Japan is not qualified to be a permanent member of the United Nations (UN) Security Council, Chinese Ministry pf Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Mao Ning said at a press conference in Beijing on Wednesday.
Mao's remarks echoed the speech of Fu Cong, China's permanent representative to the UN, at the General Assembly's annual debate on Security Council reform on Tuesday. Fu stressed that Japan is in no position to demand permanent membership.
"Under the United Nations Charter, the Security Council bears the primary responsibility for maintaining international peace and security. During World War II, Japan waged wars of aggression that inflicted profound suffering upon the peoples of Asia and the world. To this day, Japan has failed to reflect on its wartime crimes thoroughly. Some individuals continue to propagate a wrong historical perspective of World War II, visit the Yasukuni Shrine, and distort, deny, or even glorify the history of aggression," said Mao.
"Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi recently made blatantly erroneous remarks concerning Taiwan, crudely interfering in China's internal affairs, trampling on international law and basic norms of international relations, and challenging the post-WWII international order. Such a country cannot shoulder the responsibility of maintaining international peace and security and is unqualified to become a permanent member of the UN Security Council," the spokeswoman continued.
Japan unqualified for permanent seat on UN Security Council: spokeswoman
An age-old feather duster craft in north China's Hebei Province has found new life online, as livestreaming turns a village tradition into a source of income for elderly residents. In Luan'nan County, Tangshan City, Liu Wenhao, Party secretary of Zhangmawan Village, is promoting the village's handmade feather dusters alongside fellow villagers in livestreams. Since 2024, he has led villagers in bringing the traditional craft online, quickly turning it into an internet sensation.
Elderly villagers now craft dusters while also serving as online hosts, participating in livestreams and welcoming tourists. Liu Huiying is one of them.
"This is no small income. I earn about 20,000 yuan (about 2,981 U.S. dollars) a year, which is more than enough. They call me an internet celebrity. I'm happy," she said.
The feather duster craft has a long history in Zhangmawan. Once a sideline for villagers during the agricultural off-season, craftsmen worked from dawn to dusk only to sell a single duster for 0.3 to 0.5 yuan. Sales were slightly better at rural fairs, but earnings were barely enough to make a living. As modern cleaning products diversified, traditional feather dusters gradually faded from daily life.
In recent years, with the rise of short-video platforms, several young people in the village began experimenting with short videos. Their first video showing the making of a feather duster garnered more than 600,000 views.
"Our village's traditional craft was well-known throughout the region. So we thought, with so many people here skilled at making feather dusters, why not sell them online and help boost their incomes?" said Liu.
Zhangmawan has more than 200 residents over the age of 60. To boost their incomes and pass on the craft, product transformation was key. Young villagers pooled their ideas and decided to enter the cultural and creative market.
While veteran artisans persisted in handmade production, younger people focused on innovative designs, launching new items such as car hangings, bag charms, desktop ornaments and cat teasers, tailored to modern aesthetics and lifestyles.
Online popularity has also boosted offline tourism. The village has leveraged its advantages to offer craft workshops, rural sightseeing, farm meals and educational study tours, attracting a large number of visitors and children.
"You can hang it on a schoolbag or car keys -- it can go in many places. And if something gets dirty, you can use it to sweep," said Meng Shixuan, a young visitor.
"We want to keep updating our cultural and creative feather duster products, and through short videos and livestreaming, develop the village's study tour and sightseeing businesses to provide more jobs and income opportunities," Liu said.
Chinese village turns traditional feather duster craft into online hit
