Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and Chinese president, returned to Beijing on Tuesday afternoon after concluding his state visit to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), the Xinhua News Agency reported on Tuesday.

On Tuesday afternoon local time, Xi departed from Pyongyang. Kim Jong-un, general secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) and president of the State Affairs of DPRK, and his wife went to the airport to see Xi and his wife off and held a grand farewell ceremony in their honor, per Xinhua.

This year marks the 65th anniversary of the signing of the China-DPRK Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance. In recent years, under the strategic guidance of the top leaders of the two parties and the two countries, China-DPRK traditional friendly and cooperative relations have maintained sound and steady development, Xinhua wrote in an article published on Monday.

Exchanges and cooperation in areas including the economy, culture, education, and youth affairs have produced fruitful outcomes, delivering benefits to both countries and their peoples, injecting new vitality into the traditional friendship between the two nations, and making positive contributions to regional peace and development, per Xinhua.

China-DPRK relations in new era

Xi said on Tuesday that he reached important consensus with General Secretary Kim on developing relations between China and the DPRK in the new era, the Xinhua reported on Tuesday.

The two sides also had in-depth discussions on safeguarding peace and stability in the region and the world, Xi said when he and his wife Peng Liyuan attended the luncheon hosted by Kim and his wife Ri Sol-ju, per Xinhua.

Xi thanked Kim for the warm hospitality and thoughtful arrangements for the visit, noting that through the visit, the warmth and friendship extended by the DPRK party, government and people toward the Chinese party, government and people is felt even more deeply.

The mutual understanding between China and the DPRK has become deeper and more comprehensive, and the future development direction has become clearer and more definite, Xi said.

Xi said that he is ready to work with Kim to jointly lead China-DPRK relations to greater development and inject new and strong impetus into the socialist cause of the two countries.

For his part, Kim said that Xi's visit was a complete success, sending a positive message to the world that the DPRK and China are further strengthening their friendly cooperation, and attracting widespread attention from various sides.

Xi's visit was of great significance to bilateral relations and the future development of the region, Kim said, noting that the DPRK side stands ready to earnestly implement the important consensus reached during the visit, promote new tangible outcomes in bilateral cooperation, and advance DPRK-China relations to a new and higher level.

Great friendship through generations

Xi and Kim agreed on Tuesday that the two countries should carry forward their great traditional friendship from generation to generation.

Xi paid homage to the China-DPRK Friendship Tower with his wife Peng, in the company of Kim and his wife Ri.

Xi and Kim also agreed that the years when China and the DPRK fought side by side in the 1950s are an eternal historical memory shared by both sides.

The Friendship Tower was built in 1959 to honor martyrs of the Chinese People's Volunteers in the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea.

Three massive gilded Korean characters reading "Friendship Tower" adorned the facade of the stately monument, gleaming in the summer sunlight.

After the national anthems of China and the DPRK were played, and honor guards laid the flower basket, Xi approached the flower basket and arranged the ribbon, which read, "The martyrs of the Chinese People's Volunteer Army live forever."

In a solemn atmosphere, all present paid silent tribute to the martyrs. Afterward, Xi and Kim watched a march-past by the honor guard.

Since the tower's erection, it has been expanded by the DPRK and renovated several times. Commemorations have been held at the site on key occasions, including anniversaries of the CPV's entry into the DPRK to fight in the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, the Korean War armistice, and China's Qingming Festival, also known as Tomb-Sweeping Day.

The two leaders pledged to jointly maintain memorial facilities dedicated to the Chinese People's Volunteers martyrs, carry out distinctive programs on revolutionary traditions and youth education, and carry forward the great spirit of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea.

On Tuesday morning, Xi, accompanied by Kim, visited the Central Cadres Training School of the WPK in Pyongyang.

In the wooded area between teaching buildings, Xi and Kim jointly planted a fir tree. The fir tree remains evergreen throughout the year, symbolizing the enduring and ever-renewing friendship between China and the DPRK. 

