Sea ice covers over 40 pct of China's Liaodong Bay amid cold wave

Sea ice covered more than 40 percent of Liaodong Bay in the Bohai Sea on Friday amid a sustained cold wave, disrupting maritime operations and prompting authorities to step up ice management to safeguard vital supplies.

According to satellite data from the Ministry of Natural Resources, sea ice spans approximately 12,953 square kilometers of the bay, extending up to 58 nautical miles from the coastline.

At Jinzhou Port in northeast China's Liaoning Province, a major hub in the region, temperatures have dropped to -15 degrees Celsius, and ice has nearly covered the surface waters within the port area. Ice thickness ranges from 5-10 centimeters near the docks to over 30 centimeters in narrow channels where ice has accumulated.

Despite the conditions, port operations continue. Jinzhou Port, which handled over 100 million tons of cargo in 2025, including more than 21 million tons of essential goods such as grain and coal, is maintaining loading activities. Measures such as heating key loading equipment have been adopted to ensure efficiency.

To safeguard the transport of grain and coal from northern to southern China, local maritime authorities have activated an ice-period joint response mechanism. This includes issuing regular ice condition updates, organizing vessels into convoys for entry and exit, and deploying dozens of high-power icebreaking tugs to provide 24-hour escort services.

With cold weather expected to persist in the coming days, authorities remain on alert to monitor ice conditions and keep shipping lanes operational.

Sea ice covers over 40 pct of China's Liaodong Bay amid cold wave

Tajikistan's President Emomali Rahmon arrived in Beijing on Monday to begin a four-day state visit to China at the invitation of President Xi Jinping.

The visit comes after the two leaders met at last year's Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Tianjin, as China and Tajikistan continue to deepen cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative and expand bilateral ties in trade, investment and infrastructure connectivity.

China and Tajikistan established diplomatic relations in 1992, and officials from both countries have described bilateral ties as being at their historical best.

Under the strategic guidance of the two heads of state, China and Tajikistan have steadily advanced the alignment of the Belt and Road Initiative with Tajikistan's National Development Strategy to 2030.

China has become Tajikistan's largest trading partner and biggest source of investment. Chinese statistics showed bilateral trade exceeded 3.5 billion U.S. dollars in the first 10 months of last year, up nearly 8 percent year on year.

Cooperation in infrastructure, high technology, education and culture, and people-to-people exchanges also continues to expand.

President Xi Jinping paid state visits to Tajikistan in 2014, 2019 and 2024, while Rahmon is a frequent visitor to China, with this marking his 23rd trip to the country.

The two heads of state have maintained close exchanges and strategic communication over the years.

Tajik President arrives in Beijing for state visit