标签： Asia

In a formal online press briefing held Thursday, China’s Ministry of National Defense has categorically denied unsubstantiated media claims that Chinese entities have provided chip manufacturing equipment and intelligence assistance to Iran’s military, labeling the assertions outright false information.

Spokesperson Zhang Xiaogang addressed the allegations during the briefing, which centered on two specific claims: first, that Shanghai-based Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp (SMIC) had supplied chipmaking gear to Iran’s armed forces, and second, that a Chinese commercial satellite firm had intentionally distributed imagery of United States military installations across the Middle East.

Zhang emphasized that Beijing maintains a firm stance against the circulation of speculative, insinuating, and factually incorrect content crafted to target China. He also pushed back against recent remarks from United States officials, who claimed they had detected coordinated efforts by both China and Russia to bolster Iran’s military capabilities and were prepared to take responsive measures if deemed necessary.

“China’s position on the Iran issue is open, aboveboard, and completely clear,” Zhang stated. “We have long maintained an objective and impartial stance, consistently working to advance peace negotiations and de-escalation, and we have never at any point added fuel to the fire of regional tensions.”

The spokesperson further pointed out that the international community has a clear-eyed view of which powers engage in duplicitous rhetoric versus action, and which actors have been the root cause of widespread war and conflict across the globe. The statement comes amid rising geopolitical scrutiny of major powers’ engagements in the Middle East, as Washington has repeatedly sought to level unsubstantiated accusations against Beijing regarding its regional activities.

Updated on April 9, 2026, the formal denial reaffirms China’s longstanding commitment to regional stability and diplomatic resolution of the ongoing tensions surrounding Iran.

One of Islam’s most sacred religious sites, Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem, has reopened its gates to Palestinian worshippers after an extraordinary 41-day closure ordered by Israeli authorities, a shutdown that spanned the major Muslim holidays of Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr.

When the first dawn Fajr prayer was held on Thursday morning, more than 3,000 Palestinian worshippers gathered inside the mosque’s sprawling courtyards to worship for the first time since the joint US-Israeli assault on Iran began on February 28. Viral footage circulated on social media captured jubilant crowds streaming through the reopened gates, their relief and joy palpable after the weeks of forced exclusion. Preparations for the reopening had begun days earlier, with volunteer teams and mosque custodians working to clean and restore the site ahead of worshippers’ return.

Israeli officials have justified the total closure, which blocked all Palestinian Muslim access even for weekly Friday prayers, by citing security risks tied to the conflict with Iran. But Palestinian leaders and community members have openly questioned this justification, pointing out that Israeli authorities allowed large-scale gatherings for Jewish religious holidays were permitted to proceed elsewhere in the region throughout the closure. Many Palestinians argue Israel is using the war on Iran as a cover to tighten its unilateral control over the site, altering longstanding rules governing access, opening hours, and permitted religious activities.

Al-Aqsa Mosque, located within Jerusalem’s walled Old City, has been governed for decades by the international Status Quo agreement, a framework that explicitly recognizes the site’s Islamic identity and grants exclusive authority to Muslim religious bodies for all matters of access, worship, and site maintenance. However, this longstanding arrangement has been repeatedly eroded by Israeli actions, including frequent incursions and unauthorised prayer by ultranationalist Jewish groups, carried out under armed Israeli police protection. The international community almost universally considers Israel’s 1967 annexation and ongoing occupation of East Jerusalem, including the Old City, as a violation of international law, which holds that occupying powers cannot claim sovereignty over captured territory and are barred from imposing permanent structural changes.

The developments following the mosque’s reopening have already raised fresh alarms about escalating Israeli changes to the site. Within hours of worshippers completing Thursday’s dawn prayer, Israeli authorities allowed a new expanded schedule of daily incursions by ultranationalist groups, extending the total daily duration of these visits. On the first day of reopening, dozens of ultranationalist visitors entered the site shortly after 6:30 a.m. local time, immediately after Palestinian worshippers were cleared from the area. Video footage shows the visitors conducting unauthorised prayers and dances inside the mosque compound, surrounded by a heavy detachment of armed Israeli police.

