Following the tragic death of a Chinese scholar who allegedly committed suicide a day after being questioned by US law enforcement personnel, a spokesperson from the Chinese Embassy in the US told the Global Times on Wednesday that the embassy is deeply saddened by this tragedy. The Chinese side has lodged solemn representations with relevant departments of the US government and the relevant university concerned on multiple occasions, and has promptly contacted the family of the individual involved, providing active assistance in handling follow-up matters, the spokesperson said. 

For some time, the US side has overstretched the concept of "national security," engaged in political manipulation, and subjected Chinese students and scholars to unwarranted questioning and harassment. These actions have infringed upon the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese citizens, disrupted normal people-to-people exchanges between China and the United States, and created a severe chilling effect, the spokesperson said. 

The Chinese side solemnly urges the US to conduct a thorough investigation into this case, provide a responsible explanation to the victim's family and to Chinese side, cease discriminatory law enforcement targeting Chinese students and scholars in the US, and stop fabricating unjust or wrongful cases, the spokesperson added. 

When asked about the death of a Chinese researcher in the US at the University of Michigan, and apparently his death followed some questioning from the authorities in the US, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said on Wednesday during the press conference that China has stated its position on the heartbreaking incident. 

"Let me stress again that China calls on the US to carry out a full investigation, give the family of the victim and the Chinese side a responsible explanation, and stop any discriminatory law enforcement targeting Chinese scholars and students in the US. China will continue to take what is necessary to firmly defend Chinese citizens' legitimate and lawful rights and interests," Mao said.

The Chinese side has yet to confirm the identity of the Chinese scholar involved. 

Some US media outlet such as Michigan Daily reported on Tuesday that the University of Michigan Division of Public Safety and Security is investigating the March 20 death of a Chinese scholar.

On March 19, at approximately 11:00 pm, officers from the University of Michigan Police Department responded to a report of a subject who fell inside the George G. Brown Building. An Assistant Research Scientist was found after falling from an upper level and was later pronounced deceased, Melissa Overton, Deputy Chief of Police of Division of Public Safety & Security at the University of Michigan, said in an email sent to the Global Times on Wednesday. 

"This incident is being investigated as a possible act of self-harm," Overton said, adding that there is no indication of an ongoing threat to the campus community. As this remains an active investigation, we are not able to provide additional details at this time.

The Chinese government attaches great importance to safeguarding the lawful rights and interests of Chinese citizens, including those studying abroad. The Chinese side has once again reminded Chinese students in the US to enhance their awareness of personal safety and to respond appropriately to US law enforcement actions, said the spokesperson from the Chinese Embassy in the US. 

"In the event of similar situations, they should contact Chinese embassies or consulates in the US at the earliest opportunity. Chinese side will continue to firmly uphold the principle of people-centered diplomacy and make every effort to protect the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese students and scholars in the US," the spokesperson said. 

Manycore Tech Inc, a spatial intelligence unicorn based in Hangzhou, East China's Zhejiang Province, on Thursday released its global offering document, revealing that the company plans to list on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (HKEX) on April 17. 

After its IPO in Hong Kong, Manycore Tech will become the first listed company among what has become widely known as the "Hangzhou Six Little Dragons" of rapidly rising tech start-ups, media reports and analysts said.

According to the offering document on the company's website, Manycore Tech intends to globally offer approximately 161 million shares, with a maximum offering price of HK$7.62 ($0.97) per share. This means the firm aims to raise up to HK$1.227 billion, according to media reports. 

Manycore Tech has secured cornerstone investors including Taikang Life Insurance, Sunshine Life Insurance, GF Fund, Redwood, Mirae Asset, Wu Song Capital, Hesai HK and others, according to Manycore Tech's offering document. 

The diverse group of institutional investors - spanning major long-term insurance capital, top public funds, professional private equity firms, international asset managers, and industry leaders - has committed a total of approximately HK$455 million, according to a report by the Securities Times.

