China's ports are expected to see a peak in cross-border passenger flows during the May Day holiday, which runs from May 1 to May 5, with average daily inbound and outbound trips projected to reach 2.25 million and the single-day peak expected to exceed 2.4 million, the National Immigration Administration (NIA) said on Tuesday.

Compared with figures from previous years, 2.25 million daily cross border trips will be a record high during the May Day holiday.

Inbound and outbound passenger flows at major international airports are expected to rise notably, with Shanghai Pudong International Airport projected to handle 102,000 border crossings per day, Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport 55,000, Beijing Capital International Airport 49,000, and both Chengdu Tianfu International Airport and Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport 20,000 crossings each, said the NIA.

Meanwhile, passenger flows at land ports adjacent to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) and Macao SAR are expected to remain at high levels. In Shenzhen, Luohu Port is projected to see 230,000 cross-border trips per day, while Futian Port is expected to handle 210,000. In Zhuhai, Gongbei Port is expected to record 396,000 trips per day, followed by the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge Port with 129,000, according to the NIA.

The NIA said it is currently operating all inspection lanes at full capacity to ensure that Chinese citizens do not wait more than 30 minutes in immigration clearance queues, and to ensure safe, efficient, and smooth port operations.

The EU's draft Cybersecurity Act, under the pretext of cybersecurity and supply chain security, represents a typical practice of politicizing trade issues and security overreach, a spokesperson of China's Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) said on Monday.

The remarks were made in response to a media inquiry regarding the European Commission (EC)'s draft revision of the EU Cybersecurity Act. The MOFCOM spokesperson said that on April 17, the ministry formally submitted its comments to the EC on the draft revision of the EU Cybersecurity Act, expressing China's serious concerns and official position.

China believes that the draft, under the pretext of cybersecurity and supply chain security, introduces highly subjective and arbitrary "non-technical risk" factors. In particular, it establishes lists of "countries of cybersecurity concern" and "high-risk suppliers," and excludes listed countries and suppliers from EU-related supply chains across 18 sectors, including energy, transport, and information and communications technology. China considers this a typical case of politicizing trade issues and security overreach. 

In the comments submitted to the European side, China stated that the draft contains multiple issues, according to the spokesperson.

First, it is suspected of violating core World Trade Organization (WTO) principles such as most-favored-nation treatment and national treatment. It is also inconsistent with several WTO agreements, including the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade 1994, the General Agreement on Trade in Services, the Agreement on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures, and the Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade, as well as the EU's own commitments on services trade liberalization.

Second, it is believed to go beyond the legal mandate of the EU and encroach on the exclusive authority of member states in managing national security affairs.

Third, it is expected to cause substantive damage to China-EU economic and trade relations, severely disrupt global industrial and supply chains, and ultimately hinder the EU's own digital and green transformation process.

In its comments, China suggested that the European side delete provisions in the draft concerning "countries of cybersecurity concern" and "non-technical risks," and remove or substantially revise the criteria for identifying "high-risk suppliers" as well as the related restrictive measures, said the spokesperson.

China also expressed the hope that the EU will give full attention to and carefully consider China's comments and proposed revisions, strictly adhere to WTO rules, avoid adopting discriminatory restrictive measures, and help maintain the stability and smooth functioning of China-EU and global industrial and supply chains, said the spokesperson.

China will closely monitor progress in the revision of the draft and stands ready to engage in dialogue and communication with the European side on this matter, the MOFCOM spokesperson said, noting that if the EU insists on enacting the proposal into law and adopts discriminatory treatment against Chinese enterprises, China will be compelled to take necessary countermeasures. 

China hopes that the EU will not underestimate its firm determination to safeguard national interests and the legitimate rights and interests of its enterprises, and to prevent a setback in China-EU economic and trade relations, the ministry spokesperson noted.

