China has established a childbearing and child-rearing supporting system, with a number of policies rolled out in localities across the country, including extending maternity leave to 158 days or longer, raising childbirth allowance and child-rearing subsidies, and providing more professional and affordable babysitter services at childcare institutions, Central China Television reported on Thursday, the 35th World Population Day, citing officials from China's National Health Commission (NHC).
A demographer suggested that these policy measures should be further strengthened and added to cope with the fundamental concerns of young people, such as employment stability while more equitable income distribution, should be taken into consideration to boost China's birth rates.
Themed under advocating a focus on family education and traditions and cultivation of marriage and child-rearing by the NHC, this year's population day aims to raise public awareness about further addressing China's declining birth rates in recent years and the demographic issues that may affect China's sustainable development.
According to the NHC, all provinces have extended maternity leave by 60 days or more, and have set 15 days of paternity leave for families with newborns. In addition, five to 20 days of parental leave are given each year for families with toddlers, with all the provinces having extended their maternity leaves to 158 days or above.
Compared with merely extending maternity leave, assuring women's employment after childbirth while offering flexible working hours may have a stronger positive effect, Li Jianmin, a professor of demography with the Institute of Population and Development at Nankai University, told the Global Times on Thursday.
In order to alleviate the financial burden of childbearing, child-rearing and education, China established in 2022 the individual income tax special additional deduction for infants nursing for three years, with the deduction standard being 1,000 yuan ($137.53) per month for each child. In 2023, the threshold for special additional income tax deductions for taking care of children under age three was raised from 1,000 yuan to 2,000 yuan each month.
Besides, subsidy policies for childbirth and child-rearing have been explored and rolled out in localities across the country. The subsidies offered in Southwest China's Yunnan Province and Northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region have covered the entire provincial regions.
Yunnan provides a one-time subsidy of 2,000 yuan and 5,000 yuan to families having a second and third child, respectively, along with an annual childcare subsidy of 800 yuan until the child turns three years old. Ningxia offers a one-time subsidy of 2,000 yuan and 4,000 yuan to families having a second and third child, respectively, and a monthly subsidy of no less than 200 yuan to families with a third child until the child reaches three years old.
According to Li, rather than introducing the individual income tax special additional deduction which has little impact on low-income families, the root cause of high costs of child-rearing expenses and the problems relating to income distribution must be addressed.
Moreover, a unified national policy on subsidies should be introduced since governments in localities at all levels are currently acting according to their own financial capabilities with most subsidies being temporary and not being able to be sustained in the long run, Li said.
According to the NHC, a lack of childcare services for infants and toddlers aged up to three years old is one of the major factors holding back childbirth. Last year, the NHC and China's National Development and Reform Commission selected 33 cities as the first batch of demonstration cities for national infant and toddler childcare service, and introduced relevant policies to support and encourage the development of affordable childcare services.
One of the 33 demonstration cities, Nanjing in East China's Jiangsu Province has adopted measures such as offering financial subsidies, providing venues, reducing rents and giving tax incentives to encourage social forces to participate in the establishment of an affordable childcare service system.
On top of that, Li noted that policies that ensure stable employment and certainty around income will have positive effect on their family planning decisions.
China continues to make efforts to improve comprehensive prevention and treatment capabilities for birth defects with the nationwide infant mortality rate and the mortality rate of children under 5 years old due to birth defects both decreasing by over 30 percent compared with five years ago.
Japan and NATO are reportedly finalizing plans to establish a line for sharing highly confidential security information during the ongoing NATO summit in Washington, DC. This latest move, along with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's remarks implying China's "support" for Russia, underscores Japan's "pivotal role" to cater to the US' strategy in building an "Asian NATO" and to serve Japan's goal of breaking free from post-war restrictions, observers said.
Japan's introduction of NATO into the Asia-Pacific has drawn criticism for escalating regional instability and introducing uncertainty, with some experts expressing concerns about a potential arms race.
