Multiple coastal cities in Northeast China's Liaoning Province and North China's Hebei Province suffered from flooding on Monday due to the backflow of seawater from the coast to inland, which experts explained as a result from combined influences of weather conditions and tidal phenomenon.

On Monday, coastal cities including Panjin and Dalian in Liaoning and Tangshan in Hebei suffered flooding by seawater encroachment, while other cities including Qinhuangdao in Hebei and Yantai in East China's Shandong Province along the Bohai Sea and the Yellow Sea recorded tides reaching the highest warning levels. 

As of Tuesday morning, seawater had receded, and no casualties have been reported in any of the affected areas, China Central Television (CCTV) reported. China's Ministry of Natural Resources activated on Monday a Level IV emergency response for marine disasters, dispatching five expert teams to Liaoning, Tianjin, Hebei and Shandong to assist local authorities in verifying abnormal water level rises along certain coastal areas and to conduct disaster investigation and assessment. 

From Sunday evening to Monday afternoon, tide stations in the central and northern parts of the Bohai Sea and the Yellow Sea recorded water level increases of 80 centimeters to 160 centimeters, with no significant weather events occurring, the Global Times learned from China's Ministry of Natural Resources.

This abnormal water level rise of around 1 meter in these areas turned out to be severe and lasted for an extended period of 20 hours. With this situation combined with the astronomical tide several stations in Liaoning saw record-breaking water levels in the early hours of Monday with backflow of seawater occurring in multiple places in Liaoning and Hebei provinces and Tianjin Municipality. 

Jiang Wensheng, dean of the College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Ocean University of China, told the Global Times that due to the combined influence of celestial bodies, including the sun and the moon, seawater undergoes one or two natural rises and falls each day, commonly known as the tidal phenomenon. 

Meanwhile, weather conditions are also an important factor affecting sea level rise, with winds, changes in air pressure and other weather conditions leading to storm surges that cause sea level fluctuations, Jiang said. 

If the sea level rising due to weather factors coincides with a high tide, the sea level can become unusually high, Jiang explained. 

Additionally, sea level fluctuations caused by weather factors can continue even after the weather event ends, a phenomenon referred to as the "aftershock" of a storm surge. The recent seawater backflow in multiple areas was the result of the impact from these "aftershocks" of storm surges, Jiang said. 

Although the rise of the sea level was significant when the wind was stronger and the weather event was intense, this did not coincide with the high tide. Instead, the following storm surge "aftershocks" coincided with the high tide, resulting in this seawater backflow. 

The provincial marine monitoring center in Liaoning issued multiple sea wave alerts in the Bohai Sea and the Yellow Sea over the past few days, warning of big waves of 2.5 meters to 4 meters in coastal areas, according to the local maritime safety administration. 

The National Marine Environmental Forecasting Center also forecast storm surges from Monday to Tuesday, affecting cities including Dandong, Dalian, Panjin and Jinzhou in Liaoning and Weifang in Shandong. 

Two tickets for space travel scheduled for 2027 were sold immediately during a livestream event on China's e-commerce giant Taobao, the Global Times learned from Deep Blue Aerospace, a private aerospace start-up, on Thursday. The suborbital manned spacecraft will be launched with the company's reusable carrier rocket Nebula-1.

"The spacecraft has a maximum flight altitude of 100 to 150 kilometers, allowing you to cross the Kármán line and enter the edge of space," Taobao customer service told the Global Times. "The suborbital flight lasts about 12 minutes, during which you will experience at least 5 minutes of weightlessness."

The price for a round-trip ticket is 1.5 million yuan ($210,900), which is less than half the cost of Virgin Galactic's suborbital flights. Virgin Galactic recently set its ticket price at $450,000 for a roughly 90-minute journey to the edge of space, according to media reports.

The buyers have paid a 50,000-yuan deposit fee each during Thursday's livestream sales. The identities of the buyers remain unknown, the Global Times learned from the company, but people between the ages of 18 and 60 who are in good health are all eligible to purchase.

