In August 1959, it took at least 26 days for two journalists from Minzu Huabao, a Chinese pictorial journal published since 1955 in six Chinese ethnic languages, to reach Dulongjiang township, Gongshan county, in Southwest China's Yunnan Province from Beijing.

To reach the destination, the two journalists first had to arrive in Lijiang county (to which the Gongshan county used to belong) by train and bus, then head to Dulongjiang township by truck and on horseback. It is through such an arduous journey that the Dulong ethnic group was first introduced to the larger Chinese public through media reports.

More than 74 years later, when the Global Times reporters embarked on the same journey in 2023, it took them four and a half hours to fly from Beijing to the city of Baoshan, which borders the Nujiang Lisu Autonomous Prefecture where the Dulongjiang township is located, and after an eight-hour drive, they parked their vans in front of a hotel at the center of Dulongjiang township.

It has been about three years since the township was lifted out of poverty and nearly a decade since the first highway tunnel linking Dulongjiang township and the Gongshan county was constructed. These transformative changes have not only brought about conveniences in transportation to local residents, but also provided them with opportunities to connect with the outside world, as well as improved accessibilities to timely healthcare services, education, and employment opportunities.

Last secrete place
Abutting Yunnan's border with Myanmar, Dulongjiang township is the Dulong ethnic minority's ancestral home, with a current population of about 4,300 of the people in the town.

Having long endured extreme poverty while in isolation, it wasn't until the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949 that the Dulong people embarked on a journey to modernity in a socialist society.

China's fast-paced development has been embraced by the Dulong ethnic group, and thanks to intensive poverty alleviation efforts, the group has also been dubbed "a group that crossed the millennium in one step."

"Life was pretty hard in the past. We did not have clothes, but only had a blanket that can be worn as clothing in the day and a quilt at night," Li Wenshi, a Dulong township villager in her seventies and one of the few remaining Dulong women adorned with face tattoos, told the Global Times. "Everything has changed now; we have highways, electricity, and new houses. I am so happy and grateful," Li said.

Improvements witnessed by Li's family have greatly increased since the overall poverty alleviation of the township in 2018. Today, Li still busies herself with knitting, which she said could earn her an extra 3,000 yuan ($420) per month during the busy tourism season as many tourists purposely visit the "secret" Dulongjiang and are fascinated by the rainbow-like traditional Dulong blanket.

The younger generation has also inherited textile manufacture knowledge from Li. When thinking about the future, she hopes that the younger generation will balance the embrace of modernity with the inheritance of ancient ancestral knowledge, bringing the signature Dulong rainbow to all the corners of the world.

Crossing the millennium
Before 2014 New Year's Day, people from Dulong ethnic group wrote to President Xi Jinping to report the imminent completion of the Gaoligong Mountains-Dulongjiang River highway tunnel.

In his reply, Xi expressed his joy at the good news about the tunnel and congratulated the community. "I have always been concerned about the wellbeing of the Dulong people as you used to live harsh lives."

During an inspection tour in Yunnan a year later, Xi met with some representatives from Dulong ethnic group, including Li Wenshi, to learn about the progress of the highway tunnel and people's lives in the area.

"I'm here to encourage you to keep up the good work, and to assure people of all ethnic groups that the Communist Party of China (CPC) attaches great importance to your development," Xi said during the inspection.

After the six administrative villages in the township lift out of poverty, people in the township wrote another letter to inform Xi of the overall better life now enjoyed by all.

"President Xi stressed that not a single ethnic group, family, or individual should be left behind on the road to xiaokang. This is so encouraging to me. As one of the first people in the younger generation to leave for college, I felt that I couldn't wait to come back to join the team to build the future for my hometown," Dulongjiang township head Mu Xiaolong said.

With the complete eradication of poverty, now Dulongjiang township is firmly on the road to rural revitalization. We believe that our lives will get better and better as long as we continue to make great efforts, said Mu.

By making use of the rich mountainous and forest resources along the Dulong River, many of the 1,100-plus households in Dulongjiang are engaged in herbal cultivation and poultry husbandry with local characteristics.

