Including rare discoveries like carbonized grains and ancient coins, more than 170 artifacts dating back to the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) have been unearthed at the Jiankou section of the Great Wall in Beijing. Such gems were discovered thanks to an on-site archaeological project that is set to conclude at the end of August.  

The implementation of archaeology at this time was meant to assist in the fifth phase of the Jiankou Great Wall's restoration. By adopting the "excavating while restoring" approach for the first time, it is one of the examples that highlights China's growing creativity in protecting the Great Wall in modern times. 

Pivotal works

In April, archaeological works started at the Jiankou section of the Great Wall two months before the on-site restoration work began. Such an arrangement was "sensible" since it "gives immediate rescue to the yet-to-be-discovered Great Wall relics," archaeologist Wang Meng told the Global Times. 

Three types of relics were "rescued" in the months after the project kicked off. There were architectural components such as a beast-shaped decoration, military remains like the Frankish machines, a type of small cannons, and ancient everyday items like coins. 

Despite their small size, the ­unearthed carbonized plant seeds were important discoveries showing human interactions with the Great Wall. 

Shang Heng, head of the archaeological project, told the Global Times that some of these remnants have already been identified as grains. According to the condition in which the relics were discovered, Shang said that they show ancient garrisoned soldiers' "eating habits and their outdoor barbecue-like cooking style."  

"Such archaeological discoveries have added more interesting narratives to Great Wall culture. These narratives bring the ancient heritage to life and closer to us," remarked Shang, who is also a researcher at the Beijing Institute of Archaeology.  

What made the Jiankou archaeological project special was its interdisciplinary nature, in which the archaeological process was integrated with studies of plants, animals, the environment, and digital technology into the archaeological process. 

The incorporation of digital technology was a highlight. More than 8,000 photos, along with techniques such as unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) measuring, and 3D modeling were carried out on-site to establish a comprehensive digital record of the Jiankou section of the Great Wall. 

Shang Jinyu, an expert responsible for the digital project, told the Global Times that digital works are pivotal to the entire restoration project, since the flexibility of machines like the UAV can help human beings detect "some neglected and extremely fragile parts that need to be repaired."  

Similar to the digital strategy used at the Jiankou section of the Great Wall, Li Dan, a representative from the Administration Office of the Badaling Great Wall, told the Global Times that a total of 18 patrol routes for UAVs have been allocated along the Badaling section of the Great Wall to help with safety management while also boosting local tourism.  

"Making a cultural heritage site come alive is a difficult task that demands not only the modern inputs like digital technologies, but also the societal power and the love of ordinary people," Xu Shuming, a cultural sociologist, told the Global Times. 

Global attention

Themed "Love My China, Repair My Great Wall," a campaign encouraging societal-level sponsorships to protect the Great Wall was launched in Beijing 40 years ago. 

The initiative was jointly launched by the media in Beijing at the time and was ground-breaking since it attracted individuals, enterprises, and social groups from different fields like art, entertainment, and sport to contribute to repairing the Great Wall. 

The initiative was successful in preserving the Badaling section of the Great Wall, Li Dan told the Global Times. According to Li, between 1984 and 1994, it received donations from 100,000 organizations and groups, including international contributors. 

Xu, an expert, told the Global Times that other than engaging the Chinese community, the campaign has left another legacy that has encouraged the world to join in the conservation of the Great Wall. During the "Love My China, Repair My Great Wall" campaign, for example, organizations from Pakistan, Greece, the US, and 24 other countries and regions also made active contributions, collectively raising tens of millions of yuan. 

"It is thanks to such a well-established historic tradition of engaging the international community in the protection of the Great Wall that this cultural heritage can be enjoyed by the rest of the world, especially the younger generations," Xu remarked. 

A brief scroll through international social media platforms such as X (formerly Twitter), YouTube, and TikTok, reveals a myriad of content shared by netizens related to the Great Wall, indicating that the world heritage site is perceived as a "marvelous spectacle" globally.  

The Badaling section of the Great Wall has received nearly 200 million domestic and international visitors, including over 500 heads of state, government leaders, and numerous globally recognized figures, according to the data from the Badaling Great Wall Management Office. These influential figures shared their admiration for the cultural heritage site in their journeys.

