China's outstanding contributions to promoting global economic growth, maintaining multilateral trading mechanisms and supporting the reform agenda of the WTO have received wide endorsements during the ongoing ninth review of the trade policies and practices of China by the WTO being held in Geneva, Switzerland, the Xinhua News Agency reported. 

Representatives of WTO members as well as a WTO report issued on the review have also elaborated on China's unswerving commitment to facilitating trade liberalization, including reducing tariffs, optimizing customs procedures and introducing a negative list. Those measures, according to officials and observers, drive global trade and prompt more countries to integrate into the global supply chain. More importantly, they play an exemplary role in a world that is increasingly fragmented by certain Western countries' protectionist moves and small-clique approach. 

While the US, EU and certain other Western countries have attempted to seize the occasion to slander China's industrial policy, which they claimed "harms other countries," Chinese observers pointed out that those "who shout the loudest" are the ones who weaponize tariff tools and other trade remedy measures to rampantly target other countries' competitive industries. 

Those moves have erected trade barriers and caused chaos in the global supply chain, analysts warned, urging the US and other Western countries to abide by WTO rules and refrain from more protectionist measures that could lead to dire consequences for the global economy. 

The ninth review took place on Wednesday and the second session will be held on Friday. During the review, representatives of WTO members highly praised China's practical support, especially its assistance to the least-developed members, in accelerating development and further integrating into the multilateral trading system, according to the Xinhua News Agency report. 

As an important and responsible member of the WTO, China has made significant contributions to promoting discussion of a range of topics including investment facilitation, e-commerce negotiations, domestic regulation of trade in services, plastic pollution prevention and fishery subsidies. It also supported reforms in the WTO's dispute settlement mechanism and efforts to restore the functioning of the appellate body, according to the representatives.

A report by the WTO Secretariat was issued on Wednesday, which provided a comprehensive evaluation of China's economic and policy measures during the review period, which ran from 2021 to 2024. It listed China's achievements, ranging from an economic rebound, progress in making market-oriented reforms and trade expansion to the further liberalization of the foreign investment framework. 

"It is a fact-based and objective assessment that well recognized China's underpinning role in the global trade system. It also served as a strong pushback against smears by the US and other Western countries against China's trade pattern," Gao Lingyun, an expert at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Thursday. 

Vice Minister of Commerce Li Fei led the Chinese delegation to attend the review. In a speech, Li stressed that since the last review in October 2021, China has actively practiced multilateralism, continuously played an important role in global development and provided more opportunities to the world with its super-large market. 

Bai Ming, a research fellow at the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation, told the Global Times on Thursday that it is also worth noting that the report underscored that China not only fulfills its opening-up commitment since joining WTO, but also firmly supports the functioning of multilateral trading system to play a pivotal role in global trade governance.  

While the WTO report also raised concerns on the transparency of government support and export restrictions on certain critical materials, Chinese analysts stressed that those measures taken by Chinese policymakers align with international practices and are in line with WTO rules. 

"The review is also a good chance for China to elaborate policy stance, strengthen communication with the trade organization and dispel unnecessary concerns," Gao said.

China's unwavering commitment to WTO obligations also stands in contrast to the unilateral moves by US and other Western economies, which have been wracking havoc on global supply chain and eroding the prospect of global trade, analysts pointed out. 

It is also ironic that the destroyers of global multilateral trading order are seizing the opportunity to accuse China of its industrial practices that they claimed detrimental to the interests of US and other emerging and developing economies.

According to a Reuters report, in a delivered speech, Washington accused Beijing of "predatory" industrial practices that harm other countries. An EU statement also claimed on Wednesday that China's "distortive" industrial policies create "further overcapacity in China with negative externalities for a wide range of WTO members."

Analysts said that those accusations laid bare the Western countries' double-standard, as they, while taking aim at Chinese practices, did not mention a word about the countless rounds of trade restrictions slapped on Chinese exports and the hefty subsidies provided to shore up industries at home.

"Those claims are not even written into the WTO report, indicating that they're heavily distorted from facts," Gao said. He stressed that regardless of the discords created by foreign forces, China will continue to be a stabilizer of the global trade, with its continuous advancement of reform and opening-up set to bring greater benefits to the world economy.

According to the WTO report, China's importance in the global economy and in trade was further accentuated during the 2021-2024 review period. China's economy expanded 5 percent in the first half of 2024, demonstrating strong resilience in the face of multiple headwinds. 

China's National Immigration Administration (NIA) announced on Monday that the country's 144-hour visa-free transit policy has been expanded to three more entry ports, taking the number of Chinese ports covered by the policy to 37. 

The move marks the ramped-up effort by Chinese government to facilitate international travel and opening-up with more convenient visa policy.

