China's Ministry of State Security (MSS) on Wednesday revealed a case in which a local fisherman helped uncover and thwart a foreign espionage operation by retrieving a suspicious underwater surveillance device during routine fishing, CCTV News reported.

According to the MSS, the fisherman, surnamed Chen, discovered a strangely shaped device while fishing. 

Alerted by its unusual appearance and recalling a previous case in which a fisherman from a neighboring village had also retrieved a similarly peculiar device, which was later confirmed to be used for stealing classified information, Chen promptly called the national security hotline and returned to port with the device.

Shortly after the device was retrieved from the water, a foreign agency monitoring its movement received an emergency alert indicating a drastic location change. This confirmed that the recovered device was indeed a new type of underwater surveillance equipment deployed by a foreign country in China's territorial waters.

Judging by its speed and trajectory, the agency concluded the device had likely been retrieved and was en route to a Chinese port. It then dispatched a long-term operative in China, a Chinese national surnamed Liu, to locate the device.

National security officers stated that upon receiving Chen's report, while maintaining close communication with the fisherman and monitoring the ship's return trajectory, they collaborated with police, coast guard, and relevant local departments. 

Concurrently, security officers tracked the movements of suspect Liu. Through coordinated intelligence efforts with other agencies, they deliberately leaked news of "Chen retrieving a spy device." 

After the boat docked, Liu attempted posed as a novelty collector interested in purchasing the device but was rebuffed by Chen. 

Liu was already under surveillance by national security officers, and every move he made was tracked until his eventual arrest, CCTV News reported.

Security officers said Liu was ordered to offer a large sum of money in exchange for the device and smuggle it out of the country if possible.

Following these leads, the MSS dismantled a long-running foreign spy network operating inside China and took legal action against those involved.

Chen has since received official recognition and was commended for his contribution.

Chinese President Xi Jinping's just-concluded Southeast Asia tour focused on good-neighborly relations and promoted mutually beneficial cooperation, and achieved a complete success, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Friday.

Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said during a press briefing that Xi's trip to Vietnam, Malaysia and Cambodia from Monday to Friday was the first overseas tour of the Chinese head of state this year.

The tour sent a strong signal that China firmly defends multilateralism and international trade rules, Wang said.

On Xi's visit to Vietnam, Wang said that the strategic guidance of the top leaders of the two parties and countries is the biggest advantage of and the most important political guarantee for the development of China-Vietnam relations.

The leaders of the two parties and countries unanimously confirmed that in accordance with the overarching goals characterized by "six mores," the two sides will advance the development of their comprehensive strategic cooperation with higher quality and on deeper levels, and accelerate the building of a China-Vietnam community with a shared future that carries strategic significance, he said.

During Xi's visit to Vietnam, bilateral railway cooperation has been expanded and upgraded, which particularly demonstrated the determination of the two countries to seek common development, Wang said.

On Xi's visit to Malaysia, Wang said its most significant outcome was that the leaders of the two countries elevated China-Malaysia relations to a new height and announced the building of a high-level strategic China-Malaysia community with a shared future.

This marks another leap in the positioning of the bilateral relationship after China and Malaysia announced the joint building of a China-Malaysia community with a shared future in 2023, Wang noted.

A highlight of this visit is that the two sides agreed to become a pacesetter for regional cooperation on new quality productive forces, focusing on cutting-edge fields such as digital economy, green economy and artificial intelligence, he added.

Speaking of Xi's visit to Cambodia, Wang noted that the highlight was the joint announcement by Xi and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet on elevating the China-Cambodia relationship to an all-weather China-Cambodia community with a shared future in the new era, which marks the first time that China has elevated its bilateral relationship with a Southeast Asian country to an all-weather level.

Wang said that during Xi's Southeast Asia tour, the Chinese president pointed out that economic globalization benefits all countries and no country can retreat into isolation.

Trade wars will undermine the international trading system, the stability of the global economic order and the legitimate interests of all countries in the world, especially developing countries, Xi noted.

As key members of the Global South, China and neighboring countries should strengthen coordination and cooperation, stand together to combat the undercurrent of camp-based confrontation, jointly oppose unilateralism and counter the law of the jungle where the strong prey on the weak with the Asian values of peace, cooperation, openness and inclusiveness, so as to safeguard the bright prospects of our Asian family, Xi said.

Xi underscored that despite the headwind of mounting protectionism, China will pursue high-quality development, expand high-standard opening up and share development opportunities with neighboring countries.

China's mega market is always open to neighboring countries, and China welcomes more high-quality products from ASEAN members, he added.

The China Search and Rescue Team, the China International Search and Rescue Team, and the search and rescue team from the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region left Myanmar on Wednesday after completing their mission in the earthquake-stricken areas.

Before their departure, a ceremony was held at Myanmar's Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement Ministry. Soe Win, vice chairman of the State Administration Council, presented a letter of gratitude to the Chinese teams.

