The Taklimakan Desert, known as the "Sea of Death," has been completely encircled with a sand-blocking green belt stretching 3,046 kilometers, said local authorities in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, the Xinhua News Agency reported. 

Satellite remote sensing images show that this is the world's longest green ecological barrier surrounding a desert, the Xinjiang Daily reported.

On Thursday morning, several plant species, including Populus euphratica (more commonly known as "desert poplar"), sacsaoul and red willow, were planted on sandy land in Yutian county on the southern edge of the desert, marking the completion of the final stretch of the green belt, according to the Xinjiang regional forestry and grassland bureau.

The Taklimakan covers 337,600 square kilometers and its circumference measures 3,046 kilometers, making it the largest desert in China and the second-largest drifting desert in the world, Xinhua said.

According to the Xinjiang Daily, the desert receives an average annual rainfall of approximately 50 millimeters, while evaporation rates surpass 2,500 millimeters.

There are three challenges to accomplishing this task, reported the China Central Television (CCTV). First, the large size of the desert poses the greatest challenge. It covers about 76 percent of the desert area in Xinjiang and about 49 percent of the national desert area. Of this, the area of mobile sand dunes measures about 258,400 square kilometers, and the highest part of the dunes can stretch up to about 300 meters, which is equivalent to a skyscraper with 100 floors.

Second, the dry climate and scarce precipitation make reforestation efforts more challenging. Third, dust storms formed by sand are a challenge.

Liu Yongping, a researcher at the Institute of Afforestation and Sand Control within the Xinjiang Academy of Forestry, said that the Taklimakan Desert is the area in China with the most intense sandstorm activity and the most severe sandstorm disasters. Under the influence of atmospheric circulation, it continuously threatens the oases and serves as a major source of dust and an upwind area in China, Liu added, according to the Xinjiang Daily report.

"It is a new miracle in China's efforts to combat desertification, such a large-scale project is unimaginable in other countries," Liu said, who has conducted research on desertification control efforts worldwide. Liu also noted that this green ecological barrier around the desert safeguards the ecosystem of southern Tianshan Mountain in Hami of Xinjiang, bringing favorable living and production conditions for local residents, and showcasing China's technological strength and organizational capability in ecological governance.

A 57-year-old Xinjiang resident specially traveled 20 kilometers to witness on-site completion, saying, "this green barrier will be sure to yield harvests for his family in the future," the Xinjiang Daily reported.

After the completion, Xinjiang will continue to strengthen and expand the green ecological barrier around the Taklimakan Desert, aiming to restore million 2.34 million hectares of decertified land by 2030, the report said.

China strongly condemns the US' arranging for leader of China's Taiwan region Lai Ching-te's "stopover" and has lodged serious protests with the US, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on Sunday.

China firmly opposes any form of official interaction between the US and the Taiwan region, firmly opposes any trip by leader of the Taiwan authorities to the US in any name or under whatever pretext, and firmly opposes any form of US connivance or support for "Taiwan independence" separatists and their separatist activities, the spokesperson said, in response to reports saying Lai has begun his trip to so-called "diplomatic allies" in the Pacific, and he has arrived in Hawaii for a "stopover."

The spokesperson stressed that the Taiwan question is at the core of China's core interests, and the first red line that cannot be crossed in China-US relations. 

"We urge the US to fully see the separatist nature of Lai Ching-te and the DPP authorities, fully understand the grave damage that 'Taiwan independence' separatist activities do to cross-Straits peace and stability, fully abide by the one-China principle and the three China-US joint communiqués, act on the commitments made by US leaders such as not supporting 'Taiwan independence,' stop having official interaction with the Taiwan region, and stop sending any wrong signal to 'Taiwan independence' separatist forces," the spokesperson said.

China will closely follow the developments and take resolute and strong measures to defend our nation's sovereignty and territorial integrity, the spokesperson said.

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba reportedly didn't get meeting he sought with US president-elect Donald Trump, who though met with Argentina's President Javier Milei last week. Observers said that the cold shoulder Ishiba received may be a sign that Japan may not be marked as a priority on the diplomatic agenda of the next US administration. 

Ishiba, who is on an eight-day trip for the APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting in Peru and G20 summit in Brazil, had explored the possibility of stopping in the US afterward for a meeting with Trump, Japan Today reported on Sunday. 

Speaking to reporters in Lima, Peru, Ishiba said Trump's team explained that the president-elect, who has received numerous requests for meetings from world leaders, cannot hold talks with them before taking office due to legal constraints.

Japanese media quoted Ishiba as saying, "I hope to hold talks with him at the most convenient, earliest possible time for both," showing his eagerness to arrange a meeting following Trump's inauguration in January.

At a gala at Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort on Thursday, Trump however met with Milei ahead of a conservative investment summit. The Argentinean president is the first foreign leader to meet Trump since his US presidential election victory on 5 November, according to BBC. 

Japanese media took note of the incident. The Asahi Shimbun described that Ishiba "suffered an embarrassing diplomatic setback" when he failed to secure an early meeting with Trump.

Ishiba's was re-elected as Japan's prime minister on November 11. However, the vote in parliament went to a runoff for the first time in 30 years when no candidate was able to muster majority support in the first round.

Observers said this shows Ishiba is a "weak leader," which Trump could see as a stark contrast to the late Shinzo Abe, reported Singapore-based media CNA. 

On November 17, 2016, then Japanese Prime Minister Abe held a meeting with Trump, before the latter took office, in Trump Tower for approximately one hour and 30 minutes, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan. Following the meeting, Abe presented Trump a golf club and Trump presented Abe golf goods including a golf shirt.

"Trump remembers very well how sturdy, strong and trustworthy his pal Shinzo Abe was," said Tomohiko Taniguchi, a specially appointed professor at the University of Tsukuba, CNA news reported. 

"Ishiba must counter the shadow of Shinzo Abe. For the moment, Donald Trump is not going to pay much attention, I'm afraid, to Ishiba," added Taniguchi, who is also a special advisor at think tank Fujitsu Future Studies Centre.

The cold shoulder Ishiba received from Trump may indicate that for the next US administration, Japan may not be marked as a priority on the diplomatic agenda, and Washington may be asking Tokyo to be more compliant and proactive in sharing the defense expenses, Lü Chao, an expert on Northeast Asia issues at the Liaoning Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times. 

Lü said that Ishiba's recent remarks regarding the security alliance between the US and Japan, such as putting the US-Japan alliance on a more equal footing, indicate certain mood, which may have sparked discontent in Washington, suggesting an emerging rift in the longstanding alliance.

"The current Japan-US security treaty is structured so that the US is obligated to 'defend' Japan, and Japan is obligated to 'provide bases' to the US," Ishiba was quoted as saying in a statement provided to the Hudson Institute, according to the Pacific Island Times report. "The time is ripe to change this 'asymmetrical bilateral treaty'," media reported.