The three new ports are Zhengzhou Xinzheng International Airport in Central China's Henan Province, Lijiang Sanyi International Airport in Southwest China's Yunnan Province, and the Mohan railway port in Yunnan, the administration said in a statement.

Starting from Monday, the 144-hour visa-free transit policy at the Zhengzhou airport will allow visitors to travel within the administrative region of Henan. Additionally, the specific area covered by the 144-hour visa-free policy in Yunnan Province will be expanded from Kunming city to include eight other cities and regions within the province.

With the new addition of entry ports, the NIA has implemented the 144-hour visa-free transit policy in a total of 37 ports in China.

Foreign citizens from 54 countries including the US, Canada, and the UK who enter China through the designated entry ports and hold valid international travel documents and connecting tickets to a third country within 144 hours, will be allowed to stay in designated areas for tourism, business, and visiting relatives visa-free for 144 hours.

The NIA said that the 72/144-hour transit visa-free policies, implemented since January 2013, has played a crucial role in supporting the nation's high-level opening up and facilitating international travel and exchanges. 

The expansion of the visa-free transit policy in Henan and Yunnan provinces will offer foreign citizens more options when traveling to China for tourism and business. 

According to NIA, the total number of visa-free entries made by eligible foreigners exceeded 8.54 million in the first six months this year, accounting for 52 percent of the inbound trips during the first half year and representing a year-on-year growth of 190.1 percent.

China is supporting private enterprises in leading major technological breakthroughs, emphasizing the improvement of mechanisms for their participation in national projects. This is part of a series of significant measures launched following the recently concluded third plenary session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China.

The third plenary session adopted a resolution on further deepening reforms designed to comprehensively advance Chinese modernization. Reforms and policies regarding the private economy are crucial components of this resolution.

The meeting highlighted the construction of a high-level socialist market economy system, while also emphasizing the need to better leverage market mechanisms to create a fairer and more dynamic market environment, stimulating the intrinsic motivation and innovative vitality of the entire society, according Han Wenxiu, executive deputy director of the office of the Central Committee for Financial and Economic Affairs.

Enterprises, as an essential part of China's economy, have played a crucial role in the development and construction of multiple innovation and high-tech fields. Enterprises have become the main source of effective invention patents in China. According to the National Intellectual Property Administration, in 2023, enterprises accounted for over 70 percent of effective invention patents, exceeding 3 million in total.

The resolution issued after the third plenary session further emphasized the importance of developing the private economy, aimed at promoting the complementary and common development of various ownership economies in China, Han said.

Further deepening reform comprehensively to advance Chinese modernization is a significant goal of this session, including attention to both private and state-owned enterprises. According to Han, China will push for independent operations and market-driven reforms of state-owned enterprises, and foster a better environment for the private sector, providing more opportunities through a long-term mechanism that supports capable private companies in leading national technological projects.

Administrative inspections involving private enterprises should be standardized, the best business environment is one governed by law, hence the need to formulate and introduce a law promoting the private economy, Han added.

Encouraging private enterprises to participate in major national projects is a development plan China highly values. Zheng Shanjie, chairman of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), China's top economic planner, stated in March that private enterprises are encouraged and supported to participate in major national projects and shortfall projects.

The NDRC will continue to recommend high-quality projects to private capital, helping private capital to find projects and assisting private investment projects in fundings, Zheng stated.

Since the Third Plenary Session of the 18th CPC Central Committee in 2013, historic and remarkable accomplishments have been made in comprehensively deepening reform. Here are some numbers behind China's deepening reform.

The Asia-Pacifc-6E, or the APStar-6E, China's first all-electric propulsion communication satellite, has successfully passed in-orbit technology verification and ground station technology reviews in Hong Kong, which means the satellite has become fully operational after having successfully passed all in-orbit tests, according to spacecraft manufacturer China Great Wall Industry Corporation (CGWIC) on Monday. 

As of Monday, all tests outlined in the in-orbit testing protocol were completed successfully. The payload of the APStar-6E is functioning normally, with performance consistent with ground test results, meeting contractual specifications and in-orbit operational requirements, the CGWIC told the Global Times on Monday in a statement. 

Both sets of Hall/Ion electric propulsion systems on the platform met the station-keeping requirements, read the statement.

By providing highly cost-effective, high-throughput broadband satellite resources, the APStar-6E will aid the development of the regional information industry and address the digital divide faced by developing areas, according to the CGWIC.

Developed by the China Academy of Spacecraft Technology using the DFH-3E satellite platform, the APStar-6E is the first satellite of its kind. 