According to Dulongjiang township agricultural official

Li Xinhua, a total of 83,009 mu (5,533 hectares) of the township is under black cardamom cultivation, also known as caoguo, with a harvest of nearly 3,000 tons each year. Earnings from the 2023 crop were in excess of 25 million yuan.

In 2009, the total economic income of the ownship was only 4.93 million yuan, and the per capita net income of farmers was only 916 yuan. In 2021, the per capita net income of farmers in the entire township reached 15,000 yuan.

Embracing the world
Dulongjiang township, which used to be called "the most secret place" in China, is embracing the world thanks to transformative changes along with China's efforts to realize modernization.

Telecommunications network reached this remote corner of China in 2004.

In 2014, Dulongjiang was the first township in Yunnan to have a 4G network, and five years later, it was the first in the province to upgrade to 5G.

Preferential policies and support from central and local authorities are also benefiting the students.

Mu said in the 1990's, students faced an arduous three-day journey to the county to access education. But nowadays, children of school going age are entitled to 14 years of free education, from pre-school through to high school. The rates of primary school enrollment and attendance have both remained at 100 percent.

Dulong culture has also made its sparkling debut on the international stage. With a range of snow-capped mountains and steep canyons, Dulongjiang township is one of the areas in China with the most well-preserved primitive ecological environments. The clear waters of the Dulongjiang River, the mysterious tattoo-faced women, and the colorful Dulong carpets always attract tourists from all over the world.

In May this year, an exhibition at Fabric X featuring items such as scarves, handbags, and eye masks made from textiles by Dulong weavers attracted global art enthusiasts' attention at the ninth London Craft Week.

The exhibition was presented by the Beijing Contemporary Art Foundation (BCAF) and the naze naze studio as part of a Dulong handicraft project was aunched in 2015.

"We planned to launch a handicraft project for Chinese ethnic minorities at that time. We conducted research for about five months, visiting the Yi people and the Miao people. After looking into the Dulong people, we found that the artwork of their artwork showed fascinating and abstract line patterns, we thought it could potentially be a good project for research and development," Hu Fei, BCAF secretary general, told the Global Times.

The Dulong blanket is an indispensable item for local families. The brightly colored Dulong blanket is like a rainbow. By working with local female weavers from the Dulong River Valley, the project blends traditional craftsmanship with contemporary tastes and increases the income of the weavers.

To Hu, it is a process of co-creation rather than a unilateral support. At the start, even our designers did not know how to use the waist weaving loom. So, they had to try the loom together with local female weavers.

"It is from the third installment that we started to organize a weaving contest for local women. We would offer bonuses to the best three works. If the participant's works were adopted as part of our products, we would also compensate her in the same way we would professional designers," Hu noted. She added that this was aimed at demonstrating the value of the creations to the artisans, a fact they may have not realized.

So far, the Dulong project hosted six installments, attracting a total of 38 weavers from various ethnic minority groups including Dulong, Dong, Naxi, and Wa.

"I am very glad I can participate in the project. It not only brings about extra income to my family, but also provides me with opportunities to go to Shanghai. I hope I can also go abroad in the future," a Dulong weaver called Hua Jie told the Global Times.

China urges the US to correct unjust harassment and repatriation of Chinese citizens entering the US and China will continue to take resolute measures to safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese citizens, Chinese Foreign Ministry said in response to the Washington Post’s recent special report on the unwarranted harassment, interrogation and repatriation of Chinese students and scholars by US border officials which grabbed headlines. 

The Washington Post recently published a special report of interviews with six Chinese students and two visiting scholars who were unreasonably harassed, interrogated, and deported upon their arrivals at the US airports, detailing the experiences of some individuals, which have attracted attention domestically in the US.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said in response during a Wednesday briefing that China has repeatedly expressed its firm stance on the unwarranted harassment, interrogation, and deportation of Chinese citizens by the US, especially students and scholars.

The US’ frequent discriminatory, political, and selective law enforcement measures against Chinese students seriously violate their legitimate rights and interests, and disrupt normal personnel exchanges between the two countries. The practice contradicts the US' stated support for and facilitation of cultural exchanges between the two nations and runs counter to the shared desire of the people from both countries to engage in friendly exchanges. 

