Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday hailed the enormous transformation that has taken place in Macao since its return to the motherland in 1999.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, said the practice of "one country, two systems" with Macao characteristics has been a tremendous success.

How can influencers contribute to bringing China and ASEAN countries closer together As part of the ASEAN-China Year of People-to-People Exchanges, influencers from 10 ASEAN countries with a total of nearly 100 million followers traveled to Sanya, Lingshui and Qionghai, among other places, in South China's Hainan Province, over the last week to discover China's development from this picturesque island. They shared their personal stories and experiences in China through videos they made, fostering friendly exchanges and solidarity between China and ASEAN.  

From interviews with several influencers from ASEAN, reporters from the Global Times learned about their efforts to promote exchanges between China and ASEAN countries and the benefits of China-ASEAN cooperation.

Becoming ambassadors of goodwill

Shi Zhongjun, secretary-general of the ASEAN-China Centre, said at the conference that just as a lush canopy needs strong roots, the friendship between ASEAN and China cannot go far without the solid support of both peoples. 

Influencers are the best standing testimony to the current blossoming of ASEAN-China relations, and they can become ambassadors of goodwill to present the real story of win-win cooperation between ASEAN and China to the international community, while gathering positive energy for regional development to convey to the world the confidence of ASEAN and China in cooperation and development in a truthful, accurate and comprehensive manner, Shi said.

The first stop of the influencers' trip was the Haikou Fullsing Internet Industrial Park in the Hainan Free Trade Port (FTP), where they gained a detailed understanding of the development prospects, key industry directions, tax incentives, as well as the scale and layout of the Hainan FTP. 

Hainan FTP enjoys favorable policies, a great environment and a highly potential tourism consumption market that deserves to be known by more people, Shantay, an influencer from Singapore, told the Global Times. "Some of my followers are businessmen, and numerous companies in my country are keen on investing in China. I believe that if I share videos on social media, it will be highly appealing to them," Shantay said.

Influencers also explored several traditional attractions in Hainan, experienced Chinese craftsmanship and enjoyed local delicacies.

They strolled on the Qilou Old Street in Haikou, South China's Hainan Province, where rows of buildings encompass a blend of architectural styles. The influencers were in good spirits, snapping pictures while walking, and even dancing joyfully on the street.

"I feel it's a pity that many Malaysians don't know such a wonderful destination featuring Southeast Asian style in China. I can't wait to share this journey with my followers through my camera," Malaysian influencer Rosshanaz told the Global Times, adding that people from ASEAN countries such as Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore will resonate strongly with this attraction.

In the Betel Nut Valley, or Binglang Valley, a large park dedicated to Hainan Li and Miao minority culture, the influencers from ASEAN countries watched a Li and Mao ethnic culture-themed performance with large-scale and original ecological features and applauded the performers for their wonderful performance. They also experienced the rhythm of the Bamboo Dance of the Li ethnic group and enjoyed the delicious cuisine of the Li ethnic group.

The profound cultural heritage and diverse interactive experiences offered the influencers a vibrant and dynamic source of creative inspiration.

Rosshanaz said that she is pleasantly surprised to see how well China's traditional culture is preserved and how effectively its history is passed down. China and Malaysia share many similarities in traditions and customs. Therefore, she hopes that the people of Malaysia can strengthen communication with China, which will help in the preservation of Malaysian culture and promote cultural exchange between the two nations, Rosshanaz added.

Shantay said she is always longing to try traditional Chinese dresses, and this experience in the Betel Nut Valley gave her the perfect opportunity. "My followers are predominantly females, and they are all very interested in beautiful clothing and fashion. I believe that once I post my video, many people will come to experience traditional attire of Li ethnic group," Shantay told the Global Times.

"I have always believed that food is the quickest way to foster connections between people of different nationalities and an effective means to bridge distances. I often share my food-tasting stories on social media, so I am confident that the unique cuisine of the Li ethnic group will become a new trend," Muangphum Harnsiripetch, known as Han Bing in China, a Thai influencer who previously studied at Nanjing University, told the Global Times.

The Best of Both Sides

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, noted in July's ASEAN-China Foreign Ministers' Meeting that China and ASEAN, who are friendly neighbors and close partners, have seen the building of a China-ASEAN community with a shared future being steady and fruitful, benefiting 2 billion people on the two sides while greatly promoting common development, according to the Xinhua News Agency.

