Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday published a signed article titled "Together We Strive, Together We Thrive: Toward a Stable and Sustainable China-Cambodia Community with a Shared Future in the New Era" in Cambodian media outlets Khmer Times, Jian Hua Daily and Fresh News ahead of his arrival in Cambodia for a state visit.

The following is the full text of the article:

Together We Strive, Together We Thrive: Toward a Stable and Sustainable China-Cambodia Community with a Shared Future in the New Era

H.E. Xi Jinping

President of the People's Republic of China

For Cambodian press

I am very happy to visit Cambodia on the occasion of the Khmer New Year. For me, it feels like going to the home of a good friend. I wish to extend my warmest New Year greetings to our brothers and sisters in Cambodia. This is my second visit to your country in nine years. I sincerely hope this visit will spearhead progress in building a China-Cambodia community with a shared future.

Our community with a shared future is deeply rooted in the historic legacy of good-neighborly relations. Thanks to our geographical proximity, our friendly exchange spans two millennia of our shared history. During China's Tang Dynasty, members of Chenla's royal family visited China's then capital city of Chang'an, where they were warmly received as Binhan, meaning "guest of honor." In the following centuries, the ties between the two nations grew ever stronger and closer. Chinese ceramics and lacquerware were shipped to Cambodia via the Maritime Silk Road, while Cambodian spices, raw silk and other specialty products were highly popular among Chinese people, as evidenced by the Bayon Temple bas-reliefs, which capture the vibrant trade that flourished between the two countries in history. Many renowned Cambodian monks travelled to China to spread Buddhist teachings and scriptures. The Customs of Cambodia, a book written by Chinese diplomat Zhou Daguan of the Yuan Dynasty, is an important literature for studies of Cambodian history. The great Chinese and Khmer civilizations have flourished together, inspiring each other through centuries.

Our community with a shared future is defined by our mutual commitment to friendship and righteousness. The friendship was forged by His Majesty Samdech Preah Norodom Sihanouk and Chairman Mao Zedong, Premier Zhou Enlai, among the elder generations of Chinese leaders. Seventy years ago, His Majesty Samdech Preah Sihanouk and Premier Zhou met at the Bandung Conference and immediately bonded like old friends. Defying all odds, Cambodia established diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China in 1958. China stood steadfastly with Cambodia in its just struggle against foreign invasion and for national sovereignty and independence. Together, the two countries have shared the rough times and the smooth and consistently supported each other in times of need. His Majesty Samdech Preah Sihanouk lived in China for nearly 40 years, embracing China as his home away from home. He had written and composed many songs in tribute to the China-Cambodia friendship, such as Nostalgia of China. His songs are still widely sung today. His Majesty King Norodom Sihamoni and Her Majesty Queen Mother Norodom Monineath Sihanouk visit China almost every year. We have met many times, sharing warm conversations about our families and life. In 2020, I presented Her Majesty Queen Mother Norodom Monineath Sihanouk with the Friendship Medal of the People's Republic of China. This deeply meaningful medal embodies the profound friendship of the Chinese people toward the people of Cambodia. Upon the outbreak of COVID-19, the pandemic of the century, the then Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen braved the snow and wind to visit Beijing. China dispatched medical teams to provide emergency assistance to Cambodia. The two countries provided each other with a large amount of medical supplies. In the face of complex regional and international developments, we support each other in safeguarding our respective core interests, and work together to uphold international fairness and justice. Our two nations have forged an ironclad friendship.

Our community with a shared future is powered by equality and mutual benefit. For many years, China has been Cambodia's largest trading partner and largest source of investment, and our industrial and supply chain cooperation has continued to deepen. Thanks to the China-Cambodia free trade agreement, premium agricultural products from Cambodia, including banana, mango and longan, are finding their way into Chinese households. The Sihanoukville Special Economic Zone, developed through China-Cambodia cooperation, has drawn more than 200 international companies to establish operations, laying a solid groundwork for Cambodia's industrial modernization. China-supported infrastructure projects, such as Cambodia's first expressway, first viaduct across a river valley, largest power plant and largest stadium, have brought the Cambodian people tangible benefits and strongly bolstered the long-term development of the country. Chinese experts have helped formulate Cambodia's modern agricultural development plans on the basis of their extensive field trips in the country. The China-Cambodia Diamond Hexagon cooperation has boosted Cambodia's development.