The APStar-6E is operated by Hong Kong-based APT Mobile Satcom Limited and managed by APT Satellite Company Limited. The APStar-6E focuses on the Southeast Asian market, providing high-capacity, cost-effective broadband communication services to the region.

The APStar-6E communication satellite and its independent propulsion module were successfully launched by a Long March-2C carrier rocket at the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in Southwest China's Sichuan Province on January 13, 2023. 

After separating from the propulsion module on January 23 of the same year, the satellite used its onboard Hall/Ion dual electric propulsion systems to autonomously change orbits, reaching geosynchronous orbit (GEO) and positioning at its test location on June 10, 2024. 

The APStar-6E satellite is the new generation of all-electric propulsion commercial satellites in the DFH series, and is also the first Chinese satellite to achieve autonomous orbit transfer. 

After reaching the GEO, the in-orbit testing of the APStar-6E proceeded smoothly. Following the completion of the first phase of in-orbit testing on July 9, 2024, the satellite was repositioned to its operational slot at 134°E, co-located with the APStar-6C and APStar-6D. 

It is equipped with 25 Ku-band user beams and 3 Ka-band gateway beams, with a communication capacity of approximately 30 Gbps and an in-orbit lifespan of 15 years. 

The successful operation of the APStar-6E is significant for achieving high-capacity and low-cost satellite platforms, enhancing the international competitiveness of China's communication satellite platforms, realizing fully autonomous orbit raising and long-term autonomous operations, and improving the intelligent autonomy of China's satellite platforms, according to the CGWIC.

CGWIC, a subsidiary of the state-owned space giant China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC), has conducted 13 in-orbit delivery communications satellite programs for international customers so far, and has delivered its communications satellite system to multiple countries and regions including Nigeria, Venezuela, Pakistan, Bolivia, Laos, Belarus and Algeria, the Global Times has learned.

Senior government officials and scholars from more than 110 countries and 30 international organizations gathered in Beijing at the second High-Level Conference of the Forum on Global Action for Shared Development on Friday, where they highly praised China’s Global Development Initiative (GDI), saying that it’s bringing a new model of sustainable development cooperation that better aligns with the interests and demands of Global South countries. 

Under the GDI, China has brought tangible benefits to their countries’ economic and societal development on the basis of mutual respect, participants at the conference said, which are showcased not only in funding, creating job opportunities, and alleviating poverty, but also in upgrading their industries and addressing climate change.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi delivered a keynote speech at the opening ceremony on Friday, as he elaborated on the achievements made in the past three years since the initiative was proposed in 2021. By far, more than 80 countries have joined the “Group of Friends” of the GDI, with more than 40 countries and international institutions signing cooperation memoranda of understanding with China.

During last year’s high-level conference, China announced the establishment of a global project pool and raised a special development fund to support it. To date, the pool includes over 1,000 projects, with more than 500 projects completed or underway.

China will continue to expand the pool and increase its funding, prioritizing “small and beautiful” livelihood projects, said Wang, who is also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee. 

In the context of a turbulent world with global economic recovery facing setbacks and the gap between the Global North and South continuing to widen, China, as a member of the Global South, firmly stands with developing countries, the top diplomat noted.

“We advocate for the advancement of dialogue and cooperation between the Global South and North, and we call on developed countries to fulfill their commitments and provide more effective and targeted support to developing countries,” Wang said. 

Prime Minister of the Republic of Vanuatu Charlot Salwai, who is visiting China from July 7-12, attended the conference, where he said the GDI “ushered in a beam of hope for global development.” Three years on, Vanuatu has become a true beneficiary of this great initiative, Salwai said. 

Thanks to the joint efforts by the two sides, the total value of trade between China and Vanuatu in 2023 reached $138 million, up by 27 percent year on year. “Although the world faces increasing uncertainties and instabilities, Vanuatu will always trust China as a reliable development partner,” the Salwai said.

During a panel on the sidelines of the conference on Friday, Jeffrey Sachs, Director of the Center for Sustainable Development at Columbia University, explained his “passion and sincerity” for voicing for the Global South. 

“The United States, my country, has many strange ideas. That's part of the reason for the division in the world … The whole idea that we're in some kind of confrontation is a profound misunderstanding,” Sachs noted. 

“The US has these two big oceans that separate it from the rest of the world, and from knowledge – they don't understand. So my first advice is that [US] congressman should get a passport and go see the world and visit these beautiful countries represented on stage here, then we would have a different kind of world,” he continued.

It is “ironic and notable” to see China hosting this “great forum” while in Washington, they are having the NATO Summit, which “is never going to solve anything: what is NATO going to solve except the waste of money and lives?” Sachs told the media at the panel.  

