Major stock markets in the Asia-Pacific region closed sharply lower on Monday, with Japan and South Korea seeing significant declines and triggering circuit breakers at times, amid concerns over a possible US recession and escalating tensions in the Middle East.

Despite growing global tensions, experts said that China's role as the world second-largest economy would become more pronounced, as the Chinese stock market has remained resilient and Chinese assets are undervalued, including A-shares, Hong Kong stocks and Chinese concept stocks.

On Monday, South Korea's composite index KOSPI fell by 8.77 percent to 2,441.57 points, marking the largest single-day drop on record. Japan's Nikkei 225 index declined by 12.4 percent to 31,458.42 points, marking a third consecutive day of significant losses and breaking below the 32,000-point threshold.

During Monday's session, trading in both the Nikkei 225 and TOPIX indices in Japan was halted briefly after triggering circuit breakers. South Korea's major indexes also set off circuit breakers, leading to a 20-minute trading halt. This was the first time since March 19, 2020, that South Korea's stock market was suspended due to circuit breakers.

Australian stocks closed down 3.7 percent on Monday, wiping more than $100 billion from the market's capitalization - the biggest fall since the pandemic lockdown era, the Australian Broadcasting Corp reported.

The sell-off was largely attributed to concerns over the poor US economic performance amid heightened worries about an economic downturn, exacerbated by disappointing US nonfarm payroll data from the previous week, prompting further panic in capital markets, according to experts and media reports.

Experts attributed the steep declines to the US Federal Reserve's decision to leave interest rates unchanged, coupled with disappointing economic data, leading to a sharp drop in US stocks. Behind these movements lies a growing investor fear of a US economic recession.

The significant downturns in Japan and South Korea, triggered by the recent decline in the US market, have multiple underlying reasons, Li Changan, a professor at the Academy of China Open Economy Studies of the University of International Business and Economics, told the Global Times on Monday.

"More importantly, it (the stock slump) may reflect fundamental concerns, specifically the unclear economic outlook in the US, with the recent data releases, including labor market indicators, also below expectations," Li said.

There has been speculation among traders that the Federal Reserve will step in with an emergency interest rate cut, according to media reports. However, no official confirmation has been made.

Economists at Goldman Sachs raised the likelihood of the US economy slipping into a recession within the next 12 months from 15 percent to 25 percent.

While world capital markets are bearing the brunt of the possible US economic downturn, China's A-share market is showing its resilience.

On Monday, the Shanghai and Shenzhen stock exchanges fluctuated narrowly while managing to avoid the sharp declines seen in international markets, with many blue-chip stocks rebounding, which is noteworthy.

"Despite the widespread downturn in global markets, A-shares' resilience against declines indicates that previous adjustments have been quite sufficient," Yang Delong, chief economist at Shenzhen-based First Seafront Fund, told the Global Times on Monday.

Moreover, once the European, American and Japanese stock markets begin to decline from their peaks, there may be an opportunity for a turnaround in the Chinese stock market, experts said. "Capital tends to seek new valuation opportunities, and A-shares and Hong Kong stocks are undoubtedly among these attractive valuation areas," Yang noted.

Another positive sign for the Chinese capital market was the surge of the yuan by 1,000 basis points against the US dollar in a single day on Friday, appreciating significantly to about 7.1 against the dollar.

With expectations of gradual interest rate cuts by the Federal Reserve, there is potential for a further appreciation of the yuan, possibly even returning to below 7.0 next year, Yang said, noting that "anticipated appreciation of the yuan could attract inflows of foreign capital, especially considering that high-quality Chinese assets are currently undervalued."

As for whether China can weather this wave of market volatility, Li said that "for China, the substantial prior declines have already alleviated much of this risk," indicating confidence in the country's ability to continue attracting foreign capital, particularly following possible US interest rate cuts. 

"As to how much it may draw in terms of foreign investment, it will also depend on domestic economic conditions and policy developments," he said.

The US-Philippines "2+2" security talks came after much double talk by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken aimed at the recent provisional arrangement between China and the Philippines, which has somewhat reduced tensions between the two countries. 

In conjunction with the East Asia Summit Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Laos, Blinken criticized alleged "escalating actions" at sea by China. However, it was the US that has created the tensions in the South China Sea, while hypocritically applauding the China-Philippines de-escalation arrangement. 

