With the highly watched trial of secessionist media tycoon Jimmy Lai taking place on Monday at West Kowloon Court, some Western politicians and media have exploited this occasion to smear the National Security Law (NSL) for Hong Kong and badmouth the rule of law in the city. Officials from both the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong have called these criticisms blatant interference in China's internal affairs, adding that any attempts to slander, disrupt and sabotage the NSL for Hong Kong will never succeed.
Lai, wearing a light gray suit jacket, was escorted into the courtroom on Monday morning. Presided over by three national security law designated judges, the prosecution's first charge was "conspiracy to print, publish, sell, offer for sale, distribute, display, or reproduce seditious publications."
The three judges overseeing Lai's trial are Madam Justices Esther Toh Lye-ping and Susana D'Almada Remedios, and Mr Justice Alex Lee Wan-tang, according to Hong Kong media.
Lai, along with three companies related to Apple Daily and six former senior executives of Apple Daily, are charged with conspiring to collude with foreign or external forces to endanger national security and conspiracy to publish seditious publications. In addition, Lai faces two charges of violating national security laws, including conspiring with individuals such as wanted fugitive Andy Li Yu-hin and others to collude with foreign countries or overseas forces. The trial is expected to last 80 days.
Representatives from the consulates of more than 10 countries, including the US, the UK, Australia, Canada, and the EU, were also seen lining up to wait for tickets to enter the court to observe the trial, some local media said.
At a press conference on Monday, Wang Wenbin, spokesperson of the Chinese Foreign Ministry, said Lai is a major mastermind and participant of the anti-China riots in Hong Kong. "He is an agent and pawn of the anti-China forces, and the person behind the riots in Hong Kong. What he did was detrimental to Hong Kong's prosperity and stability and the wellbeing of the people in Hong Kong. The Hong Kong law enforcement and judicial authorities have handled and tried the case in accordance with the law."
As for the US' and UK's statements, making such irresponsible comments on an ongoing judicial process is against the principle of the rule of law, the international law and the basic norms governing international relations, Wang said. "This is politically motivated and one hundred percent double standard. China firmly rejects this."
Some legal experts in Hong Kong say that despite of international political and public opinion pressure, the trial will become a classic case in upholding national security in Hong Kong, fully reflecting the independence of the city's judiciary, the spirit of the rule of law, and the professional integrity of its judges.
Evidence is demonstrated in the courtroom, witnesses are subpoenaed and cross-examined by both the prosecutor and the defendants' counsels and the court hearing is open to the public, and thereby a fair and just trial is secured, Chu Kar-kin, a veteran commentator based in the HKSAR and member of the Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macao Studies, told the Global Times on Monday.
The verdict is determined by law and by facts. An appeal mechanism is available in Hong Kong, and defendants can appeal against convictions and sentencing, Chu said.
"The legal system in Hong Kong is based on the rule of law and so-called 'political prosecution' never exists in this jurisdiction."
"I think the US and the West have double standards, because Hong Kong relies on the rule of law. Since someone has violated the law, they must be punished," former member of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress Tam Yiu-chung told the Global Times on Monday.
"No matter what his background is, he must be prosecuted according to legal procedures. Other countries should not interfere in this matter and should not affect the work of the law," Tam said.
Lai's case also has a milestone significance, some experts said, as it shows that challenging national security and violating national security laws are absolutely not allowed, and all those who violate the law will be punished.
While the US and the West talk about the rule of law, they are using Lai's case to wreak havoc on Hong Kong's rule of law and judicial independence, a spokesperson from the Commissioner's Office of the Chinese Foreign Ministry in Hong Kong said on Monday.
Their "clever excuses" for criminals have no other use than adding more evidence to Lai's charges of colluding with external forces, the spokesperson said.
This aerial photo shows the site after a fire at a slum area in Manila, the Philippines on Dec. 12, 2023. The pre-dawn fire that erupted Tuesday left 240 families homeless, the Philippine Bureau of Fire Protection said.(Photo: Xinhua)
Star hurdler Wu Yanni finished her FISU Games campaign with a sensational 12.76 seconds in the women's 100 meters hurdles, winning a silver medal for China.