To further promote the international influence of the cultural brand of China, various international exchange activities have been held on the Great Wall in recent years. The 2021 Belt and Road Great Wall International Folk Culture and Arts Festival kicked off in Qinhuangdao, North China's Hebei Province, presenting a grand cultural feast to audiences both at home and abroad. Moreover, the torch for the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics was ceremonially transferred at the Badaling section of the Great Wall in Beijing's Yanqing district, capturing the attention of the world.

China will focus on raising serious concerns regarding the Taiwan question, addressing development rights and strategic security in discussions with the US during National Security Advisor Jack Sullivan's upcoming visit to Beijing, China's Foreign Ministry said on Sunday.

Sullivan will be the first US national security advisor to visit China in eight years, and his trip comes less than three months before the US presidential election. 

The visit, according to Chinese experts, symbolizes both countries' commitment to maintaining high-level official communication in this complex bilateral relationship and to assist both countries in managing their differences for the remaining time of the Biden administration.

Hot button issues

Sullivan's visit is at the invitation of Wang Yi, China's Foreign Minister, member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and director of the Office of the Central Commission for Foreign Affairs, foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said on Saturday.

Sullivan will visit China from Tuesday to Thursday. 

Wang will have an in-depth exchange of views with Sullivan on China-US relations, sensitive subjects and major international and regional hot topics, according to a statement from the Department of North American and Oceanian Affairs of China's Foreign Ministry, noting both sides have agreed to continue to make good use of this strategic communication channel. 

China will focus on expressing serious concerns, clarifying firm positions, and making serious demands regarding the Taiwan question, China's development rights and strategic security, said the statement.

The US containment measures on China are mainly concentrated on those three aspects, if those issues are not properly addressed, China-US ties cannot be stabilized or improved, Wu Xinbo, director of the Center for American Studies at Fudan University, told the Global Times. 

Although obstacles remain, Wu is optimistic that Sullivan's visit embodied both countries' commitment on keeping high-level exchanges, and plays a significant role in China-US relations during the remaining time of the Biden administration. 

According to the foreign ministry statement, Wang's meeting with Sullivan in China is a key outcome of the consensus reached between the two heads of state in Bali in November 2022. Since that time, Wang and Sullivan have held three rounds of substantive and constructive strategic communications in Vienna, Malta and Bangkok, achieving positive results

During the US election cycle, candidates often hype China-related issues in order to appeal to voters. Sullivan's visit provides Beijing with an opportunity to caution Washington against allowing domestic politics to influence foreign policy decisions, and to effectively address differences in the next few months, Lü Xiang, a research fellow at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times. 

China will likely use this visit to send a clear signal to the US that, whoever sits in the White House, any violation of China's red line will invoke Beijing's strong countermeasures, said Lü.

Needs for cooperation

China's Foreign Ministry also touched on China's stance on Russia-Ukraine crisis, South China Sea issue and Palestine-Israel conflicts on Sunday. 

On the Russia-Ukraine crisis, China's position is open and straightforward, and it will continue to promote peace talks, push for political solutions, and engage in mediation diplomacy. The US should stop abusing unilateral sanctions and long-arm jurisdiction, and halt efforts to smear, slander, and coerce China. China will persist in taking strong and effective measures to protect its core interests and legitimate rights, according to the statement. 

On South China Sea, the foreign ministry cautioned that countries outside of the region should not engage in actions that provoke confrontation and escalate tensions.

A senior US official told Reuters that Sullivan would be looking to hear China's assessment of the situation in the Middle East, where the two sides have different approaches but some shared concerns about instability. Sullivan's visit to Beijing reflected the urgency of the US to conduct cooperation with China at a time when Washington's hands are tied in the ongoing international conflicts, according to Chinese experts.

The Biden administration has been seeking to limit the fallout from the conflict in Gaza, now in its 11th month. 

The conflict between Russia and Ukraine continues to persist, despite the military aid provided by US-led Western countries to Ukraine and the imposition of a slew of sanctions on Russia in hopes of forcing Moscow into defeat. 