In recent years, China-DPRK economic and trade cooperation has shown a positive development momentum. According to Chinese official statistics, bilateral trade volume reached $2.735 billion in 2025, according to Xinhua on Monday.

The Guomenwan trade zone in Dandong, a city in Northeast China's Liaoning Province, has witnessed increasingly close economic and trade exchanges between China and the DPRK. In 2025, the zone recorded 168 million yuan ($24.8 million) in imports through border residents' trade, with a total of 22,000 participants engaged in such transactions over the course of the year.

Prior to this, on March 12, an international passenger train from Dandong arrived in Pyongyang, marking the resumption of international passenger train services between China and the DPRK.

On March 30, an Air China passenger plane from Beijing arrived at Pyongyang International Airport, signaling the formal resumption of the Chinese carrier's passenger flight operations between the capitals of China and the DPRK. Road, rail and air links between the two countries have all been resumed thus far.

Cultural and artistic exchanges are an important component of China-DPRK friendship and serve as a key means of fostering mutual understanding and emotional connection between the two peoples. Multiple Chinese films have received awards at the Pyongyang International Film Festival, while the DPRK's April Spring Friendship Art Festival has repeatedly invited Chinese art troupes to participate.

China supports Thailand in trying the case in accordance with the law and severely punishing the perpetrators, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said on Thursday when asked to comment on reports that a Thai court has issued death sentences to two men who were involved in the 2015 Bangkok bombing case.

"We have noticed that the Thai side has delivered a verdict on the relevant case. The terrorist bombing that year killed 20 people, including seven Chinese citizens, and injured more than 100 others. The attackers were utterly inhuman and their crimes were heinous," Lin said.

A cross-party group of pro-Taiwan Japanese lawmakers decided on Thursday to adopt a new name that explicitly includes the word "Taiwan," Japanese media outlets reported on Friday. A Chinese expert said that this move indicates certain right-wing Japanese lawmakers, emboldened by the Takaichi administration's hostile attitude toward China, are meddling in Taiwan-related issues more blatantly, which constitutes a malicious provocation against China and reveals their attempt to collude more closely with Taiwan separatists.

According to the Japan Today, the group approved the name change at a plenary meeting in Tokyo. In English, the group has been called the Japan-ROC Diet Members' Consultative Council. Discussions on the name change were held behind closed doors. The new name is not available in English at this point, according to the group. 

The Japanese media outlet claimed that the renaming is "apparently intended to showcase the lawmakers' resolve to strengthening exchanges" with Taiwan. In announcing the new name, Keiji Furuya of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, who serves as the head of the council, said the group now has more than 300 members, claiming it proof of the "unshakable bond" between Japan and the Taiwan island.

According to a report republished on Yahoo Japan from the Japanese edition of the South Korean media outlet JoongAng Ilbo, Furuya is a representative right-wing politician in Japan. In March, China announced countermeasures against Furuya for his egregious moves including collusion with "Taiwan independence" separatist forces for provocative moves. 

Lü Chao, a professor at the Liaoning Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Friday that there is a bloc of right-wing Japanese lawmakers who lean toward "Taiwan separatists," attempting to keep tight political and economic collusions with them. The act of renaming the group is an open political provocation over China regarding the Taiwan-related issues, sending wrong and dangerous signals to "Taiwan independence" forces, the expert noted. 

The expert noted that since the Takaichi's administration took office, anti-China sentiment has grown stronger in Japan, emboldening these pro-Taiwan groups to act without any restraint.

Regarding the name change, Furuya claimed that "under the tenure of the Sanae Takaichi administration, we decided the time was ripe to push through this renaming," according to the Asahi Shimbun.

"These remarks lay bare that the right-wing Japanese lawmakers are emboldened by the Takaichi administration's hostile stance against China to advance their agenda. They dare to stage such blatant provocations since the Japanese government turns a blind eye and indulges them," Lü said.

This makes it clear that these anti-China lawmakers see eye-to-eye with the cabinet's hardline China policy, working hand in glove while attempting to deepen ties with "Taiwan independence" separatists, Lü said. "Their moves amount to deliberate provocations against China. Japan should be well aware that challenging China over the Taiwan question crosses a red line and will definitely draw a firm response from China," he said.