It should be noted that tensions between China and the Philippines began in early 2023, when retired US Air Force Colonel Raymond Powell, with the help of the US Office of Naval Research, conceived a "cognitive warfare" operation known as "Project Myoushu." 

The strategy enlisted Philippine maritime security and defense forces in an "assertive transparency" operation to challenge a 25-year-old practice with China banning construction materials supplies to a corroding, deliberately stranded Philippine Navy ship to boost its claim over Ren'ai Jiao.

The modus operandi was to provoke deterrent or police action from the China Coast Guard. Philippine Coast Guard vessels or privately hired ships attempted to smuggle prohibited materials or violate fish sanctuaries, which are restricted for conservation purposes. These Philippine vessels also transported Western and Filipino media to film, report, and denounce China's actions as "bullying."

Powell, the chief of the US Project Myoushu, openly admits that the aim of his operation is to exact reputational costs on China and generate international support for the Philippine cause. However, both efforts have failed. According to the State of Southeast Asia 2024 survey, compiled by the Singapore-based ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute in April, over half of Southeast Asians now prefer to align with China rather than the US. ASEAN member countries are critical of the Philippines' unilateral and disruptive activities.

The concern for Filipinos is that while the de-escalation arrangement may be holding firm at this early stage, it remains fragile as various foreign and domestic elements continue to besiege it with fake news and disinformation.

The visit of Blinken and US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin will be another opportunity for the US to put pressure on the Philippines to pull out of this de-escalation arrangement. 

China and the Philippines have, to some extent, restored peace and stability in the areas of the South China Sea after the two sides reached a provisional arrangement on the transportation and replenishment of humanitarian supplies to Ren'ai Jiao in order to maintain the stability of the maritime situation. The arrangement led to a "successful" resupply mission on Saturday delivering humanitarian goods such as food, water and medicines for the BRP Sierra Madre's Philippine Marines. 

The Philippines said in a statement, "No untoward incidents were reported." One of the conditions in the deal is the embargo on construction materials that may be used to rebuild the rust-corroded ship. 

Now, de-escalation is being pursued, affirming the deep desire of 95 percent of the Filipino population to devote the national energy to economic recovery instead of the imagined threat to national territory.

Will this effort of the Philippine government to normalize relations with China holds strong over the months and years ahead? The Filipino public is trying to ensure that it will. Protesters are slated to greet the arrival of Blinken and Austin with shouts of: Blinken-Austin - Get Out, Stay Out! 

China's Ministry of State Security warned those working with confidential information against using artificial intelligence (AI) technology to write confidential materials and chat groups to discuss classified content, saying that numerous cases of data leaks were caused by the use of online office programs in recent years.

In recent years, AI writing has flourished and gradually become the "pen" of many office workers. Some personnel handling classified information, in order to save time, illegally input classified materials and content into AI writing programs to generate articles, believing that they are only extracting fragments of documents and will not cause leaks, the ministry wrote in a post on WeChat on Sunday.

It warned that those people are unaware that AI programs automatically collect the information input by users for autonomous learning, and the related data can be easily stolen by foreign intelligence agencies, leading to the leakage of national secrets.

It also said that some institutions have set up "work groups" on WeChat for the convenience of communication to report and exchange work matters. However, some of those institutions have violated regulations by notifying and discussing confidential contents in these groups, adding that some had even posted content involving state secrets in the form of pictures, files, and etc. in the group chat.

The confidential information in these group chats is easily re-posted by group members and even publicly disclosed, and the scope of knowledge cannot be controlled. Foreign intelligence agencies can also obtain chat records of key work groups through network attacks, posing a great risk of leakage of confidential information, said the ministry.

The ministry also warned cloud storage software of leaking confidential documents and image recognition app leaked the original confidential documents. In order to prevent similar leakages, the ministry advised people involved in confidential matters not to handle classified information online while working remotely. It is strictly prohibited to process classified information through the internet, and it is forbidden to publish or disseminate classified information online while using office software.

"The biggest meaning of my job is to improve Timorese people's lives and bring about opportunities for them to chase their dreams," Dai Linfeng, 34, an employee at the National Power Grid Project of the China Nuclear Industry 22ND Construction Co, Ltd (CNI22) in Timor-Leste, told the Global Times.

Dai's job in Timor-Leste is to arrange, guide, and supervise the work of various departments and projects, ensuring safe and qualified construction.

