标签： Asia

In a formal announcement released on Tuesday, China’s top prosecuting body confirmed that Bi Jingquan, a former senior official of the country’s top political advisory body, has been officially indicted on bribery charges by prosecutors from Shandong Province. The case against Bi was first investigated and concluded by the National Commission of Supervision, China’s top anti-corruption watchdog, before being handed over to prosecuting organs for mandatory review and the filing of formal legal charges. Jurisdiction over the case was assigned to prosecutors based in Jinan, the capital city of Shandong Province, who have now submitted their official indictment to the Jinan Intermediate People’s Court to move the legal process forward. According to the indictment details, Bi is alleged to have abused authority across multiple senior positions he held throughout his decades-long career. These roles include former head of the National Medical Products Administration, former deputy head of the State Administration for Market Regulation, and former deputy head of the Committee on Economic Affairs of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), China’s top political advisory body. Prosecutors claim Bi exploited these positions to secure improper benefits for third parties in exchange for accepting large sums of money and high-value valuables, which meets the legal criteria for criminal bribery. Prosecutors emphasized that throughout the entire review and prosecution procedure, Bi was fully informed of all his legal rights as a defendant, and the legal arguments and defense positions submitted by Bi’s legal representation were formally reviewed and considered ahead of the indictment being filed. Bi, now 70 years old, is a native of Heilongjiang Province in northeast China. He joined the Communist Party of China in March 1978 and entered official public service in February 1982. Over his four-decade career, he held senior leadership roles across multiple key national regulatory and economic bodies, including the former national price bureau, the National Development and Reform Commission, the National Medical Products Administration, and the State Administration for Market Regulation. In August 2020, Bi took up his post at the Committee on Economic Affairs under the CPPCC National Committee, and later also held key positions at the China Center for International Economic Exchanges, a leading national economic think tank. The indictment marks a key step forward in the country’s ongoing anti-corruption campaign, which targets misconduct by public officials at all levels across government and political advisory bodies.

BEIJING — In a high-profile bilateral meeting held in the Chinese capital on Tuesday, President Xi Jinping laid out a structured four-point proposal designed to advance lasting peace and long-term stability across the Middle East. The talks took place during a working visit by Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi of the United Arab Emirates.
Against a backdrop of ongoing regional tensions and unresolved conflicts that have rippled across the globe, President Xi’s proposal outlines four core guiding principles to steer future peace efforts. First, it calls for universal adherence to the fundamental principle of peaceful coexistence between all regional states, regardless of differing political systems, religious traditions or strategic outlooks. Second, it emphasizes unwavering respect for the inviolable principle of national sovereignty, a cornerstone of modern international relations that underpins the territorial integrity of every nation in the region. Third, it prioritizes consistent commitment to the rule of law in international affairs, establishing clear, shared norms to govern interactions between states and resolve disputes through peaceful, rule-based channels. Finally, the proposal calls for coordinated, integrated advancement of development initiatives and security frameworks, recognizing that sustained economic progress and collective security are mutually reinforcing pillars of stable societies.
The proposal comes as China expands its diplomatic engagement in the Middle East, positioning itself as a neutral broker committed to de-escalation and inclusive dialogue between regional actors. The meeting between President Xi and the Abu Dhabi Crown Prince also underscores the deepening bilateral ties between China and the United Arab Emirates, spanning trade, energy, security and cultural cooperation.

BEIJING – In a high-profile bilateral meeting held in Beijing on Tuesday, Chinese President Xi Jinping held talks with Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi of the United Arab Emirates, and laid out China’s core stance on regional stability in the Middle East and Gulf region. During the discussion, President Xi emphasized that the fundamental principles of international relations must be upheld in the region, starting with the full and unwavering respect for the sovereignty, national security, and territorial integrity of all countries in the Middle East and Gulf. Beyond core state interests, Xi also called for effective protection of the safety of foreign personnel, infrastructure, and official institutions of all nations operating within the region. This meeting comes amid ongoing geopolitical tensions that have shaken confidence in regional security, and China’s stance reflects its long-standing commitment to a balanced, rules-based approach to Middle East affairs. As a major global power with extensive economic and diplomatic ties to the Gulf region, China has consistently pushed for a collective security framework that centers the interests and agency of regional countries, rather than external interference. The discussion between Xi and the Abu Dhabi Crown Prince also aligns with China’s broader call for building a common, comprehensive, cooperative, and sustainable security architecture for the Middle East and Gulf region, a position the country has promoted in multiple multilateral forums. This diplomatic engagement underscores the deepening bilateral relations between China and the United Arab Emirates, while reaffirming China’s role as a responsible stakeholder in global peace and security efforts.