The report said that the inclusion of Mirae Asset, one of the largest independent financial groups in Asia, showed the recognition by international long-term capital of the spatial intelligence sector and the intrinsic value of Manycore Tech.

"Manycore Tech's IPO can send a strong signal to global capital: China's AI sector is not only about general large-language models. Hard tech companies operating in vertical domains with strong real-world application scenarios also possess substantial high-valuation potential," Wang Peng, an associate researcher at the Beijing Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Thursday.

According to media reports, Manycore Tech has established cooperation with several leading enterprises in their respective sectors, such as Hesai Technology, a global leader in lidar solutions, and Shanghai-based robotics company AgiBot, supporting the application of spatial intelligence in fields such as interior design, e-commerce, embodied intelligence, film and television, and extended reality (XR). 

Due to their influence in cutting-edge technology fields, Game Science, DeepSeek, Unitree Robotics, DEEP Robotics, BrainCo and Manycore Tech are collectively known as the "Hangzhou Six Little Dragons," and they are regarded as a microcosm of Hangzhou's and China's scientific and technological innovation strength.

Several of the "Hangzhou Six Little Dragons" have begun their IPO journeys. In addition to Manycore Tech, Unitree Robotics' IPO application for the STAR Market has been accepted by the Shanghai Stock Exchange (SSE), with the company set to become the first humanoid robot stock on the A-share market, according to a statement by the SSE. 

Other members of the group are reportedly advancing their IPO plans. 

Overall, the IPO processes of the "Hangzhou Six Little Dragons," covering cutting-edge hard tech sectors such as spatial intelligence, robotics, and brain-computer interfaces, have demonstrated the vibrant momentum of China's tech innovation sector, Wang said.

"The entry into the capital markets also indicates that China's high-tech sector is transitioning from the research and development (R&D) stage to the growth and expansion stage," said Wang.

Manycore Tech said in its offering document that about 30 percent of the capital raised from the IPO will be used for global expansion, 20 percent for enhancing the functionality of existing products and launching new products and/or features to meet the needs of real-world physical spaces and virtual environments, among other plans.

More and more Chinese tech companies are actively raising capital to drive R&D, accelerating innovation and expanding their market presence. These compelling investment opportunities are injecting fresh vitality into the capital markets, Pan Helin, a member of the Expert Committee for the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, told the Global Times on Thursday.

Analysts also noted that enterprises such as Manycore Tech are queuing up to list on the HKEX, which indicated the strong momentum of Hong Kong's IPO market for the technology sector.

As of March 31, 40 companies had completed IPOs in Hong Kong, raising nearly HK$110 billion. This represents a year-on-year increase of 489 percent and is the highest figure since 2021, according to CCTV News.

Chinese ice cream and beverage chain Mixue, known for its affordable ice cream and tea-based drinks, marked its arrival in the Brazilian market with the opening of its first store in Sao Paulo on Saturday (local time).

The move by the popular beverage brand came amid an investment tide by Chinese consumer brands in Brazil, demonstrating the strong complementarity enjoyed by the two economies on various sections of the supply chain, a Chinese analyst said.

Through shop openings and investment, Mixue and its partners are expected to bring as many as 25,000 jobs by 2030 to the local community, according to a company statement sent to the Global Times on Sunday, citing a Brazilian official.

The company said that the opening of its first shop in Brazil came after the signing of strategic partnership last year, and it is actively preparing for the opening of a second retail shop and an expanding network that will foster industrial chain integration between the two countries in agriculture and food processing.

Domestic news portal Jimu News reported on Sunday that the shop drew a crowd on Saturday, with Brazilians and Chinese people living in Brazil trying out the company's offerings, including its ice cream cone.

According to Reuters, the move by Mixue comes as "an array of Chinese businesses are now courting the country's more than 200 million consumers."

China-founded fast-fashion retailer Shein promised to invest $150 million in partnerships to make clothing in 2,000 local factories, creating 100,000 fashion manufacturing jobs in Brazil by 2026, Reuters reported in February.

Chinese automaker GWM opened its first South American plant in Sao Paulo state in 2025.