He said that when he first arrived in Timor-Leste in 2022, he began to realize that "the country was economically underdeveloped, with inadequate infrastructure, and local people were living in a low standard of life."

But he was not disappointed as he knew that this is exactly why he and his predecessors came, as well as stayed here for so many years.

"We are here to make changes happen," he said.

Changes did happen. "One day, on my way to the company, I saw many local villagers gathered together watching a live soccer match on TV. It suddenly dawned on me that it was our construction of the national power grid that had enabled this happen," Dai said proudly.

China Nuclear Industry 22ND Construction Co, Ltd (CNI22), which is affiliated to the China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC), won the contract of the Timor-Leste national power grid project in February 2009. Seven months later, the first batch of CNI22 employees set foot on Timor-Leste's land and started their career of devoting themselves to the construction and development of the country since then.

According to Dai, the main mission of the CNI22 Timor-Leste branch is to build, operate and maintain one national dispatching center, nine substations, 603 kilometers of transmission line, and 1,407 iron towers under the national power grid project of Timor-Leste.

The project is not easy from the very first beginning given the high mountainous forests and wilderness of the island country. It is common for CNI22 engineers and constructors to be get hit by a sudden downpour during site selection. Not to mention the rugged mountain roads and the steep cliffs beside.

Now 65 Chinese employees with an average age of less than 35 are working at the CNI22 Timor-Leste company in charge of the operation and maintenance of the national power grid project.

They told the Global Times that the most difficult task is line inspection as they had to climb towers and cross rivers in the deep mountains.

"Apart from the year-round high temperatures, the terrain on the island is undulating, and it is common for us to encounter snakes, rats, insects, and ants," said Yang Huchen, director of the engineering department.

According to Yang, due to poor transportation in Timor-Leste, many places cannot be reached by trucks, thus their employees can only walk there. The communication signal in the mountains is also weak, making each line inspection feel like an adventure.

Yang clearly remembers one time when he was inspecting an iron tower near the river, the sky was clear and sunny. Just about 10 minutes later, a rainstorm suddenly hit. He and his colleagues immediately ran uphill. Not long after, when they looked back at the path they had just taken, the water, which was only at their ankles before, had risen to over a meter high, and the trees along the way had been knocked down by the flood.

It is not an exaggeration to say that CNI22 workers have brought a light to the people of Timor-Leste with their feet, and they continue to safeguard this light with their feet.

"As long as you are here, we can rest assured!" The dedication and efficient work of CNI22 youngsters have earned themselves thumbs up from local residents time and time again, which in return serves as encouragement to the young team and strengthens their resolve to continue to contribute to the development of Timor-Leste.

Apart from devoting to the construction of infrastructure of Timor-Leste, the CNI22 has also participated deeply in local people's lives after 15 years of integration. It has donated a multimedia classroom equipment to local schools, and has also been helping local people in need of help by sending them supplies like rice and milk, actively participating in public welfare activities.

"Our projects and our presence in Timor-Leste not only help promote cooperation between China and Timor-Leste toward mutual benefit, but also create a large number of opportunities for local people to improve their livelihoods and realize their dreams. This makes me feel that my work is so meaningful," Dai said.

"I would like to participate in more livelihood projects in Timor-Leste in the future, so that more local people can get benefited, I also hope that under the Belt and Road Initiative, China and Timor-Leste will continue to cooperate and bring more chances," Dai said.

China urged the US and Japan to discard their cold-war mentality and effectively reduce the role of nuclear weapons in national and collective security policies, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian told the Global Times on Tuesday, in response to recent talks between senior Japanese and US officials in Tokyo on concerns over the so-called China's continued rapid expansion of nuclear arsenal.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin held 2+2 talks with Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa and Defense Minister Minoru Kihara on Sunday, according to a joint statement released by the Pentagon. 

Japanese and US defense chiefs and top diplomats met in Tokyo for talks on boosting military cooperation, including upgrading US forces command and reaffirming the US' commitment to "extended deterrence," according to a previous report.

Lin said China follows a policy of "no first use" of nuclear weapons, pursues a nuclear strategy of self-defense, keeps its nuclear capabilities at the minimum level required for national security, and never engages in any forms of arms race.

China has taken note of the relevant reports and expresses serious concern over recent developments, Lin said. For any country, as long as they do not use nuclear weapons against China, they will not feel threatened by China's nuclear weapons, Lin added.

