The Moscow City Tourism Committee hosted more than 100 representatives of China's travel industry, city authorities, and business partners, to showcase the Russian capital's tourism potential, including its summer campaigns, and presented Moscow's updated promotional strategy for the Chinese market in Beijing on the sidelines of the 2026 Beijing Fragrant Hills Tourism Summit of the World Tourism Cities Federation on Tuesday.

The promotion session was aimed at helping tourism industry professionals and Chinese tourists understand Moscow's rich and unique tourism resources, further stimulating the potential for cooperation between Moscow and Beijing. Moscow tourism authorities affirmed that China remains one of Moscow's most important international tourism partners.
During the session, Xu Zhentao, deputy director of the Beijing Bureau of Culture and Tourism, said in his opening remarks that Beijing and Moscow are traditional sister cities with a long history of fruitful exchanges in the fields of culture and tourism.

Xu said Russia remains the largest source of inbound tourists for Beijing. In 2025, Beijing received 504,900 tourists from Russia, and from January to April, the city received 303,700 tourists, representing a year-on-year increase of 138.5 percent, according to official data.

"The 30-day visa-free policy between China and Russia continues to generate benefits. More and more Russians are choosing to visit Beijing. Meanwhile, Moscow, with its rich history, culture and unique urban charm, is attracting an increasing number of Chinese tourists," he elaborated.

In recent years, under the China-Russia comprehensive strategic coordination, tourism cooperation between Beijing and Moscow has continued to deepen and become more practical, Xu added, saying that the two cities have held festivals and celebrations, sent art troupes to each other, while strengthening cultural ties and deepening friendship.

He also shared that in the second half of the year, Beijing will also send a delegation to Russia to participate in the 3rd edition of the Theater Boulevard International Open Festival, featuring online performances, cultural and tourism exhibitions, and business matchmaking, aiming to further promote tourism cooperation between the two cities.

In 2024, mayors of Beijing and Moscow inked a program of cooperation between the two cities for the 2024-2026 period, charting the future course for their sister-city relationship.

In February 2026, the Moscow City Tourism Committee and the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism signed a Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation in the tourism sector. Both cities vowed to step up efforts to strengthen collaboration in key areas such as tourism promotion, industry exchange, route development, and talent cultivation, to improve the regular cooperation mechanism, and upgrade the quality of tourism cooperation.
Evgeny Kozlov, Chairman of the Moscow City Tourism Committee, told the Global Times that in the first quarter of 2026, Moscow welcomed 130,000 visitors from China - a 30 percent increase compared to the same period in 2025.

At the same time, the chairman observed that the profile of Chinese travelers also undergoes changes, with a growing number of independent travelers aged 18-35 seeking authentic urban experiences beyond standardized excursions.

Kozlov said that to meet the demand, Moscow has prepared hundreds of tour guides who speak Chinese and many restaurants have provided menus in Chinese. The committee has been updating the contents with recommendations on where to go, must-see places in its social media accounts in Chinese, offering convenience for Chinese tourists in all aspects.

He also shared that by autumn, Moscow and Beijing are planning joint exhibitions among museums.

Moscow is working on feasibility research to expand cultural events in other cities in China as well, Kozlov said.
Andrey Povalyaev, minister-counsellor of the Russian Embassy in China, said in his remarks that direct flights between major cities make travel to Moscow truly convenient.

June is a special time in Moscow. The city is truly transformed: summer evenings paint the sky in soft golden hues, music echoes along the embankments, and Moscow's famous boulevards are immersed in verdant vegetation. This is the season of festivals, exhibitions, and open-air concerts, Minister-Counsellor Povalyaev said.

In summer, Moscow lives with the utmost openness, generosity, and a special passion and scope. Today, Moscow is offering rich cultural programs, superb cuisine, cutting-edge urban infrastructure, and one of the world's best public transportation systems, said Povalyaev.

He added that the capital continues to change - new museums and galleries are emerging, urban spaces and parks are being developed, and historic districts are being renovated.

"I am confident that today's meeting will give new impetus to tourism ties between our countries and capitals. Moscow is always open to Chinese guests and is ready to show itself in all its glory with genuine hospitality," Povalyaev concluded.