At the Shuangliu Sports Centre Stadium in Chengdu, capital of Southwest China's Sichuan Province, Wu, a Sichuan-born athlete who is now studying at Beijing Sports University, became the top star of the night.
"I have broken my personal best twice today. I think the main reason lies not in me but the overwhelming support I have received," Wu told the Global Times.
"Competing at home makes me more relaxed and gives me more impetus rather than pressure."
Wu was born in Zigong, a southern Sichuan city, and started her hurdling career in neighboring city Neijiang.
Wu had renewed a short-lived personal best of 12.86 seconds in the semifinals, 0.01 seconds better than her previous set in 2021, before shaving off another 0.1 seconds in the final.
The result is enough for her to qualify for the Paris Olympics, as the result surpassed the 12.77-second entry requirement.
"It is my love of the hurdles that allows me to go through all the difficulties," Wu said.
"I also hope my enthusiasm for the sport can inspire more young people to feel the glamour of Chinese athletics and get out of their own comfort zone."
Wu's teammate Lin Yuwei of East China Normal University finished in fifth place in the final with 13.03 seconds.
Wu's result of 12.76 seconds in the final has also surpassed the qualifying benchmark for the world athletics championships which will be held from August 19 to 27 in Budapest, Hungary, but the result came too late for the worlds.
"I always believe that we Chinese female hurdlers are the best," Wu said after the race.
"I don't mean to say I will win a medal for China at the Asian Games, but I will do my best and progress little by little."
The Asian Games will be held in Hangzhou, East China's Zhejiang Province from September 23 to October 8.
Taking after China's athletics great Liu Xiang, who won an Olympics 110 meters hurdles gold medal in 2004 in Athens, Wu has set her sights on becoming a female hurdling star.
"I want to become the woman that makes people know about women's 100 meters hurdles," Wu told reporters. "I want Chinese female hurdlers to appear on the international stage more often. It doesn't matter whether it's me or any other female athletes to do so."
Wu points to the sky every time she hits the track, prompting many netizens online to copy her gesture.
"The gesture is cool and fits me well I think. It means I have set my goals for the Paris Olympics," Wu told reporters.
Wu also spoke about the recent evacuation and rescue efforts in northern China, which has been hit by torrential rains and floods.
"My achievement belongs to every Chinese," Wu told reporters. "I hope people impacted by the floods will come back safe as well as everyone who made efforts to alleviate the disaster."
Viktoria Forster of Slovakia won the gold medal with a personal best of 12.72 seconds. The bronze medal went to Jyothi Yarraji of India who finished in 12.78 seconds.
Yarraji thanked China for allowing her to qualify for the Paris Olympics.
"Thank you so much, China. It was a wonderful competition that makes me able to qualify for the Olympics," Yarraji told reporters, before noting she will come back to China for the Asian Games in September.
Other achievements of the night came from Sarah Keskitalo, representing Finland but was born in China, setting a personal best of 13.17 seconds in the semifinal.
Racing back-to-back in an intensive competition schedule often creates extreme fatigue for athletes, but several Chinese track and field stars are shrugging off this issue.
The Chinese national athletics team did not achieve what they were expecting at the Budapest world championships in August, bagging only two bronze medals thanks to two female athletes, Feng Bin in the women's discus throw and Gong Lijiao in the women's shot put.
Feng, who finished in third place at the world championships with a career second-best of 68.20 meters, is among the Chinese athletes taking on high-profile events one after another, from the 2022 World Athletics Championships in August to the Diamond League event over the weekend, followed by the Asian Games to be hosted by China.
The 28-year-old, who clinched her third career best at the Diamond League in Xiamen, East China's Fujian Province, with a sensational last throw of 67.41 meters to defeat Croatia's title contender Sandra Perkovic and newly crowned world champion, US' Laulauga Tausaga, said that the result boosted her confidence of doing better at the upcoming Asian Games.