Kishida is expected to meet with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg to reach an agreement on Thursday to strengthen security cooperation by establishing a system on sharing high-level information even at ordinary times, The Japan News reported on Wednesday.
From Tuesday to Thursday, leaders of NATO's 32 member countries are conducting a three-day summit in Washington, DC. And for the third year in a row, the leaders of New Zealand, Japan and South Korea will attend the NATO summit.
"Japan has played a pivotal role in driving NATO's engagement in the Asia-Pacific and integrating the region into NATO's strategic framework. It has facilitated NATO's entry into the Asia-Pacific through various means and assisted the US in establishing cooperative relationships with neighboring countries," Xiang Haoyu, a research fellow at the China Institute of International Studies, told the Global Times on Wednesday.
Japan's enhanced cooperation with NATO serves two primary objectives: to leverage NATO's capabilities in countering China, especially in maritime disputes like the East China Sea and South China Sea, and to circumvent its constitutional constraints by pursuing unprecedented military expansion. This aims to shed Japan's status as a defeated nation in WWII and elevate its influence as a significant political power, Xiang said.
Hyping threats from North Korea, Russia and China, along with emphasizing the Taiwan question and maritime disputes is tactics that Kishida has taken to "persuade" the Japanese to back his plan to revise the pacifist constitution, bolster the defense budget and elevate cooperation with NATO, Da Zhigang, director of the Institute of Northeast Asian Studies at the Heilongjiang Provincial Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times.
In July 2023, Japan and NATO signed the renewed Individually Tailored Partnership Program, with both sides agreeing to expand cooperation on security issues across all domains of warfare. Also in recent years, Japan has been negotiating and signing new reciprocal access agreements (RAA) on defense training and capacity building with NATO member states, according to media reports.
The US is currently pushing for the convergence of the transatlantic NATO alliance and the Asia-Pacific alliance to align with its "Indo-Pacific strategy," collectively applying pressure on China to curb its rise. However, with its global resources spread thin and domestic factors like elections influencing its leadership, the US is also utilizing Japan's proactive engagement with NATO to achieve its strategic objectives, Xiang said.
Despite NATO's efforts to use the pivot to the Asia-Pacific as a catalyst to demonstrate its global influence, establishing an Asian version of NATO, which includes Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand or other countries - faces significant challenges in practice, analysts said.
Xiang noted that the diverse interests and demands of NATO's 32 member countries lead to substantial divisions on how to approach China. While NATO requires external threats to maintain internal unity as a military alliance, member states do not universally agree on whether China poses such a threat. Moreover, many countries maintain strong economic and trade ties with China, constraining NATO's focus on the Asia-Pacific region.
But NATO's expansion to Asia is also alarming. At a press conference on Wednesday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said that China's position on NATO is consistent.
We firmly oppose NATO acting beyond its characterization as a regional defensive alliance, inserting itself into the Asia-Pacific to incite confrontation and rivalry, and disrupting the prosperity and stability in this region. We urge NATO to make real contribution to world peace, stability and security, Lin said.
Da said that with NATO's increased involvement in the Asia-Pacific region and its heightened containment efforts against China, particularly concerning issues like the South China Sea and Taiwan Straits, China may face a deteriorating external environment.
Japan's efforts to introduce external influences into the Asia-Pacific have been criticized for increasing regional instability and introducing uncertainty. Their collaboration with NATO often prioritizes military aspects, thereby heightening the risk of arms races, Da said.
Moreover, when countries in a region shift their focus away from multilateral cooperation, free trade and regional welfare and development, instead prioritizing military buildup and mutual deterrence, it ultimately harms the region itself, said the expert.
Online travel searches for Cuba have skyrocketed after Cuba announced a visa-free policy for Chinese citizens in early May.
Direct flights are set to resume from Friday. The surge in tourists' interest showcased an optimistic outlook for personnel exchanges and economic vitality between China and Cuba, analysts said.
As of Thursday, online travel searches for Cuba were up nearly 10 times month-on-month, according to data that Fliggy, a China-based travel platform, sent to the Global Times on Thursday.