Chinese direct investment doubled to $4.2 billion in 2024 across 39 projects in Brazil, making it the world's third-largest recipient of Chinese investment, Reuters reported, citing data from the Brazil-China Business Council.

Last May, Mixue signed an agreement with Brazilian authorities to purchase at least 4 billion-yuan ($586 million) worth of materials including coffee beans and fruits from the country in the next three to five years and started to build localized supply chains.

Zhu Danpeng, a veteran food industry analyst, told the Global Times on Sunday that what stands out in these new cooperation deals is the focus on dual-way supply chain cooperation, which highlighted the long-term commitment by and strong complementarity of companies from the two sides.

"The key to supporting new-style tea drinks in moving from 'going global' to taking a foothold in the local market lies precisely in the global layout of supply chains. While products, channels, and marketing strategies can be replicated, and price wars may yield short-term results, building a supply chain is by no means an overnight achievement and needs input over the years," Zhu said.     

The deep roots of new Chinese consumer brands in Brazil as well as a rising number of markets in Latin America reflect the complementarity between the Chinese and Latin American economies across various links of industrial and supply chains, a Chinese analyst said.

Yue Yunxia, a deputy director of the Institute of Latin American Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Xinhua News Agency earlier this month that these new consumer brands share three common characteristics: targeting young consumers, focusing on cost-effective fast-moving consumer goods and adopting a chain franchising model suited for light entrepreneurship. These features align well with the characteristics of the Latin American market, Yue said.

In the meantime, more Brazilian goods are finding their way to the Chinese market.

Luckin Coffee, a leading Chinese coffee chain, officially opened its first Brazilian coffee-themed store in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area in the city of Guangzhou, South China's Guangdong Province, Xinhua reported in September 2025.

Brazilian mining giant Vale said on Friday that it had signed a contract of affreightment for the world's first ethanol/methanol tri-fuel ocean-going vessels with Shandong Shipping Corp, a company in East China's Shandong Province. The first ship should start operating in Vale's service from 2029 and the use of ethanol in vessels can reduce greenhouse gas emissions in maritime transport by about 90 percent, the company said in an email statement sent to the Global Times.

"China-Brazil economic and trade cooperation has evolved from simple import and export of goods to commercial investment, and further to local supply chain deployment. In the future, it holds the feasibility of localized production. The matching and complementarity of supply chains and value chains are very strong," Yue said.

Trade between Brazil and China hit a record $171 billion in 2025, up 8.2 percent year-on-year, the South China Morning Post reported in January, citing data released by the China-Brazil Business Council.

China firmly opposes the dissemination of speculative and insinuating disinformation targeting China by relevant parties, Chinese Defense Ministry spokesperson Zhang Xiaogang said on Thursday, in response to a reporter's inquiry regarding reports that claimed Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation (SMIC) had provided chip manufacturing equipment to the Iranian military, and a Chinese commercial satellite company had released images of US military bases in the Middle East.

The reporter said US officials have claimed to be aware of actions taken by China and Russia to assist Iran, warning that they would respond if necessary.

In response, Zhang said, "We firmly oppose the dissemination of speculative and insinuating disinformation targeting China by relevant parties."

"China is open and aboveboard on the Iranian issue, consistently upholding an objective and just stance," he said.

The spokesperson further clarified that China has consistently worked to promote peace and dialogue, rejecting any suggestion that it has acted to escalate tensions. "China has always been working to promote peace and dialogue and has never done anything to add fuel to the fire," Zhang said.

Without naming any specific country, Zhang added, "The international community sees very clearly who is saying one thing but doing another, and who is creating turmoil and conflicts around the world."

China's State Council Information Office on Sunday released a report on human rights violations in the US in 2024, revealing that under the collusion of power and capital, human rights have been distorted into mere props in a political "show" and bargaining chips in a power "casino," completely deviating from the core values and fundamental principles of human rights.

Chinese experts noted that flaws in the US' judicial and political systems make the problems exposed in the report hard to resolve, and the report reflects the dismal human rights record of the US, revealing the hypocrisy and absurdity of its self-proclaimed narrative as a "beacon of human rights."

