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  • Courts to impose severe penalties for spreading fake terrorist news related to civil aviation

    Courts to impose severe penalties for spreading fake terrorist news related to civil aviation

    China’s top judicial bodies have introduced a landmark set of rules to crack down on dangerous misinformation targeting civil aviation, imposing heavy criminal penalties on anyone who fabricates or intentionally spreads false terrorist threats that endanger flight safety.

    The new judicial interpretation, released jointly by the Supreme People’s Court (SPC) and the Supreme People’s Procuratorate, will go into effect on Thursday, April 9, 2026. The guideline is designed to standardize legal processes and help judges and prosecutors handle criminal cases related to civil aviation flight safety more consistently and effectively.

    Luo Guoliang, chief judge of the SPC’s Fourth Criminal Division, emphasized that aviation safety is a non-negotiable foundation for public well-being and social order. “Ensuring the safety of civil aviation flights is crucial for protecting the lives and property of ordinary people, as well as for maintaining long-term social harmony and stability,” Luo said. He added that in recent years, sporadic cases of fabricated terrorist threats and unruly disruptive behaviors on board aircraft have drawn widespread public concern over aviation security.

    To illustrate the real-world impact of these violations, Luo cited a 2024 incident: a passenger who missed his flight deliberately told airline staff at an information desk that his aircraft carried a bomb. The false claim forced the evacuation of all passengers for a full secondary security sweep, delaying the flight by roughly two hours and disrupting the entire airport’s operating schedule.

    The seven-article judicial interpretation clearly outlines criminal penalties for various violations that threaten civil aviation, with particularly harsh sanctions reserved for creators and spreaders of fake terrorist information. The guideline formally classifies any behavior that disrupts the normal operations of flights or airports, or requires emergency intervention from public security, armed police, fire, health quarantine and other professional response agencies, as a criminal offense. Perpetrators whose actions cause major social disorder or substantial economic losses will face a minimum sentence of five years in prison.

    Beyond defining penalties, the interpretation also clarifies court jurisdiction rules for criminal cases that threaten flight safety, closing legal loopholes that previously complicated prosecutions of these offenses.

    Recent industry data shows that ongoing security crackdowns have already started to reduce in-flight violations. The Civil Aviation Administration of China reported that in 2025, China’s civil aviation sector handled 770 million passenger trips, and law enforcement teams responded to 1,081 in-flight safety incidents — a 6.5% decrease from 2024. The incident rate per 10,000 flights dropped even more sharply, falling 17% year-on-year. Judicial officials expect the new, clearer penalties will act as a stronger deterrent, further reducing these dangerous disruptions and protecting the traveling public.

  • Cross-Strait passenger routes under ‘Mini Three Links’ see peak travel during the holiday

    Cross-Strait passenger routes under ‘Mini Three Links’ see peak travel during the holiday

    The 2026 Qingming Festival holiday brought a notable surge in cross-Strait travel along the ‘Mini Three Links’ ferry routes, with official data recording a year-on-year rise in passenger volumes that underscores growing people-to-people exchanges between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait.

    Between April 1 and 6, the ferry routes connecting mainland China’s Fujian province to the Taiwan-administered islands of Jinmen and Matsu handled 34,100 passenger trips, marking a 9.49 percent increase compared to the same period last year. This data was shared by Zhu Fenglian, spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, during a press briefing on April 8.

    First established to facilitate direct small-scale travel, trade and postal services between Fujian and the outlying Taiwan-controlled islands, the ‘Mini Three Links’ has long emerged as one of the most critical and accessible transportation arteries for cross-Strait interactions. It is particularly relied on by residents of Fujian and Taiwan for routine visits, family reunions, and cultural exchanges, Zhu noted.

