The 16th session of the Standing Committee of the 14th National People's Congress, which concluded on Friday, voted to remove Miao Hua from his position as a member of the Central Military Commission (CMC), according to the Xinhua News Agency on Friday. 

China Central Television reported on November 28, 2024 that Miao, also director of CMC's Political Work Department, was suspended from his post due to suspected serious violations of discipline.

China strongly condemns the US attacks on Iran and bombing of nuclear facilities under the safeguards of the International Atomic Energy Agency, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said on Sunday.

The spokesperson made the remarks when asked to comment on US President Donald Trump's announcement that the United States carried out strikes on three nuclear facilities in Iran.

The actions of the United States seriously violated the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and international law, and have exacerbated tensions in the Middle East, the spokesperson said.

China calls on the parties to the conflict, Israel in particular, to reach a ceasefire as soon as possible, ensure the safety of civilians, and start dialogue and negotiation, the spokesperson said.

China stands ready to work with the international community to pool efforts together and uphold justice, and work for restoring peace and stability in the Middle East, the spokesperson said.

On June 21, 2025, the summer solstice bathes Mohe - China's northernmost city nestled at the northern tip of China's "rooster-shaped" map in Heilongjiang Province - in over 21 hours of daylight.

Tucked beneath the northern slopes of the Great Khingan Mountains, this region - China's northernmost and highest-latitude borderland, encompassing Mohe and six other counties - boasts the unique allure of being the "Arctic of China" or "the city of extreme cold."

Known for its "northernmost" distinction and frigid winters that can dip to -53 C, Mohe enjoys cool summers with average temperatures below 20 C. A viral song "Mohe Ballroom" has thrust this remote city into the spotlight, drawing travelers to witness the aurora, experience polar day, and step into the iconic ballroom. Here, the "Arctic of China" shines as a vibrant hub of cultural exchange, a city that "never sleeps."
A song opens a window to the world

As evening falls, the sky in Mohe remains aglow. At the polaris square in Mohe, perched atop 153 steps at the city's highest point, the "North Star sculpture" welcomes visitors from afar. Along the bustling commercial street below, buildings with rounded or pointed rooftops evoke an exotic charm.

On the basement floor of a commercial street in the bustling downtown area, the melody of "Mohe Ballroom" rings out every hour, narrating a timeless love story. Under the flicker of a disco ball, dancers sway in a hall frozen in the nostalgic style of the 1980s and 1990s.

The song weaves the tale of an elderly man in Mohe who dances alone in the Mohe Ballroom, a place where couples used to sway together when they were young. Under the name Zhang Dequan, he dedicates his solitary dance to his late wife, a passionate dancer who died in a devastating forest fire in Mohe in 1987.

From May 6 to June 2, 1987, the Great Khingan Mountains in Heilongjiang Province experienced the most devastating forest fire since the founding of the People's Republic of China. The blaze consumed 1.01 million hectares, with nearly 70 percent being forested land, destroying over 800,000 cubic meters of timber in storage yards and forests. More than 50,000 people were affected, 211 lost their lives, and 266 were injured, with direct economic losses exceeding 500 million yuan ($69.5 million), according to data released by the Chinese government.

"This soulful song has become a cultural window, lifting our quiet border town into the world's gaze," said Li Jinbao, the ballroom's operator. As the song gained traction, visitors flocked to the town. Once a modest venue for local dance enthusiasts, the hall now buzzes during peak seasons, hosting hundreds daily, including foreign tourists.

Li flips through his phone, showing videos of travelers from diverse backgrounds dancing and singing together. "Last time, a group from South Africa joined us in a circle dance - so lively!" he recalled to the Global Times. "We may not share a common language, but the connection flows through the music and movement."

On global social media, the song transcends borders, with English, Russian, Spanish, and Japanese versions resonating widely. A Brazilian netizen shared translated lyrics on TikTok, marveling, "Such powerful words! What kind of snow-covered land births such fervent emotions?" The song's reach is fueling Mohe's vitality.