In response to Western hypes about China’s cooperation with the Global South countries is a way to “assert influence,” Hamad Al Hosani, researcher at TRENDS Research and Advisory, a think tank from the United Arab Emirates, told the Global Times, and said his country never sees it that way.

“China’s focus is on trade and investment, economy, technology, and we need China to help find solutions to many problems we’re having today. They don’t use guns and violence, and it’s not about politics,” Hosani said. 

China strongly condemns the extremely irresponsible and provocative remarks made by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg that were characterized by a Cold War mentality, blame shifting, and shirking responsibility on the Ukraine issue, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said on Friday.

On Thursday, Stoltenberg reiterated at the closing press conference of the NATO summit that NATO defines China as a "decisive enabler" of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, and claimed that China has adopted more aggressive actions in its Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and the South China Sea, Taiwan and neighboring countries, and is conducting a large-scale military build-up in a non-transparent fashion.

Lin noted that Stoltenberg's remarks were filled with ideological prejudice, reversing right and wrong, maliciously attacking China's political system, openly interfering in China's internal affairs, and maliciously distorting China's domestic and foreign policies.

Stoltenberg's remarks also shift blame and shirk responsibility on the Ukraine issue, misleading the international community's perception of China's normal military development and its relations with outside countries. China expresses strong dissatisfaction and firm opposition to this, said Lin.

Lin said that Stoltenberg has repeatedly ignored facts and China's repeated representations, using various occasions to smear and attack China, promoting the "China threat" narrative, and inciting anti-China sentiment. His intentions to cooperate with certain forces in suppressing and containing China has been fully exposed.

Such clumsy performances cannot help but arouse the world's vigilance and fully demonstrate that NATO, as a remnant of the Cold War and a product of bloc confrontation and group politics, only creates risks and challenges to world peace and stability, Lin said.

Lin said that certain Western politicians, who are nearing the end of their political careers, should not to attempt to leave a legacy through fanning the flames, provoking trouble, and shifting blame onto others.

China will firmly follow the path of peaceful development, injecting stability and positive energy into world peace and stability through its own development and international cooperation. At the same time, it will firmly safeguard its own sovereignty, development, and security interests. Viewing China as an "imaginary enemy" will ultimately lead NATO to reap what it has sown, Lin noted.

China on Thursday also voiced strong opposition and lodged stern representations on Thursday with NATO after it issued a direct warning to China for the first time regarding the so-called support to Russia in the Ukraine crisis.

Leaders of NATO's 32 members held a three-day summit in Washington, DC from Tuesday to Thursday. And for the third year in a row, the leaders of New Zealand, Japan and South Korea attended the summit as observers.

According to reports, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida held talks with South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol on Wednesday, and both sides expressed hope that Japan and South Korea can maintain close cooperation with NATO.

Lin said at the Friday press conference that NATO, led by the US, as a remnant of the Cold War and the world's largest military alliance, claims to be a regional and defensive organization while continuously creating regional tensions and promoting bloc confrontation. It seeks excuses to strengthen its ties with countries in the Asia-Pacific region, which has aroused high vigilance among regional countries.

The Northeast Asia region, having suffered from the ravages of war, military standoff, and bloc confrontation, deeply understands the value of peaceful coexistence, solidarity, cooperation, and mutual benefit. The current state of peace, cooperation, stability, and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific region, including Northeast Asia, is the result of the joint efforts of regional countries, said Lin.

The Asia-Pacific does not need military alliances, nor does it need "small circles" that provoke great power confrontation and instigate a new Cold War, said the spokesperson.

We hope that regional countries will adhere to the path of Asia-Pacific cooperation, play a constructive role in maintaining and promoting peace, stability, and development in the region and the world, and refrain from acting as the vanguard for NATO's expansion to Asia-Pacific, Lin said.

For the first time, astronomers have spotted a middleweight black hole in the nearby universe. The discovery could help solve the riddle of how even heftier black holes form and grow up with their host galaxies.

The black hole, which sits about 16,000 light-years from Earth in the center of star cluster Omega Centauri, is at least 8,200 times as massive as the sun, putting it squarely in a rare category of intermediate-mass black holes, researchers report July 10 in Nature.
Most of the black holes astronomers have detected fall into one of two categories. They’re either stellar-mass black holes, with masses up to about 100 times that of the sun, or supermassive black holes, which reside in the centers of galaxies and clock in at hundreds of thousands to billions of times the mass of the sun.

Black holes with masses in the middle could help span the gap between the two categories and explain how the supermassive ones got so big. But these black holes are a little like Bigfoot: There have been many claimed sightings, but most turn out not to be real (SN: 2/8/17).

