"If there were eight Swiss rolls, how would you share them?" This question has been put to Chinese husbands by their wives over recent days, sparking buzz online. 

The story started with a video posted by a blogger online. In the video, the blogger said that there was a box of Swiss rolls at home totaling 8, and her daughter, son, and husband each ate two. Later that night, after the children had gone to bed, the blogger decided to eat the remaining two Swiss rolls, but before she could take a bite, her husband criticized her. 

The reason for the criticism, according to her, was that her husband suggested that parents should set an example by eating more regular meals and fewer snacks, and that if she ate the last ones, the kids would miss out.

Once the video gained attention, many netizens used the story to playfully 'interrogate' their husbands, leading to a flood of humorous responses.

"If the Swiss rolls are delicious, I wouldn't even know there was a box, and if they're awful, I'd eat seven and a half myself," one husband joked in response. 

Meanwhile, some independent women suggested in the comment thread, "be financially independent with yourself to buy whatever you want."

After the video went viral, many online speculated that the clip was staged to gain attention. The blogger posted on Sunday that she and her husband have had some recent arguments, but insisted the video was genuine.

Campaign of Donald Trump said that the former US president has accepted the invitation from incumbent President Joe Biden to meet at the White House to discuss the transition of presidential power, after Trump was elected as president of the US, China Central Television (CCTV) reported on Thursday.

The specific date for the meeting between Trump and Biden has not yet been announced, but a spokesperson for Trump's campaign indicated that the meeting "will take place very soon" and noted that Trump "greatly appreciates" the congratulatory phone call from Biden on Wednesday, according to CCTV.

Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris on Wednesday delivered a concession speech at Howard University in Washington, DC, saying that she is proud of the campaign and stressing that "when we lose an election, we accept the results," Xinhua reported.

The vice president emphasized the importance of accepting the election results. She confirmed that she had spoken with Trump and congratulated him on his victory, noting that her administration would facilitate a peaceful transfer of power. 

US Justice Department officials have been evaluating how to wind down the two federal criminal cases against Trump before he takes office to comply with long-standing department policy that a sitting president can't be prosecuted, two people familiar with the matter tell NBC News, CCTV reported.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that he had a phone call with Trump, and both sides agreed to maintain close dialogue and develop cooperation, according to CCTV. 

Amid ongoing tensions in the South China Sea, Chinese experts at a seminar on Tuesday highlighted illegal claims by nations like the Philippines, along with external interventions and provocations against China, as key sources of instability and turbulence in the region. Some noted the risk of a large-scale conflict in the South China Sea remains low, but they predicted that the Philippines may continue low-intensity maritime frictions with China during the US' government's transition period after the presidential election.

What are the root causes of the current instability in the South China Sea? Wu Shicun, president of the National Institute for South China Sea Studies, attributed it to three main factors: first, the US has openly picked sides on the issue, standing against China; second, some claimant countries are trying to solidify their interests via illegal ways; and third, the 2016 South China Sea Arbitration ruling has almost completely denied China's reasonable claims of its rights in the South China Sea.

Hu Bo, director of South China Sea Strategic Situation Probing Initiative (SCSPI), said that China's claims to sovereignty and maritime rights in the South China Sea have remained consistent since 1947. Since the late 1990s, China's policy has focused on "shelving differences" and maintaining the status quo. "If there has been any change, it is in China's enhanced capability and resolve to protect its rights, so it can launch stronger countermeasures against external provocations. If the parties concerned cannot shelve differences, peace in the South China Sea remains elusive," the expert said at the forum organized by Beijing-based think tank SCSPI.

Scholars believe that US' intervention and its intensifying military deterrence are significant contributors to regional turmoil. Since 2009, US policy has shifted from relative neutrality to direct involvement in South China Sea disputes, particularly under the "Pivot to Asia," rebalance to Asia, and "Indo-Pacific strategy," which have increased US military presence in the region. "It is an objective fact that the South China Sea was generally more stable from the end of the Cold War until 2009, when US attention was minimal," Hu argued.

ASEAN countries possess unique wisdom for managing territorial sovereignty and maritime rights disputes, prioritizing regional peace and stability through conflict prevention and management approaches. This approach aligns with China's traditional methods in handling international disputes, as noted by Lei Xiaolu, a professor of law with the China Institute of Boundary and Ocean Studies.

Experts also highlighted numerous fallacies in the 2016 arbitration ruling regarding treaty interpretation and evidence assessment. Zheng Zhihua, an associate Professor at the Japan Research Center of Shanghai Jiaotong University, pointed out that it distorted the nature of territorial sovereignty disputes and failed to resolve the issues between China and the Philippines, exacerbating tensions instead.

Scholars assessed the future situation in the South China Sea, particularly during the US government transition period. Hu believes the situation is less tense than portrayed by some countries and media, and a large-scale conflict is unlikely in the foreseeable future, indicating a room for consensus between China and the US on the South China Sea issue. The Philippines aims to exploit US-China strategic competition, but its attempts to draw the US to help Manila infringe on China's rights have not gained significant traction in the US, according to Hu.

Ding Duo, a deputy director of the Institute of Maritime Law and Policy at the China Institute for South China Sea Studies, predicts that during the US government transition period, the Philippines may continue with "low-intensity" maritime frictions with China, and its negative rhetoric against China is expected to continue.