    To accommodate the holiday travel rush, port management authorities across Fujian rolled out targeted service upgrades and enhanced cross-agency coordination. Special green channels were activated to guarantee priority passage for cross-Strait ferries, reducing wait times for travelers. On the busy Xiamen-Jinmen route, dedicated family lanes and oversized baggage processing channels remained operational around the clock throughout the holiday to serve groups traveling with children or carrying large personal items. The Fuzhou-Matsu route added six extra round-trip sailings to meet unmet demand from passengers looking to travel during the tomb-sweeping holiday.

    Beyond transportation upgrades, local authorities at the Quanzhou-Jinmen terminal partnered with a regional museum to host a special Qingming Festival-themed cultural event and exhibition. The exhibition centered on highlighting the shared ancestral and cultural roots that bind communities on both sides of the Strait.

    Zhu added that the Qingming holiday, a traditional time for ancestral remembrance in Chinese culture, saw large numbers of Taiwan compatriots travel across the Strait to participate in worship and memorial activities. Many traveled from Taiwan to ancestral hometowns across the mainland to hold family worship ceremonies and clan gatherings, while a group of Taiwan representatives attended the annual public memorial ceremony for the Yellow Emperor — the legendary common ancestor of the Chinese nation — held in Shaanxi province.

    These annual activities serve as a powerful reminder of the deep, unbroken sense of kinship that connects people across the Taiwan Strait, Zhu emphasized.

  • DPP blamed for fall in mainland students studying in Taiwan

    DPP blamed for fall in mainland students studying in Taiwan

    A recent sharp decline in the number of new mainland students enrolling at Taiwanese higher education institutions, which has hit zero for five straight years, has sparked a fresh cross-Strait rhetorical exchange, with Beijing officially holding the island’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities responsible for the downturn.

    On Wednesday, Zhu Fenglian, spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, pushed back against a baseless claim from Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council that tied the five-year stretch of zero new mainland students to Beijing’s cross-Strait policies. Zhu characterized the Taiwanese body’s accusation as a deliberate distortion of facts and a politically motivated smear campaign against the mainland.

    In her detailed explanation of the true drivers behind the decline, Zhu outlined a pattern of consistent obstruction of cross-Strait people-to-people and educational exchanges carried out by DPP authorities in recent years. Despite widespread and vocal demand from Taiwan’s education community, students, and young people for expanded cross-Strait interaction, the DPP has deliberately moved to curtail collaborative academic ties between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait.

    One key punitive measure the DPP administration has implemented is a formal ban on partnerships between Taiwanese colleges and universities and 10 leading mainland higher education institutions, including Guangdong province’s Jinan University and Beijing’s Beihang University. Beyond banning institutional cooperation, the DPP has put in place a series of unreasonable regulatory barriers and unequal treatment that target mainland students seeking admission and enrollment at Taiwanese universities, creating an unwelcoming environment that has discouraged prospective students from pursuing academic opportunities on the island.

    Zhu also highlighted additional forms of political intimidation the DPP has deployed to chill cross-Strait educational engagement. When leaders of Taiwanese universities, academic deans, and teaching faculty participate in legitimate exchange activities on the mainland, DPP authorities have retaliated against them through official investigations, cuts to public institutional funding, and suspensions of approved academic projects. These coercive tactics, she emphasized, have created a chilling effect that further disrupts normal cross-Strait academic cooperation.

    “Such blatant political manipulation has inflicted severe damage on the normal development of cross-Strait educational exchanges,” Zhu stated. She closed by calling on DPP authorities to abandon political posturing, listen more closely to the voices of the Taiwanese public that favor expanded cross-Strait ties, and end their practice of shifting blame for their own policy choices through bad-faith political maneuvering.

  • Furry companions welcome: China launches upgraded pet travel service on bullet trains

    Furry companions welcome: China launches upgraded pet travel service on bullet trains

    BEIJING – In a major shift to meet evolving consumer demand from pet owners across the country, China’s national high-speed rail network has launched an expanded, upgraded pet transport service that now reaches 121 major stations and 250 daily trains, operator China Railway Express Co., Ltd. announced Wednesday.