“There’s this rather wide mass range, between 100 and 100,000 solar masses, where there are only very few detections,” says astronomer Maximilian Häberle of the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy in Heidelberg, Germany. “It’s interesting to find out whether they are there, and we just don’t see them because they are hard to detect. Or maybe there’s also a reason why they don’t exist at all.”

One reason to think midsized black holes should exist is because the supermassive black holes astronomers have spotted in the early universe didn’t have time to grow so big if they were just eating gas and stars like black holes do today (SN: 1/18/21). If those black holes grew from mergers of intermediate-mass seeds, that could solve the puzzle (SN: 6/2/23).

“It’s like a missing link that is needed to explain the existence of the supermassive black holes,” says Texas-based astronomer and data scientist Eva Noyola, who was not involved in the new work. “If it’s proven that [intermediate-mass black holes] happen in dense stellar clusters, you have a solution there that’s pretty elegant and simple.”

So astronomers have been hunting for midsize black holes for decades, and searching Omega Centauri specifically since at least 2008. As the most massive cluster of stars in the Milky Way, it’s a relatively easy spot to search, and it may be the remnant core of another galaxy that merged with the Milky Way about 10 billion years ago (SN: 11/1/18).

“It’s basically a galactic nucleus frozen in time,” says study coauthor Nadine Neumayer, also of the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy. Its black hole could be representative of all small galaxies’ black holes 10 billion years ago. “It tells us immediately something about the seed mass for black holes.”

But previous studies left it unclear whether Omega Centauri hosted a single medium-size black hole, or a bunch of smaller black holes close together.

Using 20 years of Hubble Space Telescope observations, Hӓberle and colleagues tracked the motions of 1.4 million individual stars in the cluster and searched for stars moving faster than expected.

The team found seven stars zipping around the innermost regions of the cluster at speeds between 66 and 113 kilometers per second — speeds that should have rocketed the stars out of the cluster altogether. The only way those stars could remain in the cluster is if a single massive object is holding them close, the team concludes.

The observations of superfast stars, combined with other observations through the years, should resolve the debate about the black hole in Omega Centauri, says Noyola, who was on the team that first claimed to see the black hole in 2008 and faced skepticism when they reported the result.

It wasn’t until over a decade later that astronomers nabbed undeniable evidence of an intermediate mass black hole. The first solid detection came from the LIGO gravitational wave observatory, which recorded ripples in spacetime shaken off after two smaller black holes merged to form a single black hole with about 142 solar masses (SN: 9/2/20). But that collision occurred about 17 billion light-years from Earth, making it challenging to study.

Omega Centauri’s black hole has two advantages over that one, from an astronomer’s perspective: It’s in our galactic neighborhood, and astronomers can continue to observe it. Hӓberle and his colleagues are planning to use the James Webb Space Telescope, or JWST, to get more information on the orbiting stars’ speeds, which will let them put better limits on the black hole’s mass.

Another group, led by astrophysicist Oleg Kargaltsev at George Washington University in Washington, D.C., is using JWST to look for light emitted by super-hot gas flowing into the black hole.

“It will be a completely independent, very different method of proving that there is an intermediate-mass black hole,” Kargaltsev says.

Editor's Note:

A violent incident at a concert venue on the outskirts of Moscow resulted in the death of at least 137 individuals and left over 100 injured. The assailants used automatic firearms during the incident and utilized an inflammable substance to start a blaze.

Analysts have noted that this is one of the most severe terrorist attacks Russia has faced in over a decade.

Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the capture of all four assailants responsible for the onslaught, stating that everyone involved in the act, from those who carried it out to those who organized and funded it, will face consequences.

More than 30 hours after the tragic event, those who experienced the ordeal are still deeply shaken. Several Chinese residents in Russia have shared their close encounters and emotions regarding the terror attack with the Global Times.

This story is part of the Global Times' series "Witness to history," which features first-hand accounts from witnesses who were at the forefront of historic moments. From scholars, politicians, and diplomats to ordinary citizens, their authentic reflections on the impact of historic moments help reveal a sound future for humanity through the solid steps forward taken in the past and the present.
Moscow's streets on Friday night were bustling with traffic and crowded with people preparing for the upcoming weekend.

For Chinese student Chen Yiming, this was supposed to be a good opportunity to unwind in the Russian capital.

Chen is a student at Saint Petersburg State University. On that Friday, he returned from a short trip to Armenia and arrived in Moscow, ready to transfer back to Saint Petersburg.

He visited Crocus City Hall, a spectacular complex stretching 1.2 kilometers with four floors housing restaurants, entertainment, and shopping, bustling with activity in Krasnogorsk, in the northwest of Moscow. Chen intended to enjoy a meal at a restaurant on the fourth floor, unaware that the wheels of fate were already turning.

