"I am deeply saddened by the tragic plane crash at Muan Airport today. My heartfelt condolences go out to the victims and their families, and I extend on behalf of my colleagues our sympathies to those injured," Chinese Ambassador to South Korea Dai Bing wrote on X on Sunday, shortly after a passenger plane reportedly veered off runway and crashed at Muan International Airport in South Jeolla Province.
The Chinese Consulate General in Gwangju, South Korea, confirmed to reporters on Sunday that no Chinese citizens were among the casualties in the air crash, according to Xinhua News Agency.
Most of the people aboard a South Korean airplane that crashed at an airport in southwest South Korea on Sunday morning were believed to have been killed except two rescued, local fire authorities said.
The passenger plane with 175 passengers, including 173 South Koreans and two Thais, as well as six flight attendants on board, crashed while attempting to land at the Muan International Airport, some 290 kilometers southwest of the capital Seoul, at about 9:07 am.
"Chinese Embassy stands in solidarity with the ROK during this difficult time," Dai added in the Sunday post.
Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday expressed his confidence in Sam Hou Fai, who was just sworn in as the sixth-term chief executive of the Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR).
When meeting with Sam here, Xi said the central government will fully support the chief executive and the Macao SAR government in fulfilling their duties.
The Chinese embassy in Germany said it has not received reports of casualties among Chinese nationals as a driver killed at least five people when he rammed into a large crowd of revelers at a Christmas market in the German city of Magdeburg on Friday evening local time.
The embassy reminds Chinese nationals to increase their safety awareness, stay informed about local safety conditions, and avoid gatherings during the holiday season.
According to China Central Television, at least five were killed and over 200 were injured.
One of the dead was a young child, said Reiner Haseloff, premier of the state of Saxony-Anhalt. The incident took place in Magdeburg, the state capital, which is 150 kilometers (93 miles) west of Berlin, Reuters reported.
Haseloff described the attacker as a 50-year-old male doctor from Saudi Arabia with permanent residency in Germany, where he had lived for almost two decades.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who sent his thoughts to those affected in a post on social media platform X, is expected to visit the scene on Saturday together with Interior Minister Nancy Faeser, Reuters reported
Former Chinese national football team head coach Li Tie was sentenced to 20 years in prison in a first-instance verdict on Friday for a number of charges including offering and accepting bribes.
The verdict was made by the Intermediate People's Court of Xianning, Central China's Hubei Province.
From 2019 to 2021, Li, taking advantage of his position as the head coach of the Chinese men's national football team, illegally accepted bribes totaling over 50.89 million yuan ($7.04 million), the Beijing Daily reported, citing revelations from the courts.
From 2015 to 2019, while working at the Hebei Huaxia Fortune Soccer Club and the Wuhan Zall Club, Li bribed other football clubs to cooperate or play passively during matches in order to win or achieve favorable outcomes, with the amount totaling over 39.05 million yuan.
From 2017 to 2019, leveraging his positions as general manager and head coach at the Wuhan club, Li received a total of 26.75 million yuan from the Hebei club to assist it in player transfers and winning matches.
Before the sentencing of Li, media reports show that 15 people have been sentenced in the ongoing anti-corruption campaign in China's football field.
On the same day of Li Tie's sentencing, the case of Du Zhaocai, former deputy director of the General Administration of Sport of China, for accepting bribes is also set to be sentenced. During the public trial in August, Du was accused of using his position to directly or indirectly, through relatives and others, illegally accept over 43.41 million yuan in bribes.
Chinese President Xi Jinping will be in Macao from Dec. 18 to 20 to attend a gathering marking the 25th anniversary of Macao's return to the motherland.
Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, will be present at the inauguration ceremony of the sixth-term government of the Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR).
Xi will also conduct an inspection tour during his stay in the Macao SAR.
In his 2024 New Year message delivered on December 31, 2023, Chinese President Xi Jinping said that “We have gone through the test of winds and rains, have seen beautiful scenes unfolding on the way, and have made plenty real achievements.” This year, we have marched forward with solid steps, we have marched forward with robust steps, we have marched forward in high spirits, we have marched forward with great confidence.
October 1, 2024 marks the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China. As we look back at the past 75 years, the remarks in Xi’s New Year message aptly summed up how the country, under the firm leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC), marched forward with resolve, tenacity and confidence, and made unparalleled achievements in economic and social development and in overall comprehensive national strength.
To encapsulate such an extraordinary feat, the Global Times publishes this special edition, with in-depth analysis, vivid stories and opinions from foreign experts.
Chinese President Xi Jinping on Sunday addressed a ceremony held to award the highest state honors ahead of the 75th founding anniversary of the People's Republic of China.
Before his speech, Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, presented the Medal of the Republic, the Friendship Medal, and medals of national honorary titles at the Great Hall of the People.
Technical teams from China and the EU are actively negotiating a flexible price undertaking solution, as directed by the consultation of Chinese Minister of Commerce Wang Wentao and European Commission (EC) Executive Vice President and Trade Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis, regarding the EU's ongoing anti-subsidy investigation into Chinese electric vehicles (EVs), He Yongqian, spokesperson of the Chinese Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM), said on Thursday.
He's remarks came after Wang and Dombrovskis held a comprehensive, in-depth and constructive consultation in Brussels on September 19 on the EU's anti-subsidy investigation into China-made EVs.