"My best form sometimes comes at the late stage during the competition," Feng told reporters after the Diamond League race. "It's an honor to win a title on home soil.
"My goal at the Asian Games is to make some breakthroughs for myself, as I believe everything is possible in athletics," Feng said, before noting that she hopes to set a new personal best at the Asian Games.
Feng's current personal best sits at 69.12 meters, which was set at the 2022 World Athletics Championships where she won the gold medal.
At the Asian Games in 2018, she won a silver medal with a 64.25-meter throw. Currently the Asian Games' record sits at 66.18 meters, set by Feng's compatriot Li Yanfeng during the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province.
Sprinting hopes
Sprinter Xie Zhenye, who has been pinned as China's hopes in the men's 100-meter sprint after trailblazer Su Bingtian decided to sit out in 2023 due to an injury, finished in eighth place with a time of 10.12 seconds in a 10-man race.
In a fiercely competitive sprint race, 30-year-old Xie faced several elite sprinters, including 2011 world champion Yohan Blake, 2019 world champion Christian Coleman, 2022 world champion Fred Kerley, and Tokyo Olympics gold medalist Marcell Jacobs.
Xie however said that he is aiming for the gold medal at the Asian Games in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province.
"I fell behind at the beginning of the race when competing with these elites," Xie told reporters after Coleman won the race in 9.83 seconds. "As we continue to troubleshoot, I still have nearly a month to hone my skills for the Asian Games."
Xie, who is a Zhejiang native, said his goal at the Asian Games is to win the championship at hometown.
"The Asian Games is vital for me as it is being held in my hometown. Participating in the Diamond League competition could activate my best form for the Asian Games," Xie noted.
Xia Sining, who became an online sensation, clocked in at 13.19 seconds in the women's 100 meters hurdles. Her season was beleaguered by injuries as they prevented the star athlete to progress.
"Athletes are no stranger to injuries," 20-year-old Xia told reporters. "But we need to figure out ways of how to alleviate it and avoid injuries in the first place."
When asked about the online attention she receives, she said the only way is to channel pressure into motivation.
"Athletics is not only about winning championships however, but also gives returns to everyone who loves the sport passionately," Xia said.
"I just train when I need to train as it is a competitive sport, to turn the pressure outside of the field into motivation," said Xia, who is training with Sun Haiping, the man who ensured hurdles star Liu Xiang's rise to fame two decades ago.
However, Xia will not compete for China at the Asian Games, as her current personal best, 13.14 seconds, is shy of leading athletes Wu Yanni and Lin Yuwei's times as they have broken the 13-second barrier.
Wu skipped Saturday's race and Lin won the event by clocking in at 13.00 seconds. Lin has also eyed the upcoming Asian Games for a better performance.
"I will bring my all effort to the coming Asian Games," Lin said after the race, before paying tribute to teammate Ge Manqi, a 100 meters sprint specialist from Fujian, for soldiering on through the tough times.
"We have been encouraging each other through the common difficulties we have faced this year. Hopefully we will give a better performance at the Asian Games," Lin said.
More to come
Xiamen is no stranger to athletics as the city's annual marathon race is considered one of the most picturesque races, attracting thousands of participants every year.
The Diamond League race held in Xiamen on Saturday marked its debut in the coastal city, as Xiamen will play host to the Diamond League for 10 consecutive seasons.
The debut of the Xiamen Egret Stadium, the venue of the Diamond League and a return of the prestigious athletics event to China after a three-year hiatus, witnessed nearly 30,000 spectators in attendance at the 53,405-seat stadium, according to event organizers.
US sprinter Kerley was impressed by the design of the stadium and the surrounding view, saying it would be great to see Xiamen hosting an athletics world championship.
Xiamen will also host the 2027 Asian athletics championships.
The women's discus winner Feng said she is looking forward to seeing more top-tier international athletics events held in China.
"The more top-level international events held in China, the more chances we can compete with other internationally high-level athletes," Feng said.
