Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday visited the New Development Bank (NDB) in Shanghai and met with Dilma Rousseff, president of the institution, the Xinhua News Agency reported.

Xi congratulated Rousseff on her reelection as president of the NDB, and noted that the bank is the world's first multilateral development institution established and led by emerging markets and developing countries. Xi called the bank "a pioneering initiative for the unity and self-improvement of the Global South," and said that it conforms to the historical trend of reforming and improving global governance.

Established in 2015, NDB is a multilateral development bank established by BRICS countries with the purpose of mobilizing resources for infrastructure and sustainable development projects in emerging markets and developing countries. 

Xi stressed that broader BRICS cooperation has entered a stage of high-quality development, and that the bank is set to embark on its second golden decade of high-quality development. The Chinese leader called on the bank to consider the development needs of the Global South, and to provide more high-quality, low-cost and sustainable infrastructure financing, according to Xinhua. 

The bank needs to improve its management and operations, implement more technology and green finance projects, and help developing countries bridge the digital divide and accelerate green and low-carbon transformation, Xi said.

In discussions on the reform of international financial architecture, the bank should amplify the voice of the Global South, safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of the Global South, and support the countries of the Global South in their pursuit of modernization, he said.

China is also willing to share its development experience through the bank with other member countries, and stands ready to provide more international public goods, Xi said. 

Rousseff expressed her gratitude to China for its long-term strong support for the growth and expansion of the NDB, according to Xinhua. 

Despite the volatile situation in today's world, the Chinese government has resolutely stood up for the interests of the Global South, supported multilateralism, defended international fairness and justice, and promoted the construction of a community with a shared future for all, setting an example for the international community, she added.

Li Haidong, a professor at China Foreign Affairs University, told the Global Times that NDB serves as a core mechanism for fostering unity among BRICS members and Global South countries on the economic and financial fronts.

By promoting a stronger and more resilient foundation of shared interests, the NDB plays a constructive role in nurturing a collective consciousness of a shared human destiny, inspiring meaningful actions to advance this vision, Li said. 

The greater BRICS and Global South countries play a critical role in safeguarding the global multilateral free trade framework, Li added. "Their close coordination and collaboration generate strong unity and cohesion, effectively countering the protectionism, unilateralism, and hegemony of a certain country."

This cooperation provides a powerful guarantee for strengthening and sustaining the health and vitality of the current WTO-centered multilateral free trade mechanism, Li added. 

For open, sustainable development

Noting that the Global South countries have risen collectively into an important force in maintaining world peace, promoting common development and improving global governance, Xi said no matter how the international situation changes, the general course of human development and progress will not alter, Xinhua reported. 

China has achieved its development through self-reliance and hard work. It will firmly safeguard its own legitimate rights and interests, as well as the common interests of the international community, Xi noted.

Noting that unilateralism and protectionism have been eroding the authority of international law and undermining the stability of industrial and supply chains, Rousseff said the New Development Bank will remain true to its original aspiration, take active measures, and contribute to promoting the development of developing and emerging-market countries.  

Ahead of the Chinese leader's NDB visit and sending a clear signal of strengthening the greater BRICS cooperation and safeguarding Global South's common interests, foreign ministers from the BRICS countries called for bolstering multilateralism and inclusiveness, and promoting the establishment of a more just and reasonable international order, as they met in Rio de Janeiro.

Chaired by the Brazilian Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira, the BRICS Foreign Ministers' Meeting convened its first-stage meeting on Monday local time. During the meeting, Viera said that the BRICS bloc of emerging economies is a paramount example of multilateralism. He said BRICS is not "against any bloc or any country," but instead in favor of unity and development for Global South countries, according to Xinhua. 

During the meeting, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said that BRICS countries should take the lead as a positive force on the international stage to serve as a pillar of peace and development.

During the meeting, other participants expressed support for China's series of global initiatives, agreeing that BRICS countries should oppose power politics and double standards, safeguard the legitimate rights of BRICS members and common interests of the Global South, work toward building a more just and equitable international order, and promote open, inclusive and sustainable development, according to Xinhua. 

Wang Youming, director of the Institute of Developing Countries at the China Institute of International Studies in Beijing, said that the BRICS Foreign Ministers Meeting — the first to be held after the inclusion of the bloc's new partner countries - comes at a pivotal moment as BRICS cooperation enters a new phase.

