Unfounded allegations by some U.S. politicians that the COVID-19 virus escaped from a Chinese lab are making it harder for nations to collaborate on ending the pandemic and fueling online bullying, according to a recent news article in the British scientific journal Nature.

"Even without strong supporting evidence," calls to investigate Chinese laboratories have reached a fever pitch in the United States, said the article, adding that for many researchers, the tone of the growing demands is unsettling, which could thwart efforts to study the virus's origins.

The "one country, two systems", an innovative policy created by the Communist Party of China with political wisdom, has made extraordinary contributions to the mankind, the central government's top liaison official in Hong Kong said on Saturday.

Luo Huining, director of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, made the remarks at a forum jointly held by the liaison office, the Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the Hong Kong SAR, the Chinese People's Liberation Army Garrison in the Hong Kong SAR, and the Office for Safeguarding National Security of the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong SAR.

China is ringing in the Year of the Ox, a new beginning of great significance for both the Chinese people and the Communist Party of China (CPC) that has led the whole nation to overcome many challenges, including COVID-19. The new year will also be defined by the "three cattle spirit."

The term first appeared in Chinese President Xi Jinping's speech at a New Year's gathering late last December held in Beijing by the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. It was later repeated in his Spring Festival greetings to all Chinese on behalf of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council on Wednesday.

Complete mission impossible: elimination of extreme poverty & building a moderately prosperous society in all respects

In the face of compounded challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, a teetering global economy and other dire planetary, such as climate changes, have raised a question to the Chinese authorities: can the country keep its promise to eradicate extreme poverty by the end of 2020?

Unity is strength: Public efforts to tackle COVID-19

On January 18, 2020, on a high-speed train to Wuhan, one of the world's most populous cities, people were chatting excitedly. A festive atmosphere filled the air, as passengers could not wait to get back for the Chinese Lunar New Year. None of them could know that in just a few days, their destination would become a forbidden zone plagued by a novel coronavirus.

-- "One of the great misunderstandings is that China is not a democracy," said Mario Cavolo, an Italian-American writer and commentator.

-- "The whole-process democracy is a hallmark of socialist democracy that distinguishes it from various capitalist democratic systems," senior lawmaker Wang Chen said.

-- China aims to develop a system of socialist rule of law with Chinese characteristics, and this system will take shape over the next five years.

 Opening a book decorated with simple pictures and written in the Tibetan language, Tatse introduces his latest work to readers.

"This book is called 'My First Tibetan Alphabet Book,' and it teaches children the Tibetan language through pictures," said Tatse, 33.

Anti-China forces are planning a new round of smearing campaigns against China's Xinjiang policy as the "Uyghur Tribunal," an organization formed by secessionists and Western anti-China forces in London, is about to hold what it terms as a first hearing of whether China's policy in Xinjiang is tantamount to genocide starting from Friday to Monday.

"Such a 'tribunal' is neither legal nor credible. It is just another anti-China political farce concocted by a few people. It attempts to run in the name of "tribunal" to engage in anti-China political and public opinion manipulation. This is nothing but an insult on the law," Wang Wenbin, spokesperson of China's Foreign Ministry, said on Thursday.

China on Friday expressed opposition to United States President Joe Biden's expansion of restrictions on investments in certain Chinese companies and vowed to take necessary measures to safeguard the legitimate rights of Chinese enterprises.

Biden signed an executive order on Thursday that prohibits US citizens from owning or trading any securities tied to 59 companies, citing alleged ties to China's military and the so-called threat posed by Chinese surveillance technology.

The National People's Congress (NPC), China's top legislature, on Thursday adopted a decision on improving the electoral system of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR).

The decision was passed by an overwhelming majority vote at the fourth session of the 13th NPC.

The decision is another major step taken by the state to improve the HKSAR's legal and political systems since the Law on Safeguarding National Security in the HKSAR was adopted in June 2020.

-- The amended annexes were passed at China's top legislature with a unanimous vote.

-- "A democratic electoral system suiting Hong Kong's legal status and reality has taken shape as a result of the amendments," top legislator says.

-- The overall design of the system is centered around restructuring and empowering the Election Committee.

-- Staunch support has been expressed by Hong Kong residents.

 China's film authorities will continue to crack down on film copyright infringement to maintain the sound development of the film industry, said a statement issued on the website of the China Film Administration (CFA) on Wednesday.

The statement was released in response to the recent rise in copyright-infringing short videos, such as those featuring synopses of films.

China has issued its first batch of forest carbon credit stamps in Sanming City, east China's Fujian Province, in a move to use market mechanisms to reduce carbon emissions.

Forest carbon credits are permits for companies to emit a certain amount of carbon dioxide. They are converted from added forest areas and the amount of carbon they can capture. The first five stamps issued on Tuesday in Sanming offer forest owners credits for 29,715 tonnes of carbon dioxide.

Foreign ministers of China, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh on Tuesday agreed to deepen cooperation as South Asian countries are facing a new wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi hosted a video conference with his five counterparts, discussing efforts to consolidate anti-coronavirus cooperation including vaccine supply, to boost post-epidemic economic recovery, and to maintain sound international environment for the development of all countries.

People’s health is the foundation for human civilization and social progress, and a significant symbol of national prosperity and strength, Chinese President Xi Jinping noted on March 6.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, made the remarks when he visited national political advisors from education, medical and health sectors attending a joint group meeting at the fourth session of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), China’s top political advisory body, in Beijing, capital of China. Xi joined them in the discussion and heard their comments and suggestions.

China has been making continuous efforts to protect copyrights for online literature, including introducing a revised copyright law and increasing the awareness of industry players toward copyright protections.

Last year, China's top legislature adopted the latest amendment to the country's copyright law, which will come into force on June 1, 2021, and is expected to ensure the better protection of online literature copyrights.

China will relax rules for foreign investment, increasing its market appeal to global investors and signaling its determination to deepen opening up.

The country's Ministry of Commerce (MOC) has made public its plan for formulating regulations and laws in 2021, putting on agenda the revision of the guideline on foreign strategic investment in Chinese listed firms.

Wearing a ponytail and a red backpack, China’s first virtual student Hua Zhibing made her debut at the 2021 Beijing Academy of Artificial Intelligence (BAAI) Conference on June 1.

Photo shows the virtual character Hua Zhibing, whose face and voice were virtually synthesized.