Local tourism data shows a surge in inbound visitors over the past year, especially from Europe, the US, Japan and South Korea. Seizing the moment, Mohe has launched the "Aurora and Melody" travel routes, which blend visits to dance halls, aurora viewing, and experiences of forest culture.

"Before, we had clear off and peak seasons. Now bookings pour in year-round, with many requesting the Mohe Ballroom," Du Chunyan, a local travel agency operator, told the Global Times.

French backpackers Emily said, "The song's tale of a distant, heartfelt northern China drew us here. Standing in the real dance hall, imagining that lone dancer who never stops, feels like touching the song's soul."
A bakery bears witness to cultural harmony

Long before Mohe gained its current fame, this border town was no stranger to cultural exchange - stories of the blending of Chinese and foreign cultures had been unfolding on its soil for decades.

A 130-kilometer drive north from the city leads to Beihong village, a hamlet cradled by mountains. Home to 256 residents across 131 households, including 119 descendants of Russian ancestry, the village exudes Russian flair, according to local government.

Along a riverside path by the Heilongjiang River, matryoshka dolls dot the scenery, and villagers with "foreign faces" speak fluent local dialect. The low, staggered wooden cabins, built in the Russian "mukeleng" style - a term blending Chinese and Russian for log-framed houses - stand as proud relics.

Village elders recount Beihong village's origins in the late Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), when a gold rush drew settlers, forming a natural community. Proximity fostered Chinese-Russian intermarriages, blending customs and architecture.
Li Chunhua, 73, a doctor at the village clinic for 53 years, who has a tall bridge on her nose and deep-set eyes, descends from Russian grandmothers. "As a child, I loved the Basque Festival that marks the resurrection of Jesus. Families made delicacies, danced, and sang together - it was pure joy," she recalled. "My grandmother danced gracefully to the harmonica, teaching me her steps."

Daily life here merges traditions of Northeast China with Russian elements, especially in cuisine - Russian-style jams, pickled cabbage and suba soup pair delightfully with steamed buns and local dishes.

Near Beihong village's main street, there is a cartoon statue of "Bakery Auntie." Inside the "Russian Bakery," the aroma of sweets fills the air as Zhao Yinhua, nearly 60, busies herself by the oven. "Many families here know how to make Russian lieba (the Chinese transliteration of rye bread in Russian)," she told the Global Times, showing her ingredients.

"My mother-in-law who has Russian ancestry taught me to gather wild hops in autumn frost for authentic, additive-free lieba," she said. Her bread, loved by locals and tourists, sells over 200 loaves daily at peak times. "It's labor-intensive - fermenting overnight, adding flour every few hours. Even in Russia, this craft is rare now," Zhao told the Global Times. "I want to keep it alive as a testament to our shared heritage."

'Mixed-style' homestays offer warm cultural exchange

In the famed Arctic village, landmarks like "Northernmost Home," "Northernmost Dumpling House," and "Northernmost Post Office" delight visitors seeking the "farthest north." Across the Heilongjiang River, Russia's Ignashino village lies in view, its "mukeleng" houses echoing those on China's side.

Sun Cuirong, a third-generation Chinese-Russian villager, runs "Russian Home" homestay. She pours steaming black tea and serves rye lieba slices for the reporters. "Winters used to be our only season for running the homestay business, but now we're busy year-round. Guests love our 'mixed' vibe - it's authentic and memorable," she said. The family-recipe Russian snacks like large dumpling pies and burdock pickles, paired with iron-pot stews, offer visitors a distinct cultural experience.

Such homestays, embracing this fusion, have been flourishing in the village in recent years. At another homestay, host Li Na greets cyclists from Central China's Hunan Province. Her rooms blend Chinese amber and Hezhe fish skin art with Russian samovars and Northeast floral curtains. Hezhe ethnic group, which was once the only fishing and hunting community in northern China, traditionally used fish skin and bones to make clothes, shoes and decorations due to their long-standing fishing heritage.