Han said that for him, the greatest benefit of China-ASEAN cooperation is the visa-free policy between China and Thailand. The visa waiver has made it easier for people to travel between the two countries, said Han, which has also boosted personal exchanges between both countries.

For her part, Bella, an internet influencer from Vietnam, said she has benefited considerably from the cooperation between China and Vietnam in the field of education. "Studying in China will bring a lot of opportunities, it is the cooperation between countries that makes educational exchanges possible."

Like what Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said in a video address to the conference, influencers are the ones who are best at telling engaging stories on the internet and social media. They have a unique and irreplaceable role in promoting mutual understanding among people of different countries. In this very era we live in, we expect more influencers to share more stories about the friendly exchanges between ordinary people of China and ASEAN countries, delivering more positive energy to consolidate and promote people-to-people exchanges between the two sides.

The US Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro on Wednesday revealed the US Navy's plans to upgrade the weaponry of its Littoral Combat Ship (LCS). These upgrades include equipping it with the MK-70 Payload Delivery System (PDS), with Del Toro expressing confidence that the LCS will play a crucial role in the future. However, a Chinese military expert told Global Times that whether this concept can play an important role remains to be seen.

According to the USNI News, the US Navy is planning a lethality upgrade on both classes of the LCS that includes the ability to launch larger missiles like the SM-6, Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro said on Wednesday. 

"Today, the Littoral Combat Ship is equipped with the Naval Strike Missile (NSM), a long-range precision strike weapon. Eventually, many will receive the Mk 70 Payload Delivery System with vertical launch system technology," Del Toro said as he announced the service's efforts to upgun the Littoral Combat Ship with Naval Strike Missiles and containerized Mk.41 vertical launching systems at the Naval Institute's Defense Forum Washington.

On October 24, 2023, the US Navy's Independence-variant LCS, the USS Savannah (LCS 28), conducted a live-fire demonstration on October 24 in the Eastern Pacific Ocean utilizing a containerized launching system that fired an SM-6 missile at a designated target. 

The USNI News report said that the US Navy plans to install the two systems on Freedom and Independence Littoral Combat Ships under the Over-the-Horizon (OTH) Weapons System upgrade, which looks to deliver enhanced maritime strike capabilities to the class. Compared to the NSM, a low-observable missile that can strike targets more than 100 miles away, the containerized four-cell MK-41 vertical launch system can support the multi-role SM-6 and the intermediate ranged Tomahawk Land Attack Missile.

Del Toro claimed the MK-70 PDS would give the service "tremendous firepower and even more technical advantage over our adversaries."

Lockheed Martin also presented concepts that integrate NSM and up to three Mk 70 PDS onto the Freedom-class at Surface Navy Association 2024, USNI News reported.

Del Toro expressed confidence in the combat potential of the upgraded LCS. However, whether it can truly deliver "a strong comeback" with enhanced lethality remains uncertain. Chinese military expert Zhang Junshe told Global Times on Thursday that the LCS was originally introduced by the US Navy in the early 21st century to meet its operational requirements for a "from the sea to the land" strategy, focusing on operations in littoral areas. 

The LCS features modular mission execution capabilities, enabling it to perform mine-clearing and anti-submarine tasks in challenging hydrographic and meteorological conditions. However, it suffers from significant limitations in air defense and anti-ship capabilities, Zhang noted.

Zhang pointed out that the LCS was deployed to locations such as Singapore in the Far East, but during this period, it experienced frequent malfunctions. The modular mission execution performed poorly, and the ships faced issues like hull leaks and unstable electrical systems, often leaving them stranded. As a result, the LCS has been criticized within the US Navy. 

"With the growing far seas combat capabilities of some the US competitors, the US Navy's strategy has shifted back to the traditional goal of sea control, rendering the LCS ill-suited for the latest combat doctrines. This led to plans to retire the LCS from active service," Zhang added.

Subsequently, under the OTH weapons upgrade program, the US Navy sought to deploy air defense and anti-ship missiles on the LCS to address its inherent weaknesses. Zhang explained that the SM-6 missile can perform both air defense and maritime strike missions, while the Tomahawk cruise missile, with a range exceeding 2,000 kilometers, can strike deep into maritime targets, enhancing air defense and maritime strike capabilities. 

However, Zhang argued, "This concept may be 'ambitious in design but constrained in reality.' 

