Chinese airlines continue to show strong interest in expanding their global market presence, with some carriers doubling their overseas traffic volumes, and market watchers said that the airlines will maintain a fast recovery pace for flying international routes. 

Data released by the information provider VariFlight on Sunday showed that the actual number of passenger flights on overseas routes carried by Chinese airlines was 130,000 in the just concluded two-months' summer travel rush ended on Saturday, an increase of 59 percent year-on-year in 2023, recovering to more than 70 percent of the corresponding period in 2019. 

The data could be lifted further given the concrete measures taken by the airlines, and rising overseas travel demand, Gong Yiting, head of branding department of VariFlight told the Global Times. 

The remarks came after Chinese airlines reported narrowed losses in the released fiscal reports of the first half of this year brought by the rising demand, highlighting a stable recovery of the aviation industry. 

In detail, the revenues of the three major airlines - Air China, China Eastern Airlines and China Southern Airlines - reached 228.509 billion yuan ($32.22 billion) in the first half of this year, led by China Southern, which loss was narrowed by more than half. 

Air China and China Eastern Airlines reported revenues of 79.52 billion yuan and 64.199 billion yuan, respectively, with year-on-year increases of over 30 percent and nearly 30 percent. Each airline's net losses narrowed by nearly 20 percent and over 50 percent year-on-year than the same period of last year, per fiscal reports. 

In addition, the total revenue of four private carriers of Hainan Airlines, Spring Airlines, Juneyao Airlines and China Express in the first half of the year exceeded 50 billion yuan, and net profit totaled 1.24 billion yuan.

Meanwhile, the international air passenger transport market saw continued rapid recovery in the first half of the year. 

Data from the Civil Aviation Administration of China showed that the recovery level for five consecutive months since February this year has exceeded 80 percent of the same period in 2019.

Airlines have also continued to make efforts to grow international routes, such as China Southern said on Friday that its overseas flights have recovered to about 80 percent of the same period in 2019, and it will strive to fully resume routes from Guangzhou to Australia, New Zealand, and Southeast Asia.

Spring Airlines reported that the recovery rate for its Japanese routes is nearly 100 percent. The airline currently flies to eight destinations in Japan, surpassing the peak levels of 2019.

Airlines are also actively planning their expansion plans for the whole year. Hainan Airlines said it will strive to restore the weekly flight volume of international routes to 100 percent of the average weekly flight volume of international routes in 2019.

Juneyao Airlines said it achieved a growth rate of more than 20 percent compared with the same period in 2019 in terms of the overseas traffic, and it will continue to expand its operations in the Southeast Asian and European markets.

China and India held their 31st meeting of the working mechanism for consultations and coordination on border affairs, the second within a month and with the shortest interval in the series of meetings, except for 2020 when six rounds of talks were held after the Galwan skirmish. Analysts said the recent frequent interactions between China and India signal that both sides are actively seeking to accelerate a resolution to the border standoff and to get bilateral relations back on track.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry announced on Thursday that Director-General of the Department of Boundary and Ocean Affairs of the Foreign Ministry Hong Liang and Joint Secretary of the East Asia Division of Ministry of External Affairs of India Gourangalal Das co-chaired the 31st Meeting of Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination (WMCC) on China-India Border Affairs in Beijing on Thursday.

The release noted that the meeting was held in a "positive, friendly and frank atmosphere" and the two sides agreed to work together to turn over a new leaf in the border situation at an early date.

Qian Feng, director of the research department at the National Strategy Institute at Tsinghua University, said that recently, communication and negotiations between China and India on border issues have shown positive progress.

The Thursday meeting was the second within a month. The foreign ministers from China and India had also met twice in July, which indicates that both sides are actively seeking to accelerate a resolution to border standoff issues, Qian said.

China and India held six rounds of WMCC meetings on border affairs in 2020 following the Galwan Valley border skirmish on June 15, 2020. Except for that year, since the first WMCC meeting on border affairs started in 2012, the two sides have held WMCC meetings on border affairs one to three times a year, analysts said.

Qian said the recent interactions between China and India are positive signals as China-India relations are emerging from a low point and stabilizing. Both countries are looking for a common solution to put bilateral relations back onto a healthy development track.

This Thursday meeting is not intended to solve the border problem once and for all but provides a new perspective on resolving the standoff in the western sector that has lasted over four years. Overall, despite current uncertainties, the positive attitude and efforts of both sides have been commendable, Qian said.

