Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi held talks with Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Lao PDR Thongsavanh Phomvihane in Beijing on Thursday, with both pledging to push forward the building of a China-Laos community with a shared future. 

Chinese analysts described the meeting as highly productive, instilling greater confidence and laying a promising foundation for future collaboration between the two countries. 

Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said that over the past 64 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations, the two parties of China and Laos and the two nations have stood together through challenges and provided mutual support. The comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries has become ever more robust and resilient. 

China firmly supports Laos in strengthening the leadership of its party and expresses willingness to enhance strategic mutual trust, strengthen solidarity and cooperation, and promote the building of a China-Laos community with a shared future, Wang said. 

Thongsavanh praised China's leapfrog development amid a complex external environment. He also said that Laos firmly adheres to the one-China policy and stands ready to work with China to make greater progress in building a Laos-China community with a shared future.

Phomvihane is visiting China from March 12 to 15. Liu Jianchao, head of the International Department of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee also met with Thongsavanh Phomvihane in Beijing on Thursday.

"The talks between the two sides were highly productive, as it not only reaffirmed their past experiences of bilateral cooperation but also established a promising foundation for future collaboration in the coming years," Zhou Shixin, director of the Institute for Foreign Policy Studies at the Shanghai Institute for International Studies, told the Global Times.

In their meeting, Wang said China is willing to work with Laos to further deepen and expand practical cooperation, advance the construction of the China-Laos Economic Corridor, enhance the China-Laos Railway's operational capacity, accelerate comprehensive development along the railway line, and expand collaboration in energy, artificial intelligence, the digital economy, and other fields. 

Wang also told Thongsavanh the two sides can strengthen bilateral and multilateral law enforcement cooperation to combat telecommunications fraud, gambling, and other cross-border criminal activities with full force. 

"The areas of deepening cooperation with China align with Laos' national vision and need for more robust economic development," Ge Hongliang, vice dean of the ASEAN College at the Guangxi Minzu University, told the Global Times.

Zhou emphasized the development of the flagship project between the two countries, the China-Laos Economic Corridor, with the China-Laos Railway as an important part, has already laid a solid foundation. The meeting has instilled confidence that further practical cooperation regarding the railway's expansion can be anticipated.

China's two sessions have just concluded successfully, setting a GDP growth target of around 5 percent for 2025. As comrades and brothers, China welcomes Laos to seize the new opportunities of China's development and join hands to march toward modernization, Wang told Thongsavanh. 

The between China and Laos is not limited to bilateral relations. Previously known as a landlocked country, Laos has now become a land-linked nation. As a result, Laos plays a significant role in connecting China with other ASEAN countries in the Southeast Asian region in many aspects, Zhou added. 

After the meeting, both sides signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Jointly Promoting Cooperation on the Global Security Initiative. 

This collaboration sets an example, potentially encouraging more ASEAN nations to join China to promote and cooperate on the Global Security Initiative, Zhou believed. 

Hohhot, the capital of North China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, unveiled its generous childcare subsidy policy, offering up to 100,000 yuan ($13,800) per newborn and other preferential policies to families with three or more kids. The subsidy will be paid out at a rate of 10,000 yuan per year until the child turns 10, CCTV News reported on Saturday. 

Under the new policy, families with at least one parent holding a Hohhot hukou (household registration) will receive 100,000 yuan for having a third child after March 1. Hohhot will also provide cash subsidies of 10,000 yuan for family with one child and 50,000 yuan for those with a second starting from March 1. 

Yang Zhong, deputy director of the Hohhot Municipal Health Commission, stated that the childcare subsidy program, which took effect on March 1, is a key measure to promote high-quality population growth.

Marriage and childbirth services include medical insurance coverage for prenatal examinations and labor analgesia, while newborns receive three free health screenings; the "One Cup of Milk" program provides year-round nutritional support for postpartum mothers (specifically, mothers of newborns born after March 1, 2025, receive one free cup of milk daily for a full year); and childcare subsidies are distributed in a tiered manner, according to the report.

Yang explained that the tiered, annual distribution of childcare subsidies could ease short-term fiscal pressure while optimizing fund use. 

A dynamic evaluation system will track the policy's effectiveness. Hohhot's subsidy process is designed for convenience, with newborns automatically eligible upon registration through IT systems, while residents can also apply online. 

Yang hopes this reduces family financial burdens, eases childbirth concerns, and boosts industries like maternal products and education.

Hohhot is not the only city using direct financial incentives to boost birth rates.

According to CCTV News, Tianmen in Central China's Hubei Province has increased number of newborns by 17 percent year-on-year by adopting subsidiary policies since 2024. 