Next, the buyers will undergo a strict physical evaluation to determine whether they will be suitable for the flight, as the trip can be challenging for individuals with health conditions, such as heart issues or epilepsy.

"The suborbital spacecraft will land using a parachute system, ensuring that passengers return to Earth safely," the customer service said.

A notice said that the deposit can be refunded without reason within seven days of purchase.

According to the company, passengers will experience far more than just a brief moment of weightlessness during the suborbital spaceflight. They will experience in person the vastness and mystery of the universe and witness breathtaking views beyond Earth, which is designed to be an unforgettable and immersive space journey of a lifetime.

The event aroused heated discussions on social media with netizens divided in their attitudes. While some netizens showed great interest and expressed excitement about the space travel, others were concerned about the safety of the trip and believed only the wealthy will have the opportunity.

The company's decision to offer a three-year presale stems from a deep understanding of the complexity and risks involved in rocket technology. During this period, the company will be fully dedicated to the technological development, tests, and performance optimization to ensure the rocket meets the highest safety standards.

Huo Liang, CEO of Deep Blue Aerospace introduced the space travel program via livestreaming on Thursday evening and said that while the cost of space tourism is indeed quite high at present, as the company's reusable rocket technology matures, the cost of space travel in the future will significantly decrease.

Manned space travel has already been realized in countries like the UK and the US. Space tourism company Virgin Galactic from the UK successfully launched a test spaceflight in 2021 and completed its first commercial spaceflight in 2023.

Blue Origin, the space tourism and exploration firm founded by billionaire Jeff Bezos, also successfully carried the first paying customer to space and back in 2021. That same year, Elon Musk's SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule spacecraft took four passengers on a three-day orbital space tour, the first-ever flight to Earth's orbit flown entirely by tourists or otherwise non-astronauts.

In China, several commercial aerospace companies are also focused on realizing the commercial development of space tourism.

Experts said that China's space industry has already gained extensive experience in operating crewed spacecraft. However, as a consumer-oriented tourism project, it faces a major challenge in commercialization due to high costs. Therefore, reusable rockets have become critical to reducing the costs of space tourism.

Last month, Deep Blue Aerospace conducted the first high-altitude vertical recovery flight test of its Nebula-1 rocket at a spaceport in Ejin Banner, North China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. The test marked a significant milestone as it represented China's inaugural high-altitude recovery test for an orbital launch vehicle, although the mission was not completely successful after an anomaly occurred in the final landing phase.

The company plans to carry out another high-altitude vertical recovery flight attempt of the Nebula-1 rocket in November 2024. In the first quarter of 2025, the company expects to achieve the orbital flight and recovery of the Nebula-1.

Since its establishment in 2016, Deep Blue Aerospace has focused on the research and development of reusable rockets. Between 2021 and 2022, the company successfully completed China's first vertical takeoff and vertical landing (VTVL) flight of a kerosene-liquid oxygen rocket.

A total of 15 people were sentenced to prison in Central China’s Hunan Province on Thursday for their roles in a building collapse that claimed 54 lives in 2022, the Xinhua News Agency reported on Thursday.

The defendants, including the owner of the building and officials who committed dereliction of their duty, were sentenced to jail terms ranging from two years and nine months to 12 years, the courts of Wangcheng district and Ningxiang city in Changsha announced the verdicts on Thursday. The collapse of the illegally self-built and extended residential building in the city of Changsha on April 29, 2022 killed 54 people and injured another nine, causing direct economic losses of 90.77 million yuan ($12.74 million).

The State Council set up an investigation team to look into the incident shortly after the tragedy occurred.

According to the investigation report deliberated and adopted at a State Council executive meeting in May of 2023, the five-story self-constructed building, which later extended to eight stories, was of poor quality and couldn’t support itself after the extension, causing certain sections to deteriorate and eventually leading to the collapse, Xinhua reported. 

According to the verdicts, Wu Zhiyong, the owner of the building, without gaining the necessary legal construction permits, hired an unqualified designer and some unqualified personnel to conduct illegal construction and unauthorized expansion of the residential structure, and then rented the building out for commercial purposes, including providing catering services and accommodation. 