In Li's homestay guestroom, amber and purple-gold ornaments in Chinese aesthetic style adorn the table, a fish-skin painting by the Hezhe ethnic group hangs on the wall, a vintage Russian samovar stands in the corner, and the flower-patterned cloth curtains commonly seen in northeast China form an interesting contrast with the Russian-style lace tablecloths.

"Sleeping in a 'mukeleng' room and waking to China's northernmost forests is poetic," she said.

Shanghai visitor Chen and his family recently stayed there. Morning light filtered through Russian-patterned window frames, carrying the scent of fresh lieba. "The kids were thrilled to brew tea in a samovar. At night, by the fireplace, the host played the accordion and taught us the famous Russian song 'Katyusha' under a tranquil sky," Chen told the Global Times. His wife admired the details: "Russian dolls alongside paper-cut window decorations commonly used in Northeast China, lieba with corn porridge - it sparked our kids' curiosity beyond any textbook."

Leaving a note in the guestbook, they wrote: "Pine-scented log walls and Russian folk tunes from an old radio blur time's boundaries. Outside, a Chinese national flag flies at the northernmost outpost. This fusion warms the heart."

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Monday urged China and Germany to deepen mutually beneficial cooperation and jointly oppose unilateralism and protectionism.

Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the remarks during his phone call with German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul.

Wang congratulated Wadephul on assuming office, saying that China-Germany relations carry significance beyond the bilateral scope and exert an important influence on global economic development and strategic stability.

Noting that China and Germany share a comprehensive strategic partnership, Wang expressed his hope that the new German government will maintain this position and pursue a rational and pragmatic policy towards China.

Emphasizing that the Taiwan question concerns China's core interests, Wang said he believes that the German side will firmly adhere to the one-China principle, just as China has supported Germany's reunification.

For China and Germany, whose economies are highly complementary, industries deeply intertwined and interests closely integrated, deepening mutually beneficial cooperation is a natural choice, said Wang, stressing that both sides should prevent the undermining of normal bilateral cooperation in the name of so-called "de-risking."

This year marks the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and the European Union (EU), which is an important juncture bridging the past and the future, said Wang, expressing his hope that Germany will play an active role as a core major country of the EU, and inject fresh momentum into the development of China-EU relations through high-quality China-Germany cooperation.

China expects that the EU will work with the Chinese side in the same direction, properly resolve the anti-subsidy case involving Chinese-made electric vehicles (EVs) at an early date, and promote the upgrading of China-EU cooperation in both quality and scale, he said.

China and Germany should shoulder their responsibilities as major countries, jointly advocate and uphold free trade, jointly oppose unilateralism and protectionism, safeguard the security and stability of global industrial and supply chains, practice true multilateralism and uphold the international system with the United Nations at its core, he added.

For his part, Wadephul said that the relationship between Germany and China is of great significance to the world economic development and the future of the international community, adding that the new German government attaches great importance to relations with China and is willing to pursue a proactive policy towards China.

Germany has firmly adhered to the one-China policy and will continue to do so, and is willing to be a reliable and predictable partner of China, he said.

Taking a leading role in the EU, Germany is willing to devote itself to resolving differences through dialogue and consultation, and supports the EU and China in resolving issues such as the anti-subsidy case against China's EVs through negotiations, Wadephul said.

The two sides also exchanged views on the Ukraine crisis. Wang said that China has been committed to promoting peace talks and supports reaching a fair, lasting and binding peace agreement through direct dialogues.

Wadephul said he hopes that China will exert its influence to push for a ceasefire and bring the Ukraine crisis to an early end.

East China's Zhejiang Province, which is home to tech companies including Alibaba, DeepSeek and Unitree Robotics, issued a document detailing new measures to support the innovative development of artificial intelligence. 

The document said the goal is to build a trillion-yuan ($13.85 million) AI industry ecosystem and detailed 27 specific measures.

