The spat between the US and the World Anti-Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) continues after the 2024 Paris Olympics, with a recent media report saying the Biden administration is holding up the annual US payment to WADA to press the organization as it "chose not to discipline elite Chinese swimmers who tested positive for a banned drug."

According to a New York Times report, the White House has told WADA that it needed to have "more accountability and transparency" and that it must submit to a wide-ranging outside audit of its operations.

A WADA spokesperson told the Global Times in an email on Thursday that WADA has not received any notification from the US Government that it has decided to voluntarily withhold its annual contribution for 2024. 

The agency also said "WADA is unaware of any conditions that the US Government wishes to attach to its payment… no provision exists within WADA's governance model whereby a government may unilaterally withhold its contribution based on its own set of conditions." 

The Biden administration made its 2023 payment for $3.4 million in August of last year. The payment for this year was expected to be paid around the same time, but so far relevant US official has yet to sign off on having the money sent.

Shang Ximeng, a research fellow at the Center for International Sport Communication and Diplomacy Studies at the Beijing Foreign Studies University, told the Global Times that the US has repeatedly threatened WADA with default or refusal to pay the annual dues, but as a signatory to the WADA Code, the US is obligated to pay it.

She noted that the US has not only played these kinds of tricks in international anti-doping cooperation, but has frequently threatened to do the same with respect to other international cooperation.

Li Haidong, a professor at the China Foreign Affairs University, said the US' political manipulation has not only weakened WADA's authority, but also slandered China's anti-doping efforts, and undermined the global efforts in the regard.

US' attempts to hijack international organizations exposed its hegemonic mindset and politicizing sports for political purposes, Li noted. 

In April this year, along with USWADA, The New York Times hyped that some Chinese swimmers tested positive for trimetazidine (TMZ) before the Tokyo Olympic Games in 2021, accusing WADA of shielding Chinese athletes and failing to hold them accountable.

WADA has commissioned an independent review into the reported incident after refuting these claims, labeling them as "misleading and potentially defamatory media coverage." The agency said that following the TMZ contamination incident in swimming in 2021, the China Anti-Doping Agency (CHINADA) promptly initiated a comprehensive and meticulous investigation, and based on its results, it was determined that the TMZ positives among these athletes resulted from inadvertent ingestion of contaminated food without their knowledge, and therefore no further doping charges were brought against those athletes, according to previous reports from the Global Times. 

In September 9, the independent Swiss prosecutor Eric Cottier backed WADA's handling of the issue in his final investigation report, saying that WADA had not been complacent nor shown bias toward China, according to a Reuters report. 

WADA was established in 1999 as an international independent agency to lead a collaborative worldwide movement for doping-free sport.

If the US restricts Chinese companies from participating in the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), these actions could create further challenges for the US market and consumers, a Chinese expert said, following a report exposed that Chinese tech workers report US visa issues despite CES invitations.

Many employees of Chinese tech companies preparing to attend CES in Las Vegas have reportedly encountered "unprecedented" US visa denials, despite holding official event invitations, according to the South China Morning Post (SCMP) on Saturday.

"We are aware of some CES attendees and exhibitors from China whose business travel visa applications are being denied," a CES spokesperson said in an email, according to SCMP. "We encourage the US government to expedite and approve visas for individuals who are travelling to the US for legitimate business reasons," the spokesperson said. 

Chris Pereira, the founder of iMpact, a New York-based consultancy, posted this month on LinkedIn that during a cross-cultural leadership training programme for Chinese companies expanding abroad, he learned that "half of the 40 companies in attendance reported their staff were being denied visas, despite holding official invitation letters from CES." Since his post, Pereira said in an interview, at least three more clients had reported employees had been denied visas to attend CES, according to SCMP. 

Exhibitions like CES were "wonderful opportunities for business exchanges between companies from China, the US and the rest of the world," Pereira told SCMP, noting that "it is frustrating to see even events like this being impacted."