As he browsed the menu, pondering his meal choice, a deafening explosion shattered the peace, too loud to ignore, unsettling everyone around.

Chen sensed it might be a drone attack. With Ukraine's repeated drone strikes on Moscow, this thought was not unfounded.

However, the continuous sound of gunfire soon made him realize it was not a drone but actual shooting. Panic spread, and the crowd in the mall began to scatter in chaos, with no one knowing what exactly was happening or where to flee.

Following the crowd, Chen rushed outside, filled with fear and uncertainty, witnessing people falling, screaming, and some lying on the ground. He followed the crowd toward a nearby bridge, thinking it might be safer.

"The gunfire lasted about 10 minutes," he recalled.

About ten minutes later, through social media, Chen knew the truth - the mall's concert hall had been attacked.

After the initial shock, the gravity of the situation finally donned on him, as such terror attacks are extremely rare in Russia, only seen in movies.

Police quickly arrived at the scene, about 10 to 20 minutes after the incident. The sound of helicopters added to the tense atmosphere.

Chen took the opportunity to leave, fortunately catching a free taxi ride.

Chen was not the only Chinese person close to the attack.

A Chinese person surnamed He from North China's Hebei Province, was also right in the concert hall and witnessed the attack.

He, a pianist who won international competitions for China, had been invited to perform at the concert. He was sitting at the back, listening to the performance, when armed attackers disrupted the venue, causing chaos.

He immediately hid under his seat, trying to stay silent amid the turmoil and screams. He saw the attackers' entry through the gaps in the seats, hearing live gunfire for the first time in his life, according to a report published by Chongqing News.

After a period of chaos and tension, police took control, and he was then safely escorted back to his school.

Tragically, his Russian friend, a girl, was not so fortunate. It is reported that the girl left the concert hall to go to the restroom midway through the event, where she unfortunately encountered the armed assailant and tragically lost her life.

Other survivors also recounted their escape experiences through various means.

One survivor said that the security staff directed people into a boiler room where water tanks or fire hose boxes were stored, with about 50 people hiding there, The Beijing News reported.

The survivor said that they used water from the fire hydrants to wet their clothes to cover their faces, sat on the floor to remain as low as possible. He recalled that subsequently, rescuers broke into the boiler room, the survivors inside responded, and they all fled together.

Another survivor mentioned that she was injured and fell to the ground, managing to survive by playing dead. She waited until the terrorists left before crawling out of the concert hall.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Saturday all four gunmen in the Moscow terrorist attack were arrested. Putin, addressing the nation, said that all those responsible for the deadly attack would be punished. He also ordered that March 24 be a nationwide day of mourning.
Bonding of community

In the southwest part of Moscow, Xu Wenteng was live-streaming on TikTok as usual, sharing daily activities as a Chinese Volunteer Union in Russia.

However, that night turned out to be so different.

During the live stream, Xu, the president of the association, received a message about a terrorist attack in western Moscow. The sudden news disrupted the live stream's flow and Xu's peace of mind.

His live stream quickly turned from routine to a hub of urgent news update. With the help of the Chinese community in Moscow and Russian friends, he began to report the latest developments of the incident to his audience.

That night, his live stream became an information center, with the Chinese residents in Russia and netizens sharing information, helping each other understand the situation.

Despite the attack happening far from his residence in the southwest district, he immediately worried about his niece and family, and fortunately was relieved to learn of their safety.

The familiarity of the attack location deeply affected Xu. "It was a gathering of young people," he told the Global Times.

Nevertheless, during the live stream, he used his two-decade experience in Moscow to advise calmness, especially when the situation was unclear, recalling past incidents and emphasizing staying informed through official news sources.

Even though the intense discussion temporarily choked his live stream, Xu continued to communicate with the Chinese community in Russia through various channels, sharing real-time information and offering assistance.

After the attack, he saw increased security in Moscow, with more police at important sites like Red Square, but he remained vigilant, believing that the act was organized and deliberate.

Xu knew that such events could shock recent Chinese arrivals and those new to Moscow. He specially conveyed reassurance to anxious parents in China, urging them to avoid spreading panic and unfounded rumors, and to not spread anxiety to their children in Russia.

China strongly condemns terrorist attacks, and firmly supports Russia in safeguarding its national security and stability, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on Saturday.

The spokesperson said China opposes all forms of terrorism, strongly condemns terrorist attacks, and firmly supports Russia in safeguarding its national security and stability.

Preciousness of national stability

Chen spent the following Saturday indoors in central Moscow, only going out to eat. He is still feeling tense but not seeking embassy assistance, considering his situation manageable.

For safety, his university in Saint Petersburg decided to suspend classes for the next week.