The practice of regular, guarded incursions traces back to 2003, during the Second Palestinian Intifada, and was formalized in 2008 when a limited morning visits of up to three hours were institutionalized. Over the following decades, both the number of participants and the duration of daily visits have grown steadily. Before the recent closure, incursions were split into two daily shifts on weekdays: 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m., and 1:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. Under a new schedule approved prior to the February assault on Iran, incursions now run from 6:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. to 3:00 p.m., totaling six and a half hours of daily access for ultranationalist groups, a major expansion from prior arrangements.

The Jerusalem Governorate has condemned the extended incursion schedule as a dangerous escalation that further undermines the fragile Status Quo agreement. In an official statement following the reopening, the Governorate noted: “The extension reflects an acceleration in efforts to impose new realities at Al-Aqsa Mosque and entrench time-based division, particularly following its reopening after a 40-day closure.”

This report was originally published by independent outlet Middle East Eye, which specializes in original coverage of the Middle East and North Africa region.

In a recent official statement reported by China Daily on April 9, 2026, a spokesperson for the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) of China has publicly called out Japan’s growing military ambitions, bringing long-simmering regional concerns about Tokyo’s shifting defense posture into the global spotlight.

Over the past decade, Japan has steadily eroded the constraints of its post-World War II pacifist constitution, expanding the scope and operational capacity of its self-defense forces beyond what regional stakeholders have long considered acceptable boundaries. Recent policy shifts, including significant increases in defense spending, plans to acquire long-range strike capabilities, and closer military integration with extra-regional powers, have accelerated this trajectory, raising alarms across East Asia.

The PLA spokesperson emphasized that these incremental moves are not, as Japanese officials have repeatedly claimed, simple adjustments to address modern security challenges. Instead, they represent a deliberate, long-term push to rewrite the post-war regional security order and rebuild a large-scale offensive military capability that threatens the sovereignty and security of neighboring countries. For nations that suffered from Japanese militarist expansion in the 20th century, the accelerating military buildup is seen as a dangerous departure from decades of pacifist policy that requires close and constant vigilance.

Regional analysts note that the public statement from the PLA spokesperson reflects a broad consensus within China that Tokyo’s military ambitions can no longer be downplayed. As Japan continues to push for greater military power projection beyond its own borders, the risk of miscalculation and heightened tension across the East Asian region is projected to grow, making transparent monitoring of its military policy shifts more critical than ever for regional peace and stability.

China’s top anti-corruption watchdog announced on Thursday that a retired former senior political advisor from east China’s Anhui province has been put under formal disciplinary review and supervisory investigation over suspected violations of Party rules and national law.

Yao Yuzhou, 66, who once served as vice-chairman of the Anhui Provincial Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), is suspected of committing serious breaches of Party discipline and legal regulations, according to an official statement released by the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) and the National Commission of Supervision (NCS), the country’s top anti-graft bodies.

A native of Anhui, Yao built his decades-long public service career entirely within the province. He entered the workforce in 1979 and became a member of the Communist Party of China in 1987. Over his decades of service, he held a series of key provincial and municipal leadership posts: he assumed the role of mayor of Ma’anshan city in 2003, before moving to the position of Party chief of Tongling city in 2008, later taking the top Party post in Xuancheng in 2013 and then Chuzhou in 2016.

Towards the end of his career, Yao was appointed secretary of the Political and Legal Affairs Commission of the Communist Party of China Anhui Provincial Committee. He was named vice-chairman of the Anhui Provincial CPPCC Committee in 2020 and officially stepped down from public office for retirement in 2023.

The investigation marks another step forward in China’s ongoing nationwide anti-corruption campaign, which has targeted both high-ranking officials and lower-level public servants across all regions and sectors of government since it was launched, demonstrating the country’s consistent commitment to rooting out graft and enforcing disciplinary and legal accountability for all public officials, regardless of their position or retirement status.