During the meeting, both sides clearly expressed their political willingness to resolve differences through consultation and agreed to continue advancing negotiations on price commitments, and to spare no effort to reach a mutually acceptable solution through friendly dialogue and consultation, He noted.
"The technical teams from both sides are currently working diligently on negotiating a flexible price undertaking solution, as directed by the consultation, striving to reach a consensus on the solution before the final ruling," He said, noting that China has the utmost sincerity to properly resolve differences through dialogue and consultation, as well as the firmest determination to safeguard the legitimate interests of Chinese enterprises.
The bloc is currently working to add a provision to the draft legislation to allow talks to keep going, which member states are now expected to vote on by early next month, according to a report by Bloomberg on Wednesday.
The EU's executive arm has repeatedly said that any alternative to tariffs has to have strict requirements. It must align with WTO rules, address the impact of China's subsidies and be something the EU can monitor for compliance, the report said.
Lin Jian, spokesperson of China's Foreign Ministry, told a press conference on September 18 that China has, since the very beginning, shown utmost sincerity, been committed to settling the issue through dialogue and consultation, and made flexible proposals.
"We hope that the EU will show sincerity, take action and take a serious look at the Chinese EV sector's legitimate concerns and proposals," Lin said.
If the EC is bent on making the wrong decision, China will take what is necessary to firmly safeguard the lawful rights and interests of our companies and the EV sector, Lin noted.
Saudi Arabia is working with international partners and prioritizes cooperation with China to achieve its goal to a regional hub, Saudi Arabian Ambassador to China Abdulrahman Ahmad Al-Harbi told the Global Times.
He also expressed a willingness to welcome more Chinese companies to invest in Saudi Arabia across various sectors such as the petrochemical and oil, the automotive industry, and infrastructure, which, he pointed out, would be in the interests of Saudi Arabia and China.
Al-Harbi made the above statement during an interview with reporters at Saudi Arabia's 94th National Day Reception event held in Beijing on Monday.
He noted that the bilateral relationship between Saudi Arabia and China is an outstanding example of inter-state relations, characterized by deep friendship, mutual trust, and respect for each other, continuously advancing forward. In recent years, high-level exchanges between the two countries have been frequent, and cooperation in various fields has yielded remarkable results.
Saud Arabia and China signed the implementation plan for the synergy between the Belt and Road Initiative and Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 in 2022. The Saudi diplomat said the plan laid a strong foundation for bilateral cooperation, and noted that both sides not only share many common interests but also match in various sectors.
According to him, both sides have already cooperated across various sectors, including petrochemicals and oil, the automotive industry, technology, logistics, and infrastructure.
"We believe there are many sectors and sub-sectors in which we have common interests. Joint investments have already taken place between both sides, and we welcome more Chinese investment," he said.
When discussing the role of China-Saudi Arabia cooperation in addressing the challenges of conflicts in the Middle East and achieving regional peace and security, Al-Harbi said that the two countries share similar positions on many regional and international issues. Both countries' foreign policies support the realization of global security and peace, respect for the sovereignty of other nations, and non-interference in the internal affairs of other countries. As important members of the international community, Saudi Arabia and China have significant influence globally. Their productive cooperation has already had a notable positive impact on regional and international stability, and is expected to play an even more important role in the future.
According to Saudi Arabia's media reports, the Saudi Ministry of Education recently officially announced the inclusion of Chinese language courses in the country's primary and secondary school curriculum, designating Chinese as one of the main teaching languages. The aim is to teach students the basic skills of reading, writing, and conversing in Chinese. The Ministry of Education has begun to take necessary measures to adjust the curriculum and class hours, as well as provide professional teachers to accommodate the new teaching system.
In that regard, Al-Harbi further explained that learning Chinese is of great significance for enhancing mutual understanding between the peoples of the two countries, and cultural exchanges fully reflect the friendly bilateral relations between them. More than 170 Chinese teachers have recently arrived in Saudi Arabia to teach Chinese in public schools. Additionally, about 100 Saudi students have gone to China to study Chinese, preparing for future careers as Chinese language teachers in Saudi Arabia.
Moroccan Ambassador to China Abdelkader El Ansari hosted a welcome ceremony at the Moroccan residence in Beijing on September 6 for the cyclist Karim Mosta, who had successfully cycled from Casablanca, Morocco, to Beijing.
Celebrating Mosta's cross-continent cycling journey, the Ambassador lauded the determination of the 70-year-old Moroccan cyclist, saying that the ride is so amazing that it is a vivid example of friendly people-to-people exchanges between Morocco and China.
Riding the entire route, Mosta also went through a number of countries that have joined the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). The Ambassador said that the BRI has promoted the interconnection and economic development of these countries through the construction of infrastructure including roads, airports, ports and rail. Through his journey, Mosta witnessed the fruitful results of the joint efforts.
Ambassador Ansari said that the two countries have a long history of friendly exchanges. In the 14th century, Ibn Battuta, a famous Moroccan traveler, visited China along the ancient Silk Road. It took him many years to reach China by camel, boat and on foot. In the 21st century, when airplanes, automobiles, trains and other means of transportation have been widely used, Mosta's bike ride from Casablanca to Beijing is a testament to his strong willpower and determination.
The Ambassador noted that this ride has many positive implications.