The attack also caused flight prices to spike. The prices of direct flights from Moscow back to China surged over the weekend. The direct flight tickets from Moscow to Beijing on March 24 were all priced at more than 10,000 yuan ($1,383), with only a small number of tickets available. Air China's Moscow-Beijing flight had only first-class tickets priced at over 50,000 yuan left, media said.

However, Chen had no immediate plans to return home. Despite the foreign environment and the sudden panic and chaos, he felt a growing inner calmness, choosing to stay in Russia to continue his studies and life.

Survivor He who escaped the concert hall has also resumed his studies at school, taking Russian language courses online. He, too, expressed his intention to stay in Russia to continue his education and to prepare for his dream of participating in the Chopin Piano Competition.

Moscow's streets, once lively, were shrouded in a thin layer of gloom. Following the attack, the city center, including the Red Square, was closed on Saturday, but tour groups still visited nearby, and some tourists took photos from behind the fences.

In a video clip Xu sent to the Global Times, a group of middle-aged and elderly tourists shouted together in front of the Saint Basil's Cathedral on Red Square, "Today is March 23rd, Moscow is very safe."

While going out, Chen noticed a significant reduction in traffic and pedestrians compared to the previous day's hustle and bustle, with increased police patrols. Some public places were closed, while some others are still open.

He remembered the scenes of helplessness, fear, and desperate attempts to escape during the attack, haunting his thoughts. However, as time passed, his fear was gradually replaced by rationality.

On Sina Weibo, he wrote, "The explosion last night is still fresh on my mind, reminding me of life's unpredictability and the preciousness of national stability and unity. I hope everyone stays healthy and safe."

Many netizens also expressed their concerns for his safety and wished him an early return home.

On Sunday morning, in a WeChat group of the Russian Chinese community, an elderly Chinese resident in Moscow posted a warning about the possible still-at-large terrorists, advising caution and reduced outings.

This message brought some reassurance to the community, knowing they were not alone and unsupported.

Editor's Note:

As the former director of the Center for Intelligence and National Security Studies in the Philippines, Rommel C. Banlaoi, the Chairman of the Philippine Institute for Peace, Violence, and Terrorism Research, has a deep understanding of Philippine foreign policy and US-Philippine defense cooperation. He was assigned to help advise the president on security matters in 2022, as a deputy national security adviser, but his connections with China were questioned as posing a "security risk" to the Philippines. His nomination was later revoked, local media reported. His experience has seen the Philippine government shift from neutrality to a bias toward the US in diplomacy and defense.

Recently, Banlaoi (Banlaoi) expressed strong dissatisfaction with the current diplomatic and military policies of the Philippines in an interview with Global Times (GT) reporters Hu Yuwei, Fan Wei and Zou Zhidong in Manila. In his view, the diplomatic policy pursued by the current Philippine government and its confrontational measures in the South China Sea not only loses important trading partners like China, but also risks marginalizing the Philippines in the ASEAN.
GT: Since the current Philippine government took office, the South China Sea issue has once again become a focal point in China-Philippines relations and the Philippine government has taken a series of measures that have gradually worsened the situation. How do you evaluate the direction of China-Philippines relations over the last year and a half?

Banlaoi: It is a pity that under the presidency of Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr, the relationship between the Philippines and China has gone so bad because of the issue of the South China Sea.

And also, because of the decision of the current government to increase American military presence in the Philippines, I am dismayed that the Philippines is not balancing the relationship between China and the US, but is exerting more pro-Americanism in foreign policy. The current Marcos administration is creating a lot of difficulties for the improvement and strengthening of Philippines-China relationship.

I consider those unilateral actions by the Philippine government as being counterproductive for the peaceful settlement of disputes with China. In fact, the United Nations Convention of the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) discourages all parties from conducting such kinds of unilateral activities that are hostile to other parties. I don't consider those kinds of unilateral actions from our government to be beneficial to the peaceful settlement of disputes.

So, what we need is to provide a conducive environment for peaceful negotiations. And the only way to have a peaceful and conducive environment for negotiations is to improve the friendly relationship between the two countries, as if there is no friendship, there's no mutual understanding.

GT: We have seen from news reports that the Philippine government has a plan to recruit fisherfolk militias to further confront China in the South China Sea. Will this further militarize the South China Sea? Is this a part of US-Philippines military cooperation?

Banlaoi: I think it's part of the advice given by the US to pursue such an action, especially in the context of what they call an "offensive transparency strategy" in the South China Sea. What we need now is to sustain the process of direct negotiation, to sustain the process of direct consultation and direct dialogue to manage our differences.