Among them, it supports smart device consumption by including products such as smart home robots, smart glasses, smart bionics, and smart health devices in the subsidy program for trade-in of consumer goods. A subsidy of up to 15 percent of the product price, capped at 2,000 yuan per item, will be provided.

The document states that by 2027, Zhejiang aims to establish a sustainable and leading development framework, with core technologies and industrial applications in general artificial intelligence ranking among the top in the country. It plans to cultivate several globally competitive and influential AI enterprises, targeting a total income of over 1 trillion yuan for the province's large-scale AI core industries.

By 2030, the province aims to fully establish a sustainable and leading development framework, with core technologies and industrial applications in general artificial intelligence leading globally. A group of globally competitive and influential AI enterprises will emerge, with the total income of large-scale AI core industries exceeding 1.2 trillion yuan.

Hangzhou, capital of Zhejiang Province, is the headquarters of DeepSeek, a renowned Chinese AI company, according to the Xinhua News Agency.

Also based in Hangzhou are Unitree Robotics, DEEP Robotics, Game Science, BrainCo, and Manycore. Together with DeepSeek, these companies are collectively known as Hangzhou's "Six Little Dragons," which are emerging enterprises with significant influence in cutting-edge technology fields, reported Xinhua.

China on Monday reiterated its commitment to closely monitor changes in domestic and global economic conditions, dynamically refine its policy toolkit, and roll out measures to keep its employment and economic performance stable and promote high-quality development. The country aims to leverage the certainty of high-quality development to navigate the uncertainties arising from a rapidly shifting external environment.

At a press conference on Monday, Chinese officials detailed the new measures across five key areas: supporting employment, keeping foreign trade stable, promoting consumption, expanding effective investment, and fostering a sound environment for stable development, according to the Xinhua News Agency.

"In terms of supporting employment, the measures mainly include encouraging companies to actively stabilize their workforce, strengthening vocational skills training, expanding support for work-relief programs, and improving public employment services," Zhao Chenxin, deputy head of the National Development and Reform Commission, told the press conference.

To steady foreign trade growth, key measures include offering targeted support to help exporters manage risks, promoting the overseas expansion of service products, and encouraging foreign-invested companies to reinvest in China.

On the consumption front, measures will be introduced to boost service consumption, enhance eldercare for seniors with disabilities, stimulate auto sales, and promote skills-based wage distribution, Zhao said.

Efforts to expand effective investment will focus on improving consumption-related infrastructure, galvanizing private investment, and introducing new policy-based financial instruments. While in terms of creating a favorable environment for stable development, China will continue to keep the capital markets stable and active, consolidate the stable development of the real estate market, and increase financial support for the real economy, Zhao noted.

The measures followed a meeting held by the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee on Friday vowing to coordinate domestic economic work with efforts to address international economic and trade frictions, and to remain firmly focused on managing the country's own affairs well.

Zhao said China's economy grew by 5.4 percent year-on-year in the first quarter. Such growth highlighted the strong resilience and vitality of China's economy, especially as certain countries have gone against the global trend, recklessly imposing tariffs that harm the legitimate rights of China and others, disrupting the multilateral trading system and global economic order.

Since the beginning of this year, the vitality and resilience of China's economy have been evident across multiple sectors. For example, the Civil Aviation Administration of China said during the upcoming five-day May Day holiday starting May 1, air passenger trips are expected to reach approximately 10.75 million, potentially setting a new record. Meanwhile, breakthroughs in domestic AI models, such as those by DeepSeek, have garnered global attention.

Also, Chinese-made smart cameras, along with products influenced by the Chinese cultural trend and related derivatives, have become hugely popular both domestically and internationally.

On April 22, the launch of the Insta360 X5 panoramic camera by a Chinese tech firm sparked a buying frenzy in New York, with some people arriving as early as 3 am to line up, Securities Times reported.