"It is evident that BRICS collaboration is evolving in a more comprehensive and multi-layered manner," Wang noted, adding that the meeting is expected to play a constructive role in strengthening Global South cooperation and improving global governance mechanisms, with 2025 marking the 80th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations.

The BRICS foreign ministers meeting came at a critical moment for economic recovery. The International Monetary Fund has recently slashed growth forecasts due to the impact of the US-launched global tariff war, according to the AFP. 

During the BRICS foreign ministers meeting, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi reaffirmed China's commitment to upholding multilateralism and multilateral trade rules.

Wang believes it is imperative to uphold multilateral trade rules. He urged BRICS countries to jointly oppose all forms of protectionism and firmly uphold the rules-based multilateral trading system with the WTO at its core, according to Xinhua. 

The Chinese foreign minister criticized the US for pursuing unilateralism and prioritizing its own country, placing its own interests above international public interests. If one chooses to stay silent and compromise, it will only embolden the bullies to push further, Wang warned. 

Citing Brazil's BRICS representative Mauricio Lyrio, the AFP reported that ministers are negotiating a declaration aimed at reaffirming the centrality and importance of the multilateral trading system. 

More countries in the world are taking concrete actions and expressing a collective will to uphold the WTO-centered multilateral trading system and the principles of free trade, while pushing back against deglobalization and the arbitrary imposition of tariffs by a certain country, said Li Haidong. 

According to the expert, China's positions stand firmly with the common interests of the vast majority of countries and align with the broader trend of constructing a more balanced international economic system. The BRICS stance of strengthening international coordination and cooperation serves as a powerful counterbalance to forces that weaponize tariffs and seek to undermine the established global trading order.

Chinese President Xi Jinping said he hopes his visit to Cambodia will spearhead progress in building a China-Cambodia community with a shared future.

Xi made the remarks in a signed article titled "Together We Strive, Together We Thrive: Toward a Stable and Sustainable China-Cambodia Community with a Shared Future in the New Era" published Thursday in Cambodian media outlets Khmer Times, Jian Hua Daily and Fresh News ahead of his arrival in Cambodia for a state visit.

Noting that a China-Cambodia community with a shared future is deeply rooted in the historic legacy of good-neighborly relations, Xi said that the two countries' friendly exchange spans two millennia of their shared history, thanks to the geographical proximity.

A China-Cambodia community with a shared future is also defined by the two countries' mutual commitment to friendship and righteousness, he said, recalling that the friendship was forged by Cambodia's King Father Norodom Sihanouk and Chairman Mao Zedong, Premier Zhou Enlai among the elder generations of Chinese leaders.

Xi noted that a China-Cambodia community with a shared future is powered by equality and mutual benefit. For many years, China has been Cambodia's largest trading partner and largest source of investment, and the industrial and supply chain cooperation between the two countries has continued to deepen, he said.

A China-Cambodia community with a shared future is founded upon inclusiveness and mutual learning, Xi said.

Over the past 30 years, China has sent many experts to Cambodia across diverse fields, including archaeology, geological exploration, cultural heritage, history, architecture and the arts. They have helped bring renewed splendo

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Question: It is reported that during the US Secretary of Defense’s visit to Japan, he said Japan as a “warrior country” was “indispensable for tackling Chinese aggression” and complimented the “valor” of Japanese soldiers in the Battle of Iwo Jima. His remarks have aroused controversies in the US. Do you have any comment?

Zhang Xiaogang: History shall not be forgotten, and the right and wrong must not be confused. The international community has long had a fair judgment on who launched wars, aggression and expansion, and who fought for peace during the second World War. This year marks the 80th year of the victory of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War. Some people in the US are making a political stunt by distorting facts and whitewashing Japan’s militarism. It is a betrayal to soldiers who died in fighting fascists and has aroused public anger back in the US. It will surely be opposed by the international community and disdained by history. We urge relevant countries to stop making erroneous comments, stop turning the Asia-Pacific into a hunting ground for geopolitical rivalry, stop stoking bloc politics and military confrontation, and  stop undermining security and well-being of people in the region.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has called for pooling strength in the building of a Beautiful China and making the country even greener through afforestation efforts.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks when attending a voluntary tree planting activity in Beijing on Thursday.