Jian Junbo, director of the Center for China-Europe Relations at Fudan University's Institute of International Studies, told the Global Times that the EU's draft cybersecurity law's reference to "high-risk suppliers" has drawn attention. Once such designations are applied, related digital and network products could face restrictions, indicating that the provision may go beyond purely technical considerations, the expert said.

Jian noted that defining risks at the country level rather than the product level reflects a political rather than technical approach. Such criteria deviate from market-based and technology-driven standards, raising questions about the objectivity and fairness of the framework, he said.

If the law is implemented in a way that targets China, it could subject Chinese firms to restrictions, undermining market principles and fair competition, said Jian, noting that such an approach could disrupt global industrial and supply chains, while also proving detrimental to the EU's own technological progress and industrial development.

He stressed that greater attention should be paid to whether enforcement is selective or discriminatory.

Jian also called for greater dialogue between China and the EU, noting that cybersecurity is a global challenge that requires cooperative and rules-based governance. Addressing such issues through consultation and multilateral coordination, rather than unilateral restrictions, would be more constructive and sustainable.

On the afternoon of April 16, German time, the 18th "Taicang Day" event was held in Munich. The State Grid Suzhou Power Supply Company participated in this Sino-German economic and trade exchange event for the first time, and delivered a thematic presentation on green supply guarantee, green grid construction, high-quality power services, and green partnerships, systematically showcasing its green performance capabilities and power supply guarantee strength in empowering foreign-invested enterprises in China.

Suzhou is a strong manufacturing city and a highland of open economy, home to over 19,000 foreign-invested enterprises, attracting 185 Fortune Global 500 companies to invest in 508 projects in Suzhou. State Grid Suzhou Power Supply Company implemented the "Transforming Work Style, Strengthening Guarantee, and Promoting Development" power supply service improvement campaign, promoting innovative measures such as "open-door power connection," modular leasing of power equipment ("full power sharing"), and tiered power supply, continuously creating a first-class power business environment.

As the "Hometown of German Enterprises in China," Taicang has attracted over 560 German-invested enterprises. State Grid Suzhou Power Supply Company adheres to the principle of synchronized power grid construction and industrial development, accelerating the upgrading of the power grid to provide ample power support for enterprise development.

The German Schaeffler Group is the world's second-largest manufacturer of rolling bearings and a globally renowned automotive parts supplier. In 1995, the group established its first factory in Taicang. Over the past 30 years, Schaeffler has completed more than 10 capital increases in Taicang. "We compiled an electricity usage file for Schaeffler, recording its electricity capacity increasing from 1,000 kVA in 1995 to 65,600 kVA now, an increase of more than 60 times," explained a staff member from the State Grid Suzhou Power Supply Company.

On January 4, 2023, Schaeffler submitted a 4,000 kVA capacity increase application, and the State Grid Suzhou Power Supply Company completed the on-site survey the following day. The core power supply processes, including solution response, acceptance, and power connection, were completed in just four working days, and meter installation and power connection were also completed soon thereafter.

This efficient service is a prime example of the Suzhou Power Supply Company's service to foreign-invested enterprises. Currently, the State Grid Suzhou Power Supply Company has established 20 "open-door power connection" demonstration zones throughout the city, taking the lead nationwide in raising the low-voltage access standard to 200 kilowatts, and solidly implementing the power extension investment policy. During the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, it has saved customers more than 10 billion yuan in power connection costs.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry and China's Ministry of National Defense voiced China's firm opposition and protests on Friday over the entry of a Japanese Self-Defense Force (SDF) vessel into the Taiwan Straits, while the Eastern Theater Command of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) vowed to resolutely safeguard China's sovereignty and security, as well as regional peace and stability.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said at a regular press conference on Friday that the Chinese military has handled the entry of the Japanese SDF vessel in accordance with laws and regulations. Guo added that Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's erroneous remarks on Taiwan have already severely impacted China-Japan relations. The Japanese side is compounding the wrongdoing by sending the SDF vessel into the Taiwan Straits to flex its muscles and deliberately provoke China.