One of China’s most decorated ballistic missile experts, Major General Feng Yufang of the People’s Liberation Army Rocket Force, has passed away at the age of 63 following an illness, with his death announced on Monday, April 14, 2026.

Born in January 1963 in Yuyao, a city in China’s eastern Zhejiang Province, Feng spent his early years completing primary and secondary education in his hometown before earning admission to the National University of Defense Technology in Changsha, Hunan in September 1983. There, he specialized in the study of nuclear radiation and corresponding protective technologies, laying the academic foundation for his decades-long career in national defense research. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in July 1987 and was immediately assigned to a research institute under the PLA Second Artillery Corps, the organizational predecessor of today’s PLA Rocket Force.

Over the course of his tenure at the institute, Feng rose steadily through the professional ranks, focusing his research and development work on core technologies and operational tactics for both conventional and nuclear ballistic missile warheads. In late 2003, he was reassigned to a second institute under the then-PLA Second Artillery Corps Equipment Research Academy, where he remained through the end of 2014. That year, he was appointed senior engineer at the academy’s experimentation center, a role that allowed him to expand his work on cutting-edge warhead testing and validation.

Feng received his promotion to the rank of Major General in the summer of 2006, and not long after, he was tapped to lead a high-level national expert group focused on advancing missile warhead technology. He continued to pursue advanced academic work alongside his military research, earning a doctorate in 2008 from the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology — a leading national institution responsible for the development of both carrier rockets and ballistic missile systems. In 2017, Feng earned one of his field’s highest honors when he was elected as an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, a distinction reserved for the nation’s top engineering and technology innovators.

Throughout his four-decade career in national defense, Feng’s groundbreaking contributions to the development and deployment of next-generation conventional and nuclear warheads earned him numerous prestigious national awards, multiple honorary professional titles, and widespread recognition from both military and academic circles. Beyond his core research work, Feng also played a key role in national strategic policy: he served as a member of a top-tier national advisory council focused on nuclear arms control issues, and held seats on the 13th and 14th National Committees of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, contributing his expertise to broader national governance and policy deliberation.

MANILA, Philippines — One of the largest annual joint military exercises between the United States and the Philippines is set to kick off this spring, bringing over 17,000 personnel from the two treaty allies together for combat training. The drills, organizers say, send a clear signal that Washington remains deeply committed to regional security in the Indo-Pacific even as it navigates ongoing security crises in the Middle East, a senior U.S. military spokesperson confirmed Tuesday.

Running from April 20 to May 8, this year’s iteration of the annual Balikatan – Tagalog for “shoulder-to-shoulder” – drills will mark a major expansion from 2024, when roughly 9,000 U.S. troops took part. Unlike previous years, the 2025 exercise will open participation to additional partner nations that have formal visiting forces agreements with Manila, including Japan, France and Canada.

A centerpiece of the drills will be a live-fire ship-sinking exercise hosted in Philippine waters off the northwest coast, directly facing the disputed South China Sea. Philippine military officials confirmed that Japanese forces will conduct the live missile launch for the drill, and Japan’s top defense official has been extended an invitation to observe the operation in person.

When asked about the strategic purpose of deploying such a large contingent amid ongoing conflict in the Middle East, U.S. forces spokesperson Colonel Robert Bunn emphasized the exercise’s core message. “Our message is our dedication and commitment to our alliance and regional security,” Bunn told reporters during a news briefing. He also noted that counter-drone defense tactics, a critical capability for modern regional security challenges, will be a key focus of the mock combat training scenarios.

The exercises come amid rising long-running tensions over territorial claims in the South China Sea, a strategically vital global shipping waterway. Beijing claims nearly the entirety of the sea as its sovereign territory, overlapping with claims from Manila, Hanoi, Kuala Lumpur, Bandar Seri Begawan and Taipei. Territorial confrontations between Chinese and Philippine forces have intensified sharply in recent years.

China has repeatedly voiced opposition to large-scale military drills led by the U.S. in the disputed region. Philippine defense officials have stressed that the drills are not intended to target any specific nation, but have openly acknowledged that the joint training with Washington and other security partners strengthens the Philippines’ ability to defend its sovereign interests in the contested waters.

The exercise aligns with the Trump administration’s recent regional security posture. During a visit to Manila last year, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reaffirmed to Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. that Washington would work closely with regional allies to boost deterrence against global threats, specifically naming China’s assertive actions in the South China Sea. “Friends need to stand shoulder to shoulder to deter conflict, to ensure that there is free navigation whether you call it the South China Sea or the West Philippine Sea,” Hegseth said.