French President Emmanuel Macron officially opened the Paris Olympic Games on Friday.

The 2024 Olympics marks the third time that Paris has hosted the Summer Games. The first was in 1900 and the last was a century ago in 1924.

China's Zou Jingyuan wins men's gymnastics parallel bars title at Paris Olympics

China's Fan Zhendong defeated Swedish athlete Truls Moregardh to secure the gold medal for China in the men's team table tennis final on Friday. Following the final, Fan took to social media to share a heartfelt message of gratitude and wishes, quoting lyrics from American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift.

The lyrics came from Swift's albums Folklore and Speak Now, "From Paris to Paris, 11 years of international competition, just like 11 points in a match, with a beginning and an end," with which Fan poetically summarized his career journey and expressed his hopes for the future.

"Music is universal," Fan wrote on social media. "Great musicians like Taylor Swift bring us healing power and confidence. I hope everyone can feel the charm she offers."

Fan mimicked the iconic "crossed arms" goal celebration pose associated with French football star Kylian Mbappé, following his victory over Tomokazu Harimoto on Friday. 

During his journey at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, Fan also performed Jude Bellingham's classic arms-open, eyes-closed celebration; in the semifinals against Felix Lebrun, he emulated Cristiano Ronaldo's hand-down gesture.

"They inspire me to give my all on the court, never give up, always strive to win, and dare to achieve victory," Fan explained.

Fan's connection with renowned football club Real Madrid has also attracted attention. He has frequently shared photos of himself in Real Madrid jerseys on social media and has watched matches at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium to support the team.

Fan posted a photo of himself in a Real Madrid jersey on social media after winning, including a caption with the club's slogan: "Because no one can resist your desire to win."

Real Madrid also extended their congratulations through their official Weibo account, praising Fan for winning the men's singles table tennis gold medal and his spirit of perseverance.

 "Congratulations to Fan Zhendong for winning the men's singles table tennis title at the Paris 2024 Olympics and achieving a Grand Slam. We are proud of his fighting spirit," Real Madrid posted.

Sport transcends nationalities, cultures, and languages. This blend of personal interests and professional achievements makes Fan's success story even more remarkable.

"On the court, I am a dedicated athlete representing my country, having fought for national honor for over a decade. Off the court, I am just an ordinary young man with personal interests and connections, striving to be true to myself," Fan noted.

The reported meeting of China-US Financial Working Group, which was widely expected to focus on topics such as macroeconomic and financial stability, governance of the IMF and capital markets issues, signaled that despite the trade tensions, both sides are still seeking to stabilize relations between the world's two largest economies.

The reported meeting demonstrated China and the US' willingness and practical need to deepen cooperation in the financial sector, which is expected to enhance understanding and trust in bilateral relations. Also, given the relatively weak global economic growth, weaker-than-expected August jobs report in the US and fears of a hard landing for the US economy which unsettled the global market, the reported meeting is seen as a positive step toward promoting global financial stability, experts said.

However, the reported meeting took place as the US continues to escalate its crackdown on various Chinese industries, including electric vehicles (EVs) and semiconductors, which could hinder economic and trade cooperation. Experts urged the US to take concrete actions to ensure smooth communication and cooperation in the economic and trade fields.

Neither China nor the US has publicly released information on the meeting of the bilateral Financial Working Group as of press time, which would be the fifth meeting of the mechanism established in 2023 as part of efforts by the two countries to strengthen communication on economic and financial issues.

The fact that both countries are implementing the communication and exchange mechanisms is a positive signal. It shows that the two countries can still resolve some of their differences through cooperation and communication, expanding their common interests and minimizing disagreements, Gao Lingyun, an expert at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Friday.

"Cooperation in the financial sector is important as it can help stabilize the global economy, moving it from recovery to better growth, with immediate effects," Gao said.

The reported agenda of the meeting demonstrated that both China and the US are willing to enhance communication and coordination in the financial sector. In-depth discussions on macroeconomic and financial issues will help deepen mutual understanding and trust between the two sides, Wang Peng, an associate research fellow at the Beijing Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Friday.

As the world's two largest economies, dialogue and cooperation between China and the US are also of great significance in bilateral trade and in maintaining the global economic order, Wang said. 

Mitigating economic risks

Experts noted that the need for policy coordination between China and the US is particularly highlighted. The US' weaker-than-expected unemployment rate also sounds warning of an economic recession, further underscoring the urgency of Washington to cooperate with Beijing in terms of economic and financial policies.