Our community with a shared future is founded upon inclusiveness and mutual learning. Over the past 30 years, China has sent many experts across diverse fields -- including archaeology, geological exploration, cultural heritage, history, architecture and the arts -- who have dedicated themselves to the restoration of Chau Say Tevoda Temple, Ta Keo Temple and the ancient Royal Palace of Angkor. They have helped bring renewed splendor to the Angkor legacy, a gem of human civilizations. More and more Chinese tourists are travelling to Cambodia to experience its rich history and culture while more and more Cambodian friends are learning Chinese to better appreciate the charm of the time-honored Chinese civilization and understand Chinese modernization. Over the years, with Chinese assistance, a number of friendship roads have been built and clean water-pumping wells drilled to improve the well-being of local people. The project of the China-Cambodia Friendship Poverty Alleviation Demonstration Village is completed. Thanks to the treatment by traditional Chinese medicine teams, a hearing-impaired girl articulated "Mama" for the first time, and a wheelchair user got back on his feet.

For nearly half a century, Asia has enjoyed overall peace and stability and rapid economic growth, creating the Asian miracle in the history of global development. As changes unseen in a century accelerate, Asia now stands at a new starting point of collective rise. Consistently following the principle of amity, sincerity, mutual benefit and inclusiveness and the policy of developing friendship and partnership with neighboring countries, China will deepen friendship and cooperation with them, extend the benefits of Chinese modernization to them, and work with them to jointly uphold regional peace and stability and to advance modernization in Asia.

As important members of the big Asian family, China and Cambodia must ride the tide of history and heed our people's aspirations. We must strive together and thrive together. We must act as pioneers and pacesetters in translating the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative and the Global Civilization Initiative from vision into reality. We must work together to promote the steady and sustained progress in building the China-Cambodia community with a shared future in the new era.

-- Let us bring our mutual political trust to a higher level. We should maintain frequent high-level exchanges and draw up a strategic blueprint for the China-Cambodia community with a shared future in the new era. China firmly supports Cambodia in independently choosing a development path that suits its own conditions, in safeguarding its national sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity, and in playing a greater role on the international stage. To jointly safeguard our political security, we should strengthen communication on matters of strategic importance such as foreign policy and national defense, and resolutely oppose any attempts by external forces to interfere in our internal affairs, sow discord or undermine China-Cambodia friendship.

-- Let us expand our mutually beneficial cooperation of higher quality. We must prioritize development and keep people at the center. To advance modernization in both countries, we should maximize the role of the China-Cambodia Intergovernmental Coordination Committee, forge greater synergy between the Belt and Road Initiative and the Pentagonal Strategy, and advance the development of the Industrial and Technological Corridor and the Fish and Rice Corridor. We should also jointly safeguard the multilateral trading system, advance industrial and supply chain cooperation, enhance cooperation in advanced manufacturing, green development, digital economy and other areas, and make the Diamond Hexagon cooperation shine better and stronger.

-- Let us work together to ensure greater security. To foster a secure environment for our respective development, we should strengthen exchange and cooperation in combating external interference and separatist activities. We must guard against and resist "color revolutions," strengthen joint exercises and training, emergency management and security cooperation on major Belt and Road projects, and crack down on telecom and cyber fraud and other criminal activities. We must stay committed to the vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security, build consensus on security concepts and approaches, and jointly promote peace and tranquility in the region and the world at large.

-- Let us have more frequent people-to-people exchanges. We should uphold solidarity and harmony, have more cultural dialogues, increase experience sharing on state governance, expand diverse forms of cooperation in areas of culture, tourism, youth exchange and protection and restoration of cultural heritages, and promote people-to-people connectivity. We must champion the Asian values and humanity's common values.

-- Let us strengthen strategic coordination of higher standards. We should draw wisdom from the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence and the Bandung Spirit, move faster to build a community with a shared future of peace and prosperity among Lancang-Mekong countries, and work together toward a peaceful, safe and secure, prosperous, beautiful, amicable and harmonious Asian home. Together we must stand against hegemonism, power politics and camp-based confrontation, and defend the shared interests of our two countries and other developing countries. We should advocate an equal and orderly multipolar world and a universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalization, endeavor to safeguard world peace and stability and international fairness and justice, jointly oppose protectionism, and defend an international environment of openness and cooperation.

As a Chinese verse goes, "True friendship, like refined gold, withstands all tests of time." I firmly believe that with our joint efforts, the China-Cambodia ironclad friendship, which has been tempered through trials of time and storms of adversity, will stay true to its original purpose. China will work with Cambodia to safeguard peace, pursue development and achieve shared prosperity, to make solid progress in building the China-Cambodia community with a shared future in the new era, and to bring greater stability and certainty to this turbulent world.

