On June 9, the 2026 Chongqing International Animation Film Week officially kicked off in southwestern China's Chongqing municipality. A total of 45 masterpieces from over 500 global entries have been shortlisted to compete for 10 prestigious 'Golden Camellia' awards. Heading the international jury is legendary Hollywood director Rob Minkoff, who notes the rapid rise of Chinese animation.

The China International Consumer Products Expo (CICPE) returns for its sixth edition from April 13 to 18, reinforcing its role as one of China’s premier platforms for global consumer trade. Held in Hainan, the expo will feature more than 3,400 brands from over 60 countries, highlighting everything from luxury goods to everyday consumer products and cutting-edge innovations. This year, Canada takes center stage as the Guest of Honor, with Minister Maninder Sidhu leading a delegation of roughly 40 companies eager to expand their footprint in the Chinese market.

Among them is Vancouver-based Black Sheep Organics, making its debut at the expo with a focus on pet-grooming products. Company representatives say shifting global dynamics and changing consumer preferences are driving interest in alternatives to traditional U.S.-based brands, opening new opportunities for Canadian businesses abroad. As demand grows among Chinese consumers for diverse, high-quality products, participants see CICPE as a key gateway for building international partnerships and strengthening trade ties between Canada and China.

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Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez is paying an official visit to China from April 11 to 15, his fourth visit to the country in four years.

Following the visits by Spanish King Felipe VI and Sanchez himself last year, it represents another significant high-level exchange between China and Spain in a short period.

China is willing to work with Spain to take the prime minister's visit as an opportunity to further deepen strategic mutual trust, enhance communication and cooperation, and strengthen multilateral coordination, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning has said.

Robust vitality of ties

Sanchez previously visited China in April 2025, September 2024 and March 2023. The Spanish king paid a state visit to China last November, marking a rare dual visit by the Spanish head of state and head of government in the same year that coincided with the 20th anniversary of the China-Spain comprehensive strategic partnership.

Four visits in four years by the Spanish prime minister vividly showcase the robust vitality of ties between the two nations, wrote Chinese Ambassador to Spain Yao Jing on Friday.

Cui Hongjian, director of the Center for European Union and Regional Development Studies at Beijing Foreign Studies University, told media that Sanchez's such frequent visits reflect high consistency and stability in Spain's China policy, and the strategic intent of both sides to institutionalize and sustain high-level interactions.

In recent years, China-Spain relations have developed at a high level under the strategic guidance of the leaders of both countries, with solid progress made in cooperation across various fields.

Economic and trade cooperation serves as the cornerstone. According to Yao, bilateral trade in goods in 2025 exceeded $55 billion, a year-on-year increase of 9.8%, cementing China's position as Spain's largest trading partner outside the European Union.

Spanish premium food products, including olive oil, wine and pork, have gained wide popularity among Chinese consumers. Meanwhile, China's mechanical and electrical equipment and new energy products are playing a role in Spain's green transition drive.

CATL, a major Chinese battery manufacturer, held a groundbreaking ceremony for a battery plant jointly built with Stellantis in Spain last November. Meanwhile, Chinese automaker Chery has formed a joint venture with a long-established Spanish automaker in Barcelona.

During the visit, Sanchez reportedly will lead a business delegation, hold meetings with representatives from the automotive, energy and telecommunications sectors, and visit the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China. According to confirmation from Spanish officials to the media, the prime minister is scheduled to visit the Beijing-based headquarters of Chinese tech firm Xiaomi.

Spanish media outlet InSpain.news commented that the trip directly addresses domestic public concerns over prices, trade, investment, jobs and Spain's strategic positioning in a volatile world, linking the visit to Spain's economic resilience.

Spain sees a "window of opportunity" with China, especially in trade and investment, said Mario Esteban, professor of East Asian Studies at the Autonomous University of Madrid, according to news website Euractiv. "Spain is seeking high-level bilateral engagement to 'catch up' in a relationship long underdeveloped."

Cui, the Chinese scholar, said Sanchez's visit will facilitate more efficient and targeted business cooperation between the two countries in key sectors, with potential to forge landmark projects in emerging fields as China enters the first year of its 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030).

For multilateralism

The momentum of China-Spain engagement aligns with a broader warming trend in China-Europe relations. In the first three months of 2026, leaders from Ireland, Finland, the United Kingdom and Germany had visited China. A European Parliament delegation also visited China for the first time in eight years.

This underscores the view that engaging with China does not run counter to European interests, but rather serves to advance them, especially as Europe pursues greater strategic autonomy and economic resilience.

Sanchez's frequent visits to China open up more possibilities for deepening China-Europe exchanges, positioning Spain as a model for rational communication and stable cooperation between China and European countries, said Jiang Shixue, a professor at Shanghai University.

At a time when global industrial and supply chains face disruptions and world economic growth is under pressure, deepening practical cooperation between China and Spain not only brings tangible benefits to both peoples, but also serves as a key stabilizer for the global economy, said Yao, the Chinese ambassador to Spain, in an essay on the embassy's website.

As a major EU member state, Spain plays an important role in international and regional affairs, upholding the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, multilateralism, free trade and global fairness and justice, he noted.

China and Spain share extensive common ground on major global issues such as safeguarding world peace and development, addressing climate change and protecting biodiversity, Yao said, adding that both countries should prioritize cooperation and jointly safeguard the multilateral system.

Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and Chinese president, returned to Beijing on Tuesday afternoon after concluding his state visit to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).