"Extended deterrence" is a product of the cold war. Enhanced cooperation between the US and Japan on nuclear deterrence will stimulate regional tensions and increase the risk of nuclear proliferation and conflict, Lin said.

Lin added that Japan has long claimed to be a victim of nuclear attacks and has advocated the establishment of a nuclear-weapon-free world, but in reality, it is enjoying the "nuclear umbrella" of the US, reinforcing "extended deterrence" and seeking the so-called nuclear containment power. It is necessary for the Japanese side to provide the world an explanation for its inconsistency in words and deeds.

China also advises the US and Japan to take practical actions to promote strategic stability and maintain regional peace and security.

Lin said that China urges the Japanese side to reflect on its strategic security policy, effectively fulfil its obligations as a non-nuclear-weapon country under the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, to abide by its commitment to the three non-nuclear principles and to refrain from pursuing nuclear weapons in any form.

In addition to the 2+2 talks and Japan-US ministerial meeting on extended deterrence, a Quad foreign ministers meeting was also held in Tokyo.

Lin also said during the regular press conference on Tuesday that disregarding China's serious concerns, Japan and the US have directly interfered in China's internal affairs on issues related to the Taiwan question, Hong Kong, Xinjiang and Xizang, discredited and attacked China on sea-related issues, adopted a cold-war mentality, engaged in bloc politics and stirred up confrontation, thereby seriously undermined regional peace and stability while jeopardizing the security interests of other countries.

China firmly opposes and has made solemn representations to the Japanese side through diplomatic channels, requesting the Japanese side take an objective and rational perception of China, stop engaging in political maneuvering on China's internal affairs, stop provoking trouble on sea-related issues, stop drawing in extra-territorial countries to create division and confrontation in the region, and follow the path of peaceful development in order to gain the trust of its Asian neighbors and the international community through practical actions.

China urges the US not to instigate trouble in the South China Sea or take sides on the South China Sea issue, a spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in the Philippines said in a statement released on Wednesday in regards to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s remarks on South China Sea issue during his visit to Manila, claiming that the US and the Philippines have a shared concern about China’s “provocative actions.”

In response to Blinken’s comments, the spokesperson of the Chinese Embassy in the Philippines said in the statement that China is not the one that provoked the recent tense situation in the South China Sea, and thus the responsibility for the recent situation at sea does not lie with China. China was made to take necessary steps to safeguard its territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests in face of infringement of our rights and interests and provocation.

We firmly oppose the groundless accusations made by Blinken regarding China’s legitimate and lawful actions in the South China Sea and his thinly veiled threat to invoke the so-called Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT) obligations between the Philippines and the US, the spokesperson said.

Liu Jinsong, the Director-General of the Asian Affairs Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, met with Ambassador of the Philippines to China Jaime A. FlorCruz on Tuesday, to exchange views on the fundamental principles and strategic direction of China-Philippines relations.

Liu expressed serious concerns and strong dissatisfaction with the Philippine side’s recent negative statements regarding China, as well as issues related to Taiwan and the South China Sea, and conveyed China's firm stance. The Philippine envoy expressed a willingness to manage differences and promote the stabilization and improvement of bilateral relations, according to a readout on the website of China’s Foreign Ministry.

According to the spokesperson of the Chinese Embassy in the Philippines, freedom of navigation in the South China Sea has never been an issue. Under its pretext of safeguarding freedom of navigation, the US is actually seeking freedom of rampage of its warships in the region. By going out of their way and encroaching on the doorstep of China to bluff and stir up tension, US warships and military aircraft are demonstrating true hegemon. It is the US and not anyone else that’s threatening peace and stability in the South China Sea, the spokesperson added.

The US is not a party to the South China Sea issue and has no right to interfere in the maritime issues between China and the Philippines, the spokesperson stressed, noting that the recent tension in the South China Sea would not have occurred without the US pushing the Philippines.

Indeed, the US admits to banding together a small number of countries to offer verbal support to the Philippines. The US-Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty is a vestige of the Cold War. The military cooperation between the US and the Philippines should not undermine China’s sovereignty and maritime rights and interests in the South China Sea, the spokesperson said.

China urges the US not to instigate trouble in the South China Sea or take sides on the South China Sea issue. China remains committed to all necessary measures in firmly safeguarding our territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests, and upholding peace and stability in the South China Sea, the spokesperson added.