The teams have boarded four Chinese Air Force planes to return home from Myanmar's capital Nay Pyi Taw.

Myanmar's Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs U Lwin Oo, and Cao Jing, chargé d'affaires of the Chinese Embassy in Myanmar, saw them off at the airport.

In response to questions regarding that the US applies 10 percent baseline tariff to most countries, suspends the higher "reciprocal tariffs" for a 90-day period while threatens to impose 125% tariffs on imports from China, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian on Thursday denounced the US' tariffs as "a blatant defiance of universal principles and a confrontation with the entire world." 

"The US, driven by self-interest, has weaponized tariffs for extreme pressure and selfish gain. This seriously infringes on the legitimate rights and interests of all countries, seriously violates WTO rules, harms the multilateral trading system based on rules, and shocks the stability of the global economic order," Lin said at a press conference.

"Taking necessary countermeasures to oppose the bullying actions of the US is not only to safeguard our own sovereignty, security, and development interests, but also to uphold international fairness and justice, protect the multilateral trading system, and defend the common interests of the international community. Those who uphold justice gain wide support, while those who act against it have little. The US' reckless and unjust actions are unpopular and will ultimately end in failure," Lin said.

"There is no winner in a trade war. We do not want a trade war, but we are not afraid of fighting one. We will never allow the legitimate rights and interests of the Chinese people to be taken way, nor will we tolerate the undermining of international economic rules and the multilateral trading system," Lin stressed.

Should the United States insist on launching a tariff war or trade war, China will resolutely respond to the end, Lin said.

The US' practice of prioritizing its own interests over the global common good, sacrificing the legitimate interests of all nations to serve its own hegemonic interests, will inevitably face stronger international opposition, Lin said.

Chinese rescue teams are continuing to work in the hard-hit Mandalay in central Myanmar following the 7.9-magnitude temblor last week, and have so far saved eight survivors as of 8 am local time on Tuesday in the country, Xinhua News Agency reported.

The China Search and Rescue Team saved four survivors, the Yunnan Rescue Medical Team rescued one survivor, and other civil emergency forces rescued three and assisted the China Search and Rescue Team, the Xinhua report said. 

To coordinate the Chinese rescue teams in Mandalay, a rescue work mechanism was established to enhance information sharing and joint logistics to ensure the quality and effectiveness of their rescue work. 

On Tuesday, Myanmar held a national mourning ceremony to observe a minute of silence for the victims of the earthquake. Myanmar on Monday declared a week-long mourning period from March 31 to April 6, during which flags across the country will fly at half-mast, according to CCTV. 

The death toll from Friday's devastating earthquake in Myanmar has reached 2,719, with 4,521 people injured and 441 others still missing, the country's State Administration Council Chairman Min Aung Hlaing said on Tuesday, according to Xinhua News Agency.

On Tuesday afternoon, a rescue team from China donated a temporary office for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Myanmar in Nay Pyi Taw. The Chinese rescue team also showed how to erect and use the site.

On the same day, Chinese Ambassador to Myanmar Ma Jia visited and expressed appreciation to a rescue medical team from China's Yunnan Province in Nay Pyi Taw. The Ambassador expressed gratitude to the team for rushing to Myanmar and arriving within 18 hours after the earthquake, making them the first international rescue team to successfully rescue a survivor, the Global Times learnt from the Chinese Embassy in Myanmar.

"Xiexie!" The Mayor of Mandalay, U Kyaw Hsan, sincerely thanked the Chinese Rescue Team of Ram Union for its rescue work on Tuesday. Local residents spontaneously offered herbal tea and mineral water to salute the rescue team members.

On Tuesday morning, the Myanmar Red Cross Society held a donation ceremony for the 1.5-million-yuan donation from the Red Cross Society of China. Minister counselor of the Chinese Embassy in Myanmar Cao Jing and Dr Myo Nyunt, Chairman of the Myanmar Red Cross Society, attended the event. 

Covering the rescuing work in Myanmar, some media outlets made a comparison of countries' efforts devoted in the disaster relief work. 

"Chinese rescuers have freed six people from the rubble of an earthquake in Myanmar, including a child and a pregnant woman, Chinese state media reported Monday, placing Beijing at the forefront of an international rescue effort from which the US has been largely absent," one NBC report wrote on Monday.

The US said Monday that it would provide $2 million in aid and a small US Agency for International Development emergency response team has been deployed to assess the situation in Myanmar, but officials said that it had not yet been able to enter the country as of Monday morning, according to an ABC report. 

"While the dollar amount of initial aid is in line with what the US has pledged in the past, the overall pace of the response has been slower", the report said. 

After the Myanmar earthquake, China quickly provided assistance and sent rescue workers, which not only reflects the stability of bilateral relations between both countries, but also clearly demonstrates the efficient results of China and ASEAN cooperation in disaster relief, Li Haidong, a professor at China Foreign Affairs University, told the Global Times.

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