    The rollout follows a 12-month pilot program that launched exactly one year prior, on April 8, 2025. During the trial period, the service successfully moved more than 15,000 cats and dogs across participating lines, earning consistent positive feedback from travelers who had long struggled to bring their animal companions along on intercity trips. The pilot’s strong uptake confirmed the widespread unmet need for formal pet-friendly travel options on China’s busiest rail network.

    Under the newly formalized service, pet owners now have two flexible transport options to fit different travel scenarios: accompanied travel, for passengers who are boarding the same train as their pet, and unaccompanied consignment, for owners who are not traveling alongside their animal.

    To ensure safety and comfort for all passengers, the service has clear eligibility requirements: only healthy, domestic-bred cats and dogs are permitted, with a maximum weight of 15 kilograms, a maximum shoulder height of 40 centimeters, and a maximum body length of 52 centimeters.

    For passengers choosing accompanied travel, booking is integrated directly into existing rail ticketing systems: travelers can search the national 12306 mobile app or website to identify trains marked with a dedicated pet-friendly icon, purchase their own passenger ticket, and reserve a transport slot for their pet on the same service in a single process.

    For unaccompanied consignment, owners can book their pet’s slot through the official “China Railway Express” WeChat mini-program between two and five days ahead of the scheduled departure date.

    The expansion adds 11 new stations to the pet-friendly network, including mid-sized cultural and industrial hubs such as Tangshan, Tai’an, and Yan’an, alongside 50 additional high-speed services including major intercity routes G41 and G688. In total, the upgraded service now covers 121 high-speed railway stations and 228 trains nationwide.

    In a statement accompanying the launch, China Railway Express noted that the expansion is a direct response to rapidly growing consumer demand for pet-inclusive travel options, as pet ownership has become increasingly common across Chinese households in recent years. The upgrade marks one of the most significant changes to China’s rail passenger policies in recent years, aligning public transport services with shifting lifestyle trends across the country.

  • Ningxia students continue 31-year tradition with 54-km trek to honor martyrs

    Ningxia students continue 31-year tradition with 54-km trek to honor martyrs

    As Qingming Festival, China’s annual traditional occasion for honoring ancestors and fallen heroes, approaches each year, a moving and long-standing tradition unfolds across the mountainous terrain of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region in northwest China. For 31 consecutive years, thousands of participants have undertaken a grueling 54-kilometer round-trip trek to reach the Renshanhe Martyrs Cemetery, turning physical endurance into a powerful act of remembrance for the nation’s fallen soldiers.

    This year’s journey kicked off in the pre-dawn darkness at 5 a.m. on April 3, when more than 3,000 participants gathered in Guyuan city to set off for the cemetery located in Pengyang county. Covering the 54-kilometer round trip takes approximately 17 hours of nonstop walking through steep, rugged upland terrain, a challenge that tests both physical stamina and mental resilience for everyone taking part. What began as a small, student-led initiative has evolved over more than three decades into a beloved, cross-community annual event deeply rooted in local collective memory.

    The tradition traces its origins back to 1995, when a small group of students from two local middle schools first organized the trek to connect younger generations with the sacrifices of previous generations. Over the following decades, what started as a small student memorial activity gradually expanded beyond school campuses to draw participants from all sectors of the local community. According to local government officials, 2025’s event retained this inclusive spirit: alongside participating students, the trek included young community volunteers and more than 700 individuals from a wide range of professional and social backgrounds.

    Widely described locally as a “walking ideological and political class”, the annual trek does more than honor fallen heroes — it gives participants a hands-on opportunity to reflect on history, build collective resilience, and pass down stories of national sacrifice to younger generations. For 31 years, this extraordinary act of remembrance has remained a powerful reminder of the enduring connection between Ningxia’s local communities and the martyrs who gave their lives for the nation.

