Responding to a question regarding Japan's Liberal Democratic Party's (LDP) executive council meeting on June 9 that approved a draft proposal on revising the country's three key national security documents, which refers to China's military development and the surrounding security environment, cites plans by NATO members to raise defense spending to 3.5 percent of GDP, and emphasizes the need for a substantial increase in defense expenditures, while also calls for strengthening "counterstrike capabilities," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said at a regular press briefing on Wednesday that the draft once again exposes the intentions and moves of certain forces in Japan to pursue "remilitarization," break through the post-war norms, and drastically expand the country's military capabilities. The international community, including China, is highly concerned and vigilant about this. We have also noted that people of insight and anti-war groups within Japan have expressed concern and opposition in various forms.

Lin said the Japanese draft groundlessly accuses and smears China's normal military activities while deliberately hyping up tensions in the surrounding region. Its purpose is nothing more than to mislead the Japanese public and the international community and create excuses for accelerating Japan's "remilitarization."

Under the pretext of "strengthening defense" and "passive response," Japan's right-wing forces are in fact vigorously developing offensive medium- and long-range weapons, enhancing force projection and forward deployment capabilities, and pushing Japan's security policy in a more offensive and expansionist direction. They seek to deeply embed military expansion and war preparations into the country's institutions, economic and industrial systems, and public discourse, gradually breaking through the constraints imposed by Japan's Constitution, international law, and domestic regulations, abandoning the international obligations it bears, and challenging the post-war international order, Lin said.

This trend is becoming increasingly evident and highly dangerous. The international community must remain highly vigilant and take preventive measures against it, Lin added.

Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. repeatedly made irresponsible remarks on China, which undermines China's legitimate interests and sabotages China-Philippines relations. To uphold China's sovereignty, security and development interests, China has decided to prohibit Gilberto Teodoro Jr. and his spouse and child from entering the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong and Macao, and not allow organizations and individuals in China to engage in any transaction, cooperation or other activities with him and his spouse and child, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson announced on Thursday.

General Secretary of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party Central Committee and Lao President Thongloun Sisoulith concluded his visit to East China's Zhejiang Province and arrived in Beijing on Thursday to continue his state visit in China. 

In the afternoon, he visited the Party School of the CPC Central Committee, where 26 years ago he studied in an exchange program for one month, as well as the China Academy of Space Technology, Xinhua News Agency reported. 

Chinese observers said Thongloun's itinerary - covering innovation, ecology, party-to-party exchanges and aerospace - reflected a comprehensive effort to draw on China's development experience. "By learning from China's governance, green development and technological advances, Laos aims to better develop its agricultural, forestry and mineral resources and support its transformation from a land-locked to a land-linked country."

The Party School of the CPC Central Committee is the Party's highest institution for training officials and a key platform for exchanges and cooperation on governance. Thongloun, who attended a one-month exchange program at the Party School in 2000, made a special visit during this trip. He toured the dormitory where he stayed, and met with Chinese instructors, organizers and Lao participants for exchanges, Xinhua reported.

According to China News Service, during his visit to the Party School, Thongloun returned to the dormitory where he stayed during his studies and remarked that "26 years have passed in the blink of an eye." Looking around, he said, "If I have the opportunity to come again, I would like to stay here."

During the warm interaction with teachers, white-haired educators shook hands with him. One teacher asked, "Do you still remember that time?" Thongloun placed his hand on his chest and replied firmly, "Of course," while expressing gratitude to the teachers for imparting their knowledge, China News Service reported.

On Thursday afternoon, Thongloun also visited the China Academy of Space Technology. This institute is a major force in China's space technology exploration, with spacecraft developed covering fields such as manned spaceflight, deep space exploration, navigation, communications, remote sensing, space science, and technology experiments, per Xinhua.

Gu Xiaosong, dean of the ASEAN Research Institute of Hainan Tropical Ocean University, told the Global Times that returning to the Party School leverages alumni ties to deepen inter-party exchanges, continues sharing governance and grassroots governance experiences, and uses mature cadre exchange mechanisms to solidify bilateral political foundations, ensuring the steady implementation of various cooperation projects. 

