Lithuania's new Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevičius recently presented his government's policy agenda to parliament, outlining a program focused on defense, civil resilience and a recalibration of foreign policy toward China, which some media outlets described as a shift after years of strained bilateral ties. Chinese experts said a more pragmatic approach would better serve Lithuania's national interests and would be welcomed, but added that any policy shift by the new government should be demonstrated through concrete actions rather than rhetoric.
According to a report by Euronews on Wednesday, the government program presented by Sinkevičius to the Lithuanian parliament on Tuesday said that Lithuania will "normalize diplomatic relations with China to the level maintained by other EU member states", signaling a more pragmatic approach after several years of strained ties.
The shift marks a departure from the previous government led by the Conservatives. In 2021, Vilnius allowed Taiwan island to open a representative office using the name "Taiwan" rather than the commonly used reference of "Taipei", leading China to downgrade diplomatic relations with Lithuania.
By shifting its policy toward China, Lithuania's new prime minister appears to be returning to a more pragmatic diplomatic approach. The new administration has recognized the substantial economic benefits enjoyed by other European countries through cooperation with China, while domestic economic pressures have further driven a recalibration of its foreign policy, Zhao Junjie, a senior research fellow at the Institute of European Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times.
Jian Junbo, director of the Center for China-Europe Relations at Fudan University's Institute of International Studies, said Lithuania's China policy remains contradictory: while the new government emphasizes both security and economic cooperation, some politicians may still view China as a security threat. This biased and hesitant perception may limit practical cooperation with China going forward.
According to Euronews, Conservative Žygimantas Pavilionis asked the prime minister why "the threat of China is not seen" and why "you love China so much" during the agenda's presentation. "I don't feel either love or dislike toward China," Sinkevičius said, adding that he has two priorities in foreign policy. "The first is security; the second, without overshadowing the first, is economic cooperation — those matters related to bilateral relations and trade."
The previous administration pursued a so-called "values-based" approach that crossed China's core red lines and severely damaged bilateral ties, while its hardline stance also cast a shadow over broader China-EU relations, Zhao said.
"We welcome Vilnius' return to a rational, pragmatic and normalized diplomatic track. However, concrete actions - including correcting previous mistakes and returning to the right path of upholding the one-China principle - rather than words alone, are needed to truly bring bilateral relations back on track," said Zhao.
China and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) should ensure that the development of bilateral relations always helps consolidate their respective socialist causes and promote their modernization drives, General Secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Friday.
Xi made the remarks when meeting with Pak Thae Song, premier of the Cabinet of the DPRK, in Beijing. Pak is also a member of the Presidium of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea and vice president of the State Affairs Commission of the DPRK.
While the current international situation is volatile and intertwined, Xi said, China and the DPRK should maintain strategic resolve, enhance strategic confidence, and accelerate the implementation of the consensus reached by him and General Secretary Kim Jong Un, ensuring that the relations between the two parties and the two countries keep pace with the times.
Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday hailed the 105-year history of the Communist Party of China (CPC) as the "most magnificent epic" of the Chinese nation and urged the Party to press ahead to build China into a modern socialist country on schedule.
Addressing a gathering marking the CPC's 105th founding anniversary, Xi, also general secretary of the CPC Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, called on Party members to remain steadfast in their convictions and work tirelessly to fulfill the Party's missions in the new era and on the new journey, Xinhua News Agency reported.
Founded in 1921 against the backdrop of a weak China plagued by foreign humiliation and poverty, the CPC has grown from a small group of just over 50 members into the world's largest governing party with tremendous global influence. Xi underscored the importance of meeting the goal of fully realizing socialist modernization by the middle of the century.
"Time stops for no one, and neither does history," he said.
Across China, celebrations were held to mark the anniversary of the CPC's founding. Party members gathered to renew their vows and remember their mission, while many others visited historical memorial halls to pay their respects and learn about the Party's journey.
Epic in millennia-long history
The CPC has led the Chinese people in writing the most magnificent epic in the millennia-long history of the Chinese nation through unremitting endeavors, Xi said at the gathering marking the 105th anniversary of the CPC on Wednesday, Xinhua reported.
