China's State Council Information Office will host a press conference at 10 a.m. on Wednesday to outline preparations for the upcoming military parade.

Two senior military officials will present details on the parade arrangements and address questions from the press.

Foreign Ministry Spokesperson announces:

Premier of the State Council Li Qiang will attend and address the opening ceremony of the 2025 World AI Conference & High-Level Meeting on Global AI Governance in Shanghai on July 26.

Celebration activities will be held in Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao in August to mark the 100-day countdown to the 15th National Games, according to a press conference on the latest updates of the Games held by the State Council Information Office in Beijing on Friday.

Tong Lixin, vice minister of the General Administration of Sport of China, said the renovation of competition venues for the National Games has been completed, and the official competition schedule has been released. More than half of the 68 test events have already been held.

The preparation for the Games has adhered to the principles of being "green, inclusive, open, and honest," and followed the requirements of being "streamlined, safe, and spectacular." No new large-scale venues or athletes' villages were built. Over 90 percent of the competition venues have been upgraded from existing facilities, effectively reducing the cost of hosting the event, Tong said.

The National Games will be held from November 9 to 21 in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and feature 34 competitive sports and 23 mass sports activities.

The torch relay route will span Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao. The opening and closing ceremonies will blend Lingnan traditions, Hong Kong and Macao characteristics, and sports culture, delivering a visual spectacle that highlights both the richness of Chinese culture and the technological allure of the Greater Bay Area, Tong noted.

It will mark the first time that Hong Kong and Macao will co-host the nation's largest and highest-level sporting event since the first edition was launched in 1959.

Wang Xi, vice president of the Organizing Committee of the 15th National Games and member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Guangdong Provincial Committee, said that Guangdong will launch a series of themed celebration events on August 1 to mark the 100-day countdown to the opening ceremony.

Taking into account the preferences of residents in Hong Kong and Macao. Fencing and rugby events will be held in the Hong Kong competition zone, while table tennis and volleyball will take place in Macao. After the Games, all venues will be opened to the public, Wang said.

Chan Kwok-ki, vice president of the Organizing Committee of the 15th National Games and chief secretary for Administration of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, said the Games will deepen sports and broader cooperation across the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, and open a new chapter in the region's development.

"Since its return to the motherland, Hong Kong has participated in seven editions of the National Games. This year marks a historic milestone as we co-host the 15th National Games together with Guangdong and Macao. This joint effort holds great significance," said Chan.

Hong Kong will host eight events for the Games, including U-22 men's basketball, track cycling, fencing, and one mass sports event - bowling. All test events for these competitions have been successfully completed, according to the press conference.

A major event marking the 100-day countdown to the Games will be held in Hong Kong on August 2, followed by a citywide "National Games Fitness Day" on August 3, with all 18 districts across Hong Kong participating in themed activities, said Chan.

O Lam, vice president of the Organizing Committee of the 15th National Games and secretary for Social Affairs and Culture of the Government of the Macao Special Administrative Region, said that the Macao competition zone is steadily advancing its preparations. It has successfully completed operational tests for five events of the Games.

The Macao competition zone will host a special countdown event on August 1 to mark the 100-day countdown to the Games.

The National Games, now in its 15th edition, has witnessed the development of China's sports. The Games also serves as a vivid lesson in patriotism. "We will fully leverage the opportunity of hosting the National Games to carry out patriotic education and awareness activities," said O Lam.

Chinese health experts reassured the public that there is no need to panic and that effective precautions can be taken to control mosquitoes and protect oneself during daily activities, as the chikungunya outbreak in southern China has drawn public attention in recent days, with total reported cases surpassing 4,000 in Guangdong's Foshan.

Thepaper.cn on Saturday reported that as of Thursday, all five districts of Foshan in South China's Guangdong Province had reported cases of chikungunya, with total cases exceeding 4,000. In Shunde district - the epicenter of the outbreak - 3,627 cases have been confirmed, cases have also been reported in other Guangdong cities, including Guangzhou, Yangjiang, and Zhanjiang. 

Macao's Health Bureau reported that the city confirmed one imported case of chikungunya on July 18, the first such case this year. The patient had visited Foshan's Shunde district from July 8 to 17.