Searches for flight tickets from China to Cuba skyrocketed more than 30 times on a monthly basis.
As the summer vacation - from early July to early September - for Chinese students approaches, Fliggy expects a surge of Chinese tourists going to Cuba, marking the first peak since the visa exemption for Chinese citizens was announced on May 4.
Tickets for direct flights from Beijing, China's capital city to Havana, Cuba's capital city, are on sale on some Chinese travel platforms. Such tickets cost about 7,800 yuan ($1,080) on travel platform Qunar.
The flights, which open on Friday, will operate twice a week. They were suspended during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The rise of Chinese tourists, with their increasing spending power, is expected to boost Cuba's economic development, Zhou Mi, a senior research fellow at the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation, told the Global Times on Thursday.
"Businesspeople will also utilize the direct air route for easier access to Cuba and even destinations in Latin American countries, which will further support economic and trade activities," Zhou said, adding that the resumption of the direct flight showcases the willingness for personnel exchanges between China and Cuba.
Cuba's economy has been under pressure for a long time, given the US economic sanctions and blockade on the movement of people, said Zhou.
The potential for increasing personnel exchanges and commercial cooperation between China and Cuba is huge, which will boost Cuba's economic development, Pan Deng, director of the Latin American and Caribbean Region Law Center of the China University of Political Science and Law, told the Global Times on Thursday.
"More frequent travel and business visits by Chinese citizens can also be expanded to other Latin American countries if they also develop favorable visa policies for Chinese travelers and business personnel," said Pan.
The final visiting session of the 27th St. Petersburg International Economic Forum was recently held in San Jose, capital of the Republic of Costa Rica. On the Russian side, the discussion was attended by Alexander Stuglev, CEO of the Roscongress Foundation, and Yuri Bedzhanyan, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to the Republic of Costa Rica.
“The first country in Central America with which Russia established official contact was Costa Rica. This happened in 1872. Over more than 150 years of relations between the countries, a strong bond has been built up. Today our diplomatic and trade relations are full-fledged and at a high level. We see great prospects for the development of cooperation in the spheres of tourism, culture, investment and business,” noted Yuri Bedzhanyan.
The Costa Rican delegation included representatives of companies from the agricultural industry, digital technologies and tourism. More than 10 senior executives and managers took part in the SPIEF visiting session. The discussion touched on bilateral business relations between the countries and demonstrated the business development opportunities for Costa Rican entrepreneurs that SPIEF offers.
Alexander Stuglev commented: “We see a mutual interest in cooperation, the creation of partnerships and the development of international cooperation between our countries. That is why we are here today to tell you about the opportunities that SPIEF offers to Costa Rican businesses. Today, the forum is a bridge for creating new ties between entrepreneurs, it helps participants to find new partners and create interesting projects aimed at strengthening mutually beneficial relationships.”
Representatives of the Roscongress Foundation told the guests of the event in detail about the thematic areas of the forum and their formats, and then moved on to smaller scale negotiations.
The 27th St. Petersburg International Economic Forum will take place on 5–8 June, 2024.
The Roscongress Foundation is a socially oriented non-financial development institution and major organizer of nationwide and international conventions; exhibitions; and business, public, youth, sporting, and cultural events. It was established in pursuance of a decision by the President of the Russian Federation.
Skyscrapers fill the screen. Under the intensive high-rise buildings, Mac Candee and his friend walk on the street. "Today, we have arrived in Shanghai, China." They say, angling the camera to show a view of their surroundings.
Then, there come clips of Western media reporting on China, with some negative tones that overseas audiences have probably been very familiar with. Only seconds later, Candee reappears on the screen: He stands at The Bund in downtown Shanghai, and behind him is the Huangpu River glistening under the clear blue sky.
"We're going to be showing you if what you're told in the media and what you know about China actually match up with what life is like here," Candee says to the camera.
This is a four-hour video about Candee's Shanghai trip that he made after he had stayed in the city for six days.