In response to Furuya's visit to China's Taiwan region in August 2022, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said at the time that to seek selfish political gains, certain Japanese politician has colluded with the "Taiwan independence" forces to make a political stunt just like some others have done. The Japanese government connived at such political manipulation to undermine China's sovereignty and territorial integrity. Such behavior of reneging on one's commitment with sinister intention is doomed to fail and will not stop the historic process of China's complete reunification. 

"We urge the Japanese side to deeply reflect on the events of history, abide by the principles of the four China-Japan political documents and the commitments it has made, stop making provocation and stop stirring up trouble on the Taiwan question. Japan must not wade in muddy water and seek selfish gains in the Taiwan Straits. It must stop going further down the wrong path," the Chinese spokesperson said.

Top leaders of China and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) will exchange views on bilateral relations and issues of mutual interest in Pyongyang next week, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said on Friday.

Mao made the remarks at a regular news briefing when asked about the upcoming state visit to the DPRK by Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and Chinese president, scheduled from June 8 to 9.

Xi's trip is at the invitation of Kim Jong Un, general secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea and president of the State Affairs of the DPRK.

This visit will be Xi's first state visit to the DPRK in seven years. This year marks the 65th anniversary of the signing of the China-DPRK Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance.

China and the DPRK will take this visit as an opportunity to promote the bilateral relations to keep pace with the times and achieve greater development, enhance the well-being of the people of the two countries, and make greater contributions to peace, stability, development and prosperity in the region and the world at large, Mao said.

Chinese Vice President Han Zheng on Saturday called for deeper trade and investment cooperation between China and Belarus for the benefit of the two peoples.

Addressing the opening ceremony of a China-Belarus industrial and investment cooperation forum in Minsk, Han said relations between the two countries have maintained high-level development in recent years, with economic, trade and investment cooperation yielding fruitful results.

Bilateral trade in 2025 was nearly 150 times the figure recorded shortly after they forged diplomatic relations more than three decades ago, he said, adding that the flagship China-Belarus Industrial Park has attracted 178 enterprises and effectively driven local economic and social development.

He called on the two countries to strengthen the alignment of their development strategies, advance the high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, explore new drivers of trade growth and expand industrial and investment cooperation.

China will remain committed to high-quality development and high-level opening up, creating broader development opportunities for countries around the world including Belarus, he noted.

The forum was jointly organized by the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, the China-Belarus Industrial Park and the National Agency of Investment and Privatization of Belarus, with more than 400 people present.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Tuesday said China hopes the British side will provide Chinese enterprises with a fair, just and non-discriminatory business environment, and foster a sound atmosphere for the development of bilateral ties and the deepening of cooperation between the two countries, according to the Xinhua News Agency.

Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the remarks when holding the 11th China-UK Strategic Dialogue with UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper in Beijing.

Noting that the leaders of both sides agreed to develop a long-term and consistent comprehensive strategic partnership when British Prime Minister Keir Starmer visited China at the beginning of this year, Wang said that at present, exchanges and cooperation in all fields between the two countries have been fully restored and are gradually getting back on track.

As permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, China and the UK should take the lead in following the right and impartial path, safeguard the fruits of victory in World War II, abide by the UN Charter, adhere to true multilateralism, and jointly promote the building of a more just and reasonable global governance system, Wang noted.

Cooper said that the long-term and consistent comprehensive strategic partnership is of great significance and in line with the interests of both sides. At a time when the international situation is turbulent and complex, it is more important than ever for the UK and China to strengthen dialogue and cooperation to jointly address global challenges, she added, according to Xinhua.

Since the establishment of diplomatic relations with China, the policy pursued by the UK on the Taiwan question has remained unchanged and will not change, Cooper said, adding that the British side is willing to continue to engage in candid dialogue with the Chinese side, handle differences constructively and properly, and promote the healthy and stable development of UK-China relations. 