US consumers are also queuing overnight at Chinese toy company Pop Mart stores to buy limited numbers of collectible dolls. "Although the toys carry price tags that can be 60 percent more expensive in the US than in China - even before US President Donald Trump's tariffs took effect - American consumers are willing to pay," Forbes reported on Monday.

Enhancing certainty

The country's macroeconomic policy toolkit remains relatively ample, allowing for a well-managed response to the tariff war initiated by the US recently, Li Changan, a professor at the Academy of China Open Economy Studies at the University of International Business and Economics, told the Global Times on Monday.

China has stepped up efforts to leverage the certainty of high-quality development to navigate the uncertainties arising from a rapidly shifting external environment. With ongoing policy support, China's industries and markets have remained stable and resilient, even as external risks continue to accumulate, analysts said.

For instance, in the first quarter of this year, the employment situation remained generally stable, with 3.08 million new urban jobs created, an increase of 50,000 compared with the same period last year, Yu Jiadong, vice minister of human resources and social security, said at the press conference.

"Our employment policy toolkit is also well-stocked, with measures in place to encourage businesses to absorb more workers, support job retention and expansion, promote skill development, and assist with employment and entrepreneurship. These policies will be rolled out promptly in response to changing circumstances," Yu said.

Employment is the cornerstone of people's livelihoods. "By stabilizing employment, we can boost income, which in turn promotes consumption. This is a key focus and primary line of macroeconomic policy at present," Li said.

The country's financial system also remains stable. The exchange rate of the yuan against the US dollar is around 7.3, Zou Lan, deputy governor of the People's Bank of China, told the press conference.

In response to questions about the potential impact of the recent decline in US Treasury yields on the returns of China's dollar-denominated assets, Zou said China's foreign exchange reserves are diversified across a range of investment portfolios. As a result, the impact of fluctuations in any single market or asset on the reserves is generally limited.

"Recently, the US market has faced a 'triple hit' with declines in stocks, bonds, and the exchange rate. However, the situation in China has been quite different,'' Lu Ting, an economist with Nomura, told the Global Times on Monday.

Amid the US tariff threats, Chinese regulators quickly stepped in to stabilize the stock market, and the exchange rate gradually stabilized as well. During this period, China's policy execution has been highly effective, Lu said.

The achievements in the first quarter have laid a solid foundation for the country's economic development throughout the year. With ample policy reserves and sufficient policy room, China is fully confident it will achieve this year's economic and social development goals despite challenges, Zhao said.

The country will intensify efforts to ensure the full effect of existing policies, including special campaigns to boost consumption and effectively utilize the 5-trillion-yuan ($694 billion) investment funds at the national level, Zhao said, adding that most of these policies will take effect in the second quarter.

Fabric of Lives, a documentary film that follows the Arkin and Zhao Qiang families in Awat County – known as the home of Chinese long-staple cotton, in Northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region as they navigate the entire cotton production process, is set to premiere nationwide on May 7.

Filmed in a cinéma vérité style, the 80-minute documentary chronicles the families’ experiences during a challenging harvest season, marked by labor shortages, injuries and continuous rainfall. However, through perseverance and collaboration, the two families have overcome difficulties and ultimately achieved a rewarding harvest after a year of hard work.

The production team visited Awat twice in 2021 and 2023, embedding two cinematographers within the farmers' households to document daily life from an observational perspective. Fabric of Lives unfolds without a scripted narrative, relying entirely on real-life events to tell the story, Liu Guoyi, the film’s director told the Global Times.

“During the filming process, I tried to understand what cotton truly means to the local people. Perhaps I can sum it up by saying that their livelihoods, their lives, are carried on each and every cotton,” said Liu.

Ahead of its release, Fabric of Lives held a special cotton field premiere in Awat. Against the backdrop of the spring planting season, more than 600 villagers gathered at an open-air venue on the village outskirts to attend the screening, becoming the film's first audience.