Xi and other Party and state leaders, including Li Qiang, Zhao Leji, Wang Huning, Cai Qi, Ding Xuexiang, Li Xi, and Han Zheng, arrived at the tree planting site on the bank of a river in Fengtai District in the morning and planted trees with officials and local people.

At the planting site, Xi waved to the crowd to extend his greetings before picking up a shovel to join the activity. He planted saplings of multiple types of trees.

While planting the trees, he also asked the children at the site about their studies, life and participation in labor and sports. He stressed that a good life comes from hard work, encouraging young children to develop a love for labor and nature, and to actively participate in afforestation and other public welfare activities.

During the event, Xi also talked with officials and local people on site. He noted that the current forest coverage rate in China has surpassed 25 percent, and the country contributes about a quarter of the world's newly increased afforestation areas.

The ecological environment keeps improving, a fact that has been directly and tangibly felt by the people, he said.

Xi noted that in the meantime, the total forest and grassland resources in China are still insufficient, urging efforts to effectively address prominent issues and to do even better year on year in this regard.

Xi emphasized the importance of forest management and improvement of the ecological quality of grasslands, and called for efforts to boost the forestry and grassland-related industries.

Afforestation should deliver more benefits to the people, he stressed.

He added that voluntary tree planting is a nationwide initiative that must be carried on for generations.

The ground force of the theater command conducted long-range live-fire drills in waters of the East China Sea according to training plans of the "Strait Thunder-2025A" exercise on Wednesday, Senior Colonel Shi Yi, spokesperson of the PLA Eastern Theater Command, announced on Wednesday.

The drills involve precision strikes on simulated targets of key ports and energy facilities, and have achieved desired effects, Shi said

The WeChat account of the PLA Eastern Theater Command further elaborated on the desired effects of the live-fire shooting: controlling energy lanes, cutting off supply routes, and blocking escape paths, as thunderous strikes as seen in the live-fire shooting will firmly slash the “green terror” path of “independence.”

“The biggest highlight of today’s drills is the long-range live-fire drills, which served as a powerful deterrence against the ‘Taiwan independence’ forces. After years of development, the PLA’s comprehensive capabilities kept on rising, as its ability to fight and win continues to increase, sufficient enough to smash the ‘Taiwan independence’ forces into pieces,” Fu Zhengnan, an expert at the PLA’s Academy of Military Science, told the Global Times on Wednesday.

A video released by the PLA Eastern Theater Command showed that a brigade affiliated with the army of the theater command received orders to advance, as multiple modular rocket launcher systems rapidly mobilized to preset positions.

The unit responsible for the mission has participated in multiple military operations against “Taiwan independence” secessionist forces. It was given the honor of being a model rocket artillery company by the Central Military Commission in July last year.

The modular rocket launcher system is dubbed a “cross-Straits killing machine”, and it has six significant advantages, according to Fu.

First, it has a long range, capable of reaching hundreds of kilometers and covering the entire island of Taiwan. Second, it offers high precision, achieved through advanced guidance technologies that enable a margin of error of less than one meter within in 300 kilometers, making it fully capable of accurately targeting key locations on the island and leaving “Taiwan independence” forces with nowhere to run or hide. Third, it possesses strong firepower, as a single barrage can deliver dozens of munitions of different types, creating powerful fire coverage and destructive effects, deterring “Taiwan independence” forces on the island, Fu said.

Fourth, it has high mobility due to its relatively small size, making it easy to hide and leading to strong survivability on the battlefield. Fifth, it is multipurpose, capable of conducting missions against both sea and land targets simultaneously. Sixth, it offers high cost-efficiency, as its cost is lower than that of conventional missiles, allowing for deployment in large numbers, the expert said.

With the long-range modular rocket launcher systems, the “Strait Thunder-2025A” exercises are characterized by high levels of actual combat orientation, precision strike efficiency and deterrent effect, Fu said, noting that they demonstrate the PLA’s constant preparedness for combat, just like a sharp sword or heavy hammer hovering over the heads of the “Taiwan independence” secessionist forces. This move clearly tells Lai Ching-te and alike that “Taiwan independence” means war, and those who play with fire will get themselves burned.