The endeavors over the past 105 years have fundamentally transformed the future of the Chinese people, opened up the right path for achieving the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, and demonstrated the strong vitality of Marxism, said Xi.
They have also produced a profound influence on the course of world history, and made the CPC a powerful Communist Party, he said.
Xi also stressed upholding the absolute Party leadership over the people's armed forces. He urged efforts to achieve the goals for the centenary of the People's Liberation Army in 2027 and elevate the people's armed forces to world-class standards at a faster pace.
Resolving the Taiwan question and realizing China's complete reunification is a historic mission and an unshakable commitment for the CPC, Xi said on Wednesday. He pledged resolute actions to fight secessionists seeking "Taiwan independence," oppose external interference, and advance national reunification.
President Xi's speech comprehensively answers three fundamental questions about the CPC's 105-year history: what it has accomplished, why it has succeeded, and how it has advanced its cause. It highlights the Party's role in transforming China and influencing the world, attributes its achievements to its distinctive qualities and explains that its success has been driven by a scientific approach to governance, Xin Ming, a professor from the School of Marxism at Beihang University, told the Global Times on Wednesday.
Together, these arguments present the Party's defining character, explain why the CPC has succeeded, and reaffirm its determination to continue along its chosen path, Xin said. He added that it is especially important at this critical juncture to strengthen confidence in the country's future development and maintain strategic resolve across society.
At the gathering on Wednesday, Xi also conferred the July 1 Medal, the Party's highest honor, on model CPC members at the Great Hall of the People in central Beijing on Wednesday morning.
Across China, various events were held to celebrate the anniversary. The Museum of the Communist Party of China in Beijing launched a series of special exhibitions showcasing the Party's history and the enduring spirit that shaped its development. A Global Times reporter on Wednesday witnessed streams of visitors visiting the museum to experience the exhibitions and revisit the Party's history.
"Visiting the museum today, on the Party's birthday, feels especially meaningful. Witnessing probationary members take their official oaths reminds me once again of the honor and responsibility of being a CPC member," said 73-year-old Gao Jilie.
"I brought my granddaughter so she can learn about the Party's history and traditions from an early age. Today she is a Young Pioneer, but in the future, she may join the Party, which is a lifelong journey of growth and commitment. I hope this visit helps us reflect on our history, carry forward our revolutionary heritage, and find inspiration for the future," Gao added.
Meanwhile, in Shanghai, the Memorial Hall of the First National Congress of the CPC also drew large crowds despite the rain. Among the visitors was Yan Weiyong, who joined the Communist Party of China in 1976 and has made the site an annual destination for decades.
Seeing so many visitors today, including children, reflects the Party's deep roots among the people and gives me confidence that its mission will endure, Yan said, noting that over the past 105 years, China has transformed from a poor nation into an important force for world peace and development. Amid profound global changes unseen in a century, China's stability and development path can offer valuable lessons for humanity's future.
Wider recognition
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said at a press briefing on Wednesday that political parties, leaders and people of various sectors from many countries have expressed congratulations in one way or another on the 105th anniversary of the founding of the CPC. They spoke highly of how the CPC has always put the people front and center, taken solid effort to rejuvenate the nation, constantly improved itself, led the Chinese people in making great achievements in economic and social progress, and made important contribution to world peace and development.
The Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) has sent a congratulatory message. In the message, the CPV Central Committee congratulated the CPC on its achievements over the past 105 years in uniting and leading the Chinese people to overcome numerous difficulties and challenges and secure remarkable accomplishments, according to the Vietnam News.
President of Belarus Aleksandr Lukashenko also sent greetings to President Xi on the 105th anniversary of the CPC founding. Lukashenko noted the special importance of Chinese initiatives in the fields of global development, security, civilization and governance, according to Belarus Today.
While the founding of the CPC was historically hailed as an epoch-making milestone for the nation, today it must be viewed through the lens of world history. Under the Party's leadership, China's rapid rise has profoundly reshaped the global landscape, Yang Xuedong, director of the Department of Political Sciences at Tsinghua University, told the Global Times.
Xin said that under the leadership of the CPC, China has engineered a development miracle that defies traditional Western political theories by successfully pioneering modernization and shattering the myth that modernization equals Westernization. This historic rise proves that when China does well, the world does better.