In a temporary outdoor cinema, villagers watched familiar scenes of their labor and daily life unfold on the big screen. Members of the film’s production team, along with the Arkin and Zhao Qiang families, shared behind-the-scenes stories during the filming process. After the screening, villagers and guests celebrated together with singing and dancing, turning the event into a lively community gathering.

Xinjiang is China’s largest and one of the world’s key cotton-producing regions, accounting for over 90 percent of the country’s total output for several consecutive years. Cotton cultivation, processing and textile production are crucial industries that support income growth for people of all ethnic groups in the region. With the widespread adoption of mechanized farming, technologies such as Beidou navigation and autonomous driving have been applied throughout the cotton production process, significantly improving efficiency.
Although centered on cotton, the documentary offers a broader portrayal of Xinjiang, capturing its vibrant landscapes and the deep integration of the people from different ethnic groups. As Liu recalled, "One morning at breakfast, I had Xibe-style pancakes, Uygur naan, Kazakh milk tea, and porridge commonly seen in Beijing. It made me realize that Xinjiang is truly unlike any other place in China."

Before its release, the film has been selected for the 26th Shanghai International Film Festival’s International Film Showcase as the only Chinese film featured. It also appeared in the Docs for Sale section at the 37th International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam and was shortlisted for Best Feature Documentary at the 6th Hainan Island International Film Festival.

Some viewers who have seen the film described it as “a poetic portrait of life in Xinjiang region amid modernization,” “an honest and moving depiction” and “simple, authentic, and natural, portraying people who live life with sincerity.”

"The hardworking and genuine cotton farmers show us just how rich life can be. Although life inevitably brings challenges, facing them bravely always leads to the best rewards," one viewer commented.

In recent years, Xinjiang’s breathtaking scenery and rich cultural narratives have drawn increasing interests from filmmakers and other creators. Wang Jiang, director of the Institute of China's Borderland Studies at Zhejiang Normal University, told the Global Times that although more domestic and international tourists are traveling to Xinjiang, their understanding of the region remains partial and fragmented due to short visits.

“Through documentary films and other visual works, people can gain a more comprehensive and intuitive understanding of the region,” Wang said.

China and Malaysia have agreed to build a high-level strategic China-Malaysia community with a shared future to accelerate their modernization efforts and jointly promote regional and global prosperity and stability.

The two countries made the announcement on Thursday in a joint statement released in the context of Chinese President Xi Jinping's state visit to Malaysia.

In the statement, China and Malaysia vowed to strengthen strategic coordination, deepen synergy of development, tighten people-to-people bonds, maintain peace and stability in the South China Sea, strengthen regional cooperation, and conduct multilateral cooperation.

Malaysia reiterated its firm commitment to the one-China policy, recognizing the government of the People's Republic of China as the sole legal government of China, Taiwan is an inalienable territory of the People's Republic of China, and in order for China to achieve national reunification, will not support any call for the independence of Taiwan.

The two sides agreed to become a pacesetter for regional cooperation on new quality productive forces and further synergize development strategies.

Focusing on four key areas of digital economy, green economy, blue economy and tourism economy, the two sides pledged to expand future economic cooperation, promote integrated, coordinated and complementary development, achieve deep integration of industrial and supply chains, value chains, data chains and talent chains, so as to further improve the level and quality of China-Malaysia cooperation.

The two countries also agreed to jointly build a safe and stable industrial and supply chain and strengthen cooperation.

According to the statement, the Malaysian side welcomes Chinese enterprises to participate in the construction of Malaysia's 5G network. Both sides look forward to exploring potential cooperation in the semiconductor industrial chain to the extent practicable to maintain the stability of the industrial and supply chains.

The two countries reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening rail transportation and infrastructure cooperation and contributing to the realization of the Pan-Asian Railway vision.

China said it welcomes Malaysia to continue promoting Malaysian products and expanding exports to China through platforms such as the China International Import Expo, the Global Digital Trade Expo and the China-ASEAN Expo.