With a displacement of only about 3,000 tons—smaller than most frigates—whether the LCS can accommodate the MK-70 PDS and its associated missile payload while maintaining stability remains a challenge, Zhang said, noting that "the feasibility of effectively launching so many missiles is also in question. Based on the US descriptions, this is a classic example of 'overloading a small cart with a big load,' making it difficult to achieve sufficient combat capability. This warrants further observation."

Notably, NSMs have already been installed on forward-deployed Independence-class LCSs in the "Indo-Pacific" region. "We have every intent to deploy them aggressively. Everywhere around the globe. And the Persian Gulf, obviously with the mine-sweeping capability, and everywhere else its needed. Particularly in the Pacific with these added capabilities," said Del Toro. 

According to the USNI News, the US Navy plans to field a fleet of 25 Littoral Combat Ships - 15 Independence-class ships equipped with a mine countermeasures mission package that will eventually replace the legacy Avenger-class MCM ships based in Bahrain and Japan and 10 Freedom-class ships that will field a variation of the surface warfare package that will include Naval Strike Missile and Hellfire AGM-114L Longbow strike missiles in addition to the MK-70 launchers.

In response, Zhang highlighted that this reflects the US military's operational priorities in "the Middle East, Asia-Pacific, and Europe." Del Toro's mention of the Persian Gulf and Pacific underscores the strategic focus on small watercraft maneuverability in the mine-laden waters of the Persian Gulf, where the LCS's small size and flexibility are advantageous. 

Meanwhile, in the Pacific, the US Navy's strategy revolves around countering "competitors" in littoral regions, aiming to strike both surface ships and land-based targets. This deployment strategy demonstrates the Navy's evolving strategic doctrine, Zhang said.

Former Chinese national football team head coach Li Tie was sentenced to 20 years in prison in a first-instance verdict on Friday for a number of charges including offering and accepting bribes.

The verdict was made by the Intermediate People's Court of Xianning, Central China's Hubei Province.

From 2019 to 2021, Li, taking advantage of his position as the head coach of the Chinese men's national football team, accepted bribes totaling over 50.89 million yuan ($7.04 million), the Beijing Daily reported, citing revelations from the courts.

On the same day, Du Zhaocai, former deputy director of the General Administration of Sport of China and former Party secretary of the Chinese Football Association, was sentenced to 14 years in prison and fined 4 million yuan for accepting bribes.

The Wuhan Intermediate People's Court in Central China's Hubei Province publicly sentenced Du in a first-instance trial for accepting bribes worth over 43 million yuan, according to the CCTV news.

Du used his position to seek improper benefits for football clubs in matters such as relocating home stadiums and player transfers, severely disrupting the fair competition order and industry environment in the football field. He also sought job promotions and adjustments for others, which warranted a heavier sentence.

After Li and Du's sentencing, Chinese Football Association (CFA) Vice President Yang Xu on Friday reaffirmed the zero-tolerance stance on corruption in football at a media briefing on the domestic football leagues. He highlighted the CFA's efforts to combat illegal practices during the 2024 season.

"We will continue to adopt a high-pressure approach to combat match-fixing, gambling, and other illegal activities," Yang said.

Yang also emphasized the importance of tightening admission standards for financial management to ensure financial stability for clubs and safeguard the rights of players, clubs, and youth training institutions.

"We must further tighten the league admission standards … Efforts to address unpaid wages and overdue payments will protect the legitimate rights of players, clubs, and training institutions," Yang was quoted as saying by the Xinhua News Agency.

US President Joe Biden has recently signed a memorandum establishing the so-called China censorship monitor and action group, which according to Chinese experts highlights the outgoing president's fresh efforts to ensure that the incoming US administration's China policy does not deviate from the framework and guardrails set by Biden himself and shall limit President-elect Donald Trump's flexibility and autonomy when it comes to his China policy

The move itself also reflects a fundamental error in the Biden administration's understanding of China, Lü Xiang, a research fellow at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said. 

The primary mission of the task force is to develop and execute a federal government strategy "to oversee the development and execution of an integrated Federal Government strategy to monitor and address the effects of any efforts by the PRC to censor or intimidate, in the United States or in any of its possessions or territories, any United States person, including a US company that conducts business in the PRC, exercising its freedom of speech," according to the memorandum text released by the White House.

It is stipulated that within 180 days of the date of this memorandum, the group, or the task force as referred in the memorandum, shall submit the first annual report to the president and the appropriate congressional committees, and make it publicly available to the extent consistent with national security and other executive branch confidentiality interests.