In this context, cooperation between China and the US in financial stability is crucial for mitigating the risks of instability from the US and the spillover impact on global market, they said.

The US unemployment rate jumped to near a three-year high of 4.3 percent in July amid a significant slowdown in hiring, heightening fears the labor market was deteriorating and potentially making the economy vulnerable to a recession, Reuters reported.

In contrast, the Chinese economy has demonstrated resilience with stronger growth momentum in July, navigating through downside risks as more pro-growth policies have kicked in. The output of industrial enterprises above the designated size went up by 5.1 percent year-on-year, while retail sales rose by 2.7 percent, official data showed Thursday. 

A broad range of key indicators maintained steady expansion, with production and demand on the rise, overall employment remaining stable, and new growth drivers building up, according to the National Bureau of Statistics.

Enhancing cooperation in financial stability helps maintain the stability and development of bilateral economic and trade relations, creating a more favorable business environment for both countries' enterprises, Wang said.

In the context of the rising likelihood of an interest rate cut by the Fed, coordination between the two most important global economies in monetary policy becomes even more critical in order to avoid an excessive impact and fluctuation in the global financial markets, Wang added.

US urged to stop politicizing economic issues

While talks and potential policy coordination between the two countries are in the interests of both sides as well as the global economy, the US has been escalating its crackdown against China, which has seriously deteriorated China-US trade ties, experts said.

In May this year, the Biden administration announced that it was imposing additional tariffs on a range of Chinese imports, including EVs. In June, the US Treasury Department issued draft rules to restrict certain US investments in semiconductor, AI and other high technology sectors in China.

Experts believed that the US should work with China to seek potential areas of cooperation while handling differences properly to ensure a solid foundation for mutually beneficial economic and trade relations. 

The US should stop its unfair trade practices, remove the additional tariffs, and create a level playing field for economic cooperation with China, Wang said.

Since both sides have established dialogue mechanisms, the US should improve communication with China, avoid politicizing economic and trade issues, and work toward win-win cooperation. Only in this way can both countries achieve sound economic growth, build trust, and pave the way for smooth communication and collaboration in trade, Wang added.

People in Kiribati went to the polls on Wednesday for the first round of voting in a national election with climate change, living costs and China ties in focus as president Taneti Maamau seeks to extend his tenure in the Pacific island nation. 

While foreign media outlets are hyping that the national election serves as a "referendum on the government's stronger ties with China," Chinese analysts emphasized that as cooperation between China and Kiribati has stood the test of history and meets the needs of the local community, regardless of who leads the next government in the Pacific atoll nation, the cooperation is expected to continue and achieve greater results. 

According to the Xinhua News Agency on Wednesday, 114 candidates are competing in the first round of voting for 44 parliamentary seats, with a second round on August 19. 

The Kiribati president, who is both head of state and head of government, is to be elected in a presidential election by universal adult suffrage. Taneti Maamau, the incumbent president, is again running for a parliamentary seat, Xinhua noted.

The election has come under spotlight for the current administration's close ties with China.

According to the Guardian, Kiribati, a nation of 115,000 residents, is considered strategic despite being small, because it is relatively close to Hawaii and controls more than 3.5 million square kilometers of Pacific Ocean.

China and Kiribati formally resumed diplomatic relations in 2019 after the Pacific island state announced its decision to cut "ties" with Taiwan region.

Since the resumption of diplomatic relations between China and Kiribati, the two countries have made rapid and steady progress in various areas of cooperation. 

China has always adhered to the principle of mutual respect, never politicizing or imposing its national interests or strategic goals on Pacific island countries, which has earned widespread welcome from the local government and people, said Chen Hong, executive director of the Asia Pacific Studies Center at East China Normal University.

Kiribati is facing the impact of climate change, particularly rising sea levels, which poses a survival crisis for the community. 

China has successful experience in disaster climate response and disaster risk reduction, and cooperation with the local community can help them address the serious threats posed by climate change, analysts commented.

However, the cooperation has faced attacks from the US and some of its Western allies, Chen told the Global Times on Wednesday.

VOA and several other foreign media outlets reported Tuesday that Beijing sent a police team to Kiribati to train its understaffed police, trying to portray the policing presence from China as a national security issue.

In recent years, the Chinese government has increasingly become the preferred partner of Pacific Island countries for public security.

In February, although Kiribati's acting police commissioner clarified that the Chinese police only provides services that the Kiribati police "needs or requests," a US State Department spokesperson expressed concerns about the "potential implications" that security agreements and security with China may have on a nation's sovereignty.