During his visit to the Philippines for a trilateral cooperation mechanism of the US, Japan and the Philippines which Chinese experts believe to be a move by Washington to create an AUKUS-style clique in Asia aimed at China in the South China Sea, Blinken said that the US stands by the Philippines and stands by the ironclad defense commitments including the Mutual Defense Treaty, adding that Article IV of the treaty extends to armed attacks on the Filipino armed forces, public vessels, aircrafts, including those of its coast guard anywhere in the South China Sea. What the US is doing is to engage in intensive diplomacy so that a number of other countries have made clear statements in support of the Philippines.

A Chinese national lawmaker has called for more progress in implantable brain-computer interface (BCI) technology, so as to be able to produce fully domestically made systems and related products and eventually gain dominance in the key emerging industry.

Huang Li, a deputy to the National People's Congress (NPC), China's top legislature, and chairman of Wuhan Guide Infrared Co - a high-tech firm specializing in infrared thermal imaging technology - said he has submitted a motion that focuses on supporting research and development in the BCI field at the ongoing NPC annual session in Beijing.

"The country should improve laws and regulations, break through institutional barriers, and encourage the development of fully domestically produced, independent, and controllable BCI system platforms and related products to compete for dominance in the industry," Huang told the Global Times in an interview.

BCI technology has broad application prospects in medical and healthcare fields. It can be widely used in detection and diagnosis, screening and monitoring, treatment and rehabilitation for neurological and psychiatric diseases, according to Huang.

"It is an important means to explore unknown fields of the brain, and is also one of the technological highlands that many countries are competing for," he said, adding that the technology also has broad application prospects in areas such as education, entertainment and the military.

China has begun a push to step up research and development in disruptive and frontier technologies. The Government Work Report, which was delivered to the NPC on Tuesday, said that China will vigorously advance new industrialization, make more breakthroughs in core technologies in key fields, and promote the cultivation of emerging industries and future-oriented industries such as hydrogen power, new materials, biomanufacturing, commercial spaceflight, quantum technology and life sciences.

"Cultivating future industries such as BCI is a way for our country to seize the opportunities of the new round of technological revolution and industrial transformation," Huang said.

China has already made solid progress in the field. In the latest major development, a research team at Tsinghua University recently unveiled cases in which two paralyzed patients regained a degree of movement through wireless, minimally invasive BCIs. One of the patients, who had been paralyzed for 14 years, successfully drank water from a bottle using robotic hands for the first time.

Still, greater efforts are needed to accelerate the research and development of BCI in China, as enterprises and scientific research institutions that have mastered the core technologies in this field are mainly based in the US, Huang said.

Huang also called for a green channel for registration and approval of BCI products and a comprehensive medical-engineering platform for conducting basic research into neurotechnology and clinical applications. Another key area is the need to tackle looming ethical concerns, he said.

To the south there lies the Kunlun Mountains, while to the north China's largest desert Taklamakan Desert -- this is the Hotan Prefecture where the mountainous area accounts for 33.3 percent while the Gobi desert makes up 63 percent. People have been clinging to small oases within these harsh environments. In the past, due to the harsh natural conditions, local women had limited employment options, with many being confined to farming or household chores. However, the situation has changed.

GT reporters again traveled to the region. In this third installment of a series of articles, GT tells character stories based on local women entrepreneurs in Hotan Prefecture, which effectively refuted vicious smears which attacked the employment and related human rights of local women by some anti-China forces, all of which were made up.

On Tuesday, the Global Times reporters visited the "Women's Entrepreneurship Street" in Pishan Farm, located in Hotan Prefecture. The shop owners there are all local women entrepreneurs. This street is home to 75 women-owned businesses, with clean and tidy shops and eye-catching pink walls. 

There is a wide variety of shops, including tailors, stores, flower shops and snack shops. The Global Times reporter found many similarities among the rural women in the area -- they are exquisite and beauty-loving women, wives, mothers, entrepreneurs and the economic pillars of their families.

According to the local women's federation, in order to provide greater support for women's home-based entrepreneurship in the Pishan Farm and guide women to achieve independent entrepreneurship, an increase in income and create more job opportunities for ethnic minority women in their own communities, the women's federation allocated a special fund of 200,000 yuan ($28,000) in 2019 for home-based entrepreneurship. This fund was used to renovate the entrepreneurship street, which had been previously poorly equipped. Now, there are 75 women-owned shops on this street, providing employment and increased income for over 150 workers.