A Chinese medical team has reportedly performed the world's first combined xenotransplantation of a gene-edited pig liver and two pig kidneys into a human body, marking a huge milestone in the exploration of multi-organ xenotransplantation.

According to a post on the official WeChat account of the Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University on Monday, the procedure was carried out by a medical team led by Professor Sun Xuyong from the hospital and involved an orthotopic transplant, meaning the organs were placed in their normal anatomical positions. The recipient was a 53-year-old brain-dead man, and the surgery was performed with the consent of his family.

The team used gene-edited Bama miniature pigs from Guangxi as the source of the donor organs. The donor pigs underwent six precise genetic edits, including the removal of key genes that can trigger hyperacute rejection in humans and the insertion of human genes related to blood clotting and immune compatibility, the Xinhua News Agency reported on Wednesday. 

During five days of systematic monitoring, the transplanted organs showed encouraging physiological signs, with generally normal blood supply as well as observed bile secretion and urine production, according to the post. 

The research was published in Med, a Cell Press journal, on May 29, 2026, and was later featured by Nature, drawing wider attention from the global academic community, media reported. 

Leonardo Riella, a physician-scientist at Harvard University and Massachusetts General Hospital who led the team behind the world's first living-recipient pig kidney transplant in 2024, said multi-organ xenotransplantation is more complex than single-organ transplantation, but the study showed that it is technically feasible. 

Set to be held in the US, Canada and Mexico from June 11 to July 19, this year's World Cup tournament will see 48 teams contesting for the first time in the tournament's history. Although the Chinese men's national soccer team did not qualify for the World Cup, the country's presence will be palpable.

With less than a week before kickoff, this year's World Cup has yet to generate strong buzz in China, possibly due to time zone differences and other factors. But there is no such lag for Chinese companies, which are already engaging with the event at a higher and more advanced level.

China's footprint at this year's World Cup highlights a shift from low-cost manufacturing to stylish, original designs, alongside the contribution of Chinese referees and officiating technologies. This evolving role is driven by innovation and advanced technology. Guy-Laurent Epstein, UEFA events marketing director, told the People's Daily that Chinese companies are no longer mere commercial sponsors buying ad space, but are instead bringing cutting-edge technological innovations directly into UEFA's tournament systems.

Upgraded innovation

In Yiwu, the world's supermarket in East China's Zhejiang Province, brightly colored commemorative soccer balls stand out vividly. Chen Shaomei, manager of Minsa Sports in the Yiwu International Trade Market showed the Global Times their popular overseas bestseller - a commemorative soccer ball designed with the signature colors of the three host countries: the US, Canada, and Mexico.

"This is our self-designed, self-manufactured, and self-branded commemorative ball," Chen told the Global Times on Sunday.

This is the sixth World Cup that Chen has participated in as a merchant. Chen's company has been deeply engaged in the ball industry for many years, with 90 percent of its products exported overseas.

Chen said Chinese manufacturing, including that of Yiwu, has moved beyond competing primarily on price and now stands out through creative design and higher-quality advantages. "Our greatest strength lies in our unique designs," he noted.

Beijing-based sports and e-commerce retail company All Star Partner secured official World Cup licensing rights for multiple popular national teams. Jin Ye, chief operating officer of the company, told the Global Times on Sunday that truly vibrant and enduring products must integrate team culture, fans' emotions, and real-life usage scenarios.

"Fans cannot express their passion only inside the stadium - they showcase their identity while shopping, traveling, going to school, commuting, attending parties, and sharing on social platforms. Therefore, we are developing more lifestyle-oriented products such as casual T-shirts, hats, bags, plush pendants, cups, neck pillows, canvas shoes, and more, allowing national team IPs to truly become part of everyday life," Jin said.

In the past, when people thought of Chinese companies participating in international sports events, they mainly associated them with manufacturing and supply chain capabilities. However, soon Chinese enterprises will not only be capable of producing products, but also of participating in design, brand expression, and user engagement - thereby influencing the commercialization strategies of international IPs in the Chinese and broader Asian markets in return, Jin noted.