Former president Rodrigo Duterte has initiated the bilateral consultative mechanism [with China] in the South China Sea and it has achieved a lot of gains. For example, in 2017, they formed several working groups to promote joint fishery cooperation. That's what we need in the area. We need fishery cooperation. They also decided to cooperate politically and in security, which would promote marine environmental protection, marine environmental research, search and rescue operations, as well as the freedom of navigation in the South China Sea.

But these efforts have not been sustained under the current government. What we need is to take stock of what we achieved in the past and pursue these achievements and move on to improve our relationship.

So, from the golden age of our relationship, to the current rock bottom of our relationship, I feel bad about that because our countries have enjoyed a fruitful, friendly relationship for a long while. We need that kind of relationship again and the key is to well manage our differences.

If you increase maritime militias in the South China Sea, you are in fact increasing the risk of violence. Let the fisherman be fishermen. If we want to protect our interests in the area, I think that needs all maritime authorities to negotiate an arrangement on how to maintain peace and maritime security in the area.

In order to promote maritime safety in the South China Sea, we need cooperation not competition. The China Coast Guard has demonstrated that it can be involved in the rescue of Filipino fishermen. We have mutual interest and we need to talk about them, instead of the differences.

GT: Is it possible that this militia plan in the Philippines has received financial support from the US, or some other form of support?

Banlaoi: That's possible. They have a way of offering such kinds of support to the Philippines. For example, as a result of the current Philippine President's decision to be closer to the US, the US decided to provide more military assistance funding to the Philippines and the Philippine military can use these funds to train anybody to protect our interests in the South China Sea.

In the past, the US has assisted the Philippines, the Philippine military, and the Philippine militia to fight against terrorism, to fight against Al Qaeda, and to fight against ISIS. They have done that in the past. The US has that kind of track record in supporting our military and our militias in their fight against threats. So, it's possible.
GT: Are these aggressive measures taken by the Philippine government controversial domestically in the Philippines?

Banlaoi: There are people opposing those decisions and I am one of them. I have expressed my opposition against increased American military presence in the Philippines because it is a military rising.

It increases the risks of the Philippines getting involved in an armed conflict that is not beneficial to Philippine national interests. And I hope when that situation comes, China will exercise more patience.

We don't want to take sides between the US and China, but we will side with our interests. Due to the decision by the current president to be closer to the US, we are becoming isolated from the ASEAN.

Many ASEAN member states do not like what we are doing because it is running counter to the principle of the ASEAN of promoting the region as a zone of peace, freedom, and neutrality. The Philippines is no longer neutral because the Philippines has decided to become part of the American strategy in the pacific. The way we handle things is with an American approach, not the ASEAN approach.

GT: What sorts of efforts can we make to restore China-Philippines relationship?

Banlaoi: There are more opportunities coming up to improve the relationship. We will be having a midterm election in 2025. I hope we will be able to elect the right leaders who can better understand the relationship between the Philippines and China and the relationship between the Philippines and the US. We hope to elect leaders in 2025 like senators and congressmen that will have a better understanding of geopolitics and the importance of a friendly Philippines-China relationship.

In my understanding, China has no problem with the Philippines having a good relationship with the US. But the only concern that China has is not to have this relationship used against it. And I admire the foreign policy of former president Duterte, because he initiated the process of decolonization from the US; he even said that he would like to separate from the US, and I think that's the right step. The Philippines cannot be a truly proud, independent nation if we continue to rely on the US.

Our current government is heavily reliant on the US to advance our position in the South China Sea and that kind of reliance is truly hurting Philippines-China relations and is making it difficult to settle our disputes in the South China Sea.
GT: During our days in the Philippines, we hardly felt any hostility from the locals toward Chinese people due to the South China Sea dispute. In contrast, local newspapers were sensationalizing the dispute. Do you think the Filipino people really believe the media's narrative? What are the issues that they truly care about?

Banlaoi: This issue on the South China Sea is only found in the papers in the Philippines that are dominated by Western narratives. But if you go around the country, you'll see that the common people care more about peace in the South China Sea. They don't want war.

They care more about fighting inflation and economic hardship. They care more about making commodities more affordable to them. They care more about having jobs. They care more about having good transportation. We need trains, roads, and bridges that China can provide, and we need more trade with China. It's a pity that many of the narratives in the media are controlled by this Western narrative of anti-China sentiment.

But if you really look around the country, the conflict in South China Sea is the least of their worries. The only thing that they care about is for the fishermen not to lose their livelihoods.

That's why I feel bad that the Philippine government canceled Philippine participation in the projects of Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). And I traveled around and learned that the railways and bridges will no longer be built. They feel bad about it. Ordinary people here care more about economic development.

We want peace and common development with China and don't want a war with China.