Guo noted that this action severely undermines the political foundation of China-Japan relations and threatens China's sovereignty and security. China firmly opposes it and has lodged strong protest against Japan.

"The Taiwan question bears on China's sovereignty and territorial integrity, and the political foundation of China-Japan relations. It is a red line that must not be crossed. China urges the Japanese side to do serious soul-searching on its wrongdoings, return to the right track at once, exercise prudence in its words and actions, and stop going further down the wrong path," Guo noted.

Also on Friday, Zhang Xiaogang, spokesperson of China's Ministry of National Defense, said that China has lodged solemn representations and strong protests with the Japanese side, questioning what Japan intends to achieve through such deliberate provocations and repeated mistakes. Zhang said by stirring up trouble in the Taiwan Straits, the SDF vessel has sent the wrong signal to "Taiwan independence" separatist forces, adding that this will only fuel greater indignation among the Chinese people and strengthen our resolve to resolutely counter Japan's provocative acts of playing with fire. 

"We urge Japan to come to its senses, abide by the one-China principle and the spirit of the four political documents between China and Japan, and refrain from going further down the wrong path," said Zhang, adding that the Chinese military remains on high alert at all times, firmly countering all foreign interference attempts and safeguarding national sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Senior Colonel Xu Chenghua, spokesperson for the PLA Eastern Theater Command, said in a statement released by the PLA Eastern Theater Command on its WeChat account that from 4:02 to 17:50 on Friday, the Japanese destroyer JS Ikazuchi transited the Taiwan Straits, sending wrong signals to "Taiwan independence" separatist forces. The PLA Eastern Theater Command deployed naval and air assets to track and monitor the vessel throughout the process, ensuring an effective control of the situation.

Forces of the Eastern Theater Command will remain on high alert at all times, and resolutely safeguard China's sovereignty and security, as well as regional peace and stability, Xu said.

Following China's solemn stance, the incident has drawn close attention from Japanese media outlets. Kyodo News issued a breaking news report titled "Chinese Foreign Ministry says Japanese SDF vessel enters Taiwan Straits." The article noted that a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on Friday that a vessel of the Japanese SDF had sailed into the Taiwan Straits, and that China had lodged a strong protest against Japan.

Several other Japanese media outlets, including the Kyoto Shimbun, Okinawa Times, Saga Shimbun, and Kumamoto Nichinichi Shimbun, have reposted Kyodo News' report.

Some Japanese media outlets also published more detailed coverage of the remarks made by the Chinese Foreign Ministry. The Mainichi Shimbun quoted Guo as saying that the Chinese military had handled the entry of the Japan SDF vessel in accordance with laws and regulations, and that Guo stated Beijing had lodged a strong protest with Japan. Nippon Television Network reported that Guo further criticized Japan for deliberately sending SDF warships to flex military muscles, and that such moves laid bare Japan's dangerous attempt to meddle in affairs related to Taiwan Straits.

Japan's move to send a vessel into the Taiwan Straits may aim to hype its so-called "regional security concerns" and is a show of force, Xiang Haoyu, a distinguished research fellow at the Department for Asia-Pacific Studies of the China Institute of International Studies, told the Global Times on Friday. 

It intends to test the Chinese mainland's response to the Taiwan question and send a "pro-Taiwan" signal to the secessionist DPP authorities, laying bare the negative policies and risky tendencies of Japan's administration on Taiwan-related affairs, Xiang said.

String of provocations

There has also been a string of provocative incidents targeting Chinese nationals in Japan recently. On Thursday, the Chinese Embassy in Japan revealed a recent series of terror threats received by the embassy as well as the absence of effective measures by Japanese police.