The export sports enterprise Kelme, leveraging its strong technological innovation advantages, will be the official jersey sponsor for the national teams of Jordan and Bosnia and Herzegovina, according to Fujian Daily.

"We use new functional sports fabrics that give the jerseys multiple advantages, including moisture absorption, quick drying, and excellent breathability. The entire jersey weighs less than 140 grams, making it lightweight, form-fitting, and skin-friendly. Professional players have praised it as 'breathing armor,'" said Yang Yuanchang, deputy director of the international marketing department of the company, Fujian Daily reported.

Hu Qimu, a professor at the Maritime Silk Road Institute of Huaqiao University, told the Global Times on Sunday that these creative products not only enrich the supply of the World Cup, but also serve as a vivid reflection of the country's industrial transformation and upgrading.

"From relying primarily on price competition in the past to now shifting toward creative design and independent branding, Chinese enterprises have enhanced their competitiveness through continuous innovation," Hu said.

High-tech support

Beyond this presence, some Chinese technology companies are building a solid "technological foundation" for the tournament.

As FIFA's Official Technology Partner, Lenovo is providing AI equipment, services, and solutions for this World Cup. According to a statement sent to the Global Times on Sunday, the company said that during the event, its 3D Digital Human Visualization Solution will be officially applied to the refereeing system and event broadcasting.

The system uses 3D modeling and next-generation generative AI technology to create 3D virtual avatars for the players of this tournament. Particularly in offside replay segments, they offer both on-site and online audiences more intuitive visual interpretations, while accurately replicating each player's body dimensions and features, greatly enhancing the credibility and transparency of refereeing decisions, said the company.

As the "media heart" of this World Cup, the 2026 FIFA World Cup International Broadcast Centre, located in Dallas, the US, has selected Hisense as its dedicated display equipment provider.

The company told the Global Times that Hisense's technology accurately reproduces every detail of the on-field action, which will assist Video Assistant Referees in making precise decisions and supporting high-quality event broadcasting.

Hu noted that the participation model of Chinese companies in major sporting events has evolved from an early focus on seeking exposure to applying their technologies in real overseas scenarios.

International media outlets including Reuters have also observed that Chinese companies are undergoing a major transformation in their role at top-tier international sporting events, evolving from peripheral merchandise suppliers into key providers of core technological infrastructure, the People's Daily reported.

Hu noted that Chinese enterprises are not only achieving brand promotion and business expansion through sports marketing, but are also leveraging their capabilities to provide high-quality products and drive improvements in event organization.

As Chinese companies participate more deeply in top-tier international events, the future international sports arena is likely to see more "Chinese technology" and "Chinese solutions," the expert added.

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.

Xi, Austrian president exchange congratulations over 55th anniversary of China-Austria ties

Authorities in Changzhi, North China's Shanxi Province, held a press conference on Saturday evening regarding the gas explosion accident at the Liushenyu coal mine. Before the briefing began, all attendees stood in silence to mourn the victims of the tragedy.

At 7:29 pm on Friday, a gas explosion occurred at the Liushenyu coal mine, operated by Shanxi Tongzhou Group in Qinyuan County, where a total of 247 workers were underground at the time, per a release from the Qinyuan County Emergency Management Bureau published Saturday morning.

At the press conference, Changzhi Mayor Chen Xiangyang said that, as of the time of the briefing, the accident had resulted in 82 deaths, while two people remained missing and 128 others had been injured. "We feel extremely heartbroken and deeply guilty over this," Chen said, expressing profound condolences to the victims and extending sincere apologies to the families of those killed, the injured, and the wider public.

Officials at the briefing also said the scene was chaotic in the immediate aftermath of the accident, and that the company had failed to accurately account for the number of workers on duty, resulting in inaccurate figures being initially reported, according to Xinhua News Agency.

Meanwhile, officials at the briefing said preliminary assessments indicated that the company operating the mine was suspected of committing serious legal violations. Authorities pledged all effort in the ongoing search-and-rescue operation for the missing workers, while noting that the exact cause of the explosion remains under further investigation.

Officials also stressed that authorities would actively cooperate with the accident investigation and carry out a thorough inquiry in a truth-seeking and science-based manner to determine the precise causes of the disaster. They said the investigation must provide a responsible explanation to the victims, their families and the public.