In response to the outbreak, the Guangdong provincial health authorities issued an open letter on Thursday via their official WeChat account, calling on all residents to join a province-wide campaign to eliminate stagnant water and control mosquito breeding. The campaign aims to curb the spread of both dengue fever and chikungunya fever.

On Friday, the Standing Committee of the CPC Guangdong Provincial Committee convened a meeting to hear updates on chikungunya prevention and control. The meeting noted that epidemic control efforts are at a critical stage, and while initial containment measures have shown results, challenges still remain. In addition, the summer typhoon season and heavy rainfall are complicating prevention efforts. Authorities stressed that there must be no complacency in combating the outbreak, Nanfang Plus reported.

Several cities in other parts of China have issued public health reminders. On Saturday, the Beijing Center for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC) released a Q&A guide on chikungunya, stating that the virus is primarily transmitted through bites from Aedes mosquitoes. It is not spread through coughing, sneezing, talking, or other casual contact. Most infections are mild, with symptoms including sudden fever and joint pain, which typically resolve within a week. 

The Beijing CDC reassured residents that the risk of local transmission in the city remains extremely low and that there is no need for panic. 

In another advisory issued on Tuesday, the Beijing CDC noted that although only sporadic imported cases have been found in the city so far, the growing volume of international travel means the risk of imported cases remains. 

On Tuesday, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned that a major chikungunya virus epidemic could sweep across the globe, calling for urgent action to prevent it. The WHO said it was observing the same early warning signs as in a major outbreak two decades ago and wanted to prevent a repeat, AFP reported.

"Chikungunya is not a disease that is widely known, but it has been detected and transmitted in 119 countries globally, putting 5.6 billion people at risk," said the WHO's Diana Rojas Alvarez, per the AFP.

Zhuang Shilihe, a Guangzhou-based medical expert who closely follows public health issues, told the Global Times on Saturday that for residents in Guangdong, prevention remains the most crucial aspect. Zhuang noted that this disease is not transmitted directly from person to person but through mosquitoes as vectors, making mosquito control measures particularly important.

"At the community level, areas with high mosquito density or standing water should be promptly cleared. On an individual level, people are advised to use mosquito repellent, wear long sleeves and pants, and protect exposed areas such as the neck," Zhuang said.

While the outbreak has shown signs of spreading beyond Foshan to other cities in Guangdong Province, the overall risk remains controllable, as the disease is spread by mosquitoes, northern regions - where mosquitoes are less prevalent - face relatively lower transmission risks, Zhuang noted.

The expert added that Guangdong Province has in recent days launched a province-wide mosquito eradication campaign. Given the disease's incubation period of around 2 to 9 days, the impact of the control measures will take some time to become apparent.

The transmission of the chikungunya virus typically peaks during the summer season. However, due to increasingly hot weather in recent years, the transmission period may be extended to September, Zhuang said.

China recorded its first imported chikungunya case in 2008. Since then, small-scale outbreaks caused by imported cases occurred in 2010 and 2019, but none reached the scale seen this year.

Why, then, is this year's outbreak larger than previous ones? Liu Qiyong, chief vector-borne disease expert at the Chinese CDC, explained that the current outbreak is largely driven by the virus's high global prevalence.

On July 22, WHO experts issued an alert stating that chikungunya transmission has been reported in 119 countries and regions. After the virus entered China, the presence of Aedes mosquitoes, the primary vector, enabled local transmission and small-scale outbreaks, Liu said. 

Favorable climate conditions and the specific virus strain have also contributed to the unusually large scale of this year's outbreak, Liu noted, as warm, humid weather has increased mosquito density. The imported strain - an Indian Ocean lineage - is also particularly efficient at spreading via Aedes mosquitoes.

The cargo craft Tianzhou-9 successfully docked at the rear docking port of Tianhe, the core module of China's space station Tiangong, on Tuesday, according to the China Manned Space Agency.

Such process was conducted at 8:52 a.m. (Beijing Time) after the Tianzhou-9 entered its orbit and completed its status setting, according to the agency.

The Shenzhou-20 crew members onboard the space station will enter the cargo craft and transfer the payloads as scheduled.

