Xi presents China's top sci-tech award, delivers important speech

Taiping Lake in Huangshan district, Huangshan city, east China's Anhui Province, was bathed in clear skies and abundant sunshine recently, offering a tranquil landscape of crystal-clear waters and lush mountains. The lake's surface shimmered under sunlight, while surrounding peaks created layers of lush greenery.

China recently released a plan for building a new energy system during the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030). According to the plan, China aims to basically establish a clean, low-carbon, secure and efficient new energy system by 2030. Wang Hongzhi, head of the National Energy Administration, outlined four key features China's energy sector will boast after five years of development.

In late March, the hillsides around Dongshaoqu village in Beijing were blanketed with peach and apricot blossoms. Delicate pink and white petals drifted gently onto the windowsills of the village school, the quiet courtyard of an elderly woman's home, and the freshly tilled soil of the spring fields.

Giant panda Yuan Zai is seen during a birthday party at Taipei Zoo in Taipei, southeast China's Taiwan, July 6, 2026. Taipei's beloved panda star Yuan Zai, the first giant panda born in Taiwan and the offspring of a panda pair gifted by the Chinese mainland, celebrated her 13th birthday on Monday with a soccer-themed feast at Taipei Zoo.

An aerial drone photo taken on June 25, 2026 shows a staff member operating a crane to handle containers of the China-Europe freight train at the Kazakhstani land port for Xi'an in Almaty, Kazakhstan. In November 2013, the first Chang'an China-Europe freight train departed from Xi'an to Almaty in Kazakhstan, making the two cities ever since become key transit hubs along Asia-Europe transportation route.