The visit to the aerospace research institute builds on existing satellite cooperation to leverage remote sensing and navigation technologies for assisting Laos in resource exploration, land management, and infrastructure development, said Gu.

Combining Thongloun's itinerary over the past two days — from intelligent manufacturing in Hangzhou and ecological development in Anji to visits to the Party School and the China Academy of Space Technology — the trip appears aimed at drawing lessons from China's development experience, Gu said. 

The visits to robotics and digital economy projects in Hangzhou were intended to help Laos advance industrial upgrading, smart logistics and resource processing by leveraging the China-Laos Railway, while the Anji stop highlighted China's green development model and rural revitalization practices, offering references for Laos to better utilize its agricultural, forestry and ecological resources and pursue more sustainable growth, Gu added.

Meanwhile, Xinhua reported Thursday that the expansion and renovation of Boten Station on the Lao section of the China-Laos Railway has officially commenced, marking the first large-scale capacity expansion and renovation project on the railway's Lao section since it began operations in December 2021. The project is expected to enhance the station's train-handling capabilities and improve the efficiency of cross-border freight operations, per the report.

The China-Laos Railway has opened an important land corridor for Laos, which has no sea access, connecting it with China. This means Laos' fruits and minerals can flow continuously into the Chinese market, according to Gu.

According to China's Foreign Ministry, China-Laos economic and trade ties have continued to deepen in recent years, with China now serving as Laos' largest source of foreign investment and second-largest trading partner. 

Bilateral trade reached $9.82 billion in 2025, up 19.3 percent year-on-year. China's exports to Laos totaled $4.32 billion, an increase of 17.6 percent, while imports from Laos rose 20.7 percent to $5.5 billion. China mainly exports machinery and electronic equipment, steel products, transport equipment and components, and chemical products to Laos, while importing potash, rubber, wood pulp and paper products, according to the ministry.

"The steady expansion of China-Laos cooperation could serve as a model for wider regional collaboration, strengthening connectivity and supply-chain integration across the Indochina Peninsula and the Lancang-Mekong region, while providing fresh impetus for multilateral cooperation in Southeast Asia," the expert added.

Observing through the massive glass window, a giant mechanical claw lifts garbage that has been fermenting for several days from a waste pit dozens of meters deep and steadily feeds it into the inlet - yet the area remains entirely odor-free.

The scene unfolds at a waste-to-energy facility in Suzhou, a city in East China's Jiangsu Province, which was named to the inaugural 20 Cities Towards Zero Waste initiative under the United Nations Secretary-General's Advisory Board on Zero Waste in March.

Suzhou maintains a comprehensive utilization rate of over 98 percent for bulk industrial solid waste. The coverage rate of domestic waste sorting facilities exceeds 99 percent, and all sewage sludge from water treatment is fully disposed of and recycled. These figures paint a full picture of Suzhou's progress in building a Zero-Waste city, the Xinhua News Agency reported.

With these figures in mind, the Global Times reporter visited the waste-to-energy facility operated by Everbright Environment in Suzhou, where most of Suzhou's urban municipal solid waste is processed, ahead of the World Environment Day which falls on June 5.

Shift in industry

At the waste-to-energy facility, real-time emission data is displayed on the large screen in the central control room. All readings covering carbon monoxide, hydrogen chloride, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and particulate matter are synchronized with the national environmental protection platform, with indicators significantly outperforming EU standards.

Through independent technological innovation, the project adopted medium-temperature, ultra-high-pressure reheat technology, enabling power generation per tons of waste incinerated to exceed 700 kWh, the Global Times learned from the company.

The progress in Suzhou epitomizes the wider evolution of the sector in China. A local government official in Suzhou recalled past two decades of operation, noting that when Phase I of the project began operation in 2006, municipal waste in the city was still mainly disposed of through landfill.