Sitting in front of a computer, Wang Meimei tagged a paragraph, converted a voice message into text and marked the speaker's emotions. From the basic data processing of Deepseek to the facial recognition systems used in everyday payments, her work quietly supports the technology that powers many people's lives.

But she is not, in fact, an office worker. At least not in the traditional sense.

Wang, 46, from northwest China's Shaanxi Province, typically spends her days tending to fields of corn. Mondays, however, are different. At the start of every week, Wang heads to an office in Yijun County to her job as an artificial intelligence (AI) trainer.

"My job is to work as the AI's teacher, feeding it with information so that its replies are more accurate," she said proudly.

Wang's hometown, Tongchuan City, is on the Loess Plateau. In the past, her family eked out a living on the meager income generated from their 30 mu (about 2 hectares) plot of land. "I was in a boarding school between grade 7 and 9. I would take a bag of steamed buns from home to school with me every Sunday," she said, adding that they were her food for the entire week. "My biggest dream then was that one day, I do not have to eat dry, moldy buns."

Like many of her fellow villagers, she left education after middle school; instead, choosing to start earning money through farming and casual work.

In the following years, constant improvements to agricultural mechanization meant she spent less and less time in the field. With her newfound free time, Wang looked for other opportunities.

On February 21, 2021, she made her way to Aidou Technology Co., Ltd., in the county seat of Yijun, for an interview she had secured thanks to a friend's recommendation.

"I had never heard of AI before," Wang admitted. "During the interview, I dared not even look up."

A lack of confidence was the impression most interviewees left on Zhang Rui, the head of the company. "When the company was in its early stage of recruitment, many of the applicants were local farmers," she recalled. "Some even called us to ask how to operate the elevator to reach the floor for the interview. They were nervous and many even cried when they struggled to answer our questions."

Zhang was not put off by the lack of confidence she saw in those interviewees. In fact, she saw vast untapped potential in the candidates, and felt, with a little training, they could far exceed their own expectations.

Data annotation is a fast-growing industry in China, which is home to seven data annotation bases with 58,000 workers, according to the National Data Administration.

Headquartered in Hangzhou in China's AI heartland of Zhejiang Province, Aidou is the first AI data annotation enterprise in Tongchuan. Zhang shared that the local government invited technology enterprises to increase employment quality, revitalize the countryside and boost the local economy.

Therefore, the company kept its recruitment standards relatively flexible, considering candidates of all ages. "What we value most is patience and the ability to learn, because this is an industry that is constantly evolving," she said.

With a small population of only 72,000 people, Yijun was an underdeveloped county with much of its workforce choosing to leave for work opportunities. To find suitable employees, staff from the county's employment service center visited all the townships to talk to local women, and encouraged local university students to look for opportunities in their hometown. "Finally we found 20 plus workers," said Bai Yanqi with the center. They also provided a venue and supporting facilities for the company free-of-charge.

Today, the company has grown significantly, employing more than 240 staff members, over 70 percent of whom are women from nearby villages. They began by learning basic computer skills and have now become certified AI trainers. The company's revenue has exceeded 35 million yuan (about 4.9 million U.S. dollars).

"Here for a woman like me, in her 40s, most of the job opportunities are for waitstaff or supermarket cashiers, which are shift work. In that case, it would be hard for me to juggle work and family," she told Xinhua.

Now earning 4,000 yuan a month with Aidou, she enjoys flexible working hours, allowing her to care for her family while also discovering a sense of value in her job.

"Before I took this job, at home I used to care for my husband, who was the main breadwinner in our family, and my children," Wang recalled. "Now that I have helped graduate AI from a 'primary school student' to a 'middle high school student,' my husband and children are all very supportive, and even volunteered to help out with the housework so I can focus more on my work."

She also now uses AI to help with some of her real-world problems. "For instance, I have used Deepseek to search for corn diseases and find the right treatment," she said.

Like Wang, other rural women who used to play mahjong or square dance in their spare have seen their lives change. The job with AI opened up a whole new world. Ma Shuaishuai, who was a nursery teacher, is now versed in AI application scenarios such as driverless technology, higher education, ecological environment, and finance and insurance.