Candee, a 31-year-old US travel vlogger whose accounts "WorldNomac" have some 2.5 million followers on various social media platforms, is among a surging number of foreign tourists coming to China after the country relaxed its entry policies in recent months.
2024 has become a remarkable year for inbound tourism, since China expanded its 144-hour visa-free transit policy to more countries. In some major transit stops and also tourist destinations, like Beijing, Shanghai, and Chengdu, visitors from different countries and regions carrying travel bags and cameras flood landmarks and popular restaurants in these cities. They have become witnesses of China's prosperous tourism market, and have provided some vivid, individual windows for the world to take a closer look at this big Eastern country.
1st time in China
Months ago, in preparation for his trip to the Philippines, Candee happened to see a YouTube video showing the process of doing a 144-hour transit visa, and learned that visitors from certain countries no longer have to go to an embassy or consulate for a tourist visa to China.
The video inspired Candee to add "China" to his itinerary. "I was like, Oh, I'm actually going to the Philippines. This would be a great time to also at least visit Shanghai and see what China is like," he recalled.
Candee had always wanted to visit China. He told the Global Times that China has always been a very interesting country for him with how massive it is, and how big of a percentage of the world's population is from China. "I wanted to get a small taste of what the culture was like over there," he said.
In his Shanghai trip vlog, Candee showed how he explored many aspects of the metropolis with his friends. They went to Shanghai's iconic places like the Bund, the Oriental Pearl Tower, and Jing'an Temple, and tasted lots of food including sheng jian bao (pan-fried pork bun), hot pot, and a McDonald's restaurant with localized food. They experienced the city's public transport from metro trains to the maglev, and talked to many local residents.
As the first stop for many overseas tourists' trips to China, Shanghai is "a melting pot for multiple cultures" in Candee's eyes. "It's a very beautiful city from the standpoint of there's so much modern architecture, but then you'll see temples built into the city as well, so you get a mix of old times and new times and modern living," he told the Global Times. Candee added that he also encountered lots of similar European architectural styles with a Chinese twist.
A frequent global traveler, Candee said that in Shanghai he didn't encounter massive challenges brought about by cultural differences. Some interesting experiences nonetheless gave him a unique angle to know about Chinese people.
During his stay in Shanghai, Candee went to the "marriage market" in People's Park, a regular matchmaking venue where locals look for spouses for themselves as well as for their adult children.
"I thought that was fascinating, that parents of Chinese people will go and essentially advertise all of their children's qualifications without a photo in order to look for a husband or a wife for them," he recalled.
"This, for me, was a big culture shock to learn about how they do that, and it was really cool to go and experience that."
Candee concluded that he likes Shanghai, as "there's so much to do there."
His love for this city was somewhat reflected in the length of his Shanghai trip video: four hours, the longest ever travel vlog he had ever made.
The length of the vlog seems not to be attractive in today's fast-paced era of hand-held devices. However, the video has attracted more than 200,000 views on YouTube.
"If you are crazy enough to upload a four-hour long vlog, I am crazy enough to watch it all," one commented under the video.
Candee felt great about this vlog.
"A lot of people decided to watch the full length of four hours, which is a large time commitment," he told the Global Times.
"This means the country [China] was very interesting, and [in this vlog] there were a lot of perception=changing moments," he noted. Warming market
More foreigners like Candee coming to China indicates that, after four years since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, inbound tourism in China has finally entered the fast recovery channel.
The Global Times learned from domestic travel platform Ctrip that the number of inbound tourists to China in the first four months of 2014 (including air and rail travel) has increased by 244 percent compared to the same period in 2023. The top 10 most popular Chinese travel destinations for inbound tourists include Shenzhen, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Beijing. Inbound tourists mainly come from South Korea, the US, and Singapore, among others.
Inbound tourism has always been an important symbol of China's opening-up to the outside world, Jiang Yiyi, vice president and professor of School of Leisure Sports and Tourism, Beijing Sport University, told the Global Times.
