Delivering performances in several Chinese cities like Beijing and Xiamen, East China's Fujian Province, Spanish jazz pianist Marco Mezquida recently made his debut in China featuring a solo piano concert in Beijing on September 9. 

At the Beijing show, the Spanish artist has delivered a music repertoire which included an improvisation piece featuring multiple instruments and a reinterpreted piano piece of John Lennon's "Imagine." 

A jazzy interpretation on a 1970s Chinese song, "I Love Beijing Tian'anmen," was performed by the artist as a special gift engaging on-site audiences to hum along with his piano flow. 

Mezquida told the Global Times that he learned the song in only a few hours after arriving in Beijing. He noted that approaching Chinese songs with a new twist helps him "to connect deeply to the indigenous cultures he experiences." 

"When I finished the show, I will go taste some nice Beijing food and visit museums that have nice textile pieces," he told the Global Times. While noting the difference existing between music traditions of Spain and China, the artistic observance of Mezquida has made him able to grasp inspirations, such as the sounds in temples, from Beijing. 

"I know the music culture here has thousands of years of histories. I felt something really special about the city when I arrived here," Mezquida told the Global Times. He has also revealed that how his unique music was created starting from "hearing the sounds, and recording it and then transcribing it into the language of music."  

Before his Beijing performance, Mezquida played at the JZ Club in Shanghai, a renowned venue with over 20 years of history, serving as a key gathering place for Chinese jazz enthusiasts and professionals from across the country.

"I can feel the passion of audiences in China and I think in 20 and 30 years of time, there will be more great Chinese musicians in Jazz for sure," Mezquida told the Global Times. He added that he is looking forward to collaborating with classic and jazz musicians across the country. 

Born in 1987, Mezquida is a prolific artist who has taken part in the recording of more than 50 albums. He is known for his talent in giving original music expressions through fusing different genres.

The Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the China Film Group Corporation jointly launched the 2024 Netherlands Film Festival in Beijing on September 12.

The film festival selected 10 high-quality Dutch films in recent years to show Chinese audiences the real and vivid social landscape of contemporary Netherlands and the unique Dutch customs and practices. All of these films are premiered in China.

The 10 films screened are from various genres, covering a wide range of topics including the inspirational growth of teenagers, the emotional expression of senior citizens, the social concern of vulnerable groups, and family education. The movies interpret the true meaning of "love" from multiple emotional aspects such as family, love, and friendship.

Arriving at the ceremony by bike, André Haspels, the Netherlands Ambassador to China, said that in both China and the Netherlands, bicycles are far more than just a means of transportation. They also symbolize sustainability, health, team spirit, and a common commitment to building an inclusive society.

After the opening film was screened, director Camiel Schouwenaar and screenwriter Job Tichelman also visited the scene to share wonderful behind-the-scenes stories. Many audiences expressed their love for the film and were touched by the real power of persisting in dreams.

The Film Festival will run until October 31 and will be screened in seven major cities in China including Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Xiamen, Chengdu, and Nanjing.

A new exhibition at the China Art Museum in Shanghai is the first to systematically display the academic lineage of Chinese painting at the China Academy of Art, Jin Yibin, the Party chief of China's top fine art academy, said Monday.

The Ever Glow, Exhibition for Works from School of Chinese Paintings at the China Academy of Art, which runs until October 27, presents more than 200 works from masters like Huang Binhong, Lin Fengmian and Pan Tianshou to the latest students at the academy. 

According to the exhibition's curator, Sheng Tianye, the exhibition takes "the Academic Lineage" as its core, "Time" as the axis, and "Academic Tradition" as the background. It displays the academic lineage of Chinese paintings through four major sections: Approaching Cloud, Charming Wind, Searching for God and Asking. 

"It is the century-old shaping journey of Chinese paintings, from experience to academic theory, which gradually connects the spiritual and practical clues," said Sheng. 

Among all the paintings is the Endless Rivers and Mountains in Painting that Chinese painting master Li Keran created in 1982, which reminds visitors about Li's wish and ambitions to "create a biography of the mountains and rivers of the motherland." 

With his strong and advanced creativity, he transformed personal possessions into the possessions of the times as well as art. 

"Chinese painting has always been not only a type of painting, but also related to the inheritance and development of Chinese culture," Jin said. 

"We can discover the poetic roots of integration between China and Western cultures and the endless innovation of Chinese paintings in the past century," he noted.  

A Chinese envoy on Thursday called on all Somali parties to keep up the momentum, strengthen dialogue and unity, and stay committed to resolving differences through dialogue.

In remarks at the UN Security Council briefing on Somalia, Dai Bing, China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, noted that in recent years, Somalia has made important headway in national reconstruction and peace and security, and both the UN and African Union (AU) missions have entered a critical transition period.

"At this important stage, the support and assistance of the international community cannot relax," Dai said.

He emphasized three points -- maintaining the overall situation of political stability; strengthening the foundation of security transition; and advancing UNSOM (UN Assistance Mission in Somalia) transition in an orderly manner.

Underscoring that the Somali federal government has maintained communication with the governments of federal member states and reached important consensus on the constitution, elections, and political parties, the ambassador said, "We expect all Somali parties to keep up the momentum, strengthen dialogue and unity, and stay committed to resolving differences through dialogue."

He stressed that China has consistently supported the efforts of the Somali government to safeguard national unity, sovereignty, and territorial integrity, and called on the international community to support the country in exploring a development path that suits its national conditions, and provide guarantees for Somalia to embark on the path of long-term and stable development.