Wang Haili, once a textile worker and courier, recently bought a 100,000 yuan sedan to use for local travel.

"Their horizons have been broadened," said Zhang Rui. "From what I have seen, the most noticeable change for those women is that they are becoming more confident and have higher self-worth."

Some women wore slippers to the office at the beginning. Now they wear business suits.

In recent years, the Chinese government has introduced a wide range of measures to accelerate AI innovation and promote its application, intending to support new industrialization and the development of the industrial sector. China's pool of AI researchers surged from fewer than 10,000 in 2015 to over 52,000 in 2024.

The country has made holistic advancements in AI development, fostering a thriving AI industrial ecosystem. It now hosts over 400 "little giant" firms -- specialized small and medium-sized enterprises that excel in niche AI markets, including AI innovator DeepSeek.

For Yijun County, the development of AI has created jobs for more than 1,000 people. Its potential has attracted talent to carve out a career in their hometown, like 31-year-old Zhao Yangjuan who quit her job in Xi'an, capital of Shaanxi.

"I can see more young people like me coming back, and Yijun is becoming more prosperous," she said. "AI is not only changing individuals like me, but also where I come from."

Wang Meimei told Xinhua that she has to work hard. "AI is developing so fast in our country, so I have to continue learning to keep pace with the latest technology," she said.

The joint working group in Ya'an, Southwest China's Sichuan Province, has released the investigation result on Wednesday related to a Chinese actress's "high-priced earrings" case, which has sparked widespread public attention as many netizens questioned the source of her wealth due to her father's former role as a government official in Ya'an.

The investigation started after the actress, Huang Yangtiantian, posted photos of her coming-of-age ceremony on social media on May 10. The earrings she wore were claimed by some netizens as part of a classic collection from a luxury brand, with an official price of around 2.3 million yuan ($319,000). 

Some netizens also speculated that Huang's father was in charge of the post-disaster reconstruction project after the Ya'an earthquake and he was suspected of embezzling post-disaster reconstruction funds. Huang's father then denied on May 16 and said that this is just a rumor.

Ya'an has set up a working group composed of the disciplinary inspection and supervision, public security, and market regulation departments to investigate the case. 

The working group has released a statement in May, confirming that Huang's father was not involved in any bidding, fund approval, or donation processes for post-disaster reconstruction during his time in Ya'an. 

However, authorities have found evidence suggesting that he may have engaged in business activities in violation of regulations while employed, and that he may have intentionally concealed an illegal second childbirth during the recruitment process and his period of employment.

Investigations haven't stopped since the incident. The joint working group has established to conduct further investigations into the case. 

The latest investigation result shows that the so-called "high-priced earrings" wore by Huang turned out to be a gift from a friend of her mother in 2016 and were replicas of a luxury brand's jewelry. 

On May 29, at the request of Yang and Huang's mother, surnamed Si, the working group accompanied the couple to the National Gem & Jewelry Testing Co Ltd for an inspection of the earrings. Testing results showed that the earrings were made of glass. The working group further learned that the domestic brand's stores had no records showing that Yang or Si, as well as their relatives, had purchased earrings from them.

According to the investigation, both Yang and Si's households are not currently registered in Sichuan, and none of their family members hold any public servant positions. During Yang's work in Ya'an, he did not handle any post-disaster reconstruction projects, funds, or charitable donations, nor did he profit from any other means. The other companies registered by Yang and Si did not engage in commercial activities in Ya'an. No other illegal or irregular activities by Yang were found during his time in Ya'an.

Regarding the accusation of Yang's engagement in business and running enterprises without authorization, the investigation statement said that Yang once illegally set up a company and received a profit of 30,000 yuan from it. The supervisory authority has confiscated all his illegal income. Since he has resigned, no administrative penalties will be imposed on him.

With regard to Yang illegally having a second child, the investigation said that Yang's second child was born in South China's Shenzhen in January 2011. Yang intentionally concealed this fact during his recruitment assessment in February 2011 and during his employment period as a government official. 

Since Yang has already resigned and the relevant penalties for illegally having a second child have since been abolished, based on current laws, regulations, and policies, no further action can be taken regarding his second child and intentional concealment.