Cooper's visit is widely seen as a follow-up to the consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries during Starmer's visit to China in January, with the aim of translating political understandings into concrete outcomes, Li Guanjie, a research fellow at the Shanghai Academy of Global Governance and Area Studies under the Shanghai International Studies University, told the Global Times on Tuesday. 

"Economic and trade cooperation remains the cornerstone of China-UK relations. Bilateral trade has remained steady in recent years, but maintaining that scale has become increasingly challenging amid global economic uncertainties. Against this backdrop, both sides are expected to focus on consolidating existing cooperation while exploring new growth areas, like science and technology cooperation, as the UK seeks to gain a better understanding of China's technological development and identify potential areas for future collaboration, Li said.

British media have also closely followed Cooper's visit. In a report published on Monday, the Independent said that Cooper had arrived in Beijing for in-depth talks on global security as the UK seeks to strengthen diplomatic relations with China.

Cooper's trip, which runs from Monday to Wednesday, includes visits to Beijing and Shenzhen in South China's Guangdong Province for a program focused on science and technology, according to Reuters. Cooper's visit is a "trip to focus on tackling global challenges," Reuters said.

Cooper's trip is understood to be aimed at building on previous Government visits with the most extensive senior foreign policy discussions since Labour came to power, said the Independent.

In another article published on Tuesday, the Independent noted that the UK government "sees engagement with major economies like China as key to protecting Britain's security at a time of heightened global instability, insisting the UK will cooperate where it can and challenge where it must."

At a time when geopolitical tensions, regional conflicts and protectionist tendencies continue to create uncertainties worldwide, maintaining dialogue and expanding areas of consensus between major countries could contribute to international stability, which is important for countries like China and the UK, Li said, adding that issues such as climate change, artificial intelligence and multilateral governance are likely to become important areas where the two sides can further deepen cooperation in the future.

The US is moving to implement the preliminary outcomes of the China-US economic and trade consultations, including the establishment of a China-US Trade Council and tariff reductions on $30 billion worth of goods, according to media reports.

Bloomberg reported on Wednesday that US trade Representative Jamieson Greer said his agency would issue a notice in the Federal Register "shortly" to seek public comments on a Board of Trade with China.

The report described the move as "a formal step to establish a new mechanism to manage economic relations between the two nations." 

Greer also said on Tuesday the government will seek public comment on which Chinese goods should be eligible for lower tariffs, Reuters reported on Wednesday.

China's Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) announced on May 16 that China and the US achieved positive outcomes during their recent consultations. They will establish trade and investment councils. Through the trade council, the two sides will discuss issues such as tariff reductions on specific products, and they have agreed in principle to lower tariffs on products of respective concern on an equivalent scale.

On May 20, an official from MOFCOM, while further elaborating on the preliminary outcomes of the China-US economic and trade consultations, said the economic and trade teams of the two sides will maintain close communication and work out specific arrangements on the structure, functions and operational model of the councils as soon as possible. 

Meanwhile, the two sides agreed in principle to discuss, under the Trade Council, a framework arrangement for reciprocal tariff reductions on products of equivalent scale, amounting to $30 billion or more on each side, the official said.

Wan Zhe, a professor at Beijing Normal University, told the Global Times on Wednesday that the essence of China-US relations is mutual benefit and win-win cooperation. Following the preliminary outcomes of the bilateral trade consultations, China has already shown goodwill on the issue of US beef exports to China, and the US is now also moving to implement the consultation outcomes, which would help further advance the outcomes and stabilize bilateral economic and trade ties.

Wan said that stable economic and trade ties with China would help support the US macroeconomy and financial markets while also expanding access for US products to the Chinese market, making the implementation of the consultation outcomes in line with US interests and a wise choice.

A red-carpet welcome at the airport, a palace banquet and a prestigious national decoration — Japan has rolled out what media described as "highest-level" honors for visiting Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, as Tokyo and Manila moved to further elevate ties with China clearly in mind, according to media reports.