We urge the US to carefully listen to the voices from all sectors of both countries, stop poisoning the public sentiment that affects bilateral relations, correct the wrongful practices of unjustified harassment, interrogation and deportation of Chinese citizens, thoroughly investigate the relevant cases, give the victims a fair explanation, Lin said, noting that China will continue to take resolute measures to safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese citizens. 

A number of Chinese localities have set out detailed plans to develop artificial intelligence (AI) technology and relevant ecosystems this year, a move that observers said shows that China is leveraging its "whole-nation" system advantage to fast track the technology's development amid a white-hot global race.

It also comes as the Government Work Report launched the AI Plus Initiative, while highlighting efforts to develop new quality productive forces for the first time.

Qingdao, a city in East China's Shandong Province, plans to build itself into a highland in AI hashrate and algorithm applications.

According to the plan, the city aims to create 20 influential leading AI firms, about 30 AI innovative platforms, more than 100 AI application demonstration zones and seven AI hashrate centers to "further improve the local AI-related ecosystem," the Xinhua News Agency reported.

In mid-March, the Industry and Information Technology Bureau in Shenzhen, South China's Guangdong Province, which is also known as China's "Silicon Valley," issued an action plan to accelerate the development of new quality productive forces.

The plan draws up 20 "strategically newly emerging industry clusters," including AI, and it vows to support their growth "with extraordinary strength and the city's whole resources."

The Shenzhen authorities have released two lists on the application of AI technology in a combined 41 urban scenarios, including digital, culture and public services, the Xinhua report noted.

In February, Wang Zhonglin, governor of Central China's Hubei Province, pledged at an AI-themed meeting that the province will speed up the technology's development with "extraordinary measures" and "a stronger sense of urgency, mission and responsibility," said another Xinhua report.

Wang took note of Hubei's technological edges in several fronts, including innovation prowess, a solid industrial base and abundant applications, which he believes could reinforce the city's role in AI development.

With the recent market hit text-to-video AI model Sora and AI chatbot ChatGTP, some Chinese cities could embrace the opportunities brought by AI large language models' revolutionary tide and make this core to their development plans.

Liu Jie, Party chief of Hangzhou, East China's Zhejiang Province, mentioned Sora twice at the city officials' first meeting in February, stressing that the city - which is home to a number of technology companies such as Alibaba and NetEase - should innovate and seize the opportunity in the new round of AI development, news website 21jingji.com reported.

Liu suggested measures to shore up hashrate development, including launching "hashrate vouchers" that bring down the cost, creating more conditions for developing universal AI large language models as well as vertical and specialized AI large language models, the report said.

Observers said that those efforts underscore that China has been spearheading a top-down effort that could help itself quickly climb up the tech ladder and close gaps with certain foreign peers. One of China's biggest advantages in the AI sector lies in the country's system advantage, which makes it more efficient in mobilizing and deploying relevant resources in technological research and development, they stressed.

Zhou Hongyi, founder and chairman of 360 Security Technology, voiced confidence that Chinese firms could narrow the gap with the US industry within one or two years, due to China's strong advantage in rapid learning capabilities.

He told the Global Times that 2024 may become the "year of application" for China in the field of AI.

In late February, the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council held a meeting on promoting the reform of State-owned enterprises (SOEs), stressing the importance of pushing forward the transformation and upgrading of central SOEs through technological empowerment, including AI.

Deputies from East China's Jiangsu Province who interacted with Chinese President Xi Jinping during a deliberation at the second session of the 14th National People's Congress, told the Global Times on Thursday that they had been deeply inspired and vowed to accelerate the development of new quality productive forces.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, on Tuesday participated in a deliberation with his fellow deputies from the delegation of Jiangsu Province at the second session of the 14th National People's Congress, China's national legislature, the Xinhua News Agency reported.  

During the deliberation, Xi stressed the importance of developing new quality productive forces according to local conditions.

Xi called for focusing on high-quality development as the top priority, urging efforts to step up innovation, foster emerging industries, adopt forward-thinking plans for developing future-oriented industries and improve the modernized industrial system, according to Xinhua.

Scientific and technological innovation has become an important driving force for China's development and the term "new quality productive forces" has become a buzzword at the ongoing two sessions. 