"This could facilitate exchanges between Chinese track and field athletes and the international counterparts."
Both competing in the last subdivision of the day, the men's team and the women's team of artistic gymnastics of Team China gave their home crowd performances worth waiting, both bagging gold medals.
On Monday night, an enthusiastic crowd filled the Huanglong Sports Centre Gymnasium and burst into biggest cheers and applaud for the girls of the Chinese team. With a very young squad aged from 15 to 22, the girls snatched a team gold medal despite a few glitches during the beam competitions.
"Even if there were various degrees of faults during the competition, everybody has worked hard and adjusted out mindset," 15-year-old Zhang Xinyi said to the reporters after the game. "We were able to adapt quickly and get ready for the next events."
Zhang also credited their victory to the team and the crowd. "The audience was very enthusiastic, cheering us on," she said.
The team compiled the top team scores on each of the four apparatuses. After the match, the team dedicated their victory to team spirit and perseverance.
Japan ranked closely behind China, while North Korea snatched bronze.
During the competition, the members of the Chinese team and the members of the Japanese team displayed a warm and friendly attitude to each other, cheering for the other team's athletes when they were switching apparatuses.
Speaking to the Global Times, Zhang said that they would like to encourage each other even if it was a competition.
"Whilst in the match, we both cheered each other on. We respect each other," she told the Global Times.
"Even if we're from different countries, we can cheer each other on," Japan's Mikako Serita told the Global Times. "The Chinese gymnasts were waving at us and we felt the friendly vibe."
"To put it simply, I think gymnastics is a great sport," she said.
Earlier on Sunday night, China's men's team also finished with gold, while Japan and Chinese Taipei were silver and bronze medalists.
"Our preparations were actually very thorough, but we still encountered some difficulties," said Xiao Ruoteng of Team China.
Xiao credited the enthusiastic crowd for inspiring and empowering his team. "We felt the audience cheering us on, and it felt like there was still a strong force behind us pushing us forward," he added.
The artistic gymnastics team finals also served as qualification games for the all-around and apparatus finals. During Monday's competitions, veteran gymnast Oksana Chusovitina also earned the loudest cheers from the crowd.
The 48-year-old eight-time-Olympian performed well enough to qualify for the vault apparatus final. She blew a kiss and showed a heart-shape with her arms to the supporting Chinese audience.
"As long as I enjoy gymnastics, I don't know when I will finish," Chusovitina said after the game, expressing her love for the sport.
Think Like A Dog, the China-US co-produced film, hit the big screen on Saturday at the ongoing 19th Chinese American Film Festival and the Chinese American Television Festival in Los Angeles, the US.
Nearly 200 families watched the film at an Alhambra theater in Los Angeles County and celebrated the "Happy Family Day" held on the sidelines of the festivals.
The film, which won the award for Best China-US Co-Production Film, follows the adventures of a Chinese boy named Xiaoxiao and his American friend Oliver.
When Oliver discovers a way to hear his dog's thoughts, he joins forces with his furry friend to find a way to keep their family together.
Addressing the event, US Congresswoman Judy Chu said the movie is a "unique blend" of Chinese and American cultures, appealing to a global audience.
The Chinese American film and TV festivals kicked off in Los Angeles on Wednesday evening, with over 500 film and television entries received. A total of 10 films won the Golden Angel Award at the event.
Artists from China and Uzbekistan wrapped up their concert on a high note on Tuesday in Qingdao, East China's Shandong Province.
The concert was dedicated to commemorating the fifth anniversary of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Qingdao Summit, promoting cultural exchanges among Belt and Road Initiative partner countries and strengthening cooperation between SCO partner countries.
The concert, featuring renowned singers and conductors from China and Uzbekistan, was held in four Chinese cities - Lanzhou, Xining, Xi'an and Qingdao - from Friday to Tuesday, offering an artistic feast for local music lovers.
Rustam Abdullaev, chairman of the Union of Composers and Bastakors of Uzbekistan, told the Global Times that "the kind and hard-working characteristics of people in China and Uzbekistan give us a lot in common in music."