After some major safety hazards in the building were discovered, Wu failed to implement effective rectification measures and organized no emergency evacuation even when the building showed obvious signs of collapse, resulting in the major accident with significant casualties and substantial economic losses. 

Wu, in collusion with others, also repeatedly and willfully destroyed other people’s property. 

The report also noted that relevant authorities in Wangcheng, Changsha and Hunan were sluggish in rectifying illegal construction, shifted responsibilities in daily oversight, and were negligent in delivering punishment for unlawful behaviors. It also mentioned that the management of housing quality inspection agencies was messy, and authorities failed to exercise effective control over the planning and construction of self-constructed structures.

According to the verdicts, Wu was sentenced to 11 years of imprisonment for the crimes of major liability accident and picking quarrels and provoking troubles. 

The defendant Zhou Zhengmao, former deputy head of Wangcheng district, was sentenced to 12 years of imprisonment for the crimes of negligence of duty and bribery, along with a fine. 

Chinese Premier Li Qiang on Monday kicked off his trip to Pakistan, where he is scheduled to attend the 23rd Meeting of the Council of Heads of Government of Member States of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) to be held in Islamabad and pay an official visit to Pakistan from October 14 to 17, at the invitation of Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif of Pakistan.

Premier Li's visit to Pakistan is expected to strengthen and inject new momentum into the cooperation between Beijing and Islamabad, experts said.

"This is Premier Li's first visit to Pakistan after he took office and marks an exchange of visits at the head-of-government level between the two countries within a year, which is of significance to deepening all-weather strategic cooperative partnership," Mao Ning, spokesperson from China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Monday.

Mao said China looks to working with Pakistan to enhance the traditional friendship, strengthen strategic communication, build the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) in a high quality way, deepen and expand cooperation across the board, ensure the safety and security of Chinese personnel, projects and institutions in Pakistan, accelerate the building of a closer China-Pakistan community with a shared future in the new era, and jointly safeguard regional peace, stability and prosperity. 

Premier Li's visit is expected to further consolidate bilateral cooperation and push forward the next stage of development of CPEC, said Qian Feng, director of the research department at the National Strategy Institute at Tsinghua University.

However, the cooperation is currently being challenged by the threat of terrorism in Pakistan, which means that ensuring the safety of Chinese personnel and projects in Pakistan will likely be discussed during this visit, especially how to coordinate both China and Pakistan's efforts in fighting terrorism, said Cui Heng, a scholar from the Shanghai-based China National Institute for SCO International Exchange and Judicial Cooperation. 

When asked for expectations of the 23rd Meeting of the Council of Heads of Government of Member States of the SCO, Mao said Premier Li will have an in-depth exchange of view with leaders of the participating countries on implementing consensus reached at the Astana summit and advancing SCO's practical cooperation. 

Cui stated that the SCO meeting in Pakistan is expected to prioritize pragmatic cooperation in areas such as trade, investment, and people-to-people exchanges. "Security issues will also be on the agenda, as the region encompassing SCO member countries is facing increasing security threats while lacking a multilateral mechanism to address these challenges," Cui noted.  

Taiwan regional leader Lai Ching-te's "Double Ten" speech is like "a poison pill wrapped in cellophane" and despite his repeated use of the word "peace," his propagation of the separatist "Taiwan independence" agenda remains unchanged, said analysts who noted that any actions toward secession will inevitably face decisive countermeasures.

On Sunday, the Center for Cross-Straits Relations Studies at the Renmin University of China held a seminar on changes in the political situation in Taiwan island and the direction of cross-Straits relations, during which scholars analyzed the evolution of Lai's separatist rhetoric since he assumed the role of Taiwan region's leader on May 20, leading up to his "Double Ten" speech. They said that despite the deceptive nature of his remarks, it is evident that Lai is not merely talking about "Taiwan independence" — he is actively taking steps to promote it.