Today, a strong China is also actively translating its domestic success into Chinese wisdom, offering new models for human advancement and practical solutions to global challenges, the expert said.
An article published by the Herald in Zimbabwe recently noted that the 105th anniversary of the CPC is a rare and resonant milestone in modern statecraft.
"The CPC's journey is a testament that a people, guided by a strong and visionary party, can overcome any obstacle to build a nation that commands respect on the world stage… The CPC's 105th anniversary is therefore not just a Chinese celebration but a milestone for global solidarity. It represents a commitment to multilateralism and a vision of a world where the Global South can rise together," read the article.
The China National Space Administration (CNSA) announced on Tuesday that China will establish a coordinated ground- and space-based monitoring system for near-Earth asteroids to provide early warning and monitoring support for planetary defense against potential asteroid impacts, China Central Television (CCTV) News reported on Tuesday.
The risk of near-Earth asteroid impacts is regarded as a potential threat and a common challenge facing all humanity. According to the United Nations, June 30 is observed each year as International Asteroid Day.
According to CCTV's coverage, as a responsible major spacefaring nation, China is advancing plans for its asteroid defense system. Effective planetary defense requires early warning, with integrated ground- and space-based monitoring network at the core.
As of June 2026, more than 40,000 near-Earth asteroids had been discovered and catalogued globally. Although none has been confirmed to be on a definite collision course with Earth, many smaller celestial bodies have yet to be detected. According to CCTV, China has made initial breakthroughs in early-warning models and algorithms for asteroid impact risks, and is developing an operational near-Earth asteroid risk warning system.
Following the detection of a potentially hazardous asteroid, the next step is determining how to deflect it. Song Zhongping, a military affairs and aerospace technology expert, told the Global Times on Tuesday that one of the most straightforward approaches is kinetic impact, in which a spacecraft or missile collides with the asteroid to alter its trajectory or break it into smaller fragments, thereby reducing the overall threat.
Song said another set of approaches focuses on changing the asteroid's orbit. These include gravity tractors, laser ablation and continuous-thrust techniques, with the ultimate goal of nudging the asteroid away from Earth's orbital path well in advance, preventing a potential impact.
Wu Weiren, Chief designer of China's Lunar Exploration Program, said that China plans to carry out a kinetic impact test on an asteroid tens of millions of kilometers away around 2027, with the aim of altering its orbit. The mission will also conduct in-orbit assessments to evaluate the effectiveness of the impact, according to a report posted by CNSA, citing the Science and Technology Daily.
Song said with the capabilities, technological expertise and resources to advance such efforts, China is contributing to global planetary defense and the shared goal of safeguarding humanity from potential asteroid threats.
A 5.5-magnitude earthquake that struck Gaoxian County in Yibin City, in southwest China's Sichuan Province, Monday left 15 people with minor injuries as of 2 p.m., the city's earthquake relief headquarters said.
Among those injured, one was still receiving treatment in hospital, while the remaining 14 had been discharged. A total of 211 people have been evacuated and resettled. A total of 1,819 rooms in 933 households sustained general damage, while 40 rooms in 18 households were reported to be severely damaged.
The earthquake occurred at 0:12 a.m. Monday (Beijing Time). The epicenter was located at 28.50 degrees north latitude and 104.69 degrees east longitude, with a depth of 6 km, according to the China Earthquake Networks Center.
After the earthquake hit, 31 rescue teams consisting of 340 personnel from fire and rescue services, emergency rescue forces and militias, as well as 62 vehicles, were deployed to the affected area for search and rescue work.
Local authorities have evacuated people under threat from 296 registered geological hazard points and 342 high-risk areas. A total of 1,300 pieces of emergency relief supplies have been urgently allocated.
All expressways, national and provincial highways, and rural roads in the affected areas have resumed traffic. Power supply remains stable, and communication networks are operating normally.
To prevent secondary disasters, local authorities have pooled forces to conduct full-coverage post-quake screening for geological hazards.