Biden, via such move, aims to institutionalize his China policy before leaving office. This is a clear attempt by Biden to expand his power and ensure that his diplomatic legacy on China is not discarded with a change of administration, Li Haidong, a professor at China Foreign Affairs University, told the Global Times on Saturday.

The Task Force, according to the memorandum, shall meet not less frequently than twice per year to oversee the development and execution of the integrated federal government strategy. 

The task force will be led by the Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs and the Director of the National Economic Council, with members drawn from multiple US government departments, including the Department of State, the Department of the Treasury, and the Department of Defense. 

It is uncommon for a sitting president to make significant decisions on domestic or foreign policy in their final year, but Biden is an exception, Li said. "Instead of winding down, he has continued to push forward with key policies on major issues, thereby limiting President-elect Donald Trump's flexibility and autonomy when it comes to his China policy. In a way, this represents the ongoing continuation of the partisan rivalry in US foreign policy."

The conclusions drawn by the task force will likely place China squarely within the competitive framework that the US strategically defines, making the group's work an instrument in the ongoing strategic competition between the two countries, he said. 

By framing issues in terms of freedom of speech, monitoring, and related areas, the US leaves the definition of boundaries to these committees. Once those boundaries are set, they will guide US actions in ways that further the strategic competition against China. This approach often leads to violations of international law, infringements on sovereign rights, and breaches of privacy and individual freedoms, the expert said. 

Lü told the Global Times on Saturday that the form of memorandum holds less authority than an executive order, as it is more of a guiding document. Being introduced at the end of the current administration, the impact on the new government's execution could be limited. 

However, such a memorandum can have an entirely negative effect on the establishment of trust between China and the US. It may introduce a subtle, harmful odor into the political atmosphere between the China and the new US administrations, potentially creating a "chilling effect" that could hinder normal exchanges between the two countries.

It also reflects a fundamental error in the Biden administration's understanding of China, as it is driven by fear and insecurity, mistakenly interpreting some domestic dissent as the result of Chinese coercion, he said.

On December 3, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, also a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, met in Beijing with a US delegation headed by Susan M. Elliott, President and CEO of the National Committee on American Foreign Policy. Wang said China's foreign policy, including its policy toward the US, maintains stability and continuity. This reflects the steadiness and credibility of a major country. No matter what changes within the US, China stands ready to improve and develop China-US relations based on the three principles of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence, and win-win cooperation.

China's domestically developed Y-9E transport aircraft has been officially delivered to its first overseas client, the Global Times learned from the aircraft's maker, Shaanxi Aircraft Industry (Group) Corp (SAIC) under the state-owned Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) on Monday.

Wu Jiancheng, a spokesperson of the AVIC SAIC, told reporters that the company has been committed to promoting the Y-9E transport aircraft to potential overseas customers. 

"The Y-9E transport aircraft features outstanding flight performance, with long endurance and strong adaptability to various environments, making it suitable for tropical, low-temperature and high-altitude regions," Wu said. "In addition, the Y-9E offers a spacious interior, a substantial carrying capacity, and convenient loading and unloading capabilities."

The Global Times learned that the Y-9E transport aircraft is developed based on the Y-9 transport aircraft and caters to the needs of overseas customers. It can perform missions involving the transportation of personnel, equipment and supplies, and is a multi-purpose transport aircraft offering safety, reliability and exceptional performance.

The transport aircraft was displayed at Airshow China 2024 in Zhuhai, Guangdong Province. Public data shows that the Y-9E transport aircraft measures approximately 36 meters in length and has a wingspan of about 38 meters. It boasts a maximum payload capacity of 20 tons and a maximum takeoff weight of around 65 tons. The aircraft can achieve a maximum cruising speed of 660 kilometers per hour, operate at a cruising altitude of about seven to eight kilometers, and has a maximum range of 5,200 kilometers.

Dubbed the "cradle of China's early warning aircraft," AVIC SAIC has established two major product lines: transport aircraft and special-mission aircraft, producing various types of aircraft. These aircraft have become a key supplier for various military services and branches in China, fulfilling domestic market demands while exporting overseas, thereby making significant contributions to national defense and economic development.

