Xi sends condolences to Indonesian president over sunken navy submarine

Chinese President Xi Jinping has sent a message of condolences to his Indonesian counterpart Joko Widodo over the sinking of an Indonesian navy submarine.

The Chinese president expressed condolences over the victims and extended sympathies to the bereaved families.

The vessel went missing off Bali last Wednesday.

The Indonesian military confirmed on Saturday that it had sunk and cracked open, killing all 53 crew members aboard.

Xi sends condolences to Iraqi president over hospital fire accident

Chinese President Xi Jinping has sent a message of condolences to Iraqi President Barham Salih over the recent fire accident at a hospital in southeastern Baghdad.

At least 82 people were killed and 110 injured in the fire on Saturday at the hospital that had been equipped to house COVID-19 patients.

Xi inspects southern Chinese city of Nanning

The Chinese president has inspected the city of Nanning in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

Xi Jinping has visited a cultural exhibition of Zhuang ethnic group in the Anthropology Museum of Guangxi and watched cultural performances.

He learned about the promotion of ethnic solidarity and progress and the protection and inheritance of ethnic culture.

China, Germany to hold 6th round of intergovernmental talks

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and German Chancellor Angela Merkel will co-chair the sixth round of intergovernmental consultations via video link on Wednesday. 

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin says the meeting will be dominated by climate change, the COVID-19 pandemic, and economic cooperation.

Wang Yi urges against unilateralism in COVID-19 conference

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi is calling for joint efforts against unilateralism, protectionism, and bullying.

He has discussed the fight against COVID-19 at a virtual meeting with his counterparts from Afghanistan, Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh.

Wang Yi urged countries to jointly create and safeguard a peaceful and stable development environment, suggesting that developing countries and small and medium-sized nations will bear the brunt if unilateral powers continue out of control.

China rebukes Japan over diplomatic blue book

China has lodged solemn representations to Japan over the latter's newly released diplomatic blue book which hyped the so-called China threat.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin says the blue book has maliciously attacked and slandered China and interfered in China's internal affairs.

He says bilateral ties currently face grave tests, calling on Japan to correct its mistakes and turn its stated intention to build stable relations with China into concrete actions.

WHO to release Chinese COVID-19 vaccine assessment results within 2 weeks

The World Health Organization says it plans to release their assessment results of Chinese COVID-19 vaccines made by Sinopharm and Sinovac in two weeks.

The two jabs are under an assessment for the Emergency Use Listing Procedure which is the WHO's internal procedure to assess unlicensed vaccines.

This is necessary for vaccines to be used under the COVAX Facility, a WHO-led initiative aimed at providing more equitable access to vaccines for low and middle-income countries.

Serbian president receives second shot of Chinese COVID-19 vaccine

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has received the second shot of China's Sinopharm vaccine, three weeks after he got the first dose.

China has provided vaccines to the Balkan country to help fight the COVID-19 pandemic. The latest shipment arrived in Belgrade on Monday.

Uruguayan president, Brazilian VP get second dose of Sinovac's vaccine

Uruguayan President Luis Lacalle Pou and Brazilian Vice President Hamilton Mourao have received their second dose of COVID-19 vaccine from China's Sinovac.

Lacalle received the first dose at the end of March, the worst month of the epidemic in Uruguay.

Mourao tested positive for COVID-19 last December. He got the first shot last month. The vice president encouraged everyone to get vaccinated when the time comes.

China's industrial profits maintain rapid growth in Q1 as production, sales improve

Official data shows profits of China's major industrial firms maintained fast expansion in the first quarter of this year.

During the January to March period, industrial firms with an annual business turnover of at least 20 million yuan, or about 3 million U.S. dollars, raked in 1.83 trillion yuan in combined profits, surging 137 percent year on year.

The rapid growth in production and sales is believed to be a major driving force pushing up the profits of the country's industrial firms.

China launches English, Japanese versions of digital museum of Diaoyu Islands

China has launched the English and Japanese versions of the digital museum of the Diaoyu Islands.

The digital museum was officially launched in October last year at the website www.diaoyudao.org.cn.

It displays the legal and historical proofs that the Diaoyu Island and its affiliated islands belong to China.