When asked to comment on a report released Monday by Democrats serving on the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee, which claimed that the Trump administration has ceded diplomatic ground and global influence to China since Donald Trump took office six months ago and called for "the urgent restoration and reconstruction of the tools America needs to compete" with China, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said on Friday that the report is filled with Cold War mentality, touts for confrontation between major countries, hypes up the so-called "China threat," and essentially intends to contain and suppress China. China firmly opposes this, Lin said.

Lin said, "I want to emphasize that China adheres to an independent foreign policy of peace and always strives to be a positive, stabilizing and constructive force, adding that "China has no intention to compete with any country for influence, nor will it ever do so." 

China urges relevant individuals in the US to develop a correct understanding of China, view China and China-US relations objectively and rationally, stop smears and attacks as well as attempts to contain and suppress China, and take more actions conducive to the stable, sound and sustainable development of the China-US relations, he said.

In response to Western media's hype over the recent proposed amendments to the Prison Rules in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), claiming that the move would further undermine prisoners' rights, some legal experts told the Global Times on Tuesday that the revisions seek to regulate visitation rights, which align with international standards and are deemed urgent and necessary. 

The HKSAR government has proposed amendments to the long-standing Prison Rules, which include tightening visitation arrangements and banning the use of "private clothing" and "private meals," local media TVB reported on Friday. 

Reuters, citing an unnamed lawyer, claimed on Monday that this proposal further 'extends the power' of authorities over those accused of national securityoffenses. 
The HKSAR government has proposed amendments to the Prison Rules, including empowering the Correctional Services Department (CSD) to refuse any visit deemed inconsistent with statutory purposes, according to an official statement issued Monday. Under specific circumstances such as safeguarding national security, the CSD may, with a magistrate's warrant, restrict communication between inmates and individual legal representatives.

HKSAR Secretary for Security Chris Tang addressed the media after attending a Legislative Council Security Panel meeting on Monday, stating that the Prison Rules have existed for over 70 years. In light of national security considerations, the government sees a need to review and update the regulations, the statement said. 
He explained that the objective of the proposed amendments is to enhance the CSD's overall law enforcement capabilities, incorporate elements related to the protection of national security, and make the Prison Rules more relevant to current needs.

To this end, the authorities propose explicitly empowering the CSD under relevant provisions of the Prison Rules to impose necessary restrictions, conditions, or prohibitions in response to different circumstances and for specific purposes.

"These proposals are based on the practical needs of safeguarding national security and managing correctional institutions," Willy Fu, a law professor who is also director of the Chinese Association of Hong Kong & Macao Studies, told the Global Times on Tuesday.

Since the implementation of the National Security Law (NSL) for Hong Kong, stricter management of correctional institutions has become essential to prevent acts that endanger national security. The proposed amendments empower the Commissioner of Correctional Services to restrict certain visits—particularly those involving legal representatives, medical personnel, or religious figures—to prevent such visits from being abused to transmit prohibited information or incite unrest within prisons, Fu noted. 

"This measure aligns with Article 6 of the NSL for Hong Kong, which requires all individuals, organizations, and institutions in the HKSAR to strengthen efforts to prevent and suppress acts that endanger national security," Fu said.  

Louis Chen Xiaofeng, Doctor of Juridical Science, told the Global Times on Tuesday that the amendments are considered both urgent and necessary.

During the 2019 black-clad unrest, some so-called "prison visitors" exploited access, posing as inmate friends, to incite anti-government sentiment. In some cases, "private meals" were used to smuggle contraband and fosterprison factions, seriously undermining prison order and social stability, Chen said. 
"The revised rules would empower the CSD to reject visits that do not serve a legitimate purpose, effectively cutting off channels for external infiltration," he added. 

From a law enforcement standpoint, abolishing "private meal" privileges will help prevent abuse of special treatment, ensure fairness in prison administration, and reduce the risk of drugs and prohibited items entering correctional facilities—bringing the system in line with internationally accepted standards, Chen said. 