With rapid growth in both population and GDP in Suzhou, the project underwent successive capacity expansions and by 2021 had enabled the city to achieve full incineration and zero landfill of raw municipal solid waste, effectively resolving the long-standing waste siege issue.

Fueled by an intensifying environmental consciousness, China has transformed its waste management paradigm over the past two decades by promoting cleaner and more efficient waste incineration technology, according to Xinhua.

China's national emission standards for waste-to-energy plants align with the latest EU benchmarks, positioning them among the world's most stringent. Some regions, including Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, Jiangsu and Zhejiang, have implemented even stricter local regulations that surpass EU thresholds, per Xinhua.

Ma Jun, director of the Beijing-based Institute of Public and Environmental Affairs, told the Global Times that China's waste incineration industry has achieved rapid growth over the past decade, with the number of relevant enterprises having risen sharply, effectively alleviating the garbage siege issue.

Although the industry once faced strong resistance from residents of selected sites, environmental authorities mandated disclosure of operational data, Ma said. Under public supervision, enterprises improved pollution control, facility conditions and technical capacity, driving the industry's rapid development, the expert added.

With the advancement of dual-carbon goals and zero-waste city development, waste incineration serves as an indispensable field in the building of a Beautiful China, Ma said.

However, Ma emphasized that waste incineration is only one essential link in the waste management system and must work with recycling and classification to take full effect.

China's Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development said on May 25 that China aims to raise its urban household waste recycling utilization rate to above 76 percent by the end of 2030.

Latest data from the ministry also shows that by the end of 2025, China had 1,137 waste incineration facilities with a daily processing capacity of 1.18 million tons. Fifteen provinces and municipalities including Beijing, Zhejiang and Shandong have achieved zero landfilling of raw domestic garbage, with its control of major pollutant emissions ranking among the world's advanced levels.
'Not enough waste to burn'

Amid the rapid growth of the industry, the situation has transformed from "wastes sieging cities" to a "shortage of garbage for incineration." A staff member from Everbright Environment told the Global Times that this perspective has also triggered widespread discussion across the industry.

"Rather than signaling a crisis, this phenomenon can be understood as a structural turning point in the industry's upgrading process," the staff member said. At present, waste collection is insufficient compared with incineration capacity, with an estimated industry gap of about 20 percent. Regional development is also uneven, with many enterprises concentrated in major cities and developed areas.

By the end of 2025, China's installed daily waste-to-energy incineration capacity had reached 1.1 million tons, equivalent to 360 million tons annually, CCTV News reported in April, citing experts. Meanwhile, China's actual annual domestic waste output stands at 320 million tons, leaving many plants running under capacity.

According to CCTV News, experts said waste disposal capacity varies unevenly across China, with disparities within provinces and cities due to differences in economic growth, population density, waste output and collection systems.

"China has advanced household waste sorting nationwide over the past few years, and the increased recycle rate also means less will be incinerated, leading to intensified capacity surplus," Ma added.

The Everbright Environment staff member told the Global Times that "there is not enough waste to burn" reflects a shift in China's waste management from ensuring basic treatment capacity to pursuing higher efficiency and sustainability.

Moderate capacity redundancy is a natural result of forward-looking planning, which once helped ease the "waste siege" and now requires more refined and efficient operations, the staff member added.

Therefore, operational hurdles due to "insufficient wastes" may seem challenging for some waste incineration enterprises for a moment, yet they reflect China's resolve, capacity and achievements in addressing an environmental problem arising alongside the urbanization, which will continue to sustain the building of a Beautiful China, according to analysts.

A recent scandal has exposed yet another crack in the hypocritical veneer of the 14th Dalai Lama clique. Tenzin Taklha, the Dalai Lama's nephew and secretary, has reportedly been engulfed in several allegations involving domestic abuse, sexual exploitation and embezzlement. His misconduct has long been an open secret within the Dalai clique, yet it seemingly has been shielded and tolerated for years.

This is by no means an isolated case. From the Dalai Lama himself to members of his family and inner circle, scandal after scandal has continued to surface. This separatist group, long cloaked in the rhetoric of "human rights" and "democracy" and parasitizing under a religious guise, is now exposing to the world its ugly face through a series of shocking exchanges of power, sex and money: a rotten, hollow entity corrupted to its very core.

