Resolving Taiwan question is matter for Chinese people: spokesman

Resolving the Taiwan question is a matter for the Chinese people and Chinese people only that brooks no external interference, said Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Guo Jiakun on Monday.

Guo made the statement at a regular press briefing in Beijing in response to a media query about the U.S. administration's newly released national security strategy.

Noting that win-win cooperation is the only viable way forward for relations between China and the United States, Guo urged the U.S. side to make joint efforts with China to maintain steady development of bilateral ties.

"China always believes that China and the U.S. stand to gain from cooperation and lose from confrontation. Upholding mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation is the right way for China and the U.S. to get along with each other and is the only right and realistic choice. China stands ready to work with the U.S. to sustain steady development of bilateral relationship and at the same time will firmly defend its sovereignty, security and development interests," Guo said.

"We hope the U.S. will work with China in the same direction, act on the important common understandings reached between the heads of state of the two countries, step up dialogue and cooperation, properly manage differences, promote steady, sound and sustainable development of China-U.S. relations, and inject more certainty and stability into the world," he said.

The spokesman stressed that Taiwan is China's Taiwan and is an inalienable part of China's territory, and that the Taiwan question is at the core of China's core interests and the primary red line that must not be crossed in handling China-U.S. relations.

"Resolving the Taiwan question is a matter for the Chinese people themselves which brooks no external interference. The U.S. side needs to earnestly abide by the one-China principle and the three China-U.S. joint communiques, honor its leaders' commitment, handle the Taiwan question with extra prudence, stop abetting and aiding separatist forces' attempt to seek secession and resist reunification through military buildup. China's determination and will to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity are unwavering," said the spokesman.

Resolving Taiwan question is matter for Chinese people: spokesman

Winter travel bookings in China have gained a boost this year after several regions announced an additional "snow holiday" for students and many workers in the hopes of further fueling the season's tourism boom and encouraging residents to take up winter sports.

The snow holiday is taking place in cities including Urumqi and Altay in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, as well as across Jilin Province and other regions, offering residents another break during the winter season on top of the usual winter vacation that Chinese students enjoy.

As a result, flight bookings have seen a substantial increase. Data from online travel booking platforms indicate notable spikes in ticket reservations from both Urumqi and Altay from Nov 29 to Dec 7.

Flight bookings departing from Urumqi increased by 45 percent compared to the period from Nov 15 to 23, while bookings departing from Altay increased by 48 percent.

"During the snow holiday, total ticket bookings for scenic spots in Xinjiang increased by 16 percent compared to the previous period, with the most popular attractions including Sayram Lake, Hemu Scenic Area, and Kanas Scenic Area. Meanwhile, Jilin Province implemented a free skiing policy for university students. Inner Mongolia and Xinjiang are also gradually increasing their discounts. Driven by these policies, tourism in many cities in northeast China and Xinjiang has continued to rise this year, and winter tourism destinations have become more diverse," said Shi Ke, a researcher at the big data research institute of Qunar.com, a leading Chinese travel booking platform.

In addition to ski resorts, glacier and snow mountain scenic spots have also become trending destinations for winter tourism. Ticket bookings for famous attractions have doubled year on year.

Hotel reservations at popular ice and snow tourism destinations are also booming. From November this year to the end of January of 2026, hotel bookings in Bortala Mongolian Autonomous Prefecture of Xinjiang surged by over 80 percent year on year, while cities like Dandong in Liaoning, Liaoyuan in Jilin, and Yichun in Heilongjiang have also seen significant increases, with growth rates reaching 30 percent year on year.

New 'snow holiday' in northern Chinese regions boosts winter travel