British Columbia Premier David Eby is scheduled to leave for his trade mission to China on Saturday in hopes of diversifying trade relationships, Canadian media reported. The reported trip, which builds on the bilateral consensus reached during Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney's January visit, demonstrates the provincial government's proactive stance toward strengthening economic ties and bilateral exchanges with China, a Chinese analyst said.
Posting on social media on Saturday, Eby wrote that "China is B.C.'s second largest trading partner. To strengthen ties and expand markets for B.C. goods, I will be leading a trade mission to China." He also said the planned trip is for "reducing our reliance on the US." "Growing trade with other countries is one way we will continue to support good jobs for British Columbians," Eby posted.
Speaking with the media, Eby also said "We want to double our international trade beyond where it is right now, outside of the US," CTV reported. "The US has been historically a very good trading partner for us, but we've been too dependent on the US."
Speaking with the media on Saturday before catching a flight to China, the premier described China as British Columbia's second-largest trading partner, and said he and Minister of Transportation Mike Farnworth will be making stops in Beijing, Shanghai, and Wenzhou, and the focus on this trip will be jobs and opportunity for British Columbians, Canadian media outlet CTV News reported.
"We have lots of connections, people-to-people connections with China, 500,000 Canadians of Chinese descent in British Columbia alone," he explained, per the report. "Those people-to-people relationships have gotten us through some tough times."
Eby's planned trip is expected to include Wenzhou in East China's Zhejiang Province, where the two sides have maintained broad people-to-people exchanges. Educational cooperation has been one channel of such engagement, with the Canada British Columbia International School in Wenzhou operating since 2023 as one of seven such schools in China.
The Canadian Press reported on Saturday that Eby also said his first-ever trade trip to China will focus on pitching the province's forestry products and energy sector around LNG development, approaching the mission with both excitement and caution.
As of press time, the Global Times hasn't found confirmation from the Chinese Foreign Ministry regarding Eby's visit to China.
The reported trip comes after Carney's visit to China in January, the first trip to China by a Canadian Prime Minister in eight years. During Carney's visit, both sides signed multiple cooperation documents covering trade, customs, energy, construction, culture, and public security, according to the Xinhua News Agency.
Zhao Xingshu, a deputy director of the Department of Canadian Studies at the Institute of American Studies, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Sunday that the reported visit builds on the consensus reached by Chinese and Canadian leaders during Carney's official visit to China this January.
Eby also pointed to Carney having "opened the door" for this opportunity to expand trade with China, and outlined that he'll be "at the table" to discuss lumber trade, agricultural products, and "opportunities like tourism" that can grow British Columbia's economy at home, CTV News reported.
In the months since Carney's China visit, exchanges between China and Canada at various levels have gathered momentum, Zhao noted.
On May 29 local time, Carney met with Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Ottawa. During the meeting, Wang said that facts have proven that a better China-Canada relationship serves the interests of both countries, meets the expectations of all parties, and represents the right choice for Canada, according to Chinese Foreign Ministry.
Earlier this month, Minister of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) Li Lecheng met with Canada's Minister of Industry Melanie Joly in Beijing, and the two sides exchanged views on deepening industrial cooperation, according to MIIT.
Zhao added that British Columbia stands out as one of the provinces hit hard by past China-Canada trade frictions. Against this backdrop, British Columbia has a strong desire to grow economic and trade ties with China, the expert said.
Despite being locked into long-term structural reliance on the US market, Canada's push for trade diversification aligns with public sentiment, Zhao said. By expanding ties with China and other global partners, authorities intend to reassure that the country is moving beyond one-sided dependence on America.
The delegation's reported visit itself sends a clear signal for deeper cooperation, showing the provincial government has adopted a proactive attitude toward boosting economic links and mutual exchanges with China, Zhao said. The visit is also expected to lay the groundwork for more extensive collaboration down the line, bringing mutual benefits to both countries, the expert noted.
At the invitation of Premier of the State Council Li Qiang, Prime Minister of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh Tarique Rahman will pay an official visit to China from June 24 to 26.
A recent poll in Australia shows that more than half of Australians now consider relations with China more important than those with the US. The poll also found that 61 percent of Australians see China more as an economic partner than a security threat.
A Chinese observer said the outcome of the poll indicates that the shift does not reflect Australian society choosing sides between China and the US; rather, it shows that economic realities are outweighing security narratives in public perceptions of China.