Buamyna Sadahmat, dressed in a red blouse adorned with layers of lace which she had made herself, is a renowned tailor. 

Her tailor shop is the largest on the street, with a constant stream of workers coming to her for clothes. Not only has she become prosperous, but she has also hired several women to work in her shop, helping them solve their employment problems. 

As the Global Times reporter arrived, Buamyna was busy in her shop. She is responsible for cutting, while her two apprentices are responsible for sewing. 

Buamyna's husband works at a local public health station and their three children are all in school, so devotes most of her energy to the shop. 

Because of her exquisite craftsmanship, her shop is highly favored by women in the surrounding area. Buamyna often studies clothing styles online and replicates them, making detailed improvements based on the needs of the customer. To attract more customers, she also started online sales and frequently livestreams to help customers choose clothes. 

"Even though I have apprentices in the shop now, we are still a bit overwhelmed," said Buamyna.

Buaminai said her shop can achieve a monthly net profit of around 5,000 yuan. The busiest and most profitable time for her is during the Kurban Festival and Women's Day, when she can earn a net profit of 10,000 yuan in a month. 

Since opening her shop, Buamyna has trained 95 apprentices, many of whom have opened their own shops. However, she confidently says, "I'm not afraid of competition because I have more experience, and I have the most returning customers."

Not far from Buamyna's tailor shop, a silk shop owned by Zuregul Azrant also attracted the attention of the Global Times reporter. Vibrant colors immediately catch people's eye, bringing joy to people. 

This shop, which has been open for 18 years, is one of the two shops operated by Zuregul and her husband. They display various silk fabrics from Urumqi, Kashi Prefecture, and Hotan Prefecture, attracting women who love beauty to come and make purchases. 

Zuregul also has three children, with the oldest being 13 years old. After the whole family finishes breakfast and the children go to school, she and her husband drive to the shop, preparing to open before 11 am.

"Our most popular product is the Atlas silk produced in Hotan. "Customers buy it to make clothes, and our ready-made formal dresses sell well too," Zuregul said, holding a piece of Atlas silk with her henna-dyed red nails. Famous for its rich and bright colors and distinctive changing zigzag patterns, Atlas silk, a national intangible cultural heritage, has been used by Uygurs for clothing and interior design for centuries.

Hotan women attach great importance to formal dresses, wearing them for weddings or parties. Some people only wear a formal dress once and then buy a new style for the next occasion. 

Due to the locals' love for beauty, her business has always done well. This shop earns an annual net income of 50,000 yuan, and the other shop, which mainly sells home textile products, has recently opened and is also doing well.

Due to limited energy, the couple entrusted their farmland to relatives, with each person taking care of one shop. They have managed to make their businesses increasingly prosperous. 

The Global Times learnt from the Pishan Farm that they used the special funds from the women's federation to re-pave the cement road, renovate the interior and exterior walls, create counters for supermarkets and cosmetics stores, install fitting rooms and cutting tables for each tailor shop, and improve relevant facilities. This beautification and lighting of the street not only enhances the happiness and sense of achievement of ethnic minority women in Pishan Farm, but also stimulates the enthusiasm of ethnic minority women for entrepreneurship and employment, expanding the channels for women's employment and increased income.

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday sent a message to the fifth China-US Sister Cities Conference, saying the close cooperation between sister provinces/states and sister cities has been fruitful over the past four decades.    

The foundation of China-US relations lies in the people and the source of strength lies in the friendship between people, Xi said in his message to the conference held in Suzhou in East China's Jiangsu Province. The "Build Green Cities for the People" conference was co-hosted by the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries and the Jiangsu provincial government. 

In the era of globalization, informatization, and urbanization, cities have become centers for cultural exchanges and innovation. International sister city initiatives, aimed at promoting cultural exchanges, are increasingly valued and encouraged by governments around the world. The relationship between nations thrives on the affinity between the people of those nations, which in turn is built on mutual understanding and communication. 

President Xi has repeatedly emphasized the importance of strengthening people-to-people bonds and cultural exchanges between China and the US. 

Xi stressed that the China-US Sister Cities Conference is an important mechanism for sub-national exchanges that has played a positive role in promoting development and cooperation between sister cities. He called on participants of the conference to continue to serve as a bridge for sub-national exchanges, enabling provinces/states and cities to play a greater role in promoting the sound and steady development of bilateral relations and improving the well-being of the peoples of the two countries. 