And the guidelines presented by Xi have served to enlighten NPC deputies from Jiangsu Province, with many saying that they are inspired by Xi's emphasis on developing new quality productive forces, which is set to inject new growth momentum to the Chinese economy.

Shan Zenghai, an NPC deputy and chief engineer of Chinese construction equipment giant Xuzhou Construction Machinery Group (XCMG), told the Global Times on Thursday that he is heartened by Xi's direction on guiding Jiangsu to develop new quality productive forces and become a base, and forge industrial clusters of new and emerging industries.

"The encouragement from top leadership greatly boosted our confidence in sticking to innovation-driven growth, bolstering the real economy and promoting high quality development," Shan said.

Chen Wei, an NPC deputy and the President of Jiangnan University, told the Global Times on Thursday that Xi's direction on making science and technological innovation a pillar in nurturing new quality productive forces has mapped out a blueprint for colleges to serve the country's economic and social development.

Promoting the in-depth integration of innovative factors, industrial chains, capital and talent represents key tasks for colleges, including encouraging scientists and researchers to walk out of laboratories and to the assembly lines, Chen said.

Zhou Bin, another NPC deputy and Party chief of Yancheng city, told the Global Times on Thursday that Xi's guidance carved out new space for development and the city has focused its development on new industrialization since the new year with the aim to construct modern industrial system.

The city will focus on nurturing "little giants," or industrial enterprises that have unique niche in the market, high-tech enterprises and listed firms.

The concept of new quality productive forces refers to a new form of productive forces derived from continuous sci-tech breakthroughs and innovation that drive strategic emerging industries and future industries in a more intelligent information era.

The development of new quality productive forces is currently accelerating across China. 

East China's Jiangsu Province is a manufacturing and exports powerhouse. It is also home to a vast number of private companies and a key destination of foreign-invested companies in China. The province has set a growth target of over 5 percent for 2024, after recording a growth of 5.8 percent in 2023.

Sales of iPhones in the Chinese market posted a double-digit year-on-year decline in the first six weeks of 2024. Analysts said the US tech company is struggling in the competition with rising Chinese rivals.

According to market research organization Counterpoint Research, iPhone's sales in the Chinese market declined by 24 percent in the first six weeks of 2024, and it ranked No.4 behind three Chinese brands - Vivo, Huawei and Honor.

Counterpoint said that the fall was due to stiff competition in the high-end market from a resurgent Huawei, while Apple was squeezed in the middle market by brands such as Vivo, OPPO and Xiaomi.

In Apple's official store on Chinese e-commerce platform Tmall, the price of the latest iPhone 15 with 128G storage reached 4,999 yuan ($694.37), much cheaper than the price of 5,999 yuan at the official website of Apple, a move seen as to attract more Chinese consumers on the online channel.

Apple had a roughly 13 percent year-on-year decline in sales in the greater China region in the first quarter of 2024 fiscal year that ended December 30, 2023. Quarterly earnings rose 2 percent year-on-year to $119.6 billion, according to the company's results released on February 1.

Represented by the sudden launch of Huawei's Mate 60 Pro series, various Chinese Android-oriented smartphones showed largely-upgraded performance and production capacity, Liu Dingding, a veteran industry observer, told the Global Times on Tuesday.

Liu noted that the price advantage and approximate quality of domestic brands compared with iPhones affect consumers' decisions.

Counterpoint said that although the iPhone 15 is a great device, it has no significant upgrades from the previous version, so consumers feel fine holding on to older-generation iPhones for now.

In January, a total of 31.78 million cell phones were shipped in China, up 68.1 percent year-on-year, and 82.6 percent were domestic brands, according to the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology, indicating strong growth momentum of Chinese smartphone manufacturers.

China successfully sent on Tuesday a new-generation X-ray observatory satellite, the Einstein Probe (EP), into orbit to monitor flashes in the night sky and observe mysterious transient phenomena in the universe. The satellite will help reveal more about this violent and little-known side of the cosmos and help advance people’s understanding of tumultuous cosmic events. 

The satellite lifted off atop a Long March-2C rocket from Xichang Satellite Launch Centre in Southwest China’s Sichuan Province at 3:03 pm, China’s National Space Science Center (NSSC) of Chinese Academy of Science announced on its website. 