  • 3 dead, 1 missing after 40-meter scaffolding collapse near Tokyo

    3 dead, 1 missing after 40-meter scaffolding collapse near Tokyo

    A devastating industrial accident has shaken Kawasaki City, the port-side neighbor of Japan’s capital Tokyo, leaving three construction workers dead and one still unaccounted for after a massive 40-meter scaffolding structure collapsed during scheduled crane dismantling work at a local steelmaking complex.

    Local Japanese media confirmed the incident unfolded shortly after 4:30 p.m. local time on Monday, April 7 2026, at the waterfront industrial site located in Kanagawa Prefecture. When the structure gave way, five workers who were carrying out on-site operations fell from the height. Emergency response teams were quickly dispatched to the accident location, and managed to pull four of the five workers from the collapse site to transport them to nearby medical facilities. Unfortunately, medical personnel pronounced three of the rescued workers dead upon arrival or shortly after admission. The fifth worker remains missing, with search and rescue teams working under the assumption that they fell into the adjacent waters of Tokyo Bay.

    Preliminary investigations into the cause of the collapse point to a catastrophic failure of a critical crane component. At the time of the incident, crews were in the process of dismantling a large cargo crane used to load and unload goods from cargo vessels visiting the steel plant. A 500-tonne cylindrical counterweight, which was installed on the crane to maintain structural balance during operations, became detached and fell from the crane structure. The force of the hundreds-of-tonne weight striking the platform is what triggered the collapse of the surrounding scaffolding, according to initial reporting from Japan’s public broadcaster NHK.

    Japanese law enforcement authorities have launched a full investigation into the tragedy, with a key focus on whether proper industry safety protocols were followed throughout the dismantling project. Investigators are examining whether sufficient risk assessments were completed, whether structural supports were properly installed before work began, and whether all on-site workers received adequate safety training ahead of the high-risk operation. Meanwhile, search and rescue teams continue their urgent efforts to locate the missing worker, with coastal patrol units and dive teams deployed to search the surrounding waters.

    The accident marks one of the deadliest industrial incidents in Japan’s greater Tokyo region this year, renewing discussions about workplace safety standards for large-scale demolition and dismantling projects across the country’s industrial sector.

  • Former Sinochem executive prosecuted for bribery, abuse of power

    Former Sinochem executive prosecuted for bribery, abuse of power

    China’s Supreme People’s Procuratorate announced Wednesday that Feng Zhibin, the 62-year-old former deputy general manager of Sinochem Group, has been formally prosecuted on three criminal charges: bribery, influence trading, and abuse of power by a state-owned enterprise personnel.

    The corruption case against Feng was first investigated and closed by the National Commission of Supervision, China’s top anti-graft watchdog, before being transferred to prosecutorial authorities for review. Following a designation from the Supreme People’s Procuratorate, the Heilongjiang Provincial People’s Procuratorate approved Feng’s arrest, and the Daqing People’s Procuratorate has now lodged a public indictment with the Daqing Intermediate People’s Court, bringing the high-profile case one step closer to trial.

    Prosecutors laid out detailed allegations of Feng’s misconduct spanning his decades-long tenure in senior leadership roles at the major state-owned conglomerate. Over his career, Feng held a string of key positions at Sinochem, including assistant general manager, general manager of the group’s investment department, chairman and general manager of Sinochem Lantian Corporation, general manager of Sinofert Holding Limited, and ultimately deputy general manager of the parent Sinochem Group, before becoming chairman of Sinochem International Corporation in 2016. According to the indictment, Feng abused the authority granted by these posts to secure illicit benefits for third parties in exchange for accepting large sums of money and high-value assets.

    Even after stepping down from his official roles, prosecutors say Feng continued to exploit the influence of his former senior positions. He is accused of leveraging his past status to pressure other sitting state functionaries into granting illegal benefits to associates, once again accepting substantial improper payments and valuables in return.

    The prosecution adds that as a senior employee of a state-owned enterprise, Feng’s deliberate abuse of power for personal gain has caused severe financial losses to Sinochem Group and inflicted major damage on national interests. Legal officials note that Feng’s actions meet the criteria for criminal liability on all three charges brought against him.