The report is divided into Foreword, American Democracy: Carnival of Money Power Games, Social Welfare: Struggling Low-Incomers, Racism: Shackles of Minorities, Vulnerable, Helplessness of Women and Children, Fatal Journey: Elegy of Undocumented Immigrants, American Hegemony: Terminator of Other Countries' Human Rights, and Conclusion.

The report noted that 2024, as an election year in the US, was a year of special concern that featured aggravating political strife and social division. Such a landscape offers an opportunity to review the state of human rights in the country in an intensive manner.  

Money controls US politics, with partisan interests above voter rights, said the report, noting that the Republican and Democratic parties manipulate electoral districts in highly distorted ways to choose their voters, while meticulously designing voter compositions that favor their own chances of winning.

The report also said that extreme incidents of political violence occurred frequently, with the public deeply disillusioned with American-style democracy, citing as an example that a vast majority of voters believed the US was on the wrong track, and nearly 80 percent said the election had not made them proud of their country.

The report also noted the human rights violations in the US, including skyrocketing inflation that exacerbated the wealth gap and delivered catastrophic blows to low- and middle-income families, government-business collusion that fueled substance abuse and the drug crisis, a failed healthcare system that triggered public anger and gun violence that threatened lives, with police brutality persisting in total disregard for human lives. The death toll from gun violence remained high.

Racist rhetoric runs rampant, with ethnic minorities subjected to persistent and widespread discrimination and exclusion, said the report. By exploiting racial divides, politicians covered up structural problems in society by instigating antagonism between rival groups. The absence of legal protection has led to widespread infringement of women's and children's rights was also highlighted in the report.

The report also mentioned that the humanitarian crisis for migrants in border areas continues to worsen, with migrants subjected to torture and inhumane treatment. Politicians exploit the issue of immigration to attack one another, using stigmatizing narratives to attract attention and win votes. Power politics intensifies regional conflicts and causes humanitarian disasters, per the report.

The report also stressed that the tumultuous political stage of the US in 2024 acts as a prism, reflecting the structural dilemmas of American-style human rights. As for the numerous human rights issues in the US, politicians from both parties equivocated during election campaigns and dodged the question of how to earnestly fix the problems.

Lü Xiang, a research fellow at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Sunday that the US faces deep-rooted human rights challenges that are difficult to resolve, due to flaws in its judicial system and political institutions.

He said that governmental inaction has effectively allowed serious and widespread human rights violations to continue unabated.

"In the past, the US used human rights as a powerful political tool to attack other countries," Lü said. "But today, with its own problems increasingly exposed, its criticisms have lost credibility and only highlight its own shortcomings. This exposes the hypocrisy of the US on human rights."

The US side has attempted to use human rights issue to fabricate a domestic and international political consensus of hostility toward China. In contrast, the primary purpose of the Chinese report is not to weaponize human rights issues, but to present the US and the international community with clear facts that expose the dismal record of human rights in the US, Li Haidong, a professor at the China Foreign Affairs University, told the Global Times. 

It aims to make the US and the international community recognize the hypocrisy and absurdity of the US's self-proclaimed narrative as a "beacon of human rights," while also revealing the double standards of the US elite in assessing their own human rights situation and that of China, Li added.

When asked to comment on the recent claims by an official with Taiwan's so-called foreign affairs department that after World War II, the " Treaty of San Francisco " superseded political declarations such as the Cairo Declaration and the Potsdam Proclamation, stating that the treaty did not hand the island of Taiwan over to the People's Republic of China (PRC) and that the PRC has never governed Taiwan, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning said on Monday that such fallacious claims distort the truth and confuse the public, further exposing the Lai Ching-te authorities' thoroughly separatist "Taiwan independence" nature. 

Mao emphasized that Taiwan's restoration to China is a victorious outcome of WWII and an integral part of the postwar international order. A series of legally binding international documents, including the Cairo Declaration, the Potsdam Proclamation, and Japan's terms of surrender, affirm China's sovereignty over Taiwan. The historical and legal fact that Taiwan belongs to China is indisputable. 