Shi Yong, Charge d'Affaires ad interim of Chinese Embassy in Japan, revealed on Thursday that on March 5, an organization claiming to consist of former Japanese police officers and former SDF members sent a terror threat letter to the embassy. Nineteen days later, a serious incident occurred in which active-duty Japan SDF member Kodai Murata broke into the Chinese Embassy by scaling the wall carrying a knife on March 24. Just one week after the break-in incident, on March 31, another individual claiming to be a reserve SDF member sent a terror threat to the embassy via the internet, according to CCTV News.

Addressing the regular press conference on Friday about the recent incessant harassment and provocations targeting Chinese missions in Japan, Guo said that soft-pedaling such incidents and even distracting attention from them or spreading disinformation will only lead to more such incidents with even more dreadful consequences, and put more Japanese people under its harmful impact. The malevolent emergence of neo-militarism in Japan could also threaten peace and stability in the region. 

"We once again urge the Japanese side to reflect on and correct its policy and behavior, conduct a thorough probe and take full responsibility for the incident," Guo said.

Xiang noted that the recent series of provocative incidents are not isolated. Japan's domestic political landscape has become increasingly right-wing, leaving less room for rational voices, and with the continuous growth of its defense budget, right-wing conservative forces are attempting to create external tensions to justify security policy adjustments. 

"In addition, the frequent occurrence of extremist acts reflects the fact that radical tendencies in Japanese society have not been effectively contained, which is an outcome of the country's overall rightward shift," the expert said.

The General Office of the State Council, China's cabinet, has issued new guidelines to strengthen basic-level firefighting work, mandating improved investigation mechanisms and promoting a shift in fire safety governance toward prevention, China Central Television (CCTV) reported on Wednesday. 

The guidelines set out clear requirements for fire departments to conduct fire accident investigations and handling in accordance with the law, officials from the National Fire and Rescue Administration said during a press briefing on Wednesday. 

For ordinary fires, the focus will be placed on "rectification." The guidelines require enhancing investigations into technical and managerial responsibilities, thoroughly examining underlying causes, and using the findings to improve production processes and refine standards, thereby achieving proactive and targeted prevention and control. 

The guidelines also require improving the filing and review system for fires with multiple fatalities. Starting this year, the investigation report for such fire incidents must be submitted to the National Fire and Rescue Administration for review before approval, and national fire investigation experts will be dispatched to provide guidance, so as to prevent superficial investigations and perfunctory accountability. 

For major fires, the incident will be listed for priority supervision and faces escalated investigations. The Work Safety Committee of the State Council will place each major fire under prioritized supervision, and the National Fire and Rescue Administration will establish on-site supervisory teams. For cases of a serious nature or with a significant social impact, investigations will be elevated to a higher level. After cases are concluded, the investigation results and full details of the fire will be made public. 

In addition, China will grant liability exemptions or leniency to firefighters who have duly fulfilled their duties, aiming to encourage firefighting officials to take responsibility and act proactively, and to avoid situations where "those who conduct inspections are held accountable, while those who do not inspect bear no responsibility."

In response to a question on the claim by the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) that it will vote this month on a proposal to bar all Chinese labs from testing electronic devices for use in the US, Mao Ning, a spokesperson for China's Foreign Ministry, said at a regular press conference on Thursday that "China firmly opposes the US practice of overstretching the concept of national security."

Such approach severely disrupts normal economic and trade exchanges between Chinese and US enterprises and does not serve the interests of any party, including US companies and consumers. China will continue to firmly safeguard its legitimate rights and interests, said Mao. 

Underscoring demand-driven development, reform breakthroughs, technology empowerment as well as opening up and cooperation, Chinese President Xi Jinping called for carrying out capacity-expanding and quality-upgrading initiatives in the service sector. Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, has also called for striving to break new ground in the high-quality development of China's service sector.

President Xi recently issued important instructions on the development of the service sector, thoroughly explaining the major significance, key principles and priority tasks for promoting its high-quality and efficient development. The instructions clarify the guiding principles for advancing the development of the sector and further deepen the Communist Party of China (CPC)'s understanding of the underlying laws governing the building of a modern industrial system, providing a scientific guide for promoting the high-quality and efficient development of the service sector.