In response to an inquiry about a Reuters report that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky claimed that China was supplying weapons and gunpowder to Russia, the first time he has openly accused Beijing of direct military assistance for Moscow, the Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Lin Jian said on Friday that China's position on the Ukraine issue remains consistent and clear.

"We have worked actively for a ceasefire and to promote peace talks. We have never provided lethal weapons to any party to the conflict, and strictly controlled the export of dual-use items," Lin said on Friday's press briefing.

Ukraine knows that clearly and has said publicly that most of Russia's imported military components came from the US and other Western countries. China firmly opposes groundless accusations and political manipulation, said Lin.

Weapons are directly used on the battlefield, while gunpowder is a dual-use item, meaning it can be used for both military and civilian purposes, Song Zhongping, a Chinese military affairs expert, told the Global Times on Friday. 

"China strictly controls the export of both types of items. The Chinese government has long made it clear that it will not provide weapons or any dual-use items, including gunpowder, to either side in the Russia-Ukraine conflict. This position has been consistent and unwavering," Song noted. 

Song pointed out that the root cause behind such accusations could be the unfavorable situation on the battlefield for Ukraine. 

Russian forces are trying out a new tactic of larger-scale assaults involving several hundred troops, Reuters reported, citing Ukraine's military. 

The change signals a possible break with the tactics which Russia has leant on for over two years, sending in tiny groups of infantry to seep slowly through Ukrainian lines, according to Reuters. 

Meanwhile, Ukraine said on Thursday that Kiev and Washington had signed a memorandum as an initial step toward clinching an agreement on developing mineral resources in Ukraine, and US President Donald Trump said the accord could be signed next week, Reuters reported on Friday. 

The Ukrainian side has been facing mounting pressure to reach a deal with the US, which may also have led to such groundless accusations against China, as it might be a way for the country to gain more support from Western countries, especially by pressuring the US, Cui Heng, a scholar from the Shanghai-based China National Institute for SCO International Exchange and Judicial Cooperation, told the Global Times on Friday. 

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned on Friday that if it is not possible to end the war in Ukraine, the US needs to abandon its efforts within "days" and move on, CNN reported. 

In recent years, China has introduced a series of measures on export control of dual-use items. One of the recent measures includes the regulations that came into effect on December 1, 2024. The regulations include detailed measures for license management, control list and supervision of export control of dual-use items, as reported by the Xinhua News Agency.

Beginning Tuesday, China launched a pilot high-speed railway pet consignment service on selected Beijing-Shanghai high-speed rail routes. 

The China Railway Group Co. announced in a post on its official Weibo account that starting Tuesday, selected railways on the Beijing-Shanghai high-speed railway line will pilot a pet transport service, with a dedicated pet consignment feature added to its online platform.

After professional testing and evaluation, the pilot service will operate on 10 railways between five stations involving Beijing, Jinan, East China's Shandong Province, Nanjing, East China's Jiangsu Province, Shanghai, and Hangzhou, East China's Zhejiang Province - along the Beijing-Shanghai high-speed railway line, according to the post.

Passengers can book online at least two days in advance to transport one healthy domesticated cat or dog per person, provided it weighs under 15 kilograms and stands no taller than 40 centimeters at the shoulder, according to China Railway Group Co.

The high-speed railway pet consignment service adopts management model featuring isolated transport, separation of pets from passengers, and dedicated caretakers, according to the post.

The service will use specially designed equipment for separated transportation, employing an in-house pet transport containers featuring air circulation, oxygen level and humidity monitoring, noise reduction, and odor removal functions. Pets will remain in these containers throughout the journey, stored in dedicated high-speed railway cabinets.

Each railway will allocate one set of cabinets specifically for pet containers, according to the China Railway Group Co. Staff will not open containers during transit to ensure safety, and they will conduct inspections at least once every two hours. Water may be replenished, but no food is provided, and owners cannot access pets during the journey. After transport, containers and cabinets are thoroughly cleaned and disinfected.

The pilot service follows the rule of synchronized departure and arrival for owners and pets. Passengers can check eligible railways through the official app, purchase tickets two days or more in advance, and book accompanying pet transport simultaneously. Passengers with reservations must present a valid animal quarantine certificate at check-in, the China Railway Group Co. noted in the post.

Pricing follows a tiered system based on distance, currently offering a 30 percent discount during the initial phase along with basic insurance coverage up to 2,000 yuan.