Since Lai's speech on October 10, in which he claimed that the People's Republic of China has no right to represent Taiwan and that they are "not subordinate to each other," there has been widespread controversy and criticism from both the mainland people and people on the island. However, some Western media referred to Lai's "Double Ten" speech as "softer" than his recent speeches.

Wang Yingjin, director of the Center for Cross-Straits Relations Studies, said at the seminar on Sunday that Lai's "Double Ten" speech appeared to have introduced two changes: a noticeable reduction in provocative language and a shift in his stance toward the "Republic of China" (ROC) - moving from previously rejecting the "ROC" to now embracing and utilizing it.

The "ROC" Lai refers to, however, is one that has taken root specifically in the regions of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen, and Matsu - a "Taiwanized ROC." This is fundamentally distinct from the ROC advocated by the Kuomintang, which encompasses the mainland, said Wang, noting that these changes are merely tactical adjustments.

Lai's speech is highly deceptive and misleading, causing many in the international community to mistakenly perceive it as a "softening signal" toward the Chinese mainland, said Wang.

The core and essence of the cross-Straits portion of the "Double Ten" speech remained unchanged in six key aspects: the essence of promoting "Taiwan independence" has not changed; the confrontational stance toward the mainland has not changed; the narrative of playing the "democracy and freedom" card has not changed; the methods of colluding with external forces have not changed; the tactic of blaming the mainland for the deterioration of cross-Straits relations has not changed; and the hyping of the "China threat" rhetoric has not changed, Wang said.

"This all demonstrates that Lai is determined to recklessly advance along the path of 'Taiwan independence,' posing a serious threat to peace and stability in the Taiwan Straits. He is undoubtedly a 'pragmatic instigator of war,'" Wang told the Global Times.

Some scholars at the seminar described Lai's "Double Ten" speech, along with his recent separatist remarks that propagate a "two-state" rhetoric as "a poison pill wrapped in cellophane" or a "Taiwan independence stance under a new disguise." They emphasized that this cannot be seen as a so-called soft signal to the mainland but rather as a further move to sever cross-Strait relations that may led to more confrontations.

Lai's speech embodies the essence of "Taiwan separatism," laden with cunning and deceit. While some Western media depicted it as "soft," this supposed moderation is a mere façade. By emphasizing mutual non-subordination, Lai is attempting to legitimize "Taiwan separatism," said Zhu Guilan, an expert from the Institute of Taiwan Studies under Tsinghua University.

The current struggle against "Taiwan separatism" is not a matter of systems or ideologies, but a fight between reunification and separation, said Zhu Guilan, noting that "our fight is fundamentally about defending China's national sovereignty, which has never wavered over Taiwan island."

Lai and the Democratic Progressive Party's push for "Taiwan separatism" is entirely unjust, illegitimate and unlawful under both Chinese and international law, as well as among sovereign nations. His pushing of separatism, his efforts to seek foreign support - particularly from the US - and even his advocacy for military means to secure "Taiwan separatism" should face decisive countermeasures, Zhu Guilan said.

Although Lai frequently mentioned "peace" in his speech, his concept of peace is riddled with contradictions and hypocrisy. While he often invoked the term, his policies and rhetoric mask the true intent of fostering division and confrontation across the Taiwan Straits. His use of "peace" is insincere, serving instead as a tool to escalate tensions, Zhu Songling, a professor at the Institute of Taiwan Studies of Beijing Union University, told the Global Times on the sidelines of the Sunday seminar.

Zhu Songling noted that Lai and the separatists' actions in the island of Taiwan will inevitably challenge regional security and heighten the risk of war. Their "Taiwan independence" agenda will fail to protect Taiwan's security, putting its 23 million people in a precarious situation.

While the mainland is committed to peaceful reunification, it has made clear that any form of "Taiwan independence" will not be tolerated, said Zhu Songling, noting that timely warnings to Lai and his group are essential.

China’s Ministry of State Security (MSS) published an article on Friday to remind the public not to ignore the security of the idle network devices, as national security agencies discovered that overseas espionage organizations have been frequently targeting idle and discarded network equipment for cyberattacks in recent years, resulting in some network devices becoming “backdoors” for data leaks, posing a serious threat to China’s network security and data safety.