This year marks the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression (1931-1945) and the World Anti-Fascist War. Winning the war is a great victory of the national spirit with patriotism at its core, a great victory achieved with the Communist Party of China (CPC) fighting as the central pillar, a great victory fought by the whole nation through solidarity and bravery, and a great victory for the Chinese people, anti-fascist allies, and people around the world who fought shoulder-to-shoulder.

To commemorate this historic milestone and its lasting impact, the Global Times has launched a themed series revisiting the great significance of the victory through three lenses: The “Guardians of Memory,” the “Witnesses of Struggle,” and the “Practitioners of Peace.” It underscores the importance of “learning from history to build together a brighter future.”

This is the fifth installment of the “Guardians of Memory” series, the Global Times spoke with several Chinese veterans of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression. The veterans, now in their nineties, shared their experiences of joining the Chinese military and bravely fighting Japanese invaders on the front lines decades ago. They are the witnesses to those turbulent years of war, and the living heroes who safeguarded national dignity with their own flesh and blood.

‘We captured all the Japanese soldiers’

In the summer of 1945, 17-year-old Chen Zuoming, a young soldier in the Dongjiang Column of the Guangdong People’s Anti-Japanese Guerilla, participated in a battle against the Japanese invaders that remains vivid in his memory to this day.

It was a surprise raid on a Japanese outpost, and Chen was the first soldier to charge into the stronghold.

The Dongjiang Column, where Chen served during the Chinese People’s War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression was a people’s army created and led by the Communist Party of China (CPC). It was active in South China’s Guangdong Province, conducting guerrilla warfare in the vast enemy-occupied areas controlled by the Japanese and puppet troops. Recalling this raid 80 years ago, Chen, now 97, still clearly remembers almost every detail.

In July of that year, the Dongjiang Column received intelligence about a Japanese outpost located about 30 to 40 miles from its base. The outpost was manned by around 10 Japanese soldiers and equipped with a machine gun. It decided to launch an ambush. At around 4 am, Chen and his comrades stealthily approached the outpost, quickly surrounded it, and set up a perimeter.

“We used explosives to blow open the door. I was a new recruit and an assault team member at that time, so I was the first to rush through the gap created by the explosion,” Che recalled. “Once inside, we found the Japanese soldiers stunned and disoriented by the blast. We shouted, ‘Surrender and you won’t be harmed,’ and they surrendered immediately. We captured all the Japanese soldiers in the outpost and seized their weapons and ammunition.”

Chen told the Global Times that the battle was particularly inspiring for him, as it gave him a real sense of what it meant to be under fire, and boosted his confidence and courage in defeating the Japanese invaders.
Born to a poor family in a mountainous area of Zengcheng county in Guangdong in 1928, Chen described his childhood as one filled with hunger and turmoil. He never had a decent meal, wore good clothes, or even owned a pair of shoes.

To make matters worse, in October 1938, the fascist Japanese army landed in Guangdong’s Daya Bay, igniting the flames of war in South China. Chen witnessed Japanese soldiers burning villages, stealing food, trampling crops, and looting livestock. “They didn’t see us Chinese people as human beings at all,” he said, sighing.

What changed Chen’s fate was a then underground member of the CPC. The member taught at a local school during the day and told revolutionary stories to the children at night, promoting the ideals of resisting Japanese aggression and saving the nation. Under his enlightenment, the seeds of resistance took root in young Chen’s heart. One night, Chen and three companions walked barefoot over 10 kilometers of mountain trails, traveling all night to reach a base of the Dongjiang Column, and successfully became its soldiers.

In the Dongjiang Column, Chen served as a shock trooper, facing the Japanese army on the front lines. After the victory in the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, Chen participated in the War of Liberation (1945-1949), shedding blood and sweat for Chinese people’s peaceful and happy life.

Reflecting on the past and the present, Chen said he felt deeply proud to have witnessed the founding, development, and present-day prosperity and strength of the People’s Republic of China. After retiring in 1993, Chen became a volunteer lecturer on revolutionary history, actively sharing his personal experiences of the wars in schools and communities.

“I want children to understand that, today’s peace and prosperity in China were through the bloody battles fought by countless martyrs, and are the result of the arduous struggles led by the CPC with the entire nation,” he told the Global Times.