Dai noted that in the next phase, ATMIS (African Union Transition Mission in Somalia) will transition into a new AU mission, and expressed the hope that Somalia, the AU, the UN, and others will strengthen their communication and coordination to reach consensus on new mission arrangements and to ensure the smooth progress of the relevant work.

"Under-funding is an important challenge to AU missions' mandate performance," he said, calling on the European Union and other traditional donors to maintain their funding for the new mission and continue to contribute to the security and stability of Somalia. Dai also urged the Security Council to respond to the initiative of the AU and actively study various effective options to provide sustainable and predictable financial support for the new mission.

Noting that the Somali government has repeatedly called for the transition of UNSOM to a UN country team, and has recently submitted a two-year transition proposal to the Security Council, the ambassador called on the council to use this as a base and, in line with Somalia's national development priorities, adjust and streamline UNSOM's mandate, with a view to ensuring a smooth and orderly transition.

"China supports the peace and development process in Somalia, as well as the enhancement of Somalia's capacity for autonomous development, counter-terrorism, and stability. We will continue to provide support to international peacekeeping operations in Somalia," Dai said.

For the global business community, including US companies, no one wants to "decouple" from China, as cooperation remains the mainstream, and mutual benefit is the goal, Wang Linjie, spokesperson from China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) told a press conference on Sunday.

Wang's remarks were in response to recent restrictive measures taken by the US against China, including raising the Section 301 tariffs on certain Chinese goods and strengthening export restrictions on technologies such as quantum computing and semiconductor manufacturing.

Wang said that the US has continuously outstretched the concept of national security, violating the principles of the market economy by politicizing and weaponizing economic, trade, and technological issues.

The WTO has already ruled that the US Section 301 tariffs violate WTO rules. The US tariff measures are typical examples of unilateralism and protectionism. These actions have disrupted the stability and smooth functioning of global supply chains, including those in the semiconductor and other technology manufacturing industries, and have seriously harmed the legitimate rights and interests of relevant countries and enterprises, Wang noted.

During the recent third meeting of the APEC Business Advisory Council for 2024, representatives from the Chinese and the US business communities emphasized the importance of keeping supply chains open, cooperative, and non-discriminatory, while ensuring supply chain policies comply with WTO rules and avoid distorting trade and investment, according to Wang.

Recently, the US-China Business Council released a survey on China's 2024 business environment, with participation from 140 member companies. 77 percent of the companies have been operating in China for over 20 years, with 40 percent reporting revenues exceeding $1 billion in China in 2023.

The survey revealed that American companies in China have stabilized their revenues over the past year, with 80 percent of respondents achieving profitability. These companies plan to reinvest profits generated in China this year, indicating a continued commitment to the Chinese market. The general consensus among the surveyed US businesses is that the Chinese market is a crucial component of their global strategy, according to Wang.

"This reflects that for the global business community, including American companies, no one wants to 'decouple' from China, as cooperation remains the mainstream, and mutual benefit is the goal," Wang noted.

President Xi Jinping on Monday said the Chinese people will score more remarkable achievements and make greater contributions to the noble cause of peace and development of humanity.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks while addressing a reception held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China (PRC).

China's National Day falls on Oct. 1.

Li Qiang presided over the reception. Zhao Leji, Wang Huning, Cai Qi, Ding Xuexiang, Li Xi and Han Zheng attended the event together with around 3,000 Chinese and foreign guests.

In his address, Xi, on behalf of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council, first paid high tribute to the people of all ethnic groups in China, to the officers and soldiers of the Chinese People's Liberation Army and the People's Armed Police Force, and to other political parties and personages without party affiliation.

Xi extended sincere greetings to compatriots in the Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions, in Taiwan, as well as overseas Chinese. He also expressed heartfelt gratitude to friendly countries and international friends who care about and support the development of the PRC.

On the new journey in the new era, the central task of the Party and the country is building China into a strong country and achieving national rejuvenation on all fronts by pursuing Chinese modernization, said Xi.

Advancing this unprecedented great cause steadily is the best way to celebrate the anniversary of the PRC, he stressed.

Xi emphasized that, to advance Chinese modernization, it is imperative to always uphold the core role of the Party in exercising overall leadership and coordinating the efforts of all sides, unswervingly follow the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics, deepen reform across the board and expand opening up, uphold a people-centered approach, and remain committed to peaceful development.

Xi stressed the importance of fully, faithfully and resolutely implementing the policy of One Country, Two Systems, under which the people of Hong Kong administer Hong Kong and the people of Macao administer Macao, both with a high degree of autonomy.

He also called for efforts to ensure and advance long-term prosperity and stability in Hong Kong and Macao.

"Taiwan is an integral part of China's territory," said Xi, urging efforts to deepen economic and cultural exchanges and cooperation across the Taiwan Strait and resolutely oppose separatist activities aimed at "Taiwan independence."

Noting that people of all countries live on the same Earth and share a common destiny, Xi called for efforts to promote the building of a community with a shared future for humanity.

After 75 years of strenuous efforts, the Chinese modernization has unfolded promising prospects, said Xi, while also cautioning against potential risks and challenges on the road ahead.

"We must remain mindful of potential dangers and be well-prepared," said Xi, urging efforts to resolutely overcome uncertainties and unexpected risks and challenges.