The so-called " Treaty of San Francisco" was an illegal and invalid document produced after World War II by the US and a few other countries, excluding the People's Republic of China and the Soviet Union, to make a separate peace with Japan. This document violated the 1942 United Nations Declaration signed by 26 countries, including China, the US, the UK, and the Soviet Union, as well as the UN Charter and international law. Any decisions regarding the sovereignty and territorial rights of China, which excluded the PRC from signing, including the sovereignty over Taiwan, are illegal and invalid, Mao said.

Mao stressed that the Lai Ching-te authorities have completely abandoned their national stance, disregarded the Chinese people's victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression, and recklessly distorted World War II history, which is disgraceful.   

Mao noted that no matter what the Lai Ching-te authorities say or do, they cannot change the historical and legal fact that Taiwan is part of China's territory, nor can they alter the international community's broad consensus on upholding the one-China principle or stop the inevitable historical trend of China's reunification, which will surely be realized.

Chinese Premier Li Qiang, President of the European Council Antonio Costa, and President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen jointly chaired the 25th China-EU Summit in Beijing on Thursday.

The recent outbreak of conflict along the Cambodia-Thailand border, resulting in casualties, is deeply distressing and concerning. The root of this issue lies in the legacy left by Western colonial powers, and it now requires calm and careful handling. China appreciates and supports the active mediation efforts by the ASEAN chair, and encourages dialogue and political resolution through the ASEAN way, said Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi while meeting with Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn in Beijing on Friday.

Wang said as a mutual neighbor and friend to both Cambodia and Thailand, China is committed to maintaining an objective and impartial stance, and stands ready to play a constructive role in helping de-escalate tensions and restore stability, according to a release from China's Foreign Ministry. 

Dr. Kao Kim Hourn said that on the Cambodia-Thailand border conflict, we believe the leaders of the countries involved have the political wisdom to resolve the issue. The ASEAN way remains a viable approach, and the ASEAN chair is actively mediating in the spirit of the ASEAN Charter, according to the release. 

We also appreciate China's constructive efforts in promoting dialogue and de-escalation, said Kao.

A recall campaign against 24 legislators of the Chinese Kuomintang (KMT) in Taiwan failed on Saturday, with none of the proposals receiving more votes in favor of the recall than against it, according to the local election affairs authority.

Voting took place from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday across the island. As ballots were counted after polls closed, the "no" votes consistently outnumbered the "yes" votes in all 24 recall cases, marking a sweeping victory for the KMT in the first round of the large-scale recall campaign.

A recall vote targeting the suspended mayor of Hsinchu was held the same day and likewise failed to pass.

The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) currently holds 51 seats in the island's 113-seat legislature, making it a minority party. Observers believed that although the recall campaign appeared to be initiated by "civil groups," it was in fact orchestrated by the DPP authorities led by Lai Ching-te, in an attempt to reverse their disadvantage in the legislature through recalls and by-elections.

"The landslide rejection in the voting is a reflection of public anger toward Lai and the DPP authorities," said Hsieh Chih-chuan, a current affairs commentator in Taiwan, adding that since taking office, the Lai authorities have persecuted dissenting voices through judicial and other means, while continuously stirring up tensions across the Taiwan Strait.

The outcome of the votes reflects the latest public sentiment in Taiwan -- a clear rejection of the DPP's attempts to seek "Taiwan independence," Hsieh said, calling it a "total failure" for the party.

The result indicates that peaceful cross-Strait relations represent the mainstream will of the people in Taiwan, said Wang Kun-Yih, president of the Taiwan International Strategic Study Society. If the DPP does not change its cross-Strait policy, it risks being abandoned by the public, he noted.

The second round of recall votes targeting another seven KMT legislators is scheduled to be held on August 23.

According to local election rules, a recall vote will pass if the number of valid votes in agreement exceeds the number of votes in disagreement. The number of votes in agreement must also equal at least a quarter of the total number of eligible voters in the electoral district.