According to Chen, an on-site emergency rescue command headquarters was immediately established following the accident, with multiple task forces set up to coordinate rescue operations, expert technical support, medical treatment, social stability work and emergence support.

A total of 335 professional rescue personnel and 420 medical workers were rapidly mobilized, while nearby mobile hyperbaric oxygen chambers and 86 ambulances were dispatched to the scene to support emergency rescue and medical treatment efforts. Experts organized by national and provincial health authorities also conducted remote medical consultations for the injured.

Authorities said they are closely monitoring underground gas and carbon monoxide levels to prevent secondary accidents. At the same time, officials ordered the suspension and rectification of all four mines operated by Tongzhou Group and said control measures had been immediately imposed on the company's actual controllers, executives and other relevant personnel.

When asked whether Japan became a topic of discussion during the meeting between the Chinese and US leaders, citing reports by Japanese media and the Financial Times claiming that the two sides had discussed Japan's "remilitarization" issue, Mao Ning, spokesperson from China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Monday that China has already released information regarding the meeting between the Chinese and US leaders, and that the reports mentioned are inconsistent with the information held by China. Regarding China-Japan relations, China's position is clear, said Mao.

China's opposition to US arms sales to China's Taiwan region is consistent, clear and firm, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said on Friday at a regular press briefing, when asked to comment on reports that the acting US navy secretary said Thursday that arm sales to Taiwan had been put on pause to ensure that the American military had sufficient munitions for its Iran operations, and that Taiwan authorities claimed on Friday that there was no information indicating that the US intends to make any adjustments to this arms sale. 

The latest response from the Chinese Foreign Ministry came after US media outlets reported on US Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao's remarks made on Thursday. According to The Hill, Cao said the US is pausing a $14 billion arms sale to Taiwan for the war in Iran. 

"Right now we're doing a pause in order to make sure we have the munitions we need for Epic Fury — which we have plenty," Cao told US Senator Mitch McConnell at a Senate Appropriations Defense Subcommittee hearing, according to The Hill. 

"We're just making sure we have everything, but then the foreign military sales will continue when the administration deems necessary," Cao said.

Asked by McConnell if he expects the sale to be approved at some point, Cao said that it would be up to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and the Secretary of State Marco Rubio, The Hill reported.

Meanwhile, CBS News reported that the US State Department and the Pentagon did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Cao's remarks.

Prior to Cao's latest comments, US President Donald Trump had also addressed the issue. "I haven't approved it yet. We're going to see what happens," Trump told Fox News. "I may do it; I may not do it," according to The Hill.

Zheng Jian, a professor at the Graduate Institute for Taiwan Studies of Xiamen University, told the Global Times on Friday that although Cao's remarks did not come from the highest level of the US administration, they were still delivered in a formal and important setting, suggesting that the suspension was likely a serious and official consideration rather than a casual remark.

At the same time, Zheng cautioned that the latest development does not necessarily mean the arms sale will ultimately be canceled.

"Selling weapons to Taiwan has long been an important part of the US strategy on the island," Zheng said, adding that while the US may be undergoing a strategic contraction on the Taiwan question, this does not mean Washington will completely abandon its strategy of using Taiwan question to constrain the Chinese mainland.

The latest developments have also triggered extensive discussions among media outlets on the island of Taiwan.

According to a report by Taiwan island media outlet CNA, a local official claimed there was currently no information indicating that the US planned to adjust the arms sale. 

The DPP authorities' claim that they had not received any related information also reflected that "Taiwan independence" separatist forces on the island were unwilling to believe such a development could really happen, and were still stubbornly deceiving themselves that the US would always back them, Zheng said.

Meanwhile, according to another Taiwan island media outlet, United Daily News, a Kuomintang official said that after Trump's public statement to the media, he made it clear that he does not support "Taiwan independence" and that the US "will not fight for Taiwan independence."

The official was quoted by United Daily News as saying that a series of recent statements, together with efforts by China and the US to establish a constructive China-US relationship of strategic stability, showed that the Kuomintang — whether in office or in opposition — opposes "Taiwan independence" and supports policies aligned with the US one-China policy and cross-Straits stability.