The Philippine military opened two weeks of combat drills on Monday that will include "seizing an island in the disputed South China Sea." More than 3,000 Filipino army, navy and air force personnel take part in the maneuvers, which include live-fire drills using artillery and assault rifles and beach landing drills, the Voice of America reported.

Wu told the Global Times that the Philippines' maneuvers could be interpreted as a significant "face-saving gesture" in light of the withdrawal of its Coast Guard vessel 9701 from the Xianbin Jiao in the South China Sea. The scholar suggested that while such small-scale military exercises in the region do not pose a direct threat to China, it is essential to remain vigilant against potential security risks. 

"The South China Sea is not without military activity, but the Philippines should avoid politicizing its military activities, and should not use peace maintenance as a pretext to advance its own interests," Hu told the Global Times. 

Finnish President Alexander Stubb kicked off his four-day state visit to China on Monday. Juha Tuominen, chairman of Finncham China Beijing, told the Global Times in an exclusive interview on Monday that the visit will definitely boost cooperation, including collaboration in sustainability, between Finnish and Chinese companies.

Stubb arrived in Beijing on Monday afternoon, which also marked the day of the 74th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries, China Central Television reported. 

China and Finland have been steadily advancing their relations as the pair decided to establish a new type of future-oriented partnership in 2017, which was unique in China's foreign relations. 

Stubb will discuss bilateral relations as well as the war between Russia and Ukraine and other security issues, his office said in a statement, Reuters reported.

In recent years, in particular, China has made notable strides in green transformation and the digital economy, areas in which Finland hopes to draw lessons from China's experience, Wang Yiwei, a professor at the School of International Relations at Renmin University of China, told the Global Times on Monday. 

As a country that has long prioritized green initiatives and climate change response, its policy focus aligns with China's proposal to develop new productive forces, thus creating significant opportunities for collaboration, Wang said.

The Finnish business community sees this state visit as an important signal on trade relations between the two countries, and "it will definitely boost cooperation between Finnish and Chinese companies as well," Tuominen said.

China remains an important market for Finnish companies, Tuominen said, noting that the collaboration in sustainability between Finnish and Chinese companies is an important area for both sides. 

Also, Finnish companies from other industries such as healthcare, digitalization and consumer products see the Chinese market as one of the important markets for international expansion, the chamber head said.

Stubb's visit is the first since Finland joined NATO in April last year, becoming the group's 31st member. While elaborating on whether the move will have an impact on China-Finland ties, Wang said China hopes Finland remains vigilant against the dangerous trend of an eastward expansion by the group, which undermines the peace and stability of the Asia-Pacific. Helsinki is expected to play a unique role in this regard by engaging in more constructive dialogue with China and serving as a bridge to curb such a dangerous trend, he noted. 

China’s top cyberspace regulator announced Thursday the launch of a two-month nationwide campaign to address illegal and harmful content on local online discussion platforms, particularly those hyping extreme incidents and disasters and spreading rumors and misinformation about public policies and social issues. 

The special campaign will regulate content and services across diverse areas including social networking, short videos, livestreaming, e-commerce, search engines, group buying reviews on local online platforms and within mobile applications, the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) said in a statement released on its official WeChat account on Thursday. 

The cyberspace watchdog will tackle negative content and online behaviors that spread hostility online such as using local hot topics related to housing, education, healthcare and food safety to hurl malicious insults, slander, and stigmatize regions, professions, and groups, promoting negative emotions including pessimism and fear to incite group antagonism. 

According to CAC, the authority will target the sensationalizing of occasional extreme incidents, heatedly discussed events, disasters and accidents, events forcibly linked to history or labeled with specific regions, remarks promoting biased or discriminatory views to stir regional tensions. 

Meanwhile, the special campaign will also crack down on online rumors and misinformation related to public policies and social welfare, fabricated disasters, accidents, and incidents designed to spark public panic. 

According to the CAC, when local emergency events occur, some people distort or fabricate the causes, details and developments of the incidents to produce sensational conspiracy theories. Some even impersonate parties involved in the incidents, relatives, or other related personnel to publish false information, seeking attention from the netizens. They create tragic personas, fabricate distressing stories, and stage videos of tragic experiences to exploit public sympathy. 

Besides, the explicit and vulgar content such as posts, images, short videos and livestreaming with clear sexual innuendoes or provocative language will also be regulated by the cyberspace watchdog. Content such as explicit novels, animation and provocative pictures with real models to promote adult products will be cleared up.

Moreover, the cyberspace watchdog will crack down on illegal and criminal activities such as prostitution and swindling that induce online users via mobile applications through online groups, QR codes and social networking accounts in the name of matchmaking, dating, offline companionship, travel partners, massage service and rental information.  

In addition, the special campaign will also regulate paid review services. Such activities include hiring people to create ratings and reviews and coordinating bulk positive reviews to manipulate rankings to fake popularity among products, catering services and hotels.

The CAC emphasized that cyberspace regulators in localities should fully recognize the importance of this campaign in ensuring a healthier online ecosystem and protecting the legitimate rights and interests of internet users.