The rejection of the CES visa is another example of the US government's intention to reduce exchanges between China and the US. The US has consistently been the biggest obstacle to normal interactions in various areas, including economic and cultural exchanges between the two countries. This situation is akin to "lifting a rock only to drop it on one's own feet," a Chinese expert said. 

Obstructing Chinese companies' participation in CES would disrupt consumer electronics trade between the two sides, and "if the US curtails routine economic and trade activities in this sector, it will create further challenges for the US market and consumers," He Weiwen, senior fellow of the Center for China and Globalization, told the Global Times on Saturday.

In the field of consumer electronics, China and the US complement each other in technologies, products, and markets. China brings many advanced technologies and a large number of electronic products for American consumers, which helps lower inflation, enrich the US market supply, and benefit American consumers, He said.

Approximately 4,000 global exhibitors are set to participate in CES in January 2025, with over 30 percent expected to represent Chinese companies, according to SCMP.

"Chinese companies are the main force of CES exhibitors over the years… We hope that the US will work with China to reduce policy obstacles such as visa and entry, take concrete actions to support and encourage more exchanges between people from business, S&T and other sectors of the two countries," Liu Pengyu, a spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in the US, said on X on Saturday.

"Promoting exchanges and cooperation in the global consumer electronics industry is the common wish of enterprises of all countries. It is conducive to connecting the global consumer electronics industrial chain and supply chain, and injecting fresh momentum into the global economy," the spokesperson said.

Chinese companies have maintained a strong presence at CES since 1991. However, in recent years, their participation has varied due to increasing US restrictions. A record high of 1,551 Chinese firms took part in CES in 2018, but attendance dropped to 210 in 2021, 159 in 2022, and 493 in 2023, according to SCMP.

Amid growing US restrictions on routine trade and business exchanges, many Chinese companies are increasingly apprehensive about rising uncertainties, as even routine and lawful trade interactions are at risk of encountering unexpected hurdles, He said. The US needs to adopt a cooperative approach with China in the electrics consumption sector, aiming for mutual benefit and win-win outcomes, while abandoning outdated Cold War mentalities, He added.

China issued a judicial interpretation on Monday specifying the determination of the crime of refusing to execute judgments and rulings to hide or transfer property before the verdict takes effect, in an effort to ensure that the judgments and rulings made by courts are enforced in accordance with the law and the legitimate rights and interests of the individuals concerned are effectively safeguarded.

This judicial interpretation is released jointly by China's Supreme People's Court (SPC) and the Supreme People's Procuratorate (SPP), and will come into force on December 1.

The judicial explanation clearly stipulates that hiding or transferring property before judgments and rulings come into effect can constitute the crime of resisting the execution of judgments and rulings. In previous judicial practice, the offense of refusing to execute a judgment or ruling generally targeted those who concealed or transferred property after the judgment or verdict had taken effect.

It lists 10 scenarios of refusal to execute despite having the capacity to do so in serious circumstances, as well as five extremely serious circumstances.

The SPC and SPP said that if the cases involved are serious, the perpetrators will be held criminally liable for refusing to execute judgments and rulings.

This explanation has apparently been issued to target deadbeats and aims to fix loopholes in the legislation field as some people have taken advantage of the relatively ambiguous provisions in the law to dodge their debts, Wang Sixin, a professor of law at the Communication University of China, told the Global Times on Monday.

It also guarantees that judgments will be enforced more effectively in the future, Wang noted.

The explanation also clarifies that any person who conspires with deadbeats to assist in hiding and transferring property and other acts of omission or commission that make the judgments and rulings unenforceable, are to be punished as accomplices to the crime.

The explanation specifies that if one refuses to abide by the judgments and rulings to pay, including alimony, maintenance, pension, and medical expenses, the person concerned should be punished severely in accordance with the law.

The Chinese Defense Ministry announced on Tuesday that a Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy formation, including a Type 075 amphibious assault ship, is set to visit Hong Kong on Thursday.

It will be the first Hong Kong call by a PLA Navy amphibious assault ship, and military expert Song Zhongping said that the visit is an important opportunity of national defense and patriotic education.