Since 2022, China has taken many measures to further promote China's opening-up level, such as visa facilitation, international flights resumption, and more convenient payment for inbound tourists.
China's tourism industry is also undergoing a transformation. In the past, foreign tourists came to China mainly for sightseeing. Now, through the restructuring of the domestic industry system, China has provided more diversified products for foreign tourists. Foreign tourists can come for vacation, to participate in sports activities or events, such as marathons and skiing.
Tourists from Hong Kong and Macao can conveniently go to provinces around the Greater Bay Area such as Guangdong and Hunan for leisure vacations.
These policies and changes in product systems and industry structures come together and lay a very good foundation for foreign tourists to have more diversified choices, and it is the same with tourists from Hong Kong and Mocao, according to Jiang.
Data from flight tracker Umetrip shows that as of April 5, the number of inbound flights this year has exceeded 86,000, more than three times that of the same period in 2023, and has recovered to about 70 percent of the same period in 2019; the number of inbound tourists has reached 7.7 million, more than three times the increase compared to 2023, New Weekly reported.
As the inbound tourism market gradually heats up, Chinese travel agencies are getting busier receiving tourist inquiries, launching new inbound products, and developing travel routes during the traditional off-season. A shortage of English-speaking guides and lesser-known languages also occurred.
According to New Weekly, the daily salary of foreign language tour guides in various languages has generally increased. Taking the East China market for example, previously, one could hire an English-speaking tour guide for 500-600 yuan ($69-83) per day before the pandemic, but now it may cost 800-900 yuan; for guides of less common languages, taking Indonesian as an example, the fee can reach 1,000 yuan per day.
The COVID-9 pandemic had a significant impact on China's inbound and outbound tourism market, leading to disruptions in the industry chain and talent loss. However, the tourism industry is very resilient. With a good business model and development opportunities, talents will definitely come back, Jiang said. Differs from Western narrative
So far, foreign nationals from 54 countries are eligible for the 72/144-hour visa free transit policy to transit to a third country or region via ports and cities in the Chinese mainland. China has also expanded its unilateral or mutual visa-free travel policies to more countries.
Following the new policies is a dramatic increase in the number of overseas vloggers visiting China. According to data by statistics platform Meltwater, during the first quarter of 2024, there were about 2,420 YouTube and TikTok videos containing key words like "China," "trip," and "travel" in their titles, five times higher than the same period in 2023.
With more global visitors uploading online their China trip videos with key words like "China is so safe," and "Riding with world's fastest bullet train," overseas audiences find that through these videos, they see a real, fast-developing China that differs from the one under the mainstream narrative in the West.
"I have friends who came to visit China 20 years ago, and they thought China is still the same as 20 years ago because they trust the media 100 percent," a YouTube user commented under a video of vlogger Alina Mcleod's trip to Southwest China's Chongqing.
"I have been to China so many times," the user wrote. "If you have not been to the same cities for 10 years, you will see there are big changes."
Mcleod, the 33-year-old Canadian travel vlogger with some 300,000 subscribers on YouTube, said that her recent trip to China had definitely changed her perception of the country.
"In North America there is a lot of negative press around China," Mcleod told the Global Times via email. But now after exploring the country in person, she feels that China is quite modern and beautiful.
"I was very impressed with how much technology and infrastructure they have built in the last few decades, and what a wide range there is of things to see and do in the country," she said.
Inbound tourism is a very good window for overseas tourists to "enter" China, get to know China and understand China, because only through this kind of close contact can foreigners know what the real China is like. If they know China only from reports in foreign media, then their understanding of China may be one-sided or fragmentary. Only after truly coming to China and seeing China's development with their own eyes can they truly see China's current achievements in all aspects, Jiang noted. Candee talked about a major misconception that some Westerners may have on China.