According to the NSSC, the EP is a scientific satellite among the Strategic Priority Program on Space Science (II), a series scientific satellites program implemented by China since 2011 following the successful launches of scientific satellites such as Wukong and Mozi satellites. 

The Einstein Probe Space Science Satellite serves as a cosmic explosion catcher, capable of precisely capturing more distant and fainter transient sources and eruptive celestial bodies. It explores X-ray signals from sources of gravitational waves and holds important scientific significance in studying the formation, evolution and mergers of dense celestial objects such as stars, black holes and neutron stars.

The EP satellite employs the time-domain astronomy in the soft X-ray band to conduct high-sensitivity real-time dynamic sky surveys, in a bid to systematically discover high-energy transient and variable celestial objects, monitor the activity of already known celestial bodies and explore their natural and physical processes. 

With the new X-ray detection technology inspired by the functioning of a lobster eye, the EP weighs1.45 tons and it’s as large as a full-size SUV. It is shaped like a lotus in full bloom and features 12 petals and two stamens. 
The “petals” are actually 12 modules consisting of wide-field X-ray telescopes, while the two “stamens” consist of two modules of follow-up X-ray telescopes. 

With these instruments, the EP can conduct wild-field surveys while accurately capturing distant and faint high-energy transient sources in the universe, as well as capturing transient unknown phenomena. It issues alerts to guide ground-based and other astronomical facilities for subsequent observations. 

The satellite is designed to last 5 years.

Chinese Premier Li Qiang encouraged Chinese research fellows to achieve greater breakthroughs in technology and research for core technologies, and contribute more to China's technological self-reliance and self-improvement, during his inspection to Central China’s Hubei Province from Tuesday to Wednesday, China Media Group reported. 

Li made the remarks when visiting the State Key Laboratory of Information Engineering in Surveying, Mapping and Remote Sensing at Wuhan University. Li urged the research fellows to vigorously promote multi-scenario applications, and gather and integrate more innovative resources. 

While in Wuhan, Li visited companies including Yangtze Memory Technologies Co and HGTECH to observe production lines while learning about the development of flash memory chip and laser industries.

Li stressed the need for enterprises to further play the role of being the main drivers for scientific and technological innovation, improve the mechanism of collaborative innovation of industries, universities and research institutes, and implement more precise support policies to transform scientific research achievements into real productivity.

Li also visited the Gezhouba Dam in Yichang. He urged enterprises to continue promoting scientific and technological innovation while prioritizing ecological and green development when visiting Hubei Xingfa Chemicals Group Co. 

China is bolstering and advancing scientific and innovative development. 

According to a readout of the annual Central Economic Work Conference following its conclusion in December, "sci-tech innovation should lead the development of a modern industrial system," the Xinhua News Agency reported.

For major public health emergencies that result in more than five deaths or critical cases, provincial health authorities must report to China's top health authority within two hours upon receiving the report, according to new medical emergency regulations released by the National Health Commission (NHC) on Monday.

The NHC released the trial regulation to clarify the mechanisms and processes for emergency medical responses to sudden incidents, and to standardize and efficiently carry out emergency medical rescues in order to avoid and reduce casualties and ensure people's safety and health.

When the casualty situation is not clear, the situation should be reported first, with specific casualties submitted later. Health administrative authorities below the provincial level can directly report to the NHC, while copying the higher-level health authorities. The NHC should promptly report to the State Council upon receiving the report, according to the regulation.

The drafting of the trial regulation was based on relevant emergency, medical laws, regulations and contingency plans, including the Emergency Response Law of the People's Republic of China, Basic Healthcare and Health Promotion Law and the national emergency response plan for public health emergencies, said the NHC.

The trial medical emergency regulation was released in a timely manner, providing clear guidance and assistance to medical institutions in dealing with sudden health emergencies, Lu Hongzhou, head of the Third People's Hospital of Shenzhen, told the Global Times on Tuesday.

For example, based on the Law on Prevention and Treatment of Infectious Diseases and other relevant laws and regulations, infectious disease patients should be promptly transferred to designated medical institutions for treatment, Lu said.