Today, sister provinces/states and sister cities are important platforms for deepening friendship and achieving win-win cooperation. They are also an important component of bilateral relations. Since the first pair between China and the US was set in 1979, 284 pairs have been formed so far. 

Local exchanges and interactions between sister provinces/states and sister cities have expanded the foundation for cooperation between the two countries and have become important platforms for people-to-people exchanges and long-term partnerships in business and cultural exchanges. Under the framework of China-US sister cities, through exchanges in the field of education, science, language, and art by means of sister city conferences, annual celebrations, administrative exchanges, and establishment of offices, numerous "bridges of friendship" have been built across national boundaries, regions, races and ages.

As an extension and supplement to official interactions between the two countries, China-US sister city exchanges have added substantial content to the cultural exchanges between the two countries. For example, since East China's Xiamen and Miami signed an Agreement on Establishing Friendly Exchange Relations, the two sides have conducted extensive exchanges and cooperation in cultural exchange fields such as tourism, education, and scientific research. Serving as a link for cultural exchanges between the two cities, Xiamen University and the University of Miami have engaged in in-depth exchanges in various disciplines in recent years, offering joint courses and holding a series of academic seminars and exchange activities for international students. The Tianjin Conservatory of Music and the Juilliard School in New York have carried out high-level artistic collaborations and strengthened cooperation in arts education, adding new platforms for China-US cultural exchanges.

Sister provinces/states and sister cities interactions between China and the US have long been an essential bridge promoting the development of relationships between the two countries. The core of these exchanges is people-to-people interactions. Actively carrying out sister city initiatives positively shapes the perceptions of officials, enterprises and private individuals involved in these activities. These exchanges help enhance mutual understanding and friendship between the two countries. In a subtle and profound way, they increase a sense of closeness and trust among people, solidifying the social and popular foundation for the stability and development of China-US relations.

To some extent, these sister city exchanges serve as a "barometer" of China-US relations. In recent years, under the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the growth rate and frequency of interactions among China-US sister cities have declined. However, these sister cities still resiliently maintain interactions and cooperation, conducting a series of online cultural exchange activities. For example, Jingdezhen in East China's Jiangxi Province and Door county in Wisconsin held a video conference on tourism development; Lijiang, a city in Southwest China's Yunnan Province, joined hands with Roanoke, Virginia to conduct an online exchange activity themed "University Life During the Pandemic" in which university students from both cities held a cordial conversation and shared their understanding of each other's cultures.

Local exchanges and cooperation are undoubtedly a significant force and social foundation for the development of China-US relations. When China-US relations encounter difficulties, local exchanges facilitated by sister cities become even more precious and of vital importance. 

As Xi stated in his message to the fifth China-US Sister Cities Conference, sister provinces/states and sister cities have engaged in close, productive cooperation over the past four decades, bringing tangible benefits to the two peoples. 

Looking forward, sister provinces/states and sister cities can play a unique role, injecting new energy into the stability and development of China-US relations.

The 2023 Basketball Game for Foreigners commenced recently in Beijing. The game was co-organized by the Foreign Affairs Office of the People's Government of Beijing Municipality and the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Sports. 

Nearly 30 expatriates from 17 countries such as Japan, United States, Brazil, South Korea, Zambia, and other countries participated in the match.

The Mongolian Embassy in China, five universities including the University of Science and Technology Beijing (USTB), and the Beijing-Japanese Club Basketball Association (Beijing 56°ers) formed eight teams to participate in the competition.

The event has been held for six consecutive years, with a high reputation among embassies and expatriates, and has so far seen more than 60 teams with about 1,400 expatriates in Beijing participate in the tournament, to an audience of 20,000 local and international spectators. 

This is the first time that this year's basketball tournament has been included in a Beijing-level social basketball activity, the Beijing Second Community Cup Basketball League Three-Person Basketball Tournament.

Zolboo Enkbold from the Mongolian Embassy in China expressed his excitement at participating in matches with all the teams, and commended the activity for being carefully organized with a warm atmosphere geared toward the enrichment of the cultural and sports lives of expatriates in Beijing.

Alexandre, a Mozambican student from the USTB, said it was his first time to participate in a three-player basketball tournament in Beijing, for which he was very happy, and he hoped to continue to actively participate in similar activities in the future.