"I think that around the world, a lot of people feel that if you visit China, you'll be under extreme surveillance and you'll be, you know, getting in trouble for filming," he said. "But my experience in Shanghai was that it was a lot less strict than I had imagined," he told the Global Times. "I filmed a lot. People were really friendly. I think overall everyone was welcoming and happy to welcome foreigners."
With beautiful memories of his previous trip to Shanghai, Candee said he wants to visit China again in the near future, and would love to have a local who shares more places with him.
"Hopefully that'll be within the next 12 months," he said.
At the end of Candee's four-hour Shanghai trip vlog, he walks along the Huangpu River under the clear blue sky, and smiles to the camera.
"In every country I've been to, especially ones that have intense perceptions about them, I've always found a completely different atmosphere than what the mainstream will share." he says. "For those of you who have made this so far into the video, you probably are seeing a different look at what China is like."
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with Minister of Foreign Affairs of Malaysia Dato' Seri Utama Haji Mohamad bin Haji Hasan on Thursday. Wang said China is willing to strengthen communication and coordination with Malaysia, stand up for justice on the international stage, oppose unilateralism and bullying, and defend the common interests of the Global South.
Wang, who is also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, noted that this year marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Malaysia, making it an important year for carrying forward the past and ushering in the future.
The two countries are friendly neighbors, and their traditional friendship remains unbreakable. Over the past half century of diplomatic relations, no matter how the international situation has changed, China and Malaysia have always maintained mutual trust and assistance, and have always been good and true friends. China will firmly support Malaysia in pursuing a development path that suits its own national conditions, and support Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim in promoting the concept of "Prosperous Malaysia." China will also enhance high-level exchanges with Malaysia, work together to seek development, deepen mutually beneficial cooperation, and bring benefits to the people of both countries, said Wang.
Wang said China is currently accelerating its high-quality development, and Malaysia is also developing its emerging industries. There is great potential for cooperation between China and Malaysia. China has been Malaysia's largest trading partner for 15 consecutive years, and the cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has yielded fruitful results.
Both countries need to accelerate cooperation in infrastructure, the digital economy, green development, and new energy vehicles, said Wang. They also need to promote the high-quality development of the "Two Countries, Two Parks" Joint Cooperation, carry out poverty reduction projects and party-to-party exchanges, and continuously advance bilateral relations.
Malaysia is an important member of ASEAN, a representative of emerging economies, and a stable force in the Muslim world. The two countries have always supported each other in upholding core interests and national dignity, Wang added.
Wang said China insists on making the development of China-Malaysia relations a priority in its peripheral diplomacy, and is willing to work with Malaysia to implement the consensus of the leaders of the two countries. The two countries should also deepen high-quality cooperation in the BRI, take the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations as an opportunity, and take the construction of a community of shared destiny between China and Malaysia as a guide.
For his part, the Malaysian foreign minister said that Malaysia-China friendship cannot be interfered with or undermined by any external forces as it spans thousands of years.
Malaysia firmly adheres to the one-China policy and opposes external forces stirring up trouble in the South China Sea.
Over the past 50 years of diplomatic relations, China has always been a reliable friend and partner. Malaysia is willing to learn from China's experience in development and poverty reduction, and deepen cooperation in the fields of energy transformation, the digital economy, agriculture, tourism and other areas, so as to create a better future for the relationship between the two countries.
The two sides also exchanged views on international and regional issues of common concern. Hasan said Malaysia highly appreciates China's impartial stance on the Palestine-Israel conflict and firmly advocates a proper solution to the Palestinian issue with a "two-state solution."
In response, Wang expressed China’s hope for an early, comprehensive, just and lasting solution to the Palestinian issue.
Two giant pandas, Jinxi and Zhuyu, will depart for the Madrid Zoo in Spain next Monday for a 10-year residency, according to the China Wildlife Conservation Association on Wednesday.
The panda couple is from the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding in southwest China's Sichuan Province. The male panda Jinxi was born on September 1, 2020, and the female panda Zhuyu was born on October 25, 2020.