China's Tianzhou-9 cargo spacecraft successfully docked with the rear port of the orbiting Tiangong space station's Tianhe core module at 8:52 am on Tuesday, according to the China Manned Space Agency. The mission delivered a wide array of supplies, including more than 190 types of food and 23 batches of scientific experiment materials.

According to China Central Television (CCTV), citing Liu Wei from the Astronaut Center of China, the Tianzhou-9 cargo vessel brought over 1.5 tons of food for the crew aboard the Tiangong space station. The food manifest includes more than 190 varieties, among which are over 90 types of side dishes—20 more than in previous missions.

New additions to the menu include homestyle Chinese favorites such as mapo tofu, tomato and egg stir-fry, stewed water chestnuts, vegetable medley, lotus root stir-fry, and cumin potatoes. "These dishes may seem ordinary on a typical family dinner table, but incorporating them into an astronaut's space menu requires extensive technological research," Liu said, as reported by CCTV.

"For example, mapo tofu is very delicate and typically breaks apart easily during stir-frying. But through technological upgrades and improvements in preparation techniques, we've now succeeded in bringing this dish to astronauts' dining tables in space," Liu explained.

This innovation aims to enhance astronauts' dietary experience and allow them to enjoy tastier food while in orbit. "We've moved beyond toothpaste-style food formats to provide staples, side dishes, ready-to-eat items, condiments, and even fresh fruits and vegetables—what we call the 'three staples and four categories' breakthrough," said Liu.

"Many people often ask whether space food consists of things they've never seen or eaten before. But in fact, what we strive for is to ensure astronauts can enjoy the tastes of ordinary life—even in space," Liu added, according to CCTV.

In addition to food supplies, the Tianzhou-9 spacecraft also carried a major batch of scientific experiment materials. CCTV reported that 23 payloads, totaling nearly 780 kilograms, were delivered for various research purposes, including a study aimed at finding new ways to counteract muscle atrophy in space.

Skeletal muscle atrophy observed in space closely resembles age-related muscle loss on Earth. Under microgravity, human muscles tend to shrink. One of the onboard experiments will investigate how skeletal muscle progenitor cells migrate under microgravity conditions, aiming to uncover molecular mechanisms behind muscle loss and identify key regulatory factors that could help prevent or reverse the process, CCTV noted.

The experiment focuses on understanding how skeletal muscle stem cells behave within cell culture units under microgravity, providing insights into maintaining healthy muscle function, CCTV reported.

When skeletal muscle cell homeostasis is disrupted, muscle atrophy occurs, said Ying Hao, a researcher at the Shanghai Institute of Nutrition and Health under the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Under normal conditions, skeletal muscle contains precursor cells or stem cells that can proliferate and differentiate to repair damaged tissue and maintain healthy muscle function. Understanding this process is key to developing better strategies to combat muscle atrophy, CCTV quoted Ying as saying.

Another major science payload onboard Tianzhou-9 focuses on the effects of spaceflight on the human nervous system. As astronauts often experience dizziness, sleep disorders, and even cognitive impairments during long-duration missions, researchers aim to better understand how space-related factors such as microgravity and radiation affect brain function, CCTV reported.

This neuroscience experiment will use the biotechnology experiment cabinet onboard the Wentian lab module to explore how space environments affect the human blood-brain barrier and brain function using organoid-on-a-chip models derived from human pluripotent stem cells.

According to CCTV, these biomimetic brain chips—about the size of a credit card—contain complex microvascular networks, neurons, immune cells, and structures that simulate the blood-brain barrier. They can replicate the intricate microenvironment of the human brain and its response to external stimuli.

With this kind of model, we can explore how space environments affect the structure and function of the human brain across multiple levels—from cells to tissues to organs—and uncover potential mechanisms, said Qin Jianhua, a researcher at the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences. This research will provide tools for risk assessment and intervention strategies to safeguard astronauts' health during long-term missions, CCTV reported.