Chinese observers said that by hyping the so-called "China threat", Japan and the Philippines are each advancing their own calculations with Tokyo seeking to use closer ties with Manila to loosen its postwar military constraints while Manila is relying on external forces to internationalize and inflame South China Sea disputes. Such bloc-style cooperation runs counter to the region's pursuit of stability and development, risks fueling geopolitical rivalry in the Western Pacific, and could undermine regional security, they said.

Hidden calculations

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi held talks with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, who is visiting Japan as a state guest, for about one hour on Thursday in Tokyo, according to Japanese media outlet NHK.

At the start of the meeting, Takaichi claimed that as the international situation becomes increasingly severe, the importance of close coordination between Japan and the Philippines has never been greater in realizing an evolved "Free and Open Indo-Pacific." Calling the Philippines one of Japan's closest like-minded countries, Takaichi said she was very pleased that the two sides were able to upgrade their bilateral relationship to a "comprehensive strategic partnership" during the visit, per NHK.

After the meeting, the two leaders issued a joint statement pledging broader cooperation, including launching formal negotiations on a General Security of Military Information Agreement, or GSOMIA, to enable the immediate sharing of highly sensitive military information and promoting defense equipment transfers after Japan eased rules on lethal weapons exports, according to the NHK report.

Meanwhile, a Jiji Press report noted that "the two sides discussed responses to China, which they claimed is intensifying military coercion in the East China Sea and South China Sea, as well as to the US, which is leaning toward an America-first approach. They confirmed strengthened cooperation in the security field and in the energy sector in response to the situation in the Middle East."

Japan and the Philippines deliberately hyping maritime issues in the East China Sea and South China Sea reflects a dangerous form of geopolitical coordination. Differences over relevant waters should be handled through dialogue and consultation by the parties directly concerned, but Tokyo and Manila have chosen to amplify so-called "concerns", effectively manufacturing confrontation and fueling regional tensions, Xiang Haoyu, a distinguished research fellow at the China Institute of International Studies, told the Global Times on Thursday.

A Reuters Japanese-language report noted that Marcos visited Japan as a state guest, marking the first state visit to Japan by a Philippine president since President Benigno Aquino's visit in 2015.

In an April 2025 Japan-Philippines summit between Marcos and then Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, the two sides agreed to strengthen bilateral security cooperation and "oppose attempts to unilaterally change the status quo in the East and South China Seas."

In response, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said China has always maintained that exchanges and cooperation between countries should not target any third party or harm their interests. "We oppose any moves that forge groupings and escalate tensions in the region," Guo said.

Japan's efforts to court the Philippines reveal a clear strategic calculation. Through high-level diplomatic honors and an upgrade of bilateral ties, Tokyo is seeking to tighten political and emotional bonds with Manila while accelerating cooperation in defense, maritime security, and defense equipment transfers, said Xiang.

During a meeting with the Japan-Philippines Parliamentary Friendship League on Wednesday, Marcos Jr claimed that he considers Japan one of the Philippines' "most reliable partners" amid growing global uncertainty, which has resulted in "disruptions in supply chains, and mounting pressures on the rules-based international order," according to Philippine media outlet Business Mirror.

Marcos also claimed both the Philippines and Japan share a common goal of strengthening defense and security cooperation to maintain freedom of navigation in crucial international waterways such as the South China Sea. Currently, the defense-related partnership between Manila and Tokyo includes the Reciprocal Access Agreement (RAA) and the Acquisition and Cross-Servicing Agreement (ACSA). per Business Mirror.

Both countries are hyping the so-called "China threat", but each has its own calculations. For the Philippines, the main goal is to use external forces in the South China Sea to increase its bargaining power and confrontation leverage. Manila is well aware that bringing in outside powers carries risks, even the danger of "inviting the wolf into the house", but it has still chosen to rely on them and continue hyping maritime disputes to defend its own interests, Song Zhongping, a Chinese military affairs expert, told the Global Times.

Japan is, in effect, treating the Philippines as a pawn in its regional strategy. By providing Manila with various types of defense equipment and strengthening defense and maritime security cooperation, Tokyo seeks to widen the rift between the Philippines and China, fuel more confrontations and tensions in the South China Sea, create a pretext for deeper Japanese involvement in regional affairs, and build its own security clique, said Song.