Xi's entourage, including his wife Peng Liyuan, Cai Qi, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and director of the General Office of the CPC Central Committee, and Wang Yi, a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Chinese foreign minister, returned on the same flight.

From premium agricultural specialties and intangible cultural heritage artworks, to intelligent equipment and innovative consumer brands, the 10th China-South Asia Expo presents the most vibrant side of China-South Asia economic and cultural exchanges.

Kicking off on Thursday in Kunming, capital of southwest China's Yunnan Province, the expo has attracted participants from 68 countries, regions and international organizations. Over 560 companies from South Asian countries are taking part in the event. Over 1,500 professional buyers have registered, with overseas buyers, including those from 45 countries such as Germany, Brazil and Egypt, making up more than 60% of the total.

Following a delegation of journalists from Sri Lanka, CGTN's Chen Qiaoshen explored a dazzling array of goods, and how immersive cultural experience has transformed the expo from a trade show into a global gathering.

What is the biggest human rights and security challenge facing the world today? In an interview with CGTN at the 2026 Forum on Global Human Rights Governance on Thursday, Professor Wang Yiwei, director of the Institute of International Affairs at Renmin University of China, shared his insights. He pointed out that safety and security issues have become prominent worldwide, with AI-related risks emerging as new threats to global security.

The professor said that while artificial intelligence delivers remarkable convenience and momentum to social development, it also widens the development gap between nations. The widespread hype over AI has also distracted public attention from fundamental human rights concerns that deserve more focus, he added. 

To tackle the crises brought by AI, Wang emphasized the necessity of adopting a collaborative global governance paradigm. Most importantly, he said, the international community must take firm steps to prevent AI from being weaponized and used as a tool for war, for such misuse will trigger unprecedented disasters and severely undermine global peace and stability.

Wang also noted that human rights are never merely individual rights; they also embrace collective rights, which are closely bound up with the vision of a community with a shared future for humanity. All nations and peoples share common interests and destinies, so the development and regulation of AI must serve the well-being of all humanity, he added. 

He said, "I think human beings are the end not the means. So, AI is just one of the ways to achieve the goals of human beings." Therefore, he said, amid the rapid advancement of technology, it is vital for all parties to properly govern AI and always prioritize people's interests, ensuring that this powerful technology moves in a direction that safeguards human rights and benefits the whole world.

A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson announced sanctions against Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. and his relatives on Thursday.

The spokesperson said Gilberto Teodoro Jr. repeatedly made irresponsible remarks on China, which undermines China's legitimate interests and sabotages China-Philippines relations.

To uphold China's sovereignty, security and development interests, China has decided to prohibit Gilberto Teodoro Jr. and his spouse and child from entering the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong and Macao, and not allow organizations and individuals in China to engage in any transaction, cooperation or other activities with him and his spouse and child, the spokesperson said. 

Leading Egyptian actor and film figure Hussein Fahmy recently took a walk through the Temple of Heaven in Beijing. As the president of the Cairo International Film Festival, he paused among its red walls, looking up at the sweeping rooftops, taking in the symmetry and calm that define traditional Chinese architecture. It was a meeting of cinema and culture – where travel becomes part of the story.

The world observes the International Day for Dialogue Among Civilizations on June 10, a date designated in 2024 by a United Nations General Assembly resolution proposed by China and co-sponsored by over 80 countries. 

Chinese President Xi Jinping has stressed that tolerance, coexistence, exchanges and mutual learning among different civilizations play an irreplaceable role in making the garden of world civilizations flourish.

Here are some of Xi's key quotes.

At the invitation of Premier of the State Council Li Qiang, HH Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, will visit China from April 12 to 14, the Chinese Foreign Ministry announced on Sunday.

Nepal's Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal will visit China from June 14 to 17, the Chinese Foreign Ministry announced on Friday.

Khanal will be making the visit at the invitation of Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who is also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee.

In response to the upcoming visit, Lin Jian, spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, told reporters that China attaches great importance to its relations with Nepal.

China is ready to take this visit as an opportunity to work with the new government of Nepal to enhance political mutual trust, deepen practical cooperation, advance high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, and further advance the China-Nepal strategic partnership of cooperation, Lin added.

China has put its first embodied intelligent humanoid robot into operation for high-risk industrial tasks, marking a new step in applying artificial intelligence (AI) to real-world scenarios.

The robot, developed for use in hazardous environments, is capable of performing tasks such as welding, inspection and rust removal, replacing human workers in dangerous conditions.

At a construction site for a large chemical storage tank, the robot demonstrated its ability to operate on vertical metal surfaces. Equipped with a wheeled and magnetic chassis, it can move steadily along walls while carrying out complex operations.

The robot features a humanoid upper body with 15 degrees of freedom, allowing flexible movement and precise control. Its dual arms enable it to perform multiple tasks simultaneously, such as grinding with one hand while welding with the other.

Weighing around 90 kilograms, the robot uses electromagnetic adhesion to remain attached to metal surfaces. Developers say the system is strong enough to support additional weight without affecting mobility.

Unlike traditional wall-climbing robots designed for single functions, the new system is multi-purpose. By switching end-effectors, it can quickly adapt to different tasks, including non-destructive testing, coating and surface treatment.

Powered by a cable system, the robot can operate continuously without battery limitations, improving efficiency and reducing downtime.

Developers say the robot is backed by a large-scale AI model trained on more than 100,000 hours of operational data, enabling it to adapt to complex environments and improve performance over time.