China called on the United States to resume strategic stability dialogues with Russia to discuss the follow-up arrangements as the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) between the United States and Russia has expired, foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian said on Friday.
Speaking at a regular press briefing in Beijing, Lin was responding to reports that U.S. President Donald Trump had indicated his preference for replacing the treaty rather than extending it.
"From the long-term perspective of maintaining global strategic stability, China calls on the U.S. to resume strategic stability dialogues with Russia and discuss follow-up arrangements for the expiring New START. This is also the common expectation of the international community," Lin said.
New START, signed by Russia and the United States in 2010, aims to limit the number of deployed nuclear warheads and their delivery systems. The treaty entered into force on Feb. 5, 2011, with an initial validity period of 10 years and was later extended through Feb. 4, 2026. It was the last arms control pact between Russia and the United States after Washington withdrew from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty in 2019.
As the world's two largest nuclear powers, the United States and Russia together possess about 87 percent of the global nuclear arsenal. New START has long been regarded as a cornerstone of bilateral strategic stability. The treaty limited each side to a maximum of 1,550 deployed strategic nuclear warheads and established corresponding restrictions on delivery systems, including intercontinental ballistic missiles, submarine-launched ballistic missiles, and heavy bombers.
For the first time in more than half a century, the world has entered a period in which U.S.-Russian strategic nuclear forces are subject to no binding limits, no inspections, and no transparency.
China calls on U.S. to resume strategic stability dialogues with Russia: spokesman
South China's Guangdong Province is accelerating its transformation into an international medical tourism hub, positioning itself as a destination for patients worldwide seeking affordable, high-quality care.
The push follows a joint initiative announced in late March by nine Chinese government departments, including the Ministry of Commerce, aimed at boosting spending by foreign tourists and enhancing exports of tourism services as part of broader efforts to expand the country's service sector.
Every day, some of the most complex surgeries are performed here. Li Zilun, deputy director of the division of vascular surgery at the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat‑sen University, is among the doctors capable of carrying out these intricate procedures.
He recently completed surgery on a patient with an aortic aneurysm, a condition often described as a "time bomb" in the body’s main artery, increasingly common in aging societies around the globe. Li also specializes in highly difficult and pioneering procedures, including repairing leaks caused by failed grafts.
"This was a very challenging case. And then, we implanted the covered stent to eliminate the endoleak. Actually, the outcome was pretty good. The patient will be discharged today," said Li Zilun.
The ability to handle such complex cases -- combining international techniques with domestically produced devices -- is drawing patients from around the world to seek treatment. In addition, high safety standards and low costs are also major draws.
"Our government is encouraging innovation. So, lots of physicians -- including our vascular surgeons -- we are actively involved in the innovation that helps to increase the effectiveness and safety, and also bring down the cost," said Li.
This hospital is one of the first in Guangdong to be designated by the provincial health commission as a pilot site for building an international medical service hub.
The growing number of patients has pushed the hospital to explore new ways to transform every step -- from treatment to payment and everything in between -- into a seamless experience, reducing waiting times and delivering better care for patients.
"I think it's fast. When the patient come here for just about, I think, one week, you can solve the problem," said Xiao Haipeng, president of the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University.
The hospital is also deepening its international cooperation with top-tier medical institutions, including those at Harvard University.
"Not just for China, for the whole globe, we are facing health care challenges -- emerging infectious disease and chronic, lung infectious diseases, and also the aging population, also the shortage of healthcare workforce," said Xiao.
In response to these challenges, China is promoting its own solutions, including aggressive innovation in artificial intelligence (AI)-driven workflows, while stepping up research and development investment and global engagement along the way.
"In recent years, the innovation in Western medicine is dramatically growing. An example of my hospital -- in the past few years, we have 140 innovations and seven of them are international leading innovations," said Xiao.
As global demand for medical tourism grows, China is positioning itself as a new destination. Official data shows that the number of foreign patients in Guangdong increased by 20 percent last year. Among them, the growth in inpatient admissions was even faster, rising by 76 percent.
Guangdong fast-tracks pilot for int'l medical service hub