Strategic significance

Making solid efforts to open up new prospects for the high-quality development of the service sector is crucial to current economic and social development, the overall advancement of Chinese modernization, and has major strategic significance.

As economic and social development advances and residents' incomes rise, the service sector is playing an increasingly important role in the country's overall development.

The service sector has become the nation's main driver of economic growth.

During the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-25), the value added of China's service sector crossed three successive 10-trillion-yuan ($1.46 trillion) thresholds, surpassing 80 trillion yuan in 2025. In 2015, the sector's share of GDP exceeded 50 percent for the first time and has continued to edge up steadily since then, reaching 57.7 percent in 2025. It now contributes more than 60 percent of the country's economic growth.

The service sector serves as a catalyst for technological innovation and a multiplier of manufacturing value. Producer services have played an indispensable role in helping China's manufacturing sector retain the world's largest overall scale for 16 consecutive years.

In addition, the service sector serves as a source of employment and a stabilizing force. With its wide range of segments, broad scope, flexible formats and strong capacity to absorb labor, the sector plays a significant role in job creation. New occupations such as on-demand delivery workers and business data analysts continue to emerge, creating fresh employment opportunities.

By the end of 2024, employment in the service sector had reached 360 million, accounting for 48.8 percent of the national total.

As global economic uncertainty rises and China's economy enters a critical stage of transformation and upgrading, promoting the high-quality and efficient development of the service sector is both significant and timely.

Promoting the high-quality and efficient development of the services sector will strongly support China's manufacturing upgrade from scale to strength and help it move up both ends of the value chain, in line with the "smile curve."

Meanwhile, whether by advancing the high-end, intelligent and green development of manufacturing, or by adapting to consumer trends toward higher quality, greater personalization and more premium offerings, promoting the high-quality and efficient development of the service sector will continue to create new drivers of economic growth.

Promoting the high-quality and efficient development of the service sector will not only better meet people's daily needs, but also create more high-quality jobs, thereby better fulfilling people's aspirations for a better life and providing strong momentum for advancing Chinese modernization.

High-quality development

Expanding capacity and improving quality is the key path to promoting the high-quality and efficient development of the service sector.

"Expanding capacity" means addressing supply-demand gaps across different service sectors by increasing supply, continuously fostering new growth drivers for the services industry and new space for trade in services, and enhancing the sector's overall development level.

"Improving quality" means being guided by demand, deepening reform, leveraging technology, and expanding opening-up and cooperation, while strengthening standardization to raise the service sector's level of digitalization, integration and internationalization, and accelerate its move toward the high end of the industrial and value chains.

To better promote the high-quality and efficient development of the service sector, it is essential to stay guided by demand, advance producer services toward the high end in line with the needs of the real economy, and steer consumer services toward new forms and upgrades based on people's daily needs.

In recent years, reforms in China's service sector have deepened across the board, with hidden restrictions in areas such as factor access, resource allocation and government procurement steadily easing. However, institutional and structural obstacles remain, including inconsistent standards and local protectionism.

To better promote the high-quality and efficient development of the service sector, efforts should focus on key areas and critical links, accelerate the building of a unified national market, strike a balance between market vitality and effective regulation, facilitate the free flow of service-related factors, and improve resource allocation efficiency in the service sector.

Technology empowerment

At present, a new generation of information technologies represented by artificial intelligence, big data and the industrial internet is advancing rapidly in both breakthroughs and applications, empowering a wide range of industries and reaching households across the country.

To better promote the high-quality and efficient development of the services sector, it is essential to take technological innovation as a key driver, use it to drive industrial innovation, advance the deep integration and coordinated innovation of manufacturing, service and digital technologies, and foster both qualitative improvement and reasonable quantitative growth in the service sector.