Multiple types of special-mission aircraft independently developed by AVIC SAIC were also displayed at Airshow China 2024. Among them, the Y-8 anti-submarine patrol aircraft is capable of searching and attacking submarines, making it a sharp tool in the Chinese military's patrols in the South China Sea, while the Y-9 medical aid aircraft can transport patients faster than ambulances and helicopters, and can host surgeries in the air, acting as an "aerial path of life."

Zhu Fenglian, a spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, on Friday strongly condemned the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities' collusion with certain media outlets and online trolls in the island of Taiwan to cyberbully the member of an invited delegation from the Chinese mainland who used the term "中国台北队 (China Taipei team in Putonghua, in referring Chinese Taipei team)" when offering congratulations, saying that there is nothing wrong with the term used by the student.

There is but one China in the world, and Taiwan is an inalienable part of China's territory. Although our two sides across the Straits have yet to be reunified, the sovereignty and territory of China has never been severed and the fact that the mainland and Taiwan belong to one and the same China has never changed, Zhu said.

The DPP authorities are making a big show of intimidating organizations involved in cross-Straits exchanges, attempting to create a "green terror," fully exposing their adherence to a "Taiwan independence" stance and their nature of inciting confrontation between the two sides of the Straits, Zhu said.

People on both sides of the Taiwan Straits clearly recognize that the malicious obstruction of cross-Straits exchanges and cooperation is driven by DPP authorities' fear of closer ties and friendships among compatriots on both sides of the Taiwan Straits, Zhu said. 

They are apprehensive that the people in Taiwan will come to recognize the true situation of the Chinese mainland and the genuine friendliness of compatriots from the mainland. They fear that their well-crafted lies will be exposed and that their "anti-mainland card" will lose its effectiveness, said the spokesperson.

The foundation of cross-Straits relations is rooted in the grassroots, with the driving force coming from the people. The outcomes of exchanges and cooperation benefit compatriots on both sides of the Taiwan Straits. As long as it enhances the well-being and bonds of the people from both sides of the Taiwan Straits and deepens mutual understanding and recognition, we will wholeheartedly and diligently pursue it, and we are committed to achieving success, according to the spokesperson.

We warn the DPP authorities that the desire for peace, development, exchanges, and cooperation is a common aspiration of compatriots on both sides of the Taiwan Straits and represents the mainstream public opinion in Taiwan society, Zhu said. Any attempt to obstruct or undermine cross-Straits exchanges and cooperation is a dead end, said the spokesperson.

UNESCO added on Thursday Qiang New Year festival, celebrated in China's Sichuan province, to its Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

The festival was included in 2009 in the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding.

A Y-20 transport aircraft of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force on Tuesday set out for South Korea to retrieve remains of 43 Chinese People's Volunteers (CPV) martyrs who lost their lives during the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea (1950-53).

The Y-20 with the number 20048 took off from an airport in Central China on Tuesday afternoon to carry out the mission of retrieving the 11th batch of the remains of CPV martyrs from South Korea, the PLA Air Force announced in a post on its official WeChat account on Tuesday.

Recently, China's Ministry of Veterans Affairs and South Korea's Ministry of National Defense reached an agreement on the handover of the 11th batch of remains of CPV martyrs in South Korea. The South Korean side will hand over the remains of 43 CPV martyrs and related belongings to the Chinese side on Thursday, according to the PLA Air Force.

For this mission, the troops have prepared the cabin layout of the aircraft to ensure that the repatriation mission meets the highest standards, the PLA Air Force said.

"In order to welcome the heroic CPV martyrs back to their homeland with the utmost solemnity, we installed a coffin support frame on the aircraft, applied anti-collision rubber strips, hung the national flag inside the cabin, laid down a military green carpet and conducted a thorough cleaning of the entire cabin before the mission departure," said Zhang Dapeng, a member of the air force of the PLA Central Theater Command, in the PLA Air Force release.

The PLA Air Force also announced that it will deploy two J-20 stealth fighter jets to escort the remains of the CPV martyrs upon their return to Chinese airspace. 

Since 2015, the PLA Air Force has dispatched aircraft annually to South Korea to carry out repatriation missions. Starting in 2020, the PLA Air Force has sent domestically developed large transport aircraft, the Y-20, for this task for five consecutive years. This year marks the PLA Air Force's 10th mission to retrieve the remains of CPV martyrs who fell in South Korea back to their homeland, the PLA Air Force said.

Xi extends congratulations to Uruguayan president-elect Yamandu Orsi