With the rapid development of the internet, the scale of network devices has grown exponentially. The swift evolution of network technology and applications has accelerated the iteration and upgrading of network equipment, leading to a significant rise in idle and discarded network devices, the MSS said in the article.

It was discovered that a decommissioned server belonging to a certain unit remained in the information technology room, creating an opportunity for overseas espionage agencies. These agencies gained control of the server through network scanning, subsequently infiltrating the internal network and using the decommissioned server as a springboard for cyberattack activities, according to the MSS.

A domestic camera monitoring platform was also found to have suffered an overseas cyberattack. Analysis revealed that the control platform’s server contained numerous usernames and passwords for the cameras it managed.

After being established, the platform remained idle, continuously powered on but without management, leading to high-risk issues such as long-term neglect, outdated system versions, and database vulnerabilities. If overseas espionage agencies could take control of this platform remotely, they could manipulate the relevant cameras for observation and potential intelligence theft, said the MSS.

In another case exposed by the MSS, a manufacturing company was found to have abnormal traffic transmission in a system developed by a third party. Upon investigation, it was found that the company had privately mapped multiple ports to the outside for easier system maintenance and had not closed them for a long time. Overseas espionage agencies scanned the mapped ports and used remote desktop access to log into the company’s system server, conducting cyberattacks, according to the MSS.

The MSS reminded the public to conduct comprehensive security precautions, thorough technical measures, and strengthen security education.

China's foreign exchange reserves totaled 3.3164 trillion U.S. dollars at the end of September, up by 28.2 billion dollars, or 0.86 percent compared to the end of August, official data showed Monday.

The State Administration of Foreign Exchange said that the U.S. dollar index declined, and global financial asset prices generally increased last month.

The combined effects of currency translation and asset price changes led to the increase in China's foreign exchange reserves in September, the administration added.

China has made significant progress in implementing the 102 key projects listed in its 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025), with notable achievements seen in sectors such as transportation infrastructure, energy systems and green development, the country's top economic planner has said.

According to the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), the following are select highlights of the achievements the projects have seen over recent years:

-- The country's transportation infrastructure network has been strengthened, with about 95 percent of the country's expressway services areas now equipped with charging facilities. A total of 151 national logistics hubs have been included on a list of key construction projects issued by the commission in 2021, covering 31 provincial-level regions.

-- Amid China's efforts to build a modern energy system, the world's largest clean energy corridor has been built along the Yangtze River. China's total installed power generation capacity has exceeded 3 billion kilowatts, with installed wind and solar power generation capacities surpassing coal power.

-- China has made coordinated progress in urban and rural development since 2021. In that time, it has begun renovating about 195,000 old urban residential communities, and approximately 210,000 kilometers of old gas pipelines have been renovated in urban areas.

The aggregate length of China's rural roads was 4.6 million kilometers by the end of 2023. Tap water coverage in China's rural areas had reached 90 percent by the end of last year, and about 75 percent of China's rural households had access to sanitary toilets.

-- The country has made systematic efforts to promote green development, with protected natural areas now accounting for about 18 percent of China's total land area. Led by China's broader efforts to cut pollution in key sectors, about 80 percent of the national steel production capacity has seen an ultra-low carbon emissions upgrade. 

As the Lebanon-Israel conflict escalated, the Chinese government organized two batches of evacuation of overseas Chinese, which has aroused attention from all walks of life. According to a recent report of Jornal San Wa Ou, a Macao newspaper, during the evacuation, one of the evacuees was from China's Taiwan region. The report, citing Taiwan media, noted that even the "foreign affairs department" of the Taiwan island authorities admitted that with the help of the mainland, the Taiwan student left Lebanon aboard a cargo ship arranged by mainland authorities. The Taiwan authorities reportedly said it closely followed the process.

