China vows to preserve stability in South China Sea

The foreign minister of China says that the country will stay committed to the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea.

Wang Yi says that Beijing will work to preserve peace and stability in the region.

He was speaking at the ASEAN-China Ministerial Meeting, which was held via video link on Tuesday.

Wang Yi says that neither external interference nor the COVID-19 pandemic will stop China and its ASEAN partners in their determination to pursue negotiations intended to safeguard peace and stability in the South China Sea.

China tops Fortune Global 500 list again

A total of 143 Chinese companies have been listed on the Fortune Global 500 list for 2021, marking the second consecutive year that China has topped the rankings.

China's State Grid climbed to second place on the list that ranks the world's top 500 enterprises by business revenue, while technology giant Huawei moved up from 49th to 44th despite U.S. sanctions.

China's Xiaomi Group, JD.com, Alibaba Group, and Tencent Holdings are among the seven Internet-related companies on the list this year, while the other three are from the U.S., namely Amazon, Alphabet, and Facebook.

Zhangjiajie bars people from leaving to contain COVID-19

The municipal authorities in Zhangjiajie have barred people from leaving the city to curb the spread of COVID-19.

This comes after the recent emergence of infections in 15 Chinese provinces.

Portugal to relax COVID-19 curbs

Portugal is set to relax its COVID-19 restrictions as an increasing number of citizens are inoculated.

The country plans to have 85 percent of its population fully vaccinated by October.

Ebrahim Raisi inaugurated as Iranian president

Ebrahim Raisi was inaugurated as Iranian president on Tuesday.

The inauguration came after he received approval from Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in a ceremony broadcast live on state television.

In a speech during the ceremony, President Raisi said he will take steps to lift U.S. sanctions.

North Korea answers South Korea's calls via radio hotline

North Korea has answered South Korea's calls via a radio hotline for the first time since bilateral communication lines were restored last week.

The two countries reopened all cross-border communication lines last week, including military hotlines, which were severed over one year ago by Pyongyang.

Xie Siyi wins men's 3-meter springboard gold

Chinese diver Xie Siyi won the men's 3m springboard gold at the Tokyo Olympics on Tuesday, claiming his second gold at the Games.

After the six-round final, China witnessed a one-two finish, as Xie finished first with 558.75 points, followed by his teammate Wang Zongyuan with 534.90 points.

Xie was the first men's 3m springboard world champion to win Olympic gold in the event since 1988.

After pairing with Wang for the gold in the 3m springboard synchronized on July 28, Xie became the second male diver to win the individual and synchronized events at the same Olympic Games since China's Xiong Ni in 2000.

China has won this event in five of the past six Olympic Games, except the gold in 2012, which was won by Russia.

Raging Fire continues to lead Chinese box office

Action film Raging Fire continues to dominate the Chinese mainland box-office.

The action film stars Hong Kong's Donnie Yen.

It tells the story of police detectives as they hunt for a gang of drug traffickers.

The film ended its fourth day of screening with daily earnings of more than 46 million yuan, accounting for over half of the day's total.

In second place was romantic comedy Upcoming Summer. It generated more than 17 million yuan.

Coming in third was animated film White Snake 2: The Tribulation of the Green Snake.