    Feng’s career at Sinochem began in 2000, when he joined the group and quickly rose through the corporate ranks. In June 2018, he officially resigned from all his positions at the conglomerate, citing personal reasons. Formal anti-graft investigations into Feng were launched in July 2025, and he was expelled from the Communist Party of China in January 2026 as investigations uncovered evidence of his wrongdoing.

    Headquartered in Beijing, Sinochem Group operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of Sinochem Holdings Corporation, one of China’s core centrally administered state-owned enterprises overseen by the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council. A leading market player in China’s energy and chemical sectors, Sinochem also maintains major business footprints in urban infrastructure operations and non-banking financial services.

  • UN chief hails US-Iran 2-week ceasefire

    UN chief hails US-Iran 2-week ceasefire

    On Tuesday, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres issued a public welcome to the newly announced two-week ceasefire between the United States and Iran, according to an official statement released by his spokesperson. This tentative pause in direct hostilities marks a rare potential de-escalation of tensions that have gripped the already volatile Middle East region in recent weeks.

    In the formal statement, spokesperson Stephane Dujarric conveyed that Guterres is urging every party currently engaged in ongoing conflicts across the Middle East to honor their legal commitments under international humanitarian law, and to strictly adhere to the terms laid out in the new ceasefire agreement. The UN chief emphasized that this temporary cessation of violence lays critical groundwork needed to advance toward a long-term, comprehensive peace settlement that can bring stability to the entire region.

    The statement further stressed that an immediate end to active combat is an urgent global priority. A halt to hostilities is essential to protecting vulnerable civilian populations caught in crossfire, and to easing the widespread humanitarian suffering that has devastated communities across the area.

    Guterres also extended sincere gratitude to Pakistan and all other third-party countries that contributed diplomatic work to mediate talks and facilitate the finalization of the ceasefire. To advance ongoing peace efforts, the announcement confirmed that Jean Arnault, Guterres’ personal envoy for the region, is already deployed on the ground to coordinate UN support and back all initiatives working toward sustainable, long-term peace. The ceasefire announcement has raised cautious international hope that the temporary pause can open the door to further diplomatic negotiations to resolve long-standing tensions between the two nations.

  • Mainland reiterates readiness to strive for peace across Taiwan Strait

    Mainland reiterates readiness to strive for peace across Taiwan Strait

    BEIJING – A senior spokesperson from China’s mainland authorities reaffirmed Wednesday the mainland’s consistent commitment to pursuing peaceful development across the Taiwan Strait, during a press briefing addressing a landmark visit by a delegation from Taiwan’s Kuomintang (KMT) party.

    The KMT delegation, headed by party chairwoman Cheng Li-wun, touched down in Shanghai on Tuesday, kicking off a six-day visit that will take the group through Jiangsu Province, Shanghai and Beijing, concluding this coming Sunday. This trip marks the first time in 10 years that a sitting KMT chairperson has led a party delegation to the Chinese mainland, marking an important moment for cross-Strait exchanges after a decade of limited high-level party-to-party contact.

    Zhu Fenglian, spokesperson for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, laid out the mainland’s stance in response to questions about the visit. “On the shared political foundation of upholding the 1992 Consensus and opposing ‘Taiwan independence,’ we stand ready to work with all political parties, groups and individuals across Taiwan – the Kuomintang included – to advance the steady, peaceful development of cross-Strait relations,” Zhu stated.

    Zhu further emphasized that both sides of the Taiwan Strait are part of one indivisible China, and that questions concerning cross-Strait ties are internal matters that must be resolved through dialogue and consultation between Chinese people on both sides. She added that compatriots across the Strait share sufficient wisdom and collective capability to resolve their own issues in a way that serves the common interests of all Chinese people.

    The visit comes as cross-Strait relations have faced heightened tensions in recent years, driven by pro-separatist forces on the island and external interference. The high-profile KMT visit is widely seen as an opportunity to restart people-to-people and party-to-party exchanges, opening a new channel for dialogue to reduce misunderstanding and lower regional risks.