One work was jointly performed by artists from China and Uzbekistan. Based on the distinctive music of China and Uzbekistan, the symphony celebrates the friendship and shows that in the context of jointly building the Belt and Road Initiative, China and Eurasian countries are committed to creating a better future.
Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has conceded defeat in the country's landmark referendum on an Indigenous Voice to Parliament, and vowed continued efforts to address disadvantages faced by First Australians.
Speaking in Canberra on Saturday night hours after polls closed, Albanese said it was clear a majority of Australians had voted against changing the constitution to establish an Indigenous advisory body to the federal parliament.
"My fellow Australians, at the outset, I want to say that while tonight's result is not one that I had hoped for, I absolutely respect the decision of the Australian people and the democratic process that has delivered it," he said.
"I never imagined or indeed said that it would be easy. History told us that only eight out of 44 had done so," he said, adding that "and of course, when you do the hard things, when you aim high, sometimes you fall short. And tonight we acknowledge, understand and respect that we have."
In order to be successful, the "yes" vote needed to achieve a double majority, meaning more than 50 percent of Australia's 17.6 million enrolled voters as well as a majority in at least four of the country's six states needed to vote in favor of changing the constitution.
With 60 percent of votes counted by the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) as of 10 p.m. Australian Eastern Daylight Time (AEDT) (1100 GMT) on Saturday, 59 percent of Australians had voted "no", including a majority in all six states.
Albanese, an advocate of the Voice since it was first proposed in 2017, said it was time for Australians to come together to address disadvantages faced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, including lower life expectancy and higher rates of incarceration, disease and suicide than the non-Indigenous population.
"A great nation like ours can and must do better for the First Australians," Albanese said.
"We intend as a government to continue to do what we can to close the gap, to do what we can to advance reconciliation, to do what we can to listen to the First Australians."
Peter Dutton, the leader of the opposition Coalition parties and a leading campaigner for the "no" vote - said the result was "good for our country."
"The Coalition, local Australians, wants to see Indigenous disadvantage addressed. We just disagree on the Voice being the solution," he said in a speech to a campaign event, "and while Yes and No voters may hold differences of opinion, these opinions of difference do not diminish a love for our country or our regard for each other."
A series of activities titled "Sensing Beijing for Chinese Envoys" was held at the Beijing University of Chinese Medicine (BUCM). Fifteen diplomats from more than 10 countries, including Grenada, Serbia, Singapore, Nepal, Kazakhstan, Saudi Arabia, Zambia, Chad, and Dominica, experienced the traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) in an immersive way.
The event was co-hosted by the Foreign Affairs Office of the Beijing municipal government and the Beijing University of Chinese Medicine.
For the first time, the diplomats gained a systematic understanding of the historical background and cultural connotation of the TCM. The diplomats were amazed by TCM and said it was " amazing!" They also visited the TCM exhibition hall at the BUCM to experience the profound culture and witness its progress and development in recent years. The diplomats also experienced Tuina (Chinese therapeutic massage), acupuncture, cupping, moxibustion, and other forms of TCM treatment.
The crisis in Ukraine has escalated dramatically over the past year, with ongoing hostilities inflicting enormous trauma on both parties involved - Ukraine and Russia. In mid-July, Gao Zhikai, vice president of the Center for China and Globalization, a Beijing-based nongovernmental think tank, visited Kiev, the capital city of Ukraine. During a recent interview with Global Times reporters Chen Qingqing and Bai Yunyi, Gao shared his observations and experiences in Kiev, as well as his interactions with Ukrainians from various fields. Gao said he hopes for an early end to the crisis and wishes for the Ukrainian people to lead peaceful, harmonious, progressive and prosperous lives. "Peace will not come easily," he said, "but it is worth every effort to strive for."
