Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said on Wednesday that China is deeply concerned about the current Middle East situation, stressing that a renewed outbreak of hostilities serves the interests of no party and urging all relevant parties to cherish the opportunity for peace, honor their ceasefire commitments, maintain the momentum of negotiations, and adhere to political and diplomatic means to resolve disputes.

Mao made the remarks when asked to comment on reports that the US Central Command said on social media on June 2 (US Eastern Time) that US forces had intercepted multiple ballistic missiles and drones launched by Iran and carried out what it described as a "self-defense" strike on Iran's Qeshm Island. Reports also said that Iran subsequently launched attacks on US military bases in the Middle East, while air-defense sirens sounded across several Gulf countries, further escalating tensions in the region. 

In response, Mao also called for an early realization of a comprehensive and lasting ceasefire and for creating the necessary conditions to restore peace and stability in the Gulf region and the broader Middle East.

China's Shenzhou-22 crewed spaceship undocked from the space station combination at 2:44 p.m. (Beijing Time) on Friday, and will commence the return mission of sending the Shenzhou-21 astronauts Zhang Lu, Wu Fei and Zhang Hongzhang back to Earth, according to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA).

The spaceship is scheduled to return to the Dongfeng landing site in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region later.

The CMSA said that prior to the separation, the Shenzhou-21 crew, with the assistance of the ground staff, completed various tasks such as setting the status of the space station combination, processing and transmitting the experimental data, and transferring remaining supplies. The Shenzhou-21 crew also carried out handover work and exchanged in-orbit work experience with the Shenzhou-23 crew who entered the space station on May 25.

China launched the Shenzhou-21 spaceship on Oct. 31, 2025 to send the Shenzhou-21 crew to its space station for rotation with Shenzhou-20 crew. However, the Shenzhou-20 crew later found that Shenzhou-20 spaceship's return capsule viewport window suffered a suspected impact from space debris during its mission and was unfit for crew return mission.

On Nov. 14, 2025, the Shenzhou-20 crew returned safely aboard the Shenzhou-21 spacecraft. On Nov. 25, 2025, China launched the Shenzhou-22 spaceship to provide a return vessel for the Shenzhou-21 crew. 

Visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Friday that China looks forward to working with Canada to jointly advance the China-Canada new strategic partnership.

Wang made the remarks during talks with former Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien.

Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said that Chretien initiated the "golden decade" of China-Canada relations during his tenure as prime minister.

The improvement in China-Canada relations meets the aspirations of both peoples, Wang said, adding that China looks forward to working with Canada to jointly advance the China-Canada new strategic partnership.

Highlighting China's rapid development, Chretien said that the economies of Canada and China are highly complementary.

He expressed his willingness to make contributions to friendly exchanges between the two nations.