China's cooperation with Pacific island nations is in response to their requests to enhance their policing capacity for the sake of social stability and public well-being based on mutual respect and equality. However, since the US has always attached great importance to its military presence in the Pacific as a strategic priority, it follows a brigandish logic to smear and defame China's cooperation with Kiribati," Chen criticized.

Following its so-called Indo-Pacific Strategy to suppress China, the US eyes massive ramp-up in diplomatic personnel and the establishment of embassies in Pacific island nations

The potential US embassy build-up merely tries to signify the US presence and intention to exert political influence and interference in the Pacific nations, Chen pointed out, noting that aid promises from the US and its Western allies are often lip service.

Hideo Shimizu, a former member of Unit 731, the notorious Japanese germ-warfare detachment during World War II, identified the crimes of the Japanese army on Tuesday at the site where he served 79 years ago in China.

Shimizu arrived by plane in Harbin, Northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, on Monday evening and visited the former site of Unit 731's headquarters building, including the office of the unit commander, the specimen room, and the site of the frostbite laboratory, on Tuesday morning, according to the Xinhua News Agency.

Shimizu, 94, was among the last batch of Unit 731 Youth Corps members sent by Japan to Harbin, China, where he spent more than four months witnessing the war crimes committed by the unit, including the cultivation of pathogens, human dissections and human experiments, according to Xinhua. He fled China with retreating Japanese forces on August 14, 1945.

"The war ended 79 years ago, and most members of Unit 731 have passed away. Shimizu is the sole  surviving member who is willing to expose the Unit's crimes publicly, and he is likely to be the last Unit 731 member to return to Harbin," said Jin Chengmin, curator of the exhibition hall, as reported by Xinhua.

Shimizu also said this is his first time out of the country after the war and his first time returning to China. "Instead of worrying about what the Chinese will do to me upon my arrival in China, I'm afraid that those Japanese politicians would prefer to see me dead," he noted, as reported by media.

In 2016, Shimizu revealed his identity as a former Unit 731 member and began to expose the atrocities of the Japanese Imperial Army through public speeches and interviews, aiming to tell historical truths.

After he learnt the true nature of the germ warfare and human experimentation carried out by Unit 731, he deeply regretted having been a part of it, according to an article Shimizu published on People's Daily on Monday.

Upon returning to Japan, members were asked to conceal their experiences serving in Unit 731 and were not allowed to hold government positions or to contact the unit. Therefore, for a long time, Shimizu did not disclose his experience of serving in Unit 731 to anyone, according to the article.

According to the article, as the former Unit 731 Youth Corps member, his superior officer told him that if he wanted to become a "surgeon," he had to dissect at least three corpses. 

"I clearly remember that there were many specimens of infants and children in the specimen room. Over the years, whenever I see my grandchildren, I think of the infant specimens that I saw in the specimen room back then," Shimizu wrote.

 On the eve of Japan's surrender in August 1945, Unit 731 blew up prisons and other facilities, massacred prisoners, and burned their bodies before fleeing China to cover up the evidence of their crimes. Shimizu took part in carrying the bombs and picking up the burnt bones, according to his article.

Shimizu decided to put on public display the only photo he had kept of Unit 731 and the testimony about it. However, the Iida City Board of Education in June 2022 suddenly informed that panels related to Unit 731 could not be displayed in the museum.

According to the article, it also demanded that the term "Nanjing Massacre" be replaced with "Nanjing Incident," which caused strong public resentment. Under extended pressure, the Iida City Board of Education in February 2023 organized a meeting to discuss the Unit 731 panels. However, the conclusion was that "the content on the exhibition panels is too cruel and goes beyond the scope of Japanese school textbooks."

To this day, his testimony has not been used in the museum. The tendency of the Japanese government to deny the fact that Unit 731 carried out biological warfare and to evade its responsibility for the harm caused by the war has become even more obvious, according to the article. The current Japanese government has not only failed to seriously reflect on its past war crimes but has also failed to assume its historical responsibility as a perpetrator of war, read the article.

During World War II, in blatant violation of international law, the Japanese army launched horrendous bacterial warfare against the Chinese people and conducted gruesome human experimentation, which were heinous crimes against humanity. There are solid proofs for the bacterial warfare launched by Japanese militarists and there's no room for denial, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian told Tuesday's press briefing.