To conduct pragmatic dialogue and cooperation with China is a fundamental goal of US diplomatic security strategy, no matter who takes the Oval Office, Zhu Feng, director of the Institute of International Studies at Nanjing University, told the Global Times on Sunday. 

A senior official from Biden's administration briefed reporters on the condition of anonymity that the focus of the meeting between Wang and Sullivan is to maintain communications on the host of difficult issues and demonstrate "that even amidst competition that we can find constructive ways to work with each other," per the Associated Press. 

The US is clear that decoupling with China is impossible when it comes to promoting world peace and economic development, said Zhu. He noted that China's US policy remains unchanged, and now the onus falls on the US to work with China to establish a bilateral relationship that is responsible for both people and the world's peace and development. 

Recently, a research team from a Chinese university successfully sent samples of soybean bacteria to the nation's Tiangong Space Station via the Tianzhou-6 cargo spacecraft. The project is the first Hong Kong agricultural research project to be launched into space, opening a new chapter for the integration of aerospace and agricultural technology.

"The experiment although small in the grand scheme of scientific research, for our research team in Hong Kong, it represents a significant milestone that will pave the way for advancements in agricultural technology. Being part of this esteemed space experiment provides us with the opportunity to showcase our research capability on a national level," said Hong Kong-based biologist Lam Hon Ming.
Lam, the project's chief scientist, told the Global Times that the experiment represents significant achievement in agricultural innovation in Hong Kong, while also fostering collaboration between scientific communities in Hong Kong and the Chinese mainland. "We are proud to be contributing to such groundbreaking and important scientific endeavors."

According to Lam, the experiment aims to discover how soybean seeds and nitrogen-fixing bacteria mutate in space conditions, opening the door to new advances in agricultural technology that could make soybean farming more resilient to climate change.

Lam and his team are currently studying analysis of the specimens on their return to explore how their mutation mechanisms behave in space and hope that could offer valuable knowledge for potential applications in space agriculture, such as cultivating crops on other celestial bodies or in space stations.

"Perhaps, in the future, we can explore the possibility of cultivating soybeans in extraterrestrial environments such as the Mars, the Moon, and outer space," he said.

Lam is also a director of State Key Laboratory of Agrobiotechnology at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, a national-level research team approved by the Ministry of Science and Technology of China.

He said the project could also contribute to the country's overall food security. The key to development of China's agricultural sector lies in harnessing the power of science and technology, given that 80 percent of the country's demand currently imported because of a shortage of arable land, Lam noted.

"Our long-term vision is to combine China's most advanced aerospace technology with the most important food security research, use space projects to promote close ties between Hong Kong and the mainland, and establish an international innovation and technology hub that engages with the world," Lam said.

Limited land resources and technological gaps in China's soybean industry have led to lower productivity levels when compared to the United States. However, as China continues to invest in research and development, the gap between China and the US in soybean production is expected to narrow, paving the way for a more competitive agricultural sector in the future.

Working on soybean research for more than two decades, Lam is committed to promoting sustainable agricultural development through his research. Through identification and characterization of key genes from elite germplasms that may enhance adaption to biotic and abiotic stresses, Lam envisions integrating cutting-edge academic technology with traditional knowledge from farmers to promote sustainable agriculture.

In 2014, his team successfully identified and cloned a salt-tolerant gene from wild soybean, which paved the way to improving agriculture on marginal lands. Lam also collaborated with scientists in Northwest China's Gansu Province and successfully developed three new stress tolerance soybean cultivars called Longhuang 1, Longhuang 2, and Longhuang 3, with traits such as high-yield, high-quality and high-tolerance for salt and drought.

From 2016 to 2023, the soybeans had been planted in an area spanning approximately 1.18 million mu (78,667 hectares) in Gansu, delivering an additional income of 97 million yuan ($13.6 million) to local farmers.

Recalling his partnership with his Gansu counterpart Zhang Guohong, which have yielded fruitful results, Lam said "there is significant potential to grow our business in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area."