With the approval of the Central Military Commission and according to an annual work plan, a formation consisting of the PLA Navy's Hainan and Changsha is scheduled to visit Hong Kong from November 21-25 and host a series of open-door events for Hong Kong and Macao compatriots, according to a statement by the Chinese Defense Ministry.

The goal of the events is to showcase the achievements of national defense and military development in the new era, and display the PLA's firm determination and strong capabilities in safeguarding national sovereignty and security, the Chinese Defense Ministry said.

Stressing the significance of national defense and patriotic education highlighted by the visit, Song told the Global Times on Tuesday that Hong Kong is an international city that occasionally hosts port calls by warships from foreign countries, including US aircraft carriers in the past. He said that with the constant development of the Chinese military, the visit by advanced PLA Navy equipment will contribute to Hong Kong residents' national identity.

In July 2017, the PLA Navy's first aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, among other warships, visited Hong Kong and opened to the public, the PLA's official website 81.cn reported at the time.

Song, who boarded the Liaoning at that occasion, said that many people applied to board the carrier, and the crowd waved Chinese national flags in their hands.

The two warships to visit Hong Kong this time are very representative of the PLA Navy's rapid development in recent years, according to Song.

The Hainan is the PLA Navy's first Type 075 amphibious assault ship, and the Changsha is a Type 052D guided missile destroyer, according to previous reports by China Central Television (CCTV).

This marks the first visit of a PLA Navy amphibious assault ship to Hong Kong since the Hainan was launched in September 2019 and commissioned into the PLA Navy in April 2021.

Capable of carrying a large number of helicopters on its flight deck, amphibious assault ship is a genre of large warship only second to aircraft carrier, while the Type 052D is the latest version in China's Type 052 destroyer series, Song noted.

The PLA Navy displayed Z-20J shipborne utility helicopters and Z-8C shipborne transport helicopters at the Airshow China 2024, which just wrapped up on Sunday in Zhuhai, South China's Guangdong Province.

Military expert Zhang Junshe told the Global Times that these two types of helicopters can carry marines and conduct airborne amphibious assault missions from Type 075 amphibious assault ships and Type 071 dock landing ships.

The helicopters can fly over obstacles on the beach, and land directly behind the enemy defense lines, Zhang said.

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday held talks with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

Xi flew in earlier Tuesday for a state visit to Brazil after attending the 19th G20 Summit in Rio de Janeiro.

China has offered full visa-free access to 25 countries, signing mutual visa-free agreements with six countries, including Singapore, Thailand and Kazakhstan, Tong Xuejun, an official from Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Friday at a press conference. The official also said the ministry will continue to launch visa facilitation initiatives to create more convenience for Chinese and foreign business people.

Tong added that the country has implemented a unilateral visa-free policy for 29 countries, including France and Germany. So far, China has established visa-free agreements for various passports with 157 countries and regions, he said.

Tong made the remarks following China's Ministry of Commerce on Thursday rolling out nine measures to support foreign trade, including advancing the signing of visa-free agreements with more countries, expanding the scope of countries eligible for China's unilateral visa-free policy in an orderly way, broadening areas where the transit visa-free policy applies, and extending the allowable stay duration.

During the press conference, Tong said that so far this year, the ministry has reached arrangements with Brazil, Australia and other countries for the mutual issuance of five-year and 10-year multiple-entry visas. It also issued five-year multiple-entry visas to people from Central and Eastern Europe and other countries, and five-year multiple-entry visas to business people from the Mekong River countries.

The ministry also participated in the APEC Business Travel Card Scheme, which facilitates the travel of Chinese and foreign business people in the Asia-Pacific region, the official added.

Moreover, the ministry rolled out a new version of the Chinese visa application form, with 34 percent of items optimized and simplified. Chinese embassies and consulates abroad have completely abolished the visa appointment system and further expanded the scope of fingerprint-free access. In addition, it also reduced visa fees by 25 percent of the current rates.