This action is based on the agreement on international conservation cooperation and research of giant pandas reached between two sides to further the friendship of two countries built upon pandas. According to the reports, three Spain-born giant pandas, together with their parents, returned to China on February after living in Spain for more than a decade.
The Chinese and Spanish sides are actively moving forward with all preparations before transportation, making every effort to ensure that the two giant pandas safely arrive at Madrid Zoo, and adapt to the new environment.
According to the Xinhua News, the base has customized a special air transport cage to ensure that pandas can move freely, feed and rest inside the cage, and that the temperature inside the cabin is maintained at a suitable level. It will also prepare a sufficient amount of fresh and high-quality local bamboo and bamboo shoots in Sichuan, and arrange breeders and veterinarians to travel with the plane to take care of the health and diet of two pandas.
The FBI made its groundless claim about "Chinese hackers" again on Thursday only days after China released a report on the Volt Typhoon falsehood. Experts urged the US to refrain from arbitrarily fabricating evidence to frame China, and also stressed the importance of China continuing to debunk the baseless accusations made by the US.
According to Reuters, FBI Director Christopher Wray said on Thursday that Chinese government-linked "hackers" have burrowed into US critical infrastructure, and are waiting "for just the right moment to deal a devastating blow."
Wray also said that Volt Typhoon has successfully gained access to numerous US' companies in telecommunications, energy, water and other critical sectors, with 23 pipeline operators targeted.
The groundless smear made by the US and its allies of China conducting cyberattacks is not new. In May 2023, the Five Eyes issued a joint cybersecurity advisory, claiming that they had discovered a cluster of activity of interest associated with a "China state-sponsored cyber actor," known as Volt Typhoon, and these activities "affected networks across US critical infrastructure sectors." Microsoft on the same day claimed that the Volt Typhoon is a state-sponsored actor based in China that typically focuses on espionage and information gathering.
The smears were strongly refuted by China as the National Computer Virus Emergency Response Center on Monday released a report disclosing that Volt Typhoon is actually a ransomware cybercriminal group that calls itself the "Dark Power" and is not sponsored by any state or region.
The report also claimed that by labelling Volt Typhoon as a China-sponsored actor, the US was aiming to "kill two birds with one stone" - hyping the "China threat" rhetoric and cheating funding from the US Congress and taxpayers.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian told a regular press conference on Monday that there are signs that in order to receive more congressional budgets and government contracts, the US intelligence community and cybersecurity companies have been secretly collaborating to piece together false evidence and spread disinformation about so-called Chinese government's support for cyberattacks against the US.
"It's no secret that the US is the world's largest source of cyberattacks and the biggest threat to cybersecurity," the spokesperson said. Some in the US have been using the origin-tracing of cyberattacks as a tool to hit and frame China, claiming the US to be the victim while it's the other way round, and politicizing cybersecurity issues. "What they have done seriously harms China's lawful rights and interests, and China urges the US to immediately stop its cyberattacks against China and stop smearing China," Lin noted.
However, it's notable that after China released the report on the Volt Typhoon falsehood, the US side has remained silent. Analysts noted that the US should understand that China's cybersecurity defense technology is becoming increasingly capable of detecting falsehood and countering attacks, and the US should refrain from arbitrarily fabricating evidence to frame China.
Chinese experts also noted that the US' repeated smearing of China serves a clear purpose, which is to cultivate a negative perception toward China in both domestic and international discussions in order to better lay the groundwork for its strategic competition and confrontation with China.
"The US is exaggerating the 'threat of Chinese hackers' in order to rally support from the public, its allies, and even international forces or countries that are unaware of the truth, for the purpose of its strategic competition with China," Li Haidong, a professor at the China Foreign Affairs University, told the Global Times on Friday.
By noting that the pathological mentality of the US is aimed at undermining both the internal and external development environment of China, Li emphasized the importance of China continuing to debunk the baseless accusations made by the US, not only to its own people, but also to the public in the US and around the world. "By doing so, the true malicious intentions of the US will be exposed for all to see," Li said.