A range of unsavory conduct

Tenzin Taklha, reportedly the nephew and personal secretary of the 14th Dalai Lama, has long been regarded as a key figure within the Dalai clique's inner circle of power. Yet behind the pious image he projects before "devotees," several foreign media outlets and investigative websites have unveiled him as a man of deeply questionable character, allegedly involved in a range of unsavory conduct.

One of the most serious scandals about Tenzin Taklha is reportedly a domestic violence case first brought to light by his own wife. On June 10, 2025, the website "Dakini Translations and Publications," which describes itself as an "online resource for new Dharma translations and research on Tibetan Buddhism and Vajrayana," received an anonymous tip claiming that Tenzin Taklha's wife had "allegedly posted on her Facebook page a 'desperate cry for help' as a domestic violence survivor."

According to a screenshot of the post published by the website, she accused her husband of having a violent temper and repeatedly assaulting her physically. "In recent years, whenever displeased, he destroyed items in our home and beat me. I always have bruises on my arms and legs. One incident even left my ribs fractured," the screenshot reads. The source who submitted the tip speculated that the original post had already been deleted by Tenzin Taklha.

If these allegations are true, the abuse would amount to more than a private marital dispute. It would be a stark example of Tenzin Taklha abusing his power, inflicting violence on others and trampling on human dignity, some human rights experts reached by the Global Times commented. Yet, as the screenshot of the post also noted, the Dalai Lama "has urged forgiveness for the sake of 'home stability'" a stance that appears to amount to tolerance, if not indulgence, toward violence.

Sexual exploitation is another major allegation against Tenzin Taklha. According to SNAP Survivors Network - a self-described "community of survivors of clergy and institutional sexual abuse" - he was accused of exploiting young women by "inducing them into explicit online sexual conversations and exchanging nude photos," the organization said on February 12. "He allegedly boasted of having relations with 25 girls," the article added.

A third major accusation against Tenzin Taklha is the embezzlement of "public funds" for personal gain. He was accused of diverting "humanitarian aid funds" to "purchase luxury properties in the US, among other personal expenses," according to the SNAP Survivors Network website.

As a result, 32 members of a separatist foundation linked to the Dalai Lama clique reportedly petitioned in the summer of 2025 for his expulsion from the organization. Tenzin Taklha's extreme corruption and debauchery have offered a glimpse of the broader, ugly reality behind the Dalai clique.

Birds of a feather

The scandal involving Tenzin Taklha is merely a microcosm of the broader dysfunctional elements within the Dalai clique. From the Dalai Lama himself to members of his family and close confidants, many figures in this core network have been tainted by misconduct.

Tenzin Dhonden, for instance, is another infamous name associated with the Dalai Lama's camp. Tenzin Dhonden was reportedly appointed the Dalai Lama's "personal emissary of peace," tasked with organizing various events and initiatives on his behalf. Yet the misconduct later exposed in connection with him stood in stark contrast to the image implied by that title.

As early as 2017, Tenzin Dhonden was accused of bullying, celebrity worship and corruption. One allegation came from a Seattle-based technology entrepreneur, who said Tenzin Dhonden "extracted unjustified payments from him between 2005 and 2008, in return for setting up an event with the Dalai Lama," the Guardian reported in November 2017. A letter sent to the Dalai Lama's private office, as quoted by the newspaper, said: "His (Tenzin Dhonden's) questionable values, arrogant disposition and objectionable behavior have generated confusion, anxiety and extensive unhappiness for many years."

Tenzin Dhonden also came under criticism for organizing a 2009 event in Albany in the US hosted by Nxivm, "a controversial self-help organization that has been compared to a cult," according to the Guardian. The event was initially canceled after public outcry, but later went ahead, the report said.