This story is a part of the Global Times' series of "Witness to history," which features first-hand accounts from witnesses who were at the forefront of historic moments. From scholars, politicians and diplomats to ordinary citizens, their authentic reflections on the impact of historical moments help reveal a sound future for humanity through the solid steps forward taken in the past and the present. Three air raid alarms within 36 hours
Gao's journey was somewhat complicated due to the no-fly zone over all of Ukraine: He had to first fly from Beijing to Warsaw, Poland, then take a train to the Polish-Ukrainian border, and from there catch another train to Kiev. He only spent 36 hours in Kiev, but the round trip took him four days in total.
What struck him the most was that during his 36-hour stay in Kiev, he experienced three air raid alarms. The first was at noon and was quickly lifted, so he didn't pay it much mind. The second occurred at 4 am in the dark of night when the alarm suddenly sounded, prompting him to quickly put on his helmet and rush to the second basement level of the hotel, which has since been turned into a "shelter" since the outbreak of the conflict.
He then noticed that the decent-sized hotel only had five or six guests. Everyone was silent yet tense, and they waited in the silent, anxious atmosphere for over an hour.
The third air raid warning occurred at noon the next day, just as he finished a working lunch with Ukrainian officials and was about to board a car. Suddenly, the alarm sounded again over the entire city of Kiev, and every person's phone also buzzed with an alert, making it seem as though the entire world was booming.
Many people ran past Gao in a panic, and the streets quickly emptied. Gao said his Ukrainian friend quickly pulled him into the basement of the restaurant, telling him that during an air raid warning, anything moving above ground could potentially become a target of attack for both sides.
Gao said his Ukrainian friend told him that since the outbreak of the conflict, almost all underground spaces in Ukraine have been turned into shelters: City subway stations have become the largest "air-raid shelters" - due to the influence of the Soviet era, Ukraine's subway stations are very deep underground, so they are relatively safe.
Many restaurants, office buildings, and hotel basements, first, and second floors have also been converted into shelters, but many are quite "basic" and it's hard to guarantee safety. As soon as an air raid warning sounds, everyone must immediately seek shelter in the nearest bunker.
Gao said that although he experienced three air raid warnings during his 36 hours in Kiev, the main target of Russia's military action is not actually Kiev. The frequent air raid warnings during this time were mainly because the NATO summit was taking place in Vilnius, Lithuania, and Russia was trying to express its dissatisfaction and display its "toughness" through air raids on the Ukrainian capital city.
'Hardly see faces of adult men'
While the frontlines are mostly concentrated in Eastern Ukraine, the traces of the crisis are very evident in and around Kiev.
Heading north out of Kiev, one can see that the suburban roads are still heavily patrolled with numerous roadblocks and iron fences set up to impede the progress of tanks.
Gao said that he noticed that Ukraine's preparations are strict, with the rigorous inspection of people and vehicles at each checkpoint, and the tense atmosphere is palpable.
The destruction of suburban buildings is severe: Some buildings are half-destroyed, revealing their contents like pianos, furniture, and even children's backpacks hanging on the walls inside; there are also half-collapsed shopping malls, the insides of which are in disarray. Life inside Kiev is much calmer. Aside from the occasional air raid siren and nightly curfews, people can generally continue to work, shop, and eat normally. In Kiev's supermarkets and shops, aside from medicine, Gao said he didn't notice any significant signs of shortages, and prices were stable. Prices for grains, vegetables, and fruits were even slightly cheaper than in Beijing and neighboring Poland, though imported goods were more expensive. Most restaurants were operating normally, and the one in which he had his working lunch was almost "packed."
However, in downturn Kiev, the exteriors of all major institutional buildings are tightly surrounded by makeshift defensive barriers made of sandbags and bricks. The doors are tightly sealed and guarded by soldiers to prevent sudden infiltration, and military vehicles and personnel are visible everywhere on the roads. On his first day in Kiev, Gao saw a long row of ambulances standing by at the train station, perhaps waiting for the arrival of injured personnel from afar.