The trial regulation standardizes the system of medical emergency information discovery and reporting, as well as the entire process of medical emergency disposal. It clarifies the work responsibilities of relevant departments and institutions.

The health authorities will establish a system for retroactive investigation and accountability in order to strengthen inspection and guidance and improve the timeliness and accuracy of reporting. For those units that report late, omit, lie, or conceal information, they shall be resolutely held accountable in line with relevant regulations.

It also clarifies the standards for on-site medical emergency disposal, injury classification, treatment of the injured and other facets. It stipulates the management of medical emergency teams and base construction, the establishment of a medical emergency expert database, the formulation of medical emergency plans, the reserve of medical supplies, training and drills and other areas as well.

The US and the UK's support for anti-China rioters exposed their ill intention to destabilize the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said at Friday's regular press briefing, in response to the latest remarks by US and UK politicians regarding the issuing of arrest warrants for five fugitives that have fled the HKSAR to overseas.

China strongly deplores and firmly opposes certain countries' flagrant slandering against the national security law for Hong Kong and interference in the rule of law in the HKSAR, and the issuing of arrest warrants for the five fugitives is in line with international law and common practice, said Mao.

The National Security Department (NSD) of the Hong Kong Police Force said on Thursday that the police have put on the wanted list five individuals who have fled overseas and are suspected of having committed offences under the national security law for Hong Kong.

The five are Cheng Man-kit, Hui Wing-ting, Joey Siu, Fok Ka-chi and Choi Ming-da, according to the HKSAR.

The HKSAR government also on Friday strongly opposed and condemned certain countries' remarks on the issuing of arrest warrants for the five individuals.

The police issued arrest warrants of these five individuals according to the law, which is necessary and legitimate, said Mao. The national security laws of other countries including the US and the UK also have extraterritorial effect. These five individuals, under the pretext of "democracy" and "human rights," have engaged in activities that undermine China's national security, Mao said.

The Commissioner's Office of Chinese Foreign Ministry in HKSAR also expressed strong dissatisfaction and firm opposition on Friday. The spokesperson from the Commissioner's Office said that the extraterritorial application of the national security law for Hong Kong is fully in line with the principles of international law and common practice, and is a necessary and justified measure to ensure Hong Kong's long-term stability and order.

Meanwhile, the 2023 Implementation Rules for Amending the Implementation Rules for Article 43 of the Law of the People's Republic of China on Safeguarding National Security in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region took effect on Friday.

"The amendments are technical in nature and the scope of the proposed amendments is extremely narrow: it only aims at making clear provisions in respect of the validity period of freezing notice, without changing the basis or principle for issuing such notice," said a spokesperson from HKSAR on Friday.

The amendments can make sure that the freeze notice of property related to offenses under the national security law for Hong Kong remains valid until the legal proceedings conclude, according to the HKSAR.

Lawmaker Elizabeth Quat Pui-fan supports the revision of the implementation rules. The lawmaker told the Global Times on Friday that it can "effectively combat serious crimes that endanger national security."

Anti-China figures are still using various means to deny and evade their crimes that endanger national security. The anti-China forces in the US and the West are eager to continue stirring up trouble and messing up Hong Kong, the lawmaker emphasized.

Authorities are launching a direct strike against anti-China elements and those who disrupt Hong Kong, by pursuing the criminal acts of Jimmy Lai Chee-ying and his peers in accordance with the law and freezing their assets. They have brought this upon themselves and HKSAR is obligated to handle it in accordance with the law, Quat said.

It is necessary to uphold the rule of law in governing HKSAR, using legal means to maintain stability and uphold social justice, the lawmaker said.

Mao, the foreign ministry spokesperson, reiterated that Hong Kong affairs are purely China's internal affairs that brook no interference from any external forces. China maintains firm resolve in safeguarding the nation's sovereignty, security and development interests. Relevant countries should respect China's sovereignty and the rule of law in HKSAR and stop interfering in China's internal affairs, she said.