A staff member from the China Railway Group Co. told the Global Times on Tuesday that there is a significant number of travelers inquiring about the service. "The railway authority will consider expanding it to more cities depending on how the pilot program performs," the staff member said.
The introduction of high-speed railway pet consignment services has sparked discussions among pet owners. 

A pet owner surnamed Wu from Shanghai said she plans to use the service during the May Day holidays. "It's cheaper than air travel, and I don't have to worry about my kitten struggling with turbulence. It's really convenient," she said, adding that the service eases her anxiety about leaving her pet behind. Other netizens also voiced hopes that the service will expand to more cities. 

Meanwhile, some pet-owning travelers take a wait-and-see attitude. Xu from Changsha, Central China's Hunan Province, worries that her kitten might not adjust to unfamiliar environments, and she will feel anxious about being unable to monitor her pet in real time. Xu also noted that the current service guidelines do not clearly specify on liability issues, such as detailed compensation in the event of injury during transit.

"I'll decide after observing consumer experiences once the service has been operational for some time," said Xu.

American YouTube star IShowSpeed's recent whirlwind tour in China has gone viral both at home and abroad, sparking widespread discussion. His idol, Cristiano Ronaldo, commented on the tour via the Chinese social media platform Kuaishou, calling it an "amazing trip." 

The 20-year-old content creator, whose real name is Darren Jason Watkins Jr. and whose zesty and contagious shows have won over 38 million subscribers on the social media platform YouTube, embarked on his first tour in China since the end of March, according to the Xinhua News Agency. 

Unlike the bleak and even grim pictures often painted by some Western media, IShowSpeed's unedited and unscripted shows reveal a China that is perky, diverse, hospitable and prosperous, Xinhua said. 

He held several live-streaming sessions in cities such as Beijing, Southwest China's Chongqing, and Changsha in Central China's Hunan Province, and his live-streaming event in Changsha, after joining domestic platforms, attracted 47.21 million viewers and gained over 700,000 new followers in just one day, the Hangzhou Daily reported on Wednesday. 

IShowSpeed met Cristiano Ronaldo, his idol, in person in 2023, Spain's sport newspaper Marca reported in June 2023. The media report said "IShowSpeed's extreme fanaticism for Cristiano Ronaldo had gone around the world."

As of Wednesday, the IShowSpeed account on Douyin (the Chinese version of TikTok) had 4.11 million followers with more than 8 million likes, as the platform showed. He also launched an account on RedNote, also known as Xiaohongshu on Monday, which has gained over 577,800 fans. 

Chinese scientists have discovered the transport mechanism of lactate -- a critical metabolic fuel for cancer cells -- and screened out silybin, a natural compound that disrupts this pathway to suppress liver cancer proliferation.

Cancer cells can produce lactate under both hypoxic and normoxic conditions, which not only fuels tumor growth but also impairs immune surveillance by inhibiting immune cell function.

After lactate production, the monocarboxylate transporter (MCT1) plays a pivotal role in lactate transport. MCT1 exports lactate from cancer cells to maintain intracellular pH balance while delivering energy to neighboring tumor cells.

By deciphering the transport mechanism of MCT1 and disrupting lactate transport, a research team led by Ye Sheng, professor at Tianjin University, has unveiled a promising therapeutic strategy for cancer intervention.

The study found that MCT1's efficient lactate transport hinges on precise amino acid interactions. Building on this discovery, the researchers identified silybin -- a natural compound derived from traditional Chinese medicine -- as an MCT1 blocker. Silybin binds precisely to the transporter's substrate pocket, disrupting MCT1 function and leading to toxic accumulation within cancer cells.

Laboratory experiments confirmed that silybin inhibits tumor growth in both cell cultures and animal models, highlighting its potential as a promising anti-cancer agent, Ye said.

"This research not only deepens our understanding of cancer metabolism but also lays the groundwork for developing next-generation cancer therapies. We aim to deliver safer and more effective treatment options to cancer patients in the near future," Ye added.

"Who is fueling the fire? Who is provoking military confrontation? Who is turning Asia into a powder keg? I believe regional countries can see this clearly," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun raised these questions in response to a media inquiry about US' latest approval of F-16 fighter jet sales to the Philippines.

Guo reiterated that China has made its stance clear on military and security cooperation between the Philippines and the US. Such cooperation should neither target any third party, undermine its interests, nor threaten regional peace and stability and escalate regional tensions.

The US Department has told Congress it has approved a possible $5.6 billion