"With its large population, thriving agricultural market, and advanced food processing technology, the Greater Bay Area offers numerous opportunities for our products. By establishing a sustainable ecosystem that encompasses production, processing, and sales in this region, we can drive economic growth and create a model for sustainable agricultural development," Lam said.

The Chinese Football Association (CFA) lately issued four disciplinary decisions against players for misconduct, targeting violent and fraudulent behavior, a move that highlights the association's commitment to cleaning up the sport and promoting fair play.

Li Ke, a player from Chines Super League (CSL) club Beijing Guoan, was suspended for four matches and fined 40,000 yuan ($5,700) for violent conduct during a CSL match on August 11.

"Violent conduct only resulted in a four-match ban, that seems a little bit light," many netizens commented on social media. 

This sentiment reflects growing public demand for harsher penalties and a higher standard of conduct within the sport. 

CSL club Wuhan Three Towns player Pedro Henrique of Brazil was suspended for three matches and fined 30,000 yuan for stomping on an ­opponent during the CSL match against ­Changchun Yatai on August 10. 

Yatai player Zou Yi was also ­suspended for three matches and fined 30,000 yuan for the violent conduct.

The CFA also penalized former Zhejiang FC player Su Zeming who was born in 2007 for falsifying his residency status, banning him from participating in matches for the next two months.

Regardless of the debate over the severity of these sanctions, the CFA's efforts to clean up soccer and promote ethical conduct are commendable. 

Looking back at the cases in recent years, the CFA has been increasingly consistent and rigorous in its enforcement of disciplinary actions. 

These cases illustrate the CFA's ongoing efforts to establish a rule-based and morally guided management system to ensure the healthy development of Chinese soccer.

The recent social media scrutiny of Chinese gymnasts headlined by Su Weide at the Paris Olympics highlights a broader issue faced by athletes worldwide: how to deal with intense public and media criticism. 

Su's mistakes in the men's team gymnastics event led to a loss of the gold medal to Japan, prompting an outpouring of harsh public criticism from fans. Accusations ranged from a history of poor performances to even allegations of nepotism.

Public opinion can be incredibly harsh, often fixating on athletes' failures rather than their successes. This phenomenon is not new. Legends like gymnastics great Li Ning and star hurdler Liu Xiang have also suffered under the weight of public criticism. 

Criticism is an inevitable part of sports, but when it becomes baseless and overly harsh, it can cross the line into abuse. 

For instance, the flood of criticism aimed at Su following his performance included not only legitimate critiques of his errors but also unfounded accusations and personal attacks. While it is essential to distinguish constructive criticism from mere vitriol, athletes must learn to navigate and respond to both.

Su's teammates Zhang Boheng and Li Xiaopeng publicly supported Su, emphasizing the difficulty of his role and the team's collective responsibility for its performance. This kind of solidarity and positive reinforcement is crucial to helping athletes withstand the pressures of public opinion.

A notable example of an athlete who can constructively handle opinions against them is Chinese tennis player Zheng Qinwen. 

After defeating US player Emma Navarro in the women's singles round of 16, Zheng faced unwarranted criticism and disrespect from her opponent. 

But Zheng's response, expressing a willingness to learn and grow from the feedback by saying she would like to correct what upset Navarro and become a better player, demonstrated a higher level of wisdom. This kind of approach not only defuses negativity but also sets a positive example for other athletes.

Former basketball star Yao Ming has advocated for athletes to engage more with the public, emphasizing that increased communication and understanding lead to better judgment and perception. This perspective encourages athletes to see public interaction as an opportunity for growth rather than a threat.

China has moved beyond an era in which only gold medals matter, and the broader public is increasingly able to view sporting achievements with a balanced perspective. 

Athletes today should not carry the burden of unrealistic expectations or view public opinion as an insurmountable obstacle. 

Instead, they should embrace the chance to communicate openly, learn from feedback, and turn public scrutiny into a tool for personal and professional development.

Ultimately, athletes who actively engage with public opinion and respond constructively can transform negative spirals into opportunities for growth and improvement. 

US sprinter Erriyon Knighton, embroiled in a doping controversy, finished fourth in the men's 200-meter final at the Paris Olympics on Thursday. However, his abrupt departure from the media zone without taking interviews has fueled further suspicion regarding his eligibility to compete.