The US-led joint patrol in the Red Sea following Houthi militia attacks against ships heading toward Israel shows that the Palestinian-Israeli conflict in Gaza is not only affecting the whole region, but also the international community. Chinese analysts pointed out that the root cause of the trade route problem is the ongoing conflict in Gaza, and only a sustainable cease-fire and allowing humanitarian aid to enter Gaza via land and sea routes can solve the problem in the Red Sea. 

China will pay close attention to the situation, and Chinese naval vessels that conduct UN authorized anti-piracy missions in the region will keep performing their duty, analysts said, adding that China will stick to the priority of realizing a cease-fire and clear the way for humanitarian aid for the people in Gaza, rather than joining the US to conduct any military operations without UN authorization to escalate the crisis in Gaza. 

The US and a host of other nations are creating a new force to protect ships transiting the Red Sea that have come under attack by drones and ballistic missiles fired from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced Tuesday in Bahrain, the AP reported.

The UK, Bahrain, Canada, France, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Seychelles and Spain have joined, Austin said. Some of those countries will conduct joint patrols while others will provide intelligence support in the southern Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.

The Houthi militia attacked two commercial ships in the Red Sea with naval drones on Monday. The recent attacks have caused concerns about the impact on the passage of oil, grain and other goods on what is an important global trade route, and have pushed up the cost of insuring and shipping goods through the Red Sea, Reuters reported.

The Shanghai-based news website The Paper reported on Tuesday that following other international shipping companies including Denmark's Maersk and France's CMA, Chinese shipping giants like COSCO and Orient Overseas Container Line (OOCL) also suspended transport through the Red Sea.

Ma Xiaolin, dean of the Institute for Studies on the Mediterranean Rim at Zhejiang International Studies University, told the Global Times on Tuesday that the trade route via the Red Sea is truly important for China as it connects Europe, Asia and Africa, so China will pay close attention to the situation.

"However, although China has naval vessels in the region, their mission is about anti-piracy, rather than intervening in regional issues and other countries' internal affairs. Only a solution to the ongoing crisis in Gaza can effectively solve the problem in the Red Sea," Ma said. 

On December 9, Al Jazeera reported that the armed group in Yemen claimed that "it will target all ships heading to Israel, regardless of their nationality, and warned all international shipping companies against dealing with Israeli ports."

"If Gaza does not receive the food and medicines it needs, all ships in the Red Sea bound for Israeli ports, regardless of their nationality, will become a target for our armed forces," the group's spokesperson said in a statement on Saturday, according to Al Jazeera.

Song Zhongping, a Chinese military expert and TV commentator, told the Global Times on Tuesday that the "Houthis are specifically targeting Israel, so it's unlikely it will attack Chinese vessels. China doesn't need to be too worried about the situation and the Chinese warships in the region will stick to their plan."

"China will keep making efforts to realize a sustainable cease-fire and clear the way for humanitarian aid to get into the Gaza Strip. This is the real priority that needs to be done," Wang Jin, an associate professor at the Institute of Middle Eastern Studies at Northwest University, told the Global Times on Tuesday.

If Washington and its allies want to solve the Red Sea problem, they should play a responsible role in the UN Security Council to pass a cease-fire resolution and to put concrete efforts into improving the humanitarian situation in Gaza, which would be more effective than sending warships to conduct joint patrols, experts said. 

The humanitarian situation in Gaza remains severe. According to Reuters on Tuesday, Israeli missiles and air strikes on the Rafah area in southern Gaza struck three houses killing at least 20 Palestinians, Gaza health officials said on Tuesday. Tens of thousands of displaced Palestinians have crammed into Rafah on Gaza's border with Egypt to escape Israeli bombardments.

The lack of unity in the UN that is mainly caused by the US is another key reason why the situation is far from easing. The UN Security Council delayed until Tuesday morning a vote on an Arab-sponsored resolution calling for a halt to hostilities in Gaza to allow for urgently needed aid deliveries to a massive number of civilians as members intensified negotiations to try to avoid another veto by the US, the AP reported.

Wang Wenbin, a spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, said at a routine press conference on Tuesday that "the UN General Assembly has adopted two resolutions with an overwhelming majority. We hope the US will listen to the voice of the international community, stop single-handedly blocking Security Council resolutions, and play its due role to promote an immediate cease-fire and prevent an even larger humanitarian catastrophe."