During the evacuation organized by China, Taiwan compatriots again received assistance, leading to political and media circles in Taiwan island debating the issue. Among them, Yuan Juzheng, a professor of philosophy in Taiwan, praised the mainland's diplomatic efforts during a program and suggested that if Taiwan residents "want to ensure their safety abroad, they should carry a Taiwan compatriot permit." He also said that every time there is a war abroad, the mainland's evacuation activities start very early. "I wonder how Taiwan people feel when they board mainland evacuation vehicles or ships and receive protection? The meaning of the evacuation explains everything."

Jornal San Wa Ou also highlighted instances where the mainland assisted Taiwan compatriots in evacuation operations. The report stated that for a long time, whenever the mainland initiated evacuation actions, they would help Taiwan compatriots who couldn't receive assistance from Taiwan authorities. The Chinese mainland has consistently treated Taiwan compatriots as Chinese citizens and evacuated them alongside mainland residents.
For example, in June 2003, a civil war broke out in Liberia, prompting the Chinese mainland to initiate a evacuation operation, helping a total of 36 overseas Chinese, including Taiwan compatriots.

On April 18, 2006, riots occurred in the Solomon Islands, resulting in the burning of more than 60 Chinese shops in local Chinatown and severely impacting hundreds of overseas Chinese. The Chinese Foreign Ministry activated an emergency mechanism overnight, dispatching charter flights to evacuate these overseas Chinese in four batches from the Solomon Islands to Papua New Guinea, and then sending a government charter flight from the Chinese mainland to bring back 310 overseas Chinese to South China's Guangdong Province, among whom were also Taiwan compatriots.

In January 2008, fierce fighting broke out between anti-government forces and the Chadian government army, posing a serious threat to the lives and property of overseas Chinese and personnel of Chinese-funded institutions. The Chinese Foreign Ministry quickly activated an emergency mechanism, and with the full assistance of the Chinese embassy in Chad and Chinese embassies and consulates in France, Cameroon and Gabon, all 411 Chinese citizens were safely evacuated from Chad, including compatriots from Taiwan.

On September 4, 2018, after a typhoon and an earthquake struck Osaka, Japan, the Chinese Consulate General in Osaka assisted a total of 1,044 Chinese travelers stranded in Osaka, including 32 from Taiwan. In contrast, the Taiwan island's so-called representative office in Japan was criticized for its slow response, failing to provide timely assistance to Taiwan people. Many complained to the media that the office not only did not proactively assist during the incident but also stated that those in need had to email to request help. Some travelers reported that when they called the office, the staff had a poor attitude and did not provide assistance.

The report noted that the central government places great importance on ensuring that Taiwan compatriots are also assisted during the evacuation operations. Whether in the previous evacuation operation in Libya or in Ukraine, the Chinese leaders have issued guidance and directives. This spirit has also been incorporated into national policy documents. According to the 14th of the "26 measures" to benefit Taiwan, Taiwan compatriots can seek consular protection and assistance and apply for travel documents at embassies and consulates of the People's Republic of China overseas.

The report stated that the Chinese government's chartered evacuation flights not only reflect the concern and care of the Chinese leader and the central government for overseas Chinese but also demonstrate that China's national strength has developed to a point where it can provide safety and protection for overseas Chinese. The chartered evacuation indicates that China's people-first governance philosophy has been deeply integrated into the country's diplomatic policies. The inclusion of Taiwan compatriots in these operations underscores that the motherland is a strong support for all Chinese citizens, including those from Taiwan, the report added.

To celebrate the upcoming Mid-Autumn Festival, which will fall on Tuesday in 2024, the National ­Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA) will present a series of exciting performances, including the Peking Opera Farewell My Concubine, which will be staged on Friday.

The opera is a classic work that was initially adapted from the story of Xiang Yu, the self-styled "Hegemon-King of Western Chu" from over 2,000 years ago, and his tragic farewell to his beloved concubine Yu Ji after being defeated. The story is based on a historical event from the late Qin Dynasty (221BC-206BC). 

This opera was famously performed by Peking Opera master Mei Lanfang (1894-1961), who played the role of Yu Ji. 

The opera has been performed by numerous prominent artists since its debut in 1918. 

The performance structure was refined over time, eventually evolving into the eight-act version that audiences know today.