In mid-December last year, a Tianmen mother surnamed He, welcomed her third child. On the day of her discharge, He received a financial package including 300 yuan in delivery assistance, a 3,000-yuan one-time birth reward, and 4,800 yuan in maternity leave subsidies -- totaling 8,100 yuan deposited into an "encouraging childbirth" bank card. 

Additionally, from birth to age 3, her third child qualifies for a monthly 1,000-yuan subsidy. Combined with an 18,000-yuan housing subsidy and a waived 1,000-yuan non-invasive prenatal genetic screening fee, He received a grand total of 225,100 yuan in government support for her third child.

Since 2024, Tianmen city has implemented seven pro-birth policies—including childcare subsidies, childcare services, and enhanced housing support—to encourage higher birth rates, according to CCTV News.

Wang Huibing, an official with the Tianmen Health Commission, noted the policies' clear impact: in 2024, births reached 7,217, up 17 percent year-on-year, marking the first increase in eight years. 

"We're building an integrated service system covering pregnancy, childbirth, childcare, and education, ensuring people can conceive well, give birth safely, and afford to raise children," said the official.

China will formulate policies on boosting birth rates, and provide childcare subsidies, according to a government work report submitted to the national legislature for deliberation on March 5.

Editor's Note:

Since the publication of the first volume of Xi Jinping: The Governance of China in 2014, the book has garnered widespread recognition globally, becoming a key resource for political figures, scholars, and experts in many countries. It stands as the leader's work with the most published languages, the widest coverage, and the greatest global influence, opening a "window of thought" for understanding China in the new era.

To offer global audiences deeper insights into Xi Jinping: The Governance of China and the key concepts it contains, including perspectives on development, civilization, security, human rights, ecology, international order, and global governance, the Global Times is launching the "Decoding the Book of Xi Jinping: The Governance of China" series. Through themed columns such as "Scholars' Perspectives," "Translators' Voices," "Practitioners' Insights," and "Readers' Reflections," this series will feature perspectives from Chinese and international scholars, translators of the work, practitioners of its concepts, and overseas readers. It aims to share what they have seen and understood about China's philosophy, values, and wisdom through the book.

In response to Australian defense ministry's claim on Thursday that an Australian air force patrol aircraft experienced an "unsafe and unprofessional" interaction with a Chinese Air Force aircraft in the South China Sea on Tuesday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said at a regular press conference on Thursday that the Australian military aircraft deliberately intruded into China's territorial airspace of Xisha Qundao without China's permission, infringing on China's sovereignty and endangering China's national security, and China's measures to expel the aircraft were legitimate, professional and exercised with restraint.

Military experts told the Global Times on Thursday that measures taken by the PLA Air Force were professional and restrained. Anyone who attempts to provoke trouble in the South China Sea will be met with targeted countermeasures, and their schemes will not succeed.

The Australian statement claimed that on Tuesday, a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft conducting a routine maritime surveillance patrol in the South China Sea experienced an "unsafe and unprofessional interaction" with a Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force J-16 fighter aircraft.

"The PLA Air Force aircraft released flares in close proximity to the RAAF P-8A aircraft. This was an 'unsafe and unprofessional' maneuver that posed a risk to the aircraft and personnel," the statement claimed. The statement also claimed that "No injuries were sustained by Australian Defence Force (ADF) personnel nor was damage caused to the RAAF P-8A."

Australia's hype over the Chinese PLA aircraft's so-called "unsafe" interaction reflects its strategic short-sightedness in regional security issues. While collaborating with the US strategy of "maritime containment of China," Australia is also advancing its own selfish agenda. Its actions of infringing on China's territorial airspace of Xisha Qundao and threatening China's national security, while shifting blame and shirking responsibility, are highly irresponsible and detrimental to the healthy development of bilateral relations, Ding Duo, director of the Research Center for International and Regional Studies at the National Institute for South China Sea Studies, told the Global Times on Thursday.

"The facts are very clear: the Australian military aircraft intruded into China's territorial airspace of Xisha Qundao, violating China's sovereignty and security. It will definitely be met with expulsion of the PLA, which is a justified action of defense and a legitimate right. No country would tolerate foreign military aircraft intruding into its airspace, and every nation would take corresponding measures in response, applying different levels of interception and countermeasures based on the nature of the provocation," Zhang Junshe, a Chinese military expert, told the Global Times on Thursday.

Zhang said that certain countries have become accustomed to the tactic of "a thief crying 'stop thief,'" hypocritically accusing China first in order to cover up the truth. Their goal is to dominate international public opinion while diverting attention from their own actions—sending warships and aircraft into the South China Sea, promoting its militarization, and undermining regional peace and stability.

