Xi Jinping

The 86-year-old Tibetan Buddhist spiritual leader said he had no intentions to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping, but he would want to visit his Himalayan country to see old acquaintances.

The leader stated that he has known Communist Party officials since Mao Zedong and believes their beliefs are sound. He noted that they sometimes exercise strict, tight control and that he expected things to change in China under a new generation of leaders.

Chinese AI chatbot DeepSeek has made waves in Silicon Valley, stunning investors and industry insiders with its ability to match the skills of its Western competitors at a fraction of the cost.

In a further sign of easing, the National Health Commission said it was abolishing the requirement to identify and isolate "secondary close contacts". The new rules were announced following the first meeting of the newly elected seven-member Standing Committee of the ruling Communist Party of China, (CPC) headed by President Xi Jinping.

The NPC also endorsed Xi's close aide Han Zheng as vice president. This year's annual session of the NPC is regarded as significant as it heralds a once-in-a-ten-year change of leadership of the Chinese government, including the Premier who presides over the State Council, the central Cabinet.

Chinese President Xi Jinping called on Saturday for more effort and unity as the country enters a "new phase" in its approach to combating the pandemic. Three years after the coronavirus first emerged in the Chinese city of Wuhan, Beijing this month began ditching its hardline containment policy known as 'zero-Covid'.

The drills will end around noon on Sunday and will take place in various zones all over Taiwan, with some locations within 20 kilometres (12 miles) from the shore. The defence ministry of Taiwan stated that it was closely observing the drills.

Xi addressed the troops from the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) headquarters on the border defence situation in Khunjerab under the Xinjiang Military Command. During the call, he “inspected their combat readiness”, the report said.

Taiwan has announced its decision to offer support to China to deal with the deadly COVID outbreak. Taiwan and China have repeatedly sparred over their respective measures to control the spread of COVID.

The trip by Pelosi, who is second in line to the presidency and the highest-profile elected US official to visit Taiwan in 25 years, has ignited a diplomatic firestorm.Since President Tsai Ing-wen took office in 2016, Beijing has increased pressure on Taiwan because she sees the island as a de facto independent country.