BEIJING, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- The 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) started its second plenary session in Beijing Sunday afternoon. Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, presented a work report on behalf of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee. The plenum will review a draft plan on reform of Party and state institutions, and the proposed name lists of candidates for the leading positions of state institutions to be recommended by the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee to the first session of the 14th National People's Con ..read more

BEIJING, Feb. 23 -- Taiwan is part of China, and the Taiwan question is an internal affair that the Chinese people will resolve on their own at their own discretion, without brooking any foreign interference, stressed Senior Colonel Tan Kefei, spokesperson for China's Ministry of National Defense, at a regular press conference on Thursday. According to reports, director of the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) recently claimed that the PLA has been ordered to get ready for attacking the Taiwan Island before 2027. In contrast, the US Assistant Secretary of Defense for Indo-Pacific Security A ..read more

BEIJING, Feb.19 -- According to the consensus reached by China, Russia and South Africa, from February 20 to 27, the navies of the three countries will hold the second joint maritime exercise in the eastern waters and airspace from Durban to Richards Bay of South Africa, said the Chinese defense ministry in a written statement on Sunday. And the focus of this exercise is "the joint operation to safeguard the safety of shipping and maritime economic activities". Based on the statement, the Chinese guided missile destroyer Huainan, frigate Rizhao and comprehensive supply ship Kekexilihu, which a ..read more

BEIJING, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping said Saturday he stands ready to work with leaders of African countries to build a high-level China-Africa community with a shared future. Xi made the pledge in his message to the 36th African Union (AU) Summit, in which he extended congratulations to African countries and the African people on the opening of the summit. Xi said the AU, over the past year, has united and led African countries to stand up to global challenges, accelerate the development of the African Continental Free Trade Area, and play an important role in mediating h ..read more

UNITED NATIONS, Feb. 17 (Xinhua) -- China's permanent representative to the United Nations, Zhang Jun, said on Friday that NATO should contribute positively to world peace and stability, instead of merely being a troublemaker. "We urge NATO to draw lessons from history, abandon the obsolete Cold War mentality and bloc confrontation, and stop dangerous acts of creating imaginary enemies, destabilizing Europe, and messing up Asia Pacific. It should contribute positively to world peace and stability, instead of merely being a troublemaker," Zhang told the Security Council briefing on Ukraine. "I ..read more

BEIJING, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- China will further enhance the support for ex-service personnel facing employment difficulties, according to a guideline released by central authorities including the Ministry of Veterans Affairs. Military veterans are important human resources and helping them secure employment is of great significance to improving their lives, said the guideline. Relevant government departments are required to provide career guidance, job recommendations and vocational training to ex-service personnel to help them secure jobs. Tax incentives and entrepreneurship subsidies will be ..read more

BEIJING, Feb. 17 (Xinhua) -- China's indigenously-developed AG600 large amphibious aircraft is expected to enter the market in 2025, according to the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC). AG600M aircraft, a model specialized for firefighting belonging to the AG600 large amphibious aircraft family, will aim to obtain the type certificate in 2024, said the AVIC, the country's leading plane-maker. The AVIC will endeavor to push forward the initial small-batch deliveries of AG600M firefighting aircraft in 2025, the AVIC added. The Chinese planemaker will also facilitate another model of t ..read more

BEIJING, Feb. 16 (Xinhua) -- The Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee said at a meeting on Thursday that China has achieved a major and decisive victory in its COVID-19 prevention and control since November 2022. Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, presided over the meeting and delivered a speech. Over the past three years, China has taken an extraordinary journey in its COVID-19 prevention and control work, the meeting noted after hearing a report on recent work of epidemic response. Always putting the peopl ..read more

BEIJING, Feb.16 -- From February 8 to 15, a working group sent by China’s Ministry of National Defense visited Laos, Vietnam and Brunei and held talks respectively with the defense departments of the three countries. The Chinese working group exchanged views with their counterparts on mi-to-mil relations and regional security issues of common concern, conducted in-depth consultations on the construction of bilateral defense cooperation mechanisms, and reached a series of consensus, which further enriched the substance of China's defense cooperation with relevant countries.   ..read more

Participating ships sail to the designated sea area during the multinational maritime exercise AMAN-23 in Pakistan. (Photo by Wu Kangci) By Tang Siyu and Wu Kangci KARACHI, Feb.15 -- The multinational maritime exercise AMAN-23 drew to a close on February 14 after the completion of the harbor and sea phases. Kicked off on February 10, the exercise organized by the Pakistan Navy was divided into harbor and sea phases, involving warships, aircraft, special operations forces and many observers from more than 50 countries. During the event, all the participating troops have shown superb profession ..read more