In addition, Tenzin Dhonden was accused of having affairs with multiple women. A November 23, 2017 report by the US-based Niagara Reporter revealed that Tenzin Dhonden was "involved in a personal relationship with Seagram heiress Sara Bronfman that started around 2009." The report described him as Bronfman's "lover."

Faced with multiple allegations and scandals, nonetheless, in July 2019, after more than a year of what was described as a thorough investigation, the Dalai Lama's side claimed the embezzlement allegations against Tenzin Dhonden were unsubstantiated due to a "lack of evidence," according to media reports.

"They are not ignorant of evil; rather, they choose to collectively conceal it, tolerate it and shield it," commented an opinion piece published by China Tibet Online on April 10.

Surrounded for years by figures accused of misconduct and moral hypocrisy, the Dalai Lama himself has also become embroiled in repeated controversies that have drawn criticism and condemnation worldwide. Far from maintaining the untouchable image often portrayed in Western media, he has faced growing scrutiny over both his personal behavior and his associations.

One of the most controversial issues concerns his connection to the late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. A search of the Jeffrey Epstein files released on the US Department of Justice website shows 157 results for the "Dalai Lama."

American journalist and consultant Michael Wolff, who acted as an advisor to Epstein, recalled in a podcast with host Joanna Coles for The Daily Beast last July that he met the Dalai Lama at Epstein's Manhattan residence, according to Turkey's state-run Anadolu Agency on February 4.

Although the official X account of the Dalai Lama claimed on February 8 that he "has never met Jeffrey Epstein," many of the more prominent comments among the post's more than 2,000 replies mocked the statement by linking it to the earlier controversy in 2023.

In March 2023, a video showed the Dalai Lama asking a young boy to "suck my tongue" during a public event. The footage has sparked widespread criticism, with many social media users saying it was inappropriate and disturbing, BBC News reported in April 2023.

Illegitimate and corrupt

The controversial reputation of the Dalai Lama stems not only from his long-standing separatist rhetoric and political activities, but also from a series of personal controversies and public incidents that have repeatedly drawn criticism internationally.

Yet well before the "suck my tongue" controversy, several public incidents had already generated criticism over his behavior and remarks.

In 2016, during a public appearance with Lady Gaga, footage circulated online showing the Dalai Lama repeatedly touching the singer's leg while she appeared uncomfortable.

In 2019, during an interview with BBC News, the Dalai Lama claimed that if a future Dalai Lama were female, she "should be more attractive." His comments immediately sparked outrage online, reported CBS News.

This isn't the first time the Dalai Lama has brought up the physical beauty of a potential successor. In a 2015 BBC interview, he made similar comments, claiming that a "female Dalai Lama" should be attractive, otherwise she would be of "not much use," the report said.

The political nature of separatism is often closely intertwined with corrupt practices in personal life, Zhu Weiqun, former head of the Committee on Ethnic and Religious Affairs of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, told the Global Times. Cloaked in the "sacred" guise of religion, the Dalai clique parasitically feeds off the world, spiritually manipulating its followers while politically orchestrating various separatist activities and urging Western forces to sanction China. At the same time, it engages behind the scenes in shady dealings involving power, money, and sex.

As long as the Dalai clique continues to exist, the various forms of corruption within it will not cease, but will only intensify. In essence, the Dalai clique has long become a fundamentally rotten, irredeemably corrupt criminal organization with no future whatsoever, Zhu said.

Xiao Jie, a senior fellow of China Tibetology Research Center, also told the Global Times that the "Tibetan government-in-exile" is, in essence, an illegitimate and corrupt political organization.

Although it has long attempted to project an image of a "democratic and autonomous" institution for overseas Tibetans, it is far removed from any genuine form of political autonomy. Instead, it serves merely as a tool for the Dalai clique to mislead international public opinion externally and to distribute benefits internally, Xiao explained.

According to Xiao, since the establishment of the so-called "Tibetan People's Parliament" in the 1960s, the Dalai clique has engaged in performative democratization. In 2011, it even staged acts of "political retirement" by the Dalai Lama and "constitutional amendments." However, this performance of democratization cannot conceal the underlying reality of family-based politics and theocracy. The Dalai clique strives to maintain a theocratic system fundamentally to ensure control over Tibetan exiles, sustain its separatist agenda, and safeguard the interests of the Dalai Lama and those around him.

