China expresses condolences over fatal shopping mall fire in Pakistan

China on Thursday extended deep condolences over the deaths caused by a shopping mall fire in Karachi, Pakistan.

Pakistani police earlier said the death toll from the fire that broke out on Jan 17 at the shopping mall in Karachi, capital of southern Sindh province, had risen to 60.

"China has noted the unfortunate incident. We express deep condolences to the victims and extend sincere sympathies to the bereaved families and the injured. We wish those injured a speedy recovery," Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Guo Jiakun said at a press briefing in Beijing.

The promotional video of the China Media Group (CMG)'s 2026 Spring Festival Gala made its debut on Jan 18 at the Table Tennis Bundesliga (TTBL), attracting widespread attention in Berlin, the capital of Germany. It was a highly anticipated match between Borussia Düsseldorf, a club having won the Bundesliga championship for many times, and Fulda-Maberzell, the runner-up of the 2026 German Cup final.

The promotional video was played on a loop during the intense match, creating festive atmosphere in the venue.

"The Spring Festival is an important and happy time. It is a special day for Chinese people all over the world. People like to get together to watch TV and enjoy this moment. I heard from my parents that there is a very famous program called the Spring Festival Gala, which attracts hundreds of millions of viewers every year. I will remind my friends to watch it and I'm also looking forward to seeing it this year," said Qiu Dang, a German-Chinese table tennis player.

"The Chinese Spring Festival Gala is a grand festival feast and is also very important in Germany and Europe. I'm really looking forward to the gala and hope to enter the Year of the Horse together with my Chinese friends," said Johannes Hodes, deputy manager of Fulda-Maberzell.

Andreas Preuss, manager of Borussia Düsseldorf, said that he has made many Chinese friends in both work and life. Sports, especially table tennis, can effectively bring people from different countries closer together and deepen the friendship between the Chinese and German people, according to him.

"Sports bring people together, especially table tennis. We call it table tennis because to enjoy its fun, both sides need to participate, one stands for China and the other Germany. I sincerely wish for world peace and especially extend my most heartfelt new year's greetings to the Chinese people. Happy Year of the Horse. May the friendship between Germany and China last forever," he said.

"To all the Chinese people, especially the table tennis fans, I wish you all the best for the new year. Happy Spring Festival. Hopefully the new year will be a good one for all of you," said Timo Boll, a German table tennis veteran.

"I wish all my Chinese friends a happy year of the Horse!" said Hodes.

Known as "Chunwan" in Chinese, the gala has been broadcast live annually since 1983 and is regarded as a major cultural symbol for the Chinese New Year celebrations in China. This year's gala will air on Feb 16, the eve of the Chinese New Year.

The gala has been recognized by Guinness World Records as the most-watched annual television program worldwide. Just over a year ago, the Spring Festival itself was inscribed on UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.