What he will never forget are the faces he saw on the streets of Kiev: There were women, children, and the elderly, but very few adult men, and it was the same on the train from the border to Kiev. Once, while he was walking on the street, a soldier in uniform came out from barrier behind to check on him. Upon closer inspection, Gao noticed that the soldier was a boy of 15 or 16 years old. His face was rosy and still had some baby fat. Gao believed that perhaps most adult men in Ukraine have already gone to the frontlines.
Regrettable process of 'de-Russification'
During his trip, Gao had conversations with the Ukrainian government personnel, military officials, and ordinary citizens about their perspectives on the future of the crisis. Every Ukrainian he encountered essentially held a "resist to the end" mentality. The Ukrainian government displays Russian tanks and weapons captured during the conflict in some squares to boost morale.
However, most Ukrainians, including those in the military and government, still place their hopes of "victory" on NATO, Gao said. They like to talk about "if NATO approves Ukraine's membership, this or that could happen," or "if NATO provides us with more weapons, we could do this or that," despite the US clearly stating that it won't admit Ukraine into NATO before the end of the conflict.
Some Ukrainians place their hopes on political changes within Russia. One member of the Ukrainian military told Gao, "The key to Ukraine's ultimate victory may not lie in the battlefield, but in Moscow." Since the outbreak of the conflict, the process of "de-Russification" has become increasingly apparent throughout Ukraine. This trend began in 2014, but the outbreak of conflict undoubtedly accelerated it. Nowadays, it's rare to see statues or symbols from the Soviet era or related to Russia in the streets of Kiev and other cities. Not only were statues or monuments of Soviet politicians like Stalin and Zhukov toppled, but also the statues of Russian writer Pushkin and Soviet writer Gorky were gone.
Ukraine is also renaming streets and villages, eliminating any associations between place names and Russia. Moreover, the government has issued orders that effectively ban the use of Russian in newspapers and broadcasts.
From the perspective of an outsider like Gao, all of this evokes a sense of regret. For many foreigners, it's hard to distinguish between Russians and Ukrainians when walking on the street, and to his ears, Russian and Ukrainian sound as similar as the Beijing dialect and the Tianjin dialect. The intertwined histories and cultures of the two countries are so deeply entwined.
Importance of China's role
How do Ukrainians view China's role? China and Ukraine established diplomatic relations on January 4, 1992, built a comprehensive friendly cooperative relationship in 2001, and jointly announced the establishment of a strategic partnership in 2011. The two countries have fostered friendly and mutually beneficial relations across various fields, with rapid cooperative development.
During Gao's visit, he had this discussion with many Ukrainians and sensed a kind of "complex" feeling among Ukrainians toward China.
On one hand, over the years, American media and public opinion have had a great influence on the Ukrainian public. Since the outbreak of the conflict, American narratives have attempted to demonize Russia, while also portraying China as a "complicit party."
Today, many Ukrainians have been blinded by the American narrative, believing that the US is helping them achieve independence and freedom, while China is "assisting Russia," which is a clear misinterpretation of China's real stance.
China is neither the creator of the Ukraine crisis nor a party involved. On the issue of the Ukraine crisis, China has always stood on the side of peace, and its core position is to promote peace and encourage dialogue.
On the other hand, they have expectations for China - they are very aware of China's significance in promoting peace and talks.
"For instance, a Ukrainian government official once suggested to me that China could act as a 'middleman' in taking care of the prisoners of war from both Russia and Ukraine. Currently, both sides have captured a large number of prisoners, who are being treated very poorly with frequent reports of abuses," Gao noted.
In the eyes of Ukrainians, the relationship between the West and Russia has deteriorated to a freezing point, and no Western country can play this role.
Only China might be able to help the prisoners on both sides to receive humanitarian treatment. This shows the importance Ukrainians attach to China's role, as well as their complex yet expectant feelings toward China, Gao said.
Upon leaving Ukraine, Gao said that he kept thinking that Ukraine is a country rich in resources, its people are hard-working, kind, intelligent, and brave.
With proper governance, Ukraine can certainly become a prosperous country on the Eurasian continent. And the beautiful future of Ukraine firstly lies in ending the current crisis and restoring peace as soon as possible.