We commend the courage of Shimizu who reveal the historical truth and face it squarely. Japan needs to heed the call for justice from both home and abroad, face up to and reflect on its history of militarist aggression, respect the feelings of the people from the Asian victim countries in Asia, including China, draw lessons from history, get rid of the specter of militarism that still haunts it, and never let history repeat itself, said Lin.

Shimizu's actions serve as important evidence of the crimes committed by Japanese military, Lü Yaodong, deputy director of the Institute of Japanese Studies from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Tuesday. It is crucial for Japan to face up to the historical truth through the behavior of the veteran.

As right-wing thoughts rise in Japanese society, the Japanese government strengthens its military capabilities, and there is a divergence in understanding historical issues, with some statements attempting to glorify war, Da Zhigang, director of the Institute of Northeast Asian Studies at the Heilongjiang Provincial Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times.

Given the historical grudges between China and Japan, coupled with Japan's distortion and dilution of its historical responsibilities, the act of the Japanese veteran coming to China to confess their crimes and offer apologies serves as a significant response.

Unit 731 was a top-secret biological and chemical warfare research base established in Harbin as the nerve center for Japanese biological warfare in China and Southeast Asia during World War II.

At least 3,000 victims were used in human experiments by Unit 731, while more than 300,000 people in China were killed by Japan's biological weapons, Xinhua reported.

The German defense minister's interactions with the Philippine president and the Philippine defense chief, along with their discussions over a security agreement, aim to highlight Germany's "influence" in the Asia-Pacific region, and such move also aligns with the US "Indo-Pacific Strategy," underscoring Germany's opportunism, analysts said. While the Philippines has intensified efforts to involve more external countries in the South China Sea issue to counter China, neither the US, Germany, nor any other country would genuinely protect the Philippines, they noted. 

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Monday met with German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius and reinforced the Philippines' ties with Germany. Pistorius has also met with his Philippine counterpart Gilberto Teodoro. The two sides committed to signing a defense cooperation arrangement this year.

The main reason for Germany to strengthen military cooperation with the Philippines is to demonstrate its stance to the US. A key area for the military cooperation between Germany and the Philippines is military equipment and Germany may sell aircraft, missiles, command and control systems, and other military equipment to the Philippines in the future, Zhang Junshe, a Chinese military expert, told the Global Times. 

However, many US allies, including Germany, are currently mired in the Russia-Ukraine conflict. "The extent to which they can provide substantial assistance to the Philippines is questionable," said Zhang. 

Germany's efforts to increase its presence in the Asia-Pacific are partly aimed at aligning with the US "Indo-Pacific Strategy." Moreover, Germany hopes to highlight its influence and role in the region, reflecting its opportunistic approach, Zhang said. 

While the Philippines is welcoming cooperation with the US and its allies with the purpose to provoke China on the South China Sea, it should know that neither Germany, the UK, France, Japan, nor the US will truly protect it, Zhang said.

A mountaineer who went missing for nine days and eight nights on Cangshan Mountain in Dali, Southwest China's Yunnan Province, was successfully rescued on July 28, setting a record for the longest search for a missing person on Cangshan Mountain, according to a local government official, as reported by local media on Tuesday.

A participant in the rescue said the local mountaineer was lost on the way down the mountain, and firefighters in Dali in addition to local civilian rescue teams of hundreds of people searched nine days and eventually finding the individual on a cliff, only 200 meters from the rescue team's set point of origin.

According to the rescuer, the person couldn't talk or move when found, but he is now recovering well and is able to walk again.

The mountaineer, a 45-year-old teacher, turned back halfway up the mountain due to physical exhaustion but got lost on the way down because he was unfamiliar with the road conditions, as it was his first time to take the trail, according to a member of the rescue team.

After calling police, firefighters told him to stay in place. However, when the firefighters arrived, they were unable to locate him, and subsequently lost contact with him. The rescuer added that the mountaineer probably attempted to descend down the valley, but lost his signal during descent.

"Nine days and eight nights are indeed very long. There was a person who was lost for about seven days before and managed to find his way out, but the person had brought a lot of food. However, the person who went missing this time only had a thin windbreaker and no food, it is truly a miracle," the rescuer said.

According to media reports, the rescuer speculated that the trapped person, in addition to better physical fitness, is also a biology teacher, who knows more about the local plants, and may have eaten available vegetation to remain conscious and mobile.

Fire officers and rescue teams reminded the public to plan their routes in advance, and to closely follow instructions from emergency personnel in the case they become lost or trapped.