Knighton tested positive for the banned steroid trenbolone during an out-of-competition test on March 26. However, the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) opted not to impose a suspension, attributing the positive result to contaminated meat. This decision allowed Knighton to compete in the Paris Olympics qualifiers, a move that sparked widespread concern.

The China Anti-Doping Agency (CHINADA) released two statements on Thursday, one calling for strengthened testing of US athletes, and the other calling for an independent investigation into the actions of the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) following latest revelations about the USADA's misconduct and double standards.

"USADA has long ignored its own anti-doping shortcomings while attempting to impose double standards on other countries, exposing its hypocritical and inconsistent approach to anti-doping enforcement," CHINADA said in a statement sent to the Global Times.

When asked about Knighton's whereabouts, a US team staff member informed reporters that Knighton had already left and did not stop for interviews, the Xinhua News Agency reported. Fellow journalists reported that Knighton hurried past American TV reporters without saying a word.

"Why are the usually vocal American athletes silent this time?" Many netizens raised the question on social media.

"Knighton's silence is particularly striking given the ongoing scrutiny of doping practices," commented one pundit.

General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee and Vietnamese President To Lam arrived in Beijing on Sunday after a stop in Guangzhou, South China's Guangdong Province, earlier on Sunday, kicking off his three-day state visit to China. 

Experts believe the trip reflects Vietnam's emphasis on strengthening its ties with China as a top priority while maintaining a balanced diplomacy among major powers, noting that the focus of this visit is not only on enhancing coordination between two socialist countries but also on strengthening infrastructure cooperation such as railway construction.

Lam was elected as general secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee on August 3, following the passing of former General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong on July 19. 

During his time in Guangzhou, Lam followed the "red footprints" of the late Vietnamese leader Ho Chi Minh and review his revolutionary activities in China, according to CCTV news.

Lam's choice of Guangzhou as his first stop in China holds historical significance as this year marks the 100th anniversary of Ho's revolutionary activities in Guangdong. It signifies the deep-rooted revolutionary tradition and friendship between the two countries, and highlights the close ties between the two parties, said Yu Xiangdong, director of the Institute for Vietnam Studies at the Zhengzhou University. 

In the early 20th century, Guangzhou attracted many Vietnamese patriots, making it an important overseas base for comrades like Ho.

Lam, his wife and a high-ranking delegation of Vietnam paid a floral tribute to martyr Pham Hong Thai at his grave in the Huanghuagang Memorial Park in Guangzhou, and visited the relic site of the headquarters of the Vietnamese Revolutionary Youth League in the city early Sunday morning, Vietnam News Agency reported. 

In addition, the Vietnamese delegation also aims to learn from China's reform and opening-up process by studying the case of Guangzhou, which has been at the forefront of this process. What's more, given that Guangdong ranks at the top among Chinese provinces in terms of trade volume with Vietnam, the delegation would like to seek deepened cooperation to promote its own economic development, said Gu Xiaosong, dean of the ASEAN Research Institute of Hainan Tropical Ocean University.

China is Vietnam's largest trading partner, with Guangdong accounting for 20 percent of the bilateral trade, and enjoying a productive collaboration with Vietnam in various fields. 

Last December, China and Vietnam agreed to build a community with a shared future that carries strategic significance. Lam's visit will also be the two top leaders' first face-to-face interaction since assuming the new positioning of bilateral relations.

Under Nguyen Phu Trong's term, Vietnam's foreign policy has adhered to a "bamboo diplomacy" featuring a balanced strategy among major powers including China, the US, and Russia. Lam is expected to follow the path set by his predecessor and develop relations with Washington in terms of trade and security cooperation, Yu noted. However, the first visit in China underscores Hanoi's emphasis on strengthening ties with Beijing within its balanced foreign policy framework, given that China and Vietnam are not only neighbors but socialist countries led by communist parties, Gu said. 

Eyeing pragmatic cooperation

Boosting rail links with China is a crucial step in Vietnam's economic development, as the country is experiencing a rapid takeoff of its economy yet it's has insufficient infrastructure to support this speed. 