Small circle

Many Japanese and Philippine media outlets, as well as some Western media, have covered Marcos Jr's visit to Japan and mentioned China. An Associated Press report titled "Japan woos visiting Philippine leader during state visit with arms sales and China in mind" noted that Marcos Jr is "receiving an exceptional level of hospitality" during his state visit to Japan. It also said Marcos is "the first potential major customer" for Japanese arms since Takaichi's government scrapped a ban on lethal weapons exports.

Commenting on Bloomberg's news report on Takaichi and Marcos Jr's meeting to discuss strengthening security cooperation amid China's "hardline stance in East and South China Sea", Ukeru Magosaki, a former Japanese Foreign Ministry official, wrote on X on Thursday that "Doing such things doesn't strengthen Japan's security by even a millimeter."

A group of Filipino activists and their supporters on Tuesday evening staged a protest in Roppongi District, central Tokyo, to demonstrate their opposition to the state visit of the President of the Philippines to Japan. Participants displayed banners bearing slogans such as "Marcos is not welcome in Japan" and "No to military relations between Japan and the Philippines," according to Arab News Japan.

Xiang noted that Japan and the Philippines are forging an exclusive security clique, and such kind of military-oriented cooperation undermines the ASEAN-led security framework, pushes the South China Sea issue toward bloc confrontation, and raises the risk of maritime friction.

As the ongoing Ebola outbreak continues to spread across the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and into Uganda, Chinese nationals and companies in affected areas have reinforced safety protocols such as pre-entry temperature screening, mask wearing and curbing non-essential travel.

The government of the DRC has temporarily suspended all passenger flights to and from Bunia, capital of the northeastern Ituri Province that is the epicenter of the ongoing Ebola outbreak, the Xinhua News Agency reported on Sunday, citing the DRC's Ministry of Transport.

The UN World Health Organization (WHO) on Friday raised the national risk assessment for DRC to "very high," although the global risk remains "low," according to UN News. So far, 82 cases and seven deaths have been confirmed in the DRC, but the WHO says the real scale of the outbreak is likely far larger, with nearly 750 suspected cases and 177 suspected deaths reported, per UN News.

To control the risks, the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (China CDC) announced on Saturday via its official WeChat account that individuals entering or returning to China from epidemic-risk countries and regions such as the DRC and Uganda should undergo 21 days of self-health monitoring, commencing from the date of entry.

The outbreak has also heightened vigilance in Chinese companies in the DRC. Sun Yilong, a Chinese employee working for a Chinese company in Bunia said that due to the severity of the local epidemic, they have already taken preventive measures and are making every possible effort to ensure maximum protection.

Sun told the Global Times on Sunday that employees are required to wash their hands and wear masks before entering, and security personnel will check employees' temperature at the gate, barring entry to anyone with a reading above 37 C.

"We are also required to refrain from non-essential outings," Sun said, adding that employees are required to wear disposable gloves when handling cash or passing objects to minimize physical contact.

Some regions that have yet to report confirmed cases are also concerned about the risk of the outbreak spreading and have stepped up protective efforts. 

A Chinese medical worker surnamed Chen employed at a Chinese firm in Lomami Province told the Global Times that local efforts are currently focused on strengthening protection awareness, with posters on identifying Ebola symptoms and prevention measures being put up in areas where company employees gather.

The outbreak has spread to other African countries, with Ituri-neighboring Uganda logging confirmed infections. According to Xinhua's Sunday report, Uganda's health ministry announced three new Ebola cases on Saturday, bringing the total number of confirmed infections to five.

A Chinese national working in Uganda who requested anonymity told the Global Times that "my client reminded me to stay away from the markets, and I will do my best to take protective measures and sanitize as much as possible," he said.

The WHO's representative in DRC, Dr Anne Ancia, told reporters in Geneva that "We have significant uncertainty about the number of infections and how far the virus has spread," UN News reported on May 19.

