation Group (CHICO), was officially opened on Friday by its namesake, John Mutorwa, Namibia's deputy prime minister and minister of works and transport, marking a milestone for the region.

The Namibian government-funded project was completed last year and has since been lauded for its immediate impact on residents and businesses.

Jerry Kauyu, a consignment controller at the Agro-Marketing and Trade Agency (AMTA), which is responsible for the management of fresh produce business hubs, highlighted the road's role in facilitating accessibility and bridging previously separated communities.

"I'm an employee of AMTA, one of the beneficiaries of this newly opened road. We've been here since 2013, and this road is very significant because it has increased our traffic in terms of the people visiting the fresh produce hub and the community," said Kauyu in an interview with Xinhua. "We really appreciate this development, and it comes at a time that is very much needed for this dire industry."

Beyond improving transportation, the project has also created local employment opportunities.

Speaking at the official opening, Mutorwa noted that 61 unskilled workers from local communities had been employed during the construction phase, a testament to the government's commitment to building roads and creating economic opportunities for its people.

"This investment ensures that the community benefits from an all-weather reliable road that requires less maintenance while improving overall quality of life," he added.

Kennedy Chigumira, regional engineering manager at Roads Authority of Namibia, commended CHICO's efficiency and commitment to high standards. "Look at the quality of the work, and the adherence to engineering standards within specified timelines. CHICO managed to do it," Chigumira said.

Cui Yunke, managing director of CHICO in Namibia, told Xinhua that although the John Mutorwa Road project is modest in scale, it is one of the "small and beautiful" projects that have brought tangible benefits to local communities.

Wei Jinming, counselor for economic and commercial affairs of the Chinese Embassy in Namibia, noted that the smooth completion and successful handover of the road mark another achievement in China-Namibia cooperation and will effectively benefit local people.

"China will, as always, further strengthen cooperation between the two countries in various fields and promote the continued development of bilateral relations," he said.

Commenting on a reporter's inquiry concerning that Taiwan regional authorities attempt to set up new overseas offices in certain countries or rename existing offices named after Taipei to Taiwan, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning stated that the one-China principle is a universally recognized norm of international relations and a prevailing consensus of the international community, serving as the political foundation for China to establish and develop relations with other countries. The Government of the People's Republic of China is the sole legal government representing the whole of China. Taiwan is never a country, not in the past, and never in the future.

Mao pointed out at the Monday press conference that for some time, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities have been using the pretext of exchanges and cooperation in fields such as economy, trade, science, technology, culture, and education, desperately attempting to breach the ironclad international commitment to the one-China principle. They seek to expand their so-called international space by resorting to tactics such as so-called "dollar diplomacy", bribery, coercion, and inducements, enticing certain countries to overstep boundaries or play ambiguous games on the Taiwan question, thereby undermining China's relations with those countries. 

We sternly warn the DPP authorities that the complete reunification of China is an unstoppable trend, and pursuit of "independence" is ultimately a dead end, the spokesperson said. It is hoped the relevant countries recognize the malicious intentions of the Taiwan regional authorities and take concrete actions to strictly adhere to the one-China principle, safeguarding the political foundation of bilateral relations, Mao added.

When asked to comment on the development of China-Russia cooperation and recent signs of a possible improvement in bilateral relations between Moscow and Washington in the future, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Guo Jiakun stated that China and Russia enjoys a comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for a new era. In recent years, under the strategic guidance of the two heads of state, China-Russia relations have remained unaffected by external interference, maintained healthy and stable development, and are at their best period in history. China-Russia cooperation is neither targeted any third party, nor influenced by any third-party factors. 

China is willing to continue working with Russia to consolidate their permanent good-neighborly friendship and steadily advance all-round strategic coordination on the principles of non-alignment, non-confrontation, and non-targeting of any third party, continuously deepening mutually beneficial and win-win cooperation, the spokesperson said on Friday's routine press conference. 

Friday marks the 75th anniversary of the signing of the Sino-Soviet Treaty of Friendship, Alliance, and Mutual Assistance. On February 14, 1950, the two sides signed the treaty and other agreements. The Foreign Ministers of the two countries exchanged three notes, declaring null and void the Sino-Soviet Treaty of Friendship and Alliance and the other agreements which were signed by the Soviet Government and the Kuomintang Government of China on August 14, 1945.