A 2026 Lowy Institute poll, released on Monday, found that 61 percent of Australians see China more as an economic partner than a security threat, an 11-point increase from 2025, marking one of the largest swings in sentiment in this year's survey. Support for the bilateral trade relationship is accordingly strong, with a significant majority of Australians saying "we should be trading with China 'more' or at 'about the same' level as we are now (77 percent)," according to the poll.
The 2026 Lowy Institute Poll reports the results of a nationally representative survey of 2,013 Australian residents aged 18 and above, conducted from March 2 to 15, 2026 by the Social Research Centre (SRC) on behalf of the Lowy Institute, according to the PDF version of the poll. The poll reveals how Australians feel about the world and their place in it, and it was released on Monday, according to the Lowy Institute's website.
In terms of which country's relationship should be Australia's priority, Australians appear to be fairly divided. A bare majority of respondents (51 percent) said Australia's relationship with China is more important than its relationship with the US, an eight-point increase from 2025. By comparison, 45 percent said Australia's relationship with the US is more important, a seven-point drop from 2025, the poll showed.
Chen Hong, Director of the Australian Studies Center at East China Normal University, told the Global Times on Tuesday that as Australia's most important trading partner, China supports incomes and jobs across key sectors, including resources, agriculture, education and tourism. Australians are increasingly aware that while the US remains a security ally, military commitments cannot replace markets or generate export orders.
The stabilization of China-Australia relations has also reminded Australian businesses and the public of the tangible benefits of steady engagement, Chen said. Meanwhile, the US is increasingly becoming a source of uncertainty. The poll therefore reflects a pragmatic recognition that Australia cannot sustain its prosperity without China.
When asked about the relationship between the US and China, the poll showed that a clear majority (64 percent) said the US should place a greater priority on stabilizing ties with China.
Australia has benefited under the US security umbrella while benefitting from China's industrialization, according to Bloomberg. And according to the Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade website, China is Australia's largest trading partner. It buys almost a third of all Australian exports, and is the top overseas market for many Australian goods and services. Trade and investment with China is a big part of Australia's future.
The poll found that public confidence in the US' ability to act responsibly has fallen to historic lows among respondents. According to the poll, although Australians are wary of both the US and China and place relatively low levels of trust in both countries, trust in the US to act responsibly in the world has fallen to 31 percent, the lowest level in the history of Lowy Institute polling.
The decline in Australians' trust in the US could be linked to the perception that, under the current US administration, the US has become less of a stable and predictable ally and more of a transactional power focused on its own interests. Tariffs on partners, conditional security commitments, and abrupt policy shifts have all contributed to this view, Chen said.
China's fully domestically developed "LineShine" supercomputer ranked first on the global TOP500 list with a sustained double-precision performance of 2.19EFlops (10¹⁸ floating-point operations per second), according to the ISC 2026 conference held in Hamburg, Germany, on Tuesday. The ranking marks China's return to the top of global supercomputing after nine years, China Media Group (CMG) reported.
Chinese experts said the achievement represents more than a performance milestone. They said LineShine's breakthrough and practical applications mark a major step forward for China's supercomputing industry in overcoming foreign technological constraints and building an independent, controllable hardware and software ecosystem.
At the ISC 2026 conference, China's National Supercomputing Center in Shenzhen announced that its new-generation "LineShine" supercomputer has achieved a sustained performance of 2EFlops, becoming the world's first supercomputer to surpass 2EFlops in sustained performance. The system is said to outperform leading E-level supercomputers in the US and Europe, marking China's return to the top of the global supercomputing rankings, CMG reported.
Performance leap
"LineShine" is positioned as a full-stack integrated infrastructure for scientific, engineering and AI computing, per CMG. At the chip layer, the in-house LX2 CPU integrates multi-precision and matrix acceleration capabilities, enabling tighter convergence of supercomputing and AI workloads, while also incorporating China's first domestically developed HBM memory, boosting memory bandwidth by 10 times compared with conventional CPUs.
The announcement has attracted widespread attention. US tech media Engadget said that "China's new machine was able to beat its US counterpart despite technology embargoes because it doesn't rely on GPUs like other leading models."