Therefore, Lam will likely discuss railway cooperation with China, which possess the world's leading high-speed rail technology and great financial advantages. What's more, given the geographical proximity, once high-speed rail is established between the two countries, Vietnam can access the Chinese market and further expand toward Europe by connecting through China, as Europe is also a significant market for Vietnam, observers said. 

In the first seven months of this year, a total of 6,850 containers have been transported through the China-Vietnam railway, a 16-fold increase compared to the previous year, putting bilateral trade onto an "express lane," according to authorities in Nanning, South China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

Another major focus of Lam's trip is to enhance communication between the two parties, said experts. Given that China and Vietnam are among the world's few socialist countries, it is crucial to enhance political exchanges to prevent peaceful evolution, Gu said.

At the invitation of General Secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and Chinese President Xi Jinping, General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee and Vietnamese President To Lam will pay a state visit to China from Aug. 18 to 20, foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying announced Thursday.

Chinese and US economic officials will hold another round of talks under the Financial Working Group mechanism later this week in Shanghai, according to several US media reports, indicating that the world's two biggest economies are continuing their dialogue amid mounting bilateral trade tensions and growing risks for the global economy.

The talks, which reportedly will take place on Thursday and Friday, come after the third plenary session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) drew up sweeping reforms that are set to underpin China's high-quality development for years to come, and as global markets are increasingly worried about the prospects of the US economy, which some fear could fall into a potential recession.

Amid its economic woes, Washington needs coordination with China to respond to potential risks and challenges and ensure overall economic and financial stability, analysts said. And enhanced dialogue and cooperation between Chinese and US officials will help inject a sense of stability into an increasingly uncertain global geo-economic situation, the analysts said, urging the US to stop politicizing trade issues and remove restrictions and tariffs against Chinese products.

Timely talks

The US delegation led by Brent Neiman, the Treasury Department's assistant secretary for international finance, departed the US on Monday and the talks will take place on Thursday and Friday, The New York Times reported on Monday. The US delegation is expected to meet with senior officials from the People's Bank of China, the central bank and other departments, according to the report.

Chinese officials have not yet publicly confirmed the talks as of press time on Tuesday. This would be the fifth meeting of the Financial Working Group, which was established in 2023 as part of efforts by the two countries to strengthen communication on economic and financial issues. The fourth meeting was held in April in Washington, where the two sides held discussions on a wide range of issues, including monetary policies, financial stability and cooperation on financial regulation.

While the upcoming talks will likely continue to focus on similar issues, there are new pressing issues that will be discussed, including growing concerns over the US economy that has rattled global markets, analysts said.

"The US pays attention to Chinese policies and seeks dialogue with China largely because of its own interests, especially as the US faces economic pressure," Xin Qiang, deputy director of the Center for American Studies and director of the Center for Taiwan Studies at Fudan University, told the Global Times on Tuesday. "US inflation has not fallen back to an ideal range and new jobs data was disappointing, which lays bare the underlying economic problems. Some analysis even suggests that the US economy may face a potential recession."

Highlighting their keenness to enhance communication with China amid growing risks facing the US economy, US officials have also revealed their intentions for the upcoming talks.

"We intend for this FWG meeting to include conversations on financial stability, issues related to cross-border data, lending and payments, private-sector efforts to advance transition finance, and concrete steps we can take to improve communication in the event of financial stress," Neiman said ahead of the trip, referring to the abbreviation for the financial working group, according to The New York Times.

This shows that the US side wants to coordinate with China in terms of macro policies and responses to potential economic troubles, analysts said.

"In view of the current poor expectations for economic growth and the need to avoid global shocks caused by major monetary policy adjustments, the topics of the talks are timely and urgent," Zhang Monan, deputy director of Institute of American and European studies at the China Center for International Economic Exchanges in Beijing, told the Global Times on Tuesday.

Zhang said that coordination and cooperation between China and the US over policies are conducive to stabilizing global financial markets and also beneficial to both sides. "As China and the US are major economic powers, coordination of their monetary and financial policies is of great significance to stabilizing the global financial market," he said.