  • US, Iran agree to ceasefire for two weeks

    US, Iran agree to ceasefire for two weeks

    Tensions that had gripped the globe for days over an imminent US-Iran military conflict defused at the 11th hour on Tuesday, when President Donald Trump announced a bilateral two-week ceasefire, struck just moments before a self-imposed deadline that carried warnings of catastrophic destruction for Iran.

    The breakthrough agreement, mediated by Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir, was shared publicly by Trump on his social media platform Truth Social. In his post, Trump confirmed he would suspend planned bombing and military strikes against Iran for 14 days, contingent on Iran’s commitment to fully, immediately, and safely reopen the Strait of Hormuz, the world’s most critical oil chokepoint at the center of the latest standoff.

    According to Reuters, Iranian officials submitted a 10-point negotiating proposal to Washington, which Trump described as a “workable basis” for finalizing a broader formal agreement. Trump added that nearly all longstanding points of dispute between the two nations had already been preliminarily agreed upon, and the two-week window will allow teams to hammer out remaining details to lock in a permanent deal. Israel has also signed off on the ceasefire arrangement.

    Iran’s state television framed the agreement as a diplomatic victory for the country, while the Supreme National Security Council of Iran confirmed in an official statement that top-level leadership had approved holding direct negotiations with US negotiators in Islamabad across the 14-day truce. Talks are scheduled to kick off this Friday.

    Global energy markets reacted immediately to the de-escalation: West Texas Intermediate crude futures for May plummeted nearly 19 percent, falling below $92 a barrel as fears of supply disruptions from conflict in the Persian Gulf evaporated.

    Hours before the ceasefire announcement, the United States had been swept by widespread anxiety, triggered by days of increasingly aggressive rhetoric from Trump that left the public and global leaders deeply alarmed. On Monday, Trump issued an ultimatum threatening to obliterate Iran’s entire civilian infrastructure – including every bridge and power plant – if Tehran failed to meet his demands by the Tuesday deadline. On Tuesday morning, he doubled down on the threat, warning that “a whole civilization will die tonight” if Iran did not comply.

    That incendiary language drew fierce backlash from across the political spectrum, the public, and international institutions. Many American civilians voiced profound distress over the president’s approach. Adam Turner, a 54-year-old New York resident, told China Daily that Trump’s harsh rhetoric over Iran, paired with his confrontational style on other issues, had left him severely stressed. “It’s not speech that I would accept from any horrible person on the street. It is without respect, without intelligence, without dignity,” Turner said. “It makes me sad because I don’t think the Iranian people deserve it. He got rid of [former President Barack] Obama’s Iran deal. We had a deal in place that was effective.”

    Lewis Fox, a 66-year-old Manhattan resident, echoed that criticism, calling for a return to diplomatic diplomacy rather than coercion. “He has converted the United States into being the bully of the world versus the savior of the world. And therefore, he definitely shouldn’t be talking like that,” Fox said.

    Criticism even extended to Trump’s own political circle. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Republican Representative and once a staunch Trump ally, publicly condemned the threat on X, writing: “Not a single bomb had dropped on America. We cannot kill an entire civilization. This is evil and madness.”

    Democratic House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York called on congressional Republicans to intervene to prevent full-scale conflict. “Congress must immediately end this reckless war of choice in Iran before Donald Trump plunges us into World War III,” Jeffries wrote on X. “It’s time for every single Republican to put patriotic duty over party and stop the madness. Enough.”

    International bodies also raised sharp objections ahead of the ceasefire. A spokesperson for UN Secretary-General António Guterres said the UN chief was “deeply troubled” by statements that threatened to hold civilian populations responsible for political outcomes. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk warned Tuesday that the Trump administration’s threats could constitute severe violations of international law, ahead of the last-minute truce that pulled the region back from the brink of large-scale war.