To open up new prospects for the high-quality development of the service sector, we must remain focused, work steadily, stay committed to expanding capacity and improving quality, and steadily advance the key tasks for service sector development.

As digitalization, green development and intelligent transformation continue to deepen, producer services are entering a period of strategic opportunity marked by both scale expansion and structural upgrading.

With a focus on sectors such as technology services, digital and intelligent services, business services, modern logistics and financial services, China should systematically improve the quality and efficiency of producer service supply and build a modern industrial system with greater resilience and competitiveness.

In addition, consumer services are geared toward meeting people's needs throughout the life cycle and represent an important link for improving livelihoods, expanding domestic demand and stabilizing growth.

Meanwhile, China also needs to foster more "China services" brands. This is driven by both practical demand and growing technological and industrial strength.

As China's service sector advances technologically and the domestic market for service consumption continues to expand, the country should keep improving the sector's digitalization, standardization, integration and internationalization, and gradually build globally recognized "China services" brands.

As China moves through the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-30), by fostering a sound approach to development and deeply implementing the initiative to expand capacity and improve quality in the services sector, the high-quality development of the service industry will open up promising new horizons.

This was compiled from an article originally published on the front page of the People's Daily on April 10, 2026.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Thursday that China stands ready to work with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) to continue consolidating the positive momentum in the development of China-DPRK relations.

Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the remarks in talks with DPRK Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui.

Wang said that in early September last year, Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, and Kim Jong Un, general secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK), held a historic meeting in Beijing, reaching important consensus on the overall, strategic and directional issues concerning bilateral ties.

The meeting provides important strategic guidance for further developing China-DPRK relations, pushes bilateral ties into a new stage and opens a new chapter in friendly exchanges between the two countries, which is of great and far-reaching significance, Wang added.

Wang said China stands ready to work with the DPRK to take the important consensus reached by the top leaders of the two parties and countries as fundamental guidance, strengthen strategic communication, enhance exchanges and cooperation, create more benefits for the two peoples, and jointly promote regional peace and development.

The past year has witnessed a series of highlights in China-DPRK exchanges, which strongly demonstrated that the two countries' traditional friendship forged in blood remains everlasting and unbreakable, Wang said, noting that this year marks the 65th anniversary of the signing of the China-DPRK Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance.

Over the past 65 years, Wang said, no matter how the international and regional situations have changed, China and the DPRK, as good neighbors, good friends and good comrades, have always trusted and supported each other, making unremitting efforts to maintain regional and world peace and stability and promote their respective development.

Wang said China is willing to work with the DPRK side to hold commemorative events for the 65th anniversary of the signing of the treaty, strengthen high-level exchanges, enhance dialogue and practical cooperation at all levels and in various fields, deepen people-to-people exchanges and mutual understanding, and contribute to respective economic and social development.

For her part, Choe said that the DPRK-China friendship is based on the common socialist system and traditional friendship, describing bilateral relations as deep-rooted, solid and sustainable. It is the unwavering position of the WPK and the nation to advance DPRK-China friendship and cooperation following the trend of the times and the will of the two peoples.

Choe noted that the historic and successful meeting between the top leaders of the two parties and countries in September last year has significantly enhanced friendship and mutual trust between the two parties and two countries, pointed out a clear direction for and injecting strong impetus into the development of bilateral ties.

The DPRK, Choe said, fully supports the one-China principle, firmly opposes any interference in China's internal affairs, and resolutely supports China's position on safeguarding sovereignty and territorial integrity concerning Taiwan, Xizang, Xinjiang, and other issues of China's core interests.

Choe said that the DPRK side fully endorses the vision of building a community with a shared future for humanity and the four global initiatives proposed by Xi, and highly values China's just position on and important role in international and regional affairs.

Choe said that the DPRK stands ready to work with China to implement the important consensus reached by the top leaders of the two parties and countries, hold commemorative events marking the 65th anniversary of the signing of the DPRK-China Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance, expand exchanges and practical cooperation across various fields, enhance coordination between diplomatic departments, strengthen multilateral communication and collaboration, and continue to make efforts to lift DPRK-China relations to higher levels and open up new prospects.