"It is not only a smokescreen used to deceive international public opinion and obscure its controversial past, but also a means of soliciting aid from Western countries," Xiao said.

Ignoring its historical identity as a former serf-owning class and avoiding any discussion of past actions against the Tibetan people, the Dalai clique instead promotes narratives of freedom, democracy and human rights. This is aimed at gaining favor from anti-China forces in the West by demonstrating rhetorical alignment, and thereby securing the international assistance on which it depends for survival through the role of a frontline anti-China actor, Xiao added.

When asked to comment on the claim made by Solomon Islands' Prime Minister Matthew Wale on June 3 that he would be "reviewing" his country's 2022 security pact with China, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said on Wednesday that China and the Solomon Islands have a comprehensive strategic partnership for the new era, based on mutual respect and common development. "We are willing to expand practical cooperation across various fields with the new Solomon Islands government to better benefit the peoples of both countries," Mao said.

In response to an inquiry regarding a joint statement issued by Japan and the Philippines claiming that the two sides decided to "commence formal negotiations to delimit the maritime boundary of the exclusive economic zone and the continental shelf between the two countries," Chinese Foreign Ministry Mao Ning said on Friday that China expresses strong dissatisfaction with and firm opposition to the move, and has lodged stern representations with Japan and the Philippines respectively.

Mao said that the maritime boundary area involved in the Japan-Philippines negotiations lies to the east of China's Taiwan island. In accordance with China's domestic laws and international law including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), China enjoys exclusive economic zone and continental shelf rights in the relevant waters, Mao said.

The unilateral launch of the so-called "negotiations to delimit the maritime boundary" by Japan and the Philippines seriously infringes on China's maritime rights and interests and grossly violates international law including UNCLOS as well as the basic norms governing international relations, Mao said. 

China solemnly states that the so-called "negotiations to delimit the maritime boundary" between Japan and the Philippines are completely illegal and null and void, and will in no way affect China's maritime claims and the exercise of its legitimate rights and interests in the waters east of Taiwan island, Mao said. 

China urges Japan and the Philippines to immediately cease any acts that undermine China's maritime rights and interests, and take concrete actions to safeguard regional peace and stability, the spokesperson said.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Friday vowed to deepen bilateral ties and uphold multilateralism.

Carney voiced Canada's willingness to work with China to maintain close high-level exchanges, deepen cooperation in fields such as energy, finance, agriculture and fisheries, and keep consolidating the foundation of bilateral relations.

Canada supports China in hosting the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders' Meeting, he said, adding that Ottawa is ready to work with Beijing to jointly champion and practice multilateralism, so as to make positive contributions to global economic development and world peace and stability.

Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said facts have proven that a better China-Canada relationship serves the interests of both countries, meets the expectations of all parties, and represents the right choice for Canada, emphasizing that there are no clashes of fundamental interests between the two nations and there is enormous room for cooperation.

Wang said that both sides should uphold multilateralism, the international rule of law, and strategic autonomy, while actively supporting free trade and an open world economy.

China's Shenzhou-21 and Shenzhou-23 astronaut crews held a handover ceremony on Thursday, during which the Shenzhou-21 crew transferred the keys of the country's space station to the latter.

The Shenzhou-21 crew has now completed all planned tasks. The three astronauts will take the Shenzhou-22 spacecraft and return to the Dongfeng landing site in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region in the coming few days, according to the China Manned Space Agency.

At present, final preparations are in full swing across all participating systems and the landing site in readiness to welcome the trio back.

A total of 82 people have been confirmed dead while two others remained missing after a coal mine gas explosion in north China's Shanxi Province on Friday, according to a press conference on Saturday.

The gas explosion hit the Liushenyu coal mine in Qinyuan County at 7:29 p.m. on Friday. A total of 128 people are receiving treatment at hospitals.