The Economist warned this outbreak "is shaping up to be the worst Ebola epidemic since at least 2018, when more than 2,000 people died in eastern Congo."

According to the Africa CDC, Ebola is a severe and often fatal illness. It spreads through direct contact with the bodily fluids of infected persons, contaminated materials, or persons who have died from the disease.

Yang Zhanqiu, a professor of pathogen biology at Wuhan University, believes that whether the current outbreak will surpass previous ones in scale remains to be seen. Yang told the Global Times that if the outbreak is confined to one or two African countries, it would be relatively manageable. However, if multiple countries experience simultaneous outbreaks, the scale of the epidemic could make prevention more difficult due to challenges such as cross-border coordination and poor local healthcare infrastructure.

The WHO said it had deployed 22 international staff to the field and released $3.9 million from its contingency fund, while a continental incident management team was being established with the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, UN News reported on Friday.

When asked to share the details about Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's upcoming visit to China, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said on Thursday that today marks the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Pakistan. 

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's upcoming official visit is an important high-level exchange as we mark the 75th anniversary, Guo said.

During the visit, President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang will meet and hold talks with him respectively. They will have in-depth exchanges of views on China-Pakistan relations and issues of mutual interest to chart the course forward for bilateral ties in new circumstances, Guo said, adding that besides, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will attend a reception celebrating the 75th anniversary and visit Zhejiang Province.

China and Pakistan are good friends and all-weather strategic cooperative partners. Over the past 75 years, China-Pakistan relations have withstood various tests and stood rock solid, setting a shining example for state-to-state relations, Guo said.

In recent years, under the strategic guidance of leaders of the two countries, we have had frequent high-level exchanges, made solid progress in practical cooperation, and achieved fruitful outcomes in high-quality cooperation on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, Guo added.

The two sides maintain close communication and coordination on major international and regional issues, which helps us to safeguard common interests and advance peace, stability and development in the region, said the spokesperson. 

China hopes that both sides will take the upcoming visit as an opportunity to carry forward the traditional friendship, deepen cooperation across the board, and write a new chapter in building an even closer China-Pakistan community with a shared future in the new era, Guo said.

The visit had earlier been announced by Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar earlier in May. According to Pakistan's Dawn newspaper, Dar said Pakistan and China were taking "another significant step towards innovation, digital connectivity and the economy of the future as our partnership enters a new phase in the digital age."

Dar also emphasized that the friendship between the two countries was "not ordinary diplomacy," according to the Dawn. "It is a relationship tested by time and strengthened by trust […] from the Karakoram Highway, carved through some of the most difficult terrain in the world, to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, which transformed Pakistan's energy and connectivity landscape," he was quoted as saying.

The report noted that Sharif's upcoming visit follows Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari's five-day visit to China earlier in May. It also pointed out that Sharif last visited China in September 2025 to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit.

A Chinese analyst said the visit is expected to inject fresh momentum into bilateral cooperation at a milestone moment in China-Pakistan relations.

"China and Pakistan are all-weather strategic cooperative partners, and Chinese side attaches high importance to ties with Pakistan," Qian Feng, director of the research department at the National Strategy Institute at Tsinghua University, told the Global Times on Thursday.

"As the two countries celebrate the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations, Prime Minister Sharif's visit is expected to further deepen and solidify bilateral ties," Qian said.

Qian noted that Sharif's itinerary in Zhejiang Province also carries important economic significance. Zhejiang, one of China's most dynamic hubs for private-sector development, has seen extensive investment and business engagement in Pakistan, he said.

"The visit sends a signal that Pakistan welcomes more Chinese private enterprises to expand into the Pakistani market and jointly inject new momentum into bilateral economic cooperation," Qian said.

He added that Sharif's planned engagements beyond Beijing reflect Pakistan's intention to deepen people-to-people exchanges with more Chinese provinces and strengthen public support for broader bilateral cooperation.

"Such arrangements will help enhance mutual understanding between the two peoples and facilitate cooperation across various fields," Qian said.