The New York Times quoted Jack Dongarra, an organizer of the TOP500 list, as saying that LineShine is "an impressive system." They upped us by developing a system that is not reliant on GPUs, he added.
Zhang Yunquan, a researcher at the Institute of Computing Technology under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, told the Global Times that the "LineShine" system's return to the top of the global rankings marks China's renewed leadership in the TOP500 list, following the success of the "Sunway TaihuLight" supercomputer. Unlike most current US supercomputers, which adopt a hybrid CPU+GPU architecture, "LineShine" follows a pure CPU-based integrated technical route built on the ARM architecture.
He noted that while this approach is more technically challenging to implement, it offers strong compatibility advantages in traditional supercomputing application scenarios such as scientific computing.
Chen Jing, a vice president of the Technology and Strategy Research Institute, told the Global Times that the most striking feature of the "LineShine" system is its pure CPU architecture, without the use of GPU acceleration cards. This, he said, reflects that China's progress in supercomputing is not driven by a single hardware breakthrough, but by comprehensive advances in system-level capability, including independent ecosystem development, architectural innovation, full-system integration, as well as improvements in storage and cooling technologies.
LineShine's test results were more than 20 percent faster than those of El Capitan, a system at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California that has topped a twice-yearly ranking of supercomputer performance since November 2024, NYT reported.
China is no longer keeping a low profile and has returned to global "benchmark competition," Ma Jihua, a veteran tech analyst told the Global Times. He noted that earlier restraint was largely due to external sanctions and a cautious approach to disclosure, but with breakthroughs in indigenous supercomputing capabilities, China is now re-engaging in top-level competition, with performance reportedly ahead of Western systems by a significant margin.
He added that China's supercomputing sector has strong foundations, and although it has participated less in international rankings in recent years, capability development has continued.
Since deployment, "LineShine" has supported applications across atmospheric and ocean science, engineering simulation, materials science, drug discovery, brain science, scientific AI, and large-model inference.
"LineShine" reflects China's long-term push to build an indigenous computing system. By mid-2025, China ranked second globally in total computing power, with 14 national supercomputing centers approved, official data showed. Experts said its TOP500 result marks not only a performance breakthrough, but also a shift toward a more integrated national computing infrastructure.
Breakthroughs amid constraints
China first took the top spot on the TOP500 in 2010 and traded titles back and forth with the US and Japan until 2023, when China stopped submitting its systems after years of chip- and computing-related export controls from the US, Reuters reported.
Engadget wrote that "there is no single dominant technology path to leadership-class computing," while Reuters reported that the Chinese victory on the list more likely shows that China wanted recognition for its chip design efforts, which is a change from recent years.
Chen said China is now able to build exascale computing systems without relying on US' GPUs, Nvidia's CUDA ecosystem, or specific Western interconnect standards, indicating that a system-level technological framework is largely in place.
However, he also noted that underlying constraints remain in areas such as architectural licensing, advanced manufacturing processes, and parts of chip fabrication, meaning China's high-performance computing sector is still transitioning from external dependence toward full system autonomy.
Chen said "LineShine" reflects a system-level innovation path similar to that of Chinese tech firms under external pressure, echoing Huawei's "Tau Law." Both have shifted from single-point competition to system architecture innovation and engineering optimization. He noted that "LineShine" relies on a pure CPU architecture to achieve exascale performance, while Huawei advances through chip design, algorithms, and advanced packaging, with both representing a "change of path" rather than catch-up competition.
On January 4, China's National Supercomputing Internet Platform announced that its user base had surpassed 1 million, marking a key step in the shift of supercomputing resources from centralized supply to universal service.
Ma said China's supercomputing breakthrough should not be seen as a sudden "overtake on a bend," but as the result of long-term technological accumulation and capability rebuilding. He noted that this achievement represents not only success in technological innovation, but also China's institutional strengths and development model under sustained external pressure, underscoring the country's resilience.
China's State Council Information Office will release a white paper titled "More Just and Equitable Global Governance: China's Principles, Proposals and Actions" on Wednesday morning.
A press conference on the white paper will also be held.