The two sides also had an in-depth exchange of views on current international and regional issues.

Q: Can you offer some background information on the tenth Lancang-Mekong Cooperation Foreign Ministers’ Meeting? What does China, the host country, expect from this meeting? What is China’s consideration for holding the Informal Discussion Between the Foreign Ministers of China, Lao PDR, Myanmar and Thailand?

A: The LMC is an innovative type of regional cooperation mechanism among China, Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Thailand and Viet Nam featuring collaboration, consultation and shared benefit. Under the strategic guidance of the leaders of the six countries, the Mekong countries have successively announced with China the building of a community with a shared future, which means that countries in the region have all been committed to building a community with a shared future both bilaterally and multilaterally under the LMC mechanism. Connectivity across land, sea, air and the cyberspace has been enhanced, cross-border trade, investment, and industrial and supply chain cooperation continued to deepen, and cultural and people-to-people exchanges have flourished, fostering ever-closer bonds among our peoples. The six countries have cultivated the Lancang-Mekong spirit of development first, equal consultation, practicality and high efficiency, and openness and inclusiveness, and worked together to build a Lancang-Mekong home that shares weal and woe in solidarity. 

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation mechanism. All Lancang-Mekong countries are now at a crucial stage of accelerated development. Facing a volatile international landscape and the rise of unilateralism, hegemony and protectionism, the Lancang-Mekong countries need to strengthen unity, enhance cooperation, and promote common development. China hopes to work with the Mekong countries at the LMC Foreign Ministers’ Meeting to review the outcomes of cooperation, take stock of success experience, and plan for future development of the mechanism, so as to build a more resilient Lancang-Mekong Economic Development Belt and an even closer Lancang-Mekong community with a shared future, providing greater stability and new driving forces for improving the well-being of people and promoting sustainable development in the region.

On the sidelines of the LMC meeting, as proposed by Thailand, the co-chair of the LMC, the Informal Discussion Between the Foreign Ministers of China, Lao PDR, Myanmar and Thailand will be held for an in-depth exchange of views on the regional situation, jointly combating cross-border crimes and other issues of mutual interest and concern.

China, which has maintained one of the lowest incidences of fatal criminal cases, the lowest rates of criminal offenses, and the fewest cases involving firearms and explosives, is widely recognized as one of the safest countries in the world, a senior Chinese public security official said at a press conference on Wednesday.

Qi Yanjun, vice minister of public security, made the remarks at the conference. He said that public security organs have helped facilitate China's high-quality development by resolutely safeguarding public safety, according to the Xinhua News Agency.

Also, Chinese police handled 1.739 million telecom fraud cases and arrested 366,000 suspects, including 3,442 major financiers and core members of the crime groups, during the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-25), senior police officer Jiang Guoli said at the press conference, Xinhua reported.

Public security organs have arrested 366,000 suspects, including 3,442 key figures in fraud syndicates, through special operations. These campaigns targeted criminal networks providing illegal services - such as online traffic promotion, money laundering, tech support, and human smuggling - for overseas fraud groups, a report by CCTV News said.

China has also continuously deepened international law enforcement cooperation and has sent specialized teams to countries such as Thailand, Cambodia, and the Philippines to carry out police cooperation, according to the conference, CCTV reported. 

Joint actions have led to the dismantling of more than 2,000 overseas fraud dens and the arrest of over 80,000 criminal suspects. These efforts have significantly deterred transnational criminal fraud networks and effectively curbed the high incidence of cross-border telecom and cyber fraud crimes.

According to data released by China's Ministry of Public Security, during the 14th Five-Year Plan period, Chinese police smashed over 590 organized crime groups and more than 8,900 violent criminal organizations, and solved around 105,000 related criminal cases, Xinhua reported.