According to official data, in the third quarter of this year, China saw 8.19 million trips made by foreign visitors, an increase of 48.8 percent year-on-year, according to official data. Among them, about 4.89 million trips were made with visa exemptions, up 78.6 percent year-on-year, Tong said.

The Foreign Ministry will create more convenience for the exchanges between Chinese and foreign people, especially business people, in order to serve high-quality development and high-level opening-up, the official noted.

In addition to exhibiting aviation, aerospace, and land equipment, the ongoing Airshow China 2024 also gives a glimpse into China's naval and maritime equipment, including a large unmanned vessel and a surface drone group.

The Orca unmanned stealth combat vessel debuted at the second exhibition area of Airshow China. Its trimaran design provides high speed, stability and an expanded deck area despite its limited displacement.

Officially designated as the JARI-USV-A large unmanned combat vessel, the Orca measures 58 meters in length, 23 meters in beam width, and 4 meters in depth, has a full displacement of 420 tons, a maximum speed of 40 knots, and a range of 4,000 nautical miles, according to data released by the China State Shipbuilding Corporation Limited.

The Global Times learned that the Orca prioritizes stealth capabilities. It is equipped with a remote-controlled weapon station at its bow, which can be stowed under the deck when needed to maintain a streamlined surface. 

The bridge of the unmanned ship has a four-unit vertical launch system for missiles, and which can be expanded to 12 units if required, according to a scale model of the Orca, which is displayed at the airshow in addition to the genuine vessel.

It is also equipped with several phased array radars to enhance its detection capabilities for both aerial and maritime targets.

In addition, the Orca has a flight deck at its stern that can host unmanned helicopters enabling various missions, such as anti-submarine warfare and patrol operations.

Another Chinese exhibitor, Yunzhou Tech, displayed a surface drone formation at the airshow, as four of its unmanned boats showcased impressive maneuverability in water-based operations.

In a demonstration session, the four unmanned boats shifted between formations like side-by-side, straight-line, and S-shape, as they demonstrated their ability to assault floating targets and intercept fast-moving surface targets.

All the surface drones displayed are mass-produced models, the Global Times learned from Yunzhou Tech. The demonstrations showed daily mission scenarios of marine police and maritime safety administrations, and reflected the surface drone formation's capability to collaborate. This level of collaboration is notably challenging, as the unmanned boats need to adjust movement and navigation based on environmental factors like wind, waves, and currents before developing plans to jointly complete mission objectives.

The captain, surnamed Hong, of the Tachinman 88, a Taiwan fishing vessel, which was legally seized by the Fujian Coast Guard on July 2, returned to Taiwan island on Friday after being punished in accordance with the law, said Chen Binhua, a spokesperson for the State Council's Taiwan Affairs Office.

The Tachinman 88 was seized for violating Fisheries Law and other relevant regulations by conducting operations in the prohibited fishing zone during the fishing moratorium period, and the bottom trawl it used was much smaller than the minimum mesh size stipulated by relevant departments, according to Chen.

The Fujian Coast Guard carried out law enforcement actions in accordance with the law, and relevant departments handled the case in accordance with regulations, effectively maintaining the order of fishery production, marine fishery resources, and ecological environment in the relevant sea areas, Chen said.

Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Saturday that the Taiwan question, democracy and human rights, China's path and system, and China's development right are four red lines for China, which must not be challenged or crossed.

In his meeting with US President Joe Biden on the sidelines of the 31st APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting in Lima, Peru, Xi also said that the one-China principle and the three China-US joint communiques are the political foundation of China-US relations.

These are the most important guardrails and safety nets for China-US relations, he said, adding that it is important not to challenge red lines and paramount principles.

Xi said that contradictions and differences between two major countries like China and the United States are unavoidable, but one side should not undermine the core interests of the other, let alone seek conflict or confrontation.

China and Britain should uphold their strategic partnership and open up new prospects for China-UK relations, Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Monday.

Xi made the remarks when meeting with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on the sidelines of the 19th G20 Leaders' Summit.