"Australia's consistent approach not only aims to discredit the PLA but also seeks to use public opinion to pressure the PLA into abandoning legitimate self-defense. In other words, Australia wants China to take no action when its military aircraft conduct close-in reconnaissance and other intrusive operations against China. This is pure wishful thinking," Zhang pointed out.

Ding stated that under the banner of "freedom of navigation and overflight," Australia's actions actually serve multiple purposes. First, it aims to challenge China's straight baselines around the Xisha Qundao. Second, it seeks to use reconnaissance aircraft to collect and spy on China's military intelligence in the South China Sea, particularly near the Xisha Qundao. Third, Australia coordinates with the Philippines, Japan, the US, and its own forces in joint patrols or as part of efforts to demonstrate military deterrence against China. Fourth, it engages in provocative maneuvers to test China's naval and air force responses and combat readiness, effectively acting as an auxiliary force for the US.

"Judging from China's response and countermeasures, anyone attempting to provoke trouble, seek attention, or maintain a presence in the South China Sea will face targeted countermeasures, and their schemes will not succeed," Ding said.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has expressed hope that the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) would adopt a rational and pragmatic approach, develop an objective and accurate perception of China, and pursue a positive and responsible policy toward China.

Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the remarks when meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte here on Friday on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference.

Wang said that China is a force for maintaining peace and stability. It's the largest contributor of peacekeeping personnel among the permanent members of the United Nations (UN) Security Council, and the second-largest financial contributor to UN peacekeeping operations. On issues of peace and security, China has the best track record among major countries, he added.

Amid ongoing escalating geopolitical conflicts, Wang urged NATO to remain committed to its role as a regional defensive organization and contribute constructively to global and regional peace.

Rutte acknowledged China as a great nation with remarkable development achievements. He said that NATO, as a regional defensive organization, has no intention of expanding into Asia and will not do so. Rutte added that NATO is willing to enhance dialogue and communication with China to deepen mutual understanding and trust.

The two sides exchanged views on the Ukraine crisis. Rutte said that NATO highly values China's influence and role, and hopes that China will play a significant role in pushing forward a peaceful resolution to the Russia-Ukraine conflict as soon as possible.

Wang elaborated on China's principles and stance, reaffirming China's commitment to continue working with all parties to play a constructive role in promoting a political settlement of the crisis and building a balanced, effective, and sustainable security framework in Europe.

A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson on Monday urged Japan to be cautious in its words and actions regarding the Taiwan question and avoid taking petty actions, following reports that Japan's Ministry of Justice will allow "Taiwan" to be listed as a place of origin on its family registry whereas residents from Taiwan island are currently registered as Chinese residents. 

Bloomberg reported that under current rules, residents can only list nations as their place of origin, but the new change will allow for people to register regions such as Taiwan and Palestine as well, according to a public copy of the revision available on the Justice Ministry's website. Japan does not recognize Taiwan as a nation.

Taiwan is an inalienable part of China's territory, compatriots on both sides of the Taiwan Straits are all Chinese people, and Taiwan question is purely an internal affair of China that brooks no interference by any external forces, said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun, in response to a media inquiry on the matter. 

Japan, which had committed aggression and conducted colonial rule over Taiwan island, bears a serious historical guilt toward the Chinese people. It should be all the more prudent in its words and actions. We urge the Japanese side to abide by the one-China principle and the spirit of the four China-Japan political documents, and to refrain from taking petty actions on the Taiwan question or sending contradictory and wrong signals, Guo said. 

Bloomberg reported that Japan's Ministry of Justice described the revision as a mere technical adjustment.

Guo pointed out that Japan's adherence to the one-China principle and the spirit of the four China-Japan political documents constitutes a solemn political commitment from Japan.

"I would like to emphasize once again that the Taiwan question is purely an internal affair of China, which brooks no interference from any external forces."

Chinese scientists have achieved high-temperature superconductivity in nickel oxide materials under ambient pressure conditions. The discovery establishes nickel-based materials as the third high-temperature superconducting material system, following copper-based and iron-based materials, the Global Times learnt from the researching team. 

Superconductivity is a physical phenomenon where certain materials exhibit zero electrical resistance and perfect diamagnetism when cooled below a critical temperature. It holds great promise for applications in advanced fields, including energy transmission and storage, medical imaging, transportation, precision scientific instruments, and power systems. 

The research team co-led by Xue Qikun, an academician from the Chinese Academy of Sciences and president of Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech) and Chen Zhuoyu, associate professor from the Department of Physics of SUSTech, has enabled nickel oxides, one of the promising candidates for high-temperature superconductors, to achieve superconductivity under ambient pressure and at temperatures above -233 C, a milestone that scientists have pursued since superconductivity was first discovered in 1911. 