As a way to tighten people-to-people bonds between the two countries, the two sides agreed to continue to conduct joint research on panda protection and expect to achieve more progress in this field.

In a bid to maintain peace and stability in the South China Sea, the two countries agreed to resolve disputes by peaceful means, through friendly consultations and negotiations, said the statement, noting that both sides recognized that the involvement of parties not directly concerned could be counter-productive.

China will carry out intensive space missions, including Tianwen-2 for asteroid exploration, in 2025, an official of the China National Space Administration (CNSA) said on Thursday.

The Tianwen-2 mission will carry out asteroid flyby and sampling, and the Shenzhou-20 and Shenzhou-21 crewed spacecraft are also scheduled for launch this year, said Liu Yunfeng, deputy director of the CNSA's system engineering department, at a press conference on the upcoming Space Day of China.

In terms of international collaboration, Liu confirmed two major projects: the China-Europe joint space mission -- Solar Wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer (SMILE) -- which aims to uncover how solar wind interacts with Earth's magnetosphere, and an electromagnetic monitoring satellite jointly developed by China and Italy, which will support research into earthquake prediction.

China will deepen space cooperation with countries participating in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), BRICS nations, and European partners, Liu said. Efforts will focus on advancing collaboration in lunar and deep space exploration, including jointly promoting the construction of the international lunar research station, he added.

Within the BRICS framework, China will continue advancing the development of the BRICS Remote Sensing Satellite Constellation to enhance disaster emergency data sharing, Liu said.

China will also provide satellite services to BRI partner countries, supporting their space capacity development and fostering sustainable progress in agriculture, disaster prevention, and smart city initiatives, he added.

Liu also outlined the events planned for the 10th Space Day of China, to be held on April 24 in Shanghai, which include the opening ceremony, space science exhibitions, cultural forums, and academic conferences.

In response to a media inquiry regarding the Iranian Foreign Ministry announcement that from April 7 to 8, China, Russia and Iran will have trilateral consultations on the Iranian nuclear issue in Moscow, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said on Tuesday, "Let me reiterate that China firmly believes that the only right choice for settling the issue is through political and diplomatic means."

We support Russia in hosting this trilateral expert-level consultation, which will further promote the political and diplomatic settlement of the Iranian nuclear issue, Lin told the regular press conference on Tuesday.

According to update by Russia's TASS gency on Tuesday night, the three countries are currently engaged in consultations in Moscow to consider possible scenarios following the expiration of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which formally governs Iran's nuclear program, as well as UN Security Council Resolution 2231, which approved the plan.

"Various options and scenarios are being considered regarding what will occur after the current Security Council resolution expires on October 18 of this year," Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko has told the media.

According to TASS, he added that the sides will be closely watching what "will happen to the nuclear deal next in the face of the US' current attempts at forceful resolution of the issue."

China will continue to have communication and coordination with relevant parties, and facilitate the settlement to the Iranian nuclear issue that accommodates all parties' legitimate concerns so as to uphold the international non-proliferation regime and keep the Middle East peaceful and stable, said the spokesperson.

In response to an earlier question at the press conference on Tuesday regarding reports that the US and Iran have announced talks over the nature of Iran's nuclear program, Lin said that China noted relevant reports. "China all along believes that the only right choice for settling the issue is through political and diplomatic means."

Against the current backdrop, it's all the more important for parties to the Iranian nuclear issue to work in the same direction, strengthen dialogue and engagement, and avoid any escalation, Lin commented. 

In 2015, Iran, along with Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia, and the US, signed the JCPOA, which aimed to resolve a crisis that began in 2002 due to Western accusations of Tehran developing nuclear weapons. However, in 2018, US President Donald Trump announced the withdrawal from the JCPOA and reinstated all US sanctions against Iran.

As the country which unilaterally withdrew from the JCPOA and caused the current situation, the US needs to show political sincerity, act in the spirit of mutual respect, engage in dialogue and consultation, and stop the threat of force and maximum pressure, Lin noted.