China's growing role

While the US continues its attempt to contain China's development, it also increasingly realizes the irreplaceable role of China in helping deal with both global as well as the US' economic issues, especially as China continues to promote high-quality development and high-level opening-up, analysts said.

Indeed, one of the main topics of the upcoming talks in Shanghai may focus on the reform measures outlined at the third plenary session of the 20th CPC Central Committee, they said.

"The third plenum serves as an important wind vane for China's future reform and has attracted the attention of the world. As the world's second-largest economy, China will release growth momentum through a new round of reform and opening-up in the future, which will have a huge impact on the world economy," Zhang said, noting that the US also pays great attention to Chinese policies in areas such as the financial industry and market access.

In contrast to some inward and protectionist trends in some countries and regions, including the US, China continues to strive for high-quality development and high-level opening-up. "Opening-up is a defining feature of Chinese modernization. We must remain committed to the basic state policy of opening to the outside world and continue to promote reform through opening-up," the communique of the latest third plenary session stated.

Analysts said that as the communique clearly stated, China will continue to promote high-quality, sustainable development and will expand high-level opening-up, which will create more opportunities for the world, and relevant countries should stop smearing Chinese policies and stop politicizing economic and trade issues.

Even as they pursue talks with Chinese counterparts, US officials have continued their crackdown campaign against Chinese products and businesses. For example, after the fourth round of talks of the Financial Working Group, the US in May announced additional tariffs on a wide range of Chinese products, including electric vehicles. The US has since delayed the imposition of the additional tariffs on some products.

At the upcoming talks, Chinese officials are expected to raise concerns over the US' economic and trade restrictions, according to analysts.

"The US has apparently realized that imposing additional tariffs on Chinese products will only increase the costs for US consumers and exacerbate the US inflation," Xin said, adding that despite such a realization, US politicians, out of political considerations, choose to defy basic economic laws.

He Weiwen, a senior fellow at the Center for China and Globalization, said that the US may, under domestic economic pressure, pursue talks with China, but it is unlikely to stop its long-term containment of China. "We must have a clear understanding of this, while seeking to stabilize and improve China-US bilateral ties," He told the Global Times on Tuesday.

After Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar assured that ties with the Maldives are a priority during his meeting with top Maldivian officials on Saturday, some Indian media said Jaishankar's visit has China in mind. Chinese experts said on Sunday that China does not seek exclusive engagement or cooperation from Maldives, while India perceives China as a threat to its supremacy in the region.

According to the Press Trust of India (PTI), Jaishankar on Saturday met Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu and other top leaders in the first high-level trip from New Delhi after Muizzu assumed office in November last year. Indian media outlets also mentioned China's "growing military ties" with the Maldives as part of their coverage on the relationship between India and the Maldives.

Some Western media claimed that the Maldives, which is strategically located in the Indian Ocean, is caught in competition between India and China.

Long Xingchun, a professor from the School of International Relations at Sichuan International Studies University, told the Global Times on Sunday that China views its relations with countries in the Indian Ocean, including the Maldives, as normal relations. However, India perceives China as a competitor that would challenge its supremacy in the region, which is India's self-perception.

Sovereign countries have the right to establish normal relations with any other country, as seen in China's relationships with Nepal and the Maldives. China does not seek exclusive engagement or cooperation from the Maldives, Long said.

Long added that China also supports the Maldives in fostering friendly cooperation with India, and China does not impose the need for small South Asian countries to align with a particular side, as China views such demands demonstrate a lack of respect for the sovereignty of these countries.

The relationship between India and the Maldives has been under severe strain since Muizzu took charge and demanded the withdrawal of Indian military personnel manning three aviation platforms gifted by India to the Maldives, PTI said.

Long noted that India may feel somewhat embarrassed about withdrawing its military personnel, particularly given the close relationship between the Maldives and China.

However, due to the strong ties between India and the Maldives, including the fact that a significant number of tourists in Maldives are from India, India is seeking to repair this relationship, Long added. Continuing to isolate the Maldives could potentially push the current government further toward China, which would not be beneficial for India.