Many materials achieve superconductivity only at temperatures below -250 C, while materials capable of maintaining a superconducting state above -233 C qualify as high-temperature superconductors, according to a report from China Central Television on Tuesday.

Previously, high-temperature superconductivity in nickel oxide materials could only be achieved under extremely high pressures - reaching several hundred thousand barometric pressure, comparable to conditions inside the Earth, Chen told the Global Times on Tuesday. 

It took about three years for the research team to overcome challenges and successfully created a nickel oxide thin film that achieves superconductivity under ambient pressure, establishing nickel oxide as only the third known material system capable of superconductivity under ambient pressure, following copper-based and iron-based high-temperature superconductors. 

By conducting comparative studies of these three types of high-temperature superconductors, researchers can develop a more comprehensive understanding of the fundamental mechanisms behind high-temperature superconductivity, providing a key to solving the scientific problem of superconducting mechanisms, Chen said.

The breakthrough in superconducting mechanisms is expected to pave the way for transformative advancements in energy, information technology, and medicine, ultimately fostering productivity growth and accelerating technological innovation, according to Chen. 

According to Xue, the research, conducted entirely using domestically developed equipment, achieved an atomic-scale thin film growth technology with ultra-strong oxidation capabilities, marking a major breakthrough in China's independent experimental capabilities. 

The scientists aim to leverage their specialized experimental techniques to explore new materials capable of superconductivity above liquid nitrogen temperatures under ambient pressure. 

The joint research carried out by SUSTech, the Quantum Science Center of Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and Tsinghua University was published in the academic journal Nature on Tuesday. 

Chinese research institutions have completed testing and analysis of samples independently collected by Chinese experts near the release outlet of Fukushima's nuclear-contaminated water, detecting no abnormalities in the radioactive concentration of radionuclides such as tritium, cesium-137, and strontium-90. 

According to information from the China's National Nuclear Safety Administration, October 2024 marked China's first independent sampling of the Fukushima nuclear wastewater release.

As per the workflow of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), specific data will be compiled and released by the IAEA.

Experts stated that independent sampling of Fukushima nuclear wastewater discharge by China and other stakeholders helps the international community obtain accurate and reliable data, monitor the impact of the discharge in a timely manner, and cross-verify results with IAEA and Japanese monitoring. This represents a key aspect of implementing international oversight over the discharge. 

Based on various monitoring data available so far, there is no indication that the discharge has affected marine life in the relevant waters.

Experts also emphasized that there is no precedent for the release of Fukushima's nuclear-contaminated water. Japan's unilateral decision to initiate the discharge lacks legitimacy and reasonableness, and a cautious approach should always be maintained from a scientific perspective. 

Single-test results have limited reference value, and international monitoring under the IAEA framework is a long-term effort. Stakeholders such as China will continue to participate and conduct independent sampling and monitoring.

Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, on Thursday afternoon inspected a steelmaker in Benxi City, northeast China's Liaoning Province.

Xi visited a cold rolling mill of Bensteel Group, inspected its control center and production lines, and learned about its efforts to accelerate transformation and upgrading and promote high-quality development.

Recently, placing marriage announcements in newspapers is gaining popularity among young people in China, with numerous netizens sharing their own announcements. Many describe the new trend as evoking a sense of vintage romance.

According to a report by the People's Daily, newlyweds can customize their announcements by submitting text and photos to the newspaper, with fees ranging from 520 yuan ($71.5) to 9,999 yuan ($1,373) depending on the size of the chosen layout.

Couples have varied reasons for choosing to publish their marriage announcements in newspapers, said the report.

Some people said that publishing their marriage in a newspaper is a meaningful and romantic way to mark the occasion. A woman surnamed Yang from Shenyang, Northeast China's Liaoning Province, said that she noticed other couples sharing marriage announcements in newspapers and found it intriguing, prompting her to commemorate her own wedding using this method. 

"My husband and I believe that once a publication is issued, it becomes a permanent and unchangeable record, which makes it deeply romantic," Yang said.

Others said that announcing their marriage in the newspaper symbolizes their love. A netizen surnamed Jin said that seeing marriage announcement in the newspaper feels like a declaration of their love to the world. "The printed words not only convey the joyful news of our marriage but also serve as a lasting token of our love," said Jin.

Another woman surnamed Yang opted to publish her marriage announcement on the day she received marriage certificate. "Publishing in the newspaper means inviting history and law to witness this special day," Yang said.

In addition to marriage announcements, sharing celebratory news has been a long-standing tradition for some newspapers. Several newspapers have reintroduced specialized announcement services, including marriage announcements, birthday wishes, and congratulatory for academic achievements. The fees vary depending on the size of the layout occupied by the different types of announcements.