It is shocking that the U.S.-Israeli military strikes against Iran occurred amid negotiations between the U.S. and Iran, said Fu Cong, China's permanent representative to the United Nations.
Speaking at the UN Security Council meeting on Iran, Fu stressed that the sovereignty, security, and territorial integrity of Iran and other regional countries must be respected.
"China is deeply concerned after the United States and Israel brazenly launched military strikes against targets inside Iran, causing a sudden escalation of regional tensions. The sovereignty, security, and territorial integrity of Iran and other countries in the region must be respected. China is deeply saddened by the large number of civilian casualties resulting from the attacks. China calls on all parties to fulfill their obligations under international law, including international humanitarian law, to effectively ensure the safety of civilians and to refrain from attacking civilian facilities," said the Chinese envoy.
Resorting to military force is not the right way to resolve international disputes, but only intensifies hatred and conflicts, he said, noting that the escalation and spillover of the situation in the Middle East are not in the interests of any party.
Dialogue and negotiations are the only way to resolve conflicts and disputes. China calls for an immediate stop of the military actions, and no further escalation of the situation, said Fu.
"It is shocking that the military strikes occurred at a time when the United States and Iran were engaged in diplomatic negotiations. Relevant parties should demonstrate political sincerity, resume dialogue and negotiations as soon as possible, and return to the right track of a political solution," Fu said.
The U.S. and Israel on Saturday launched what U.S. President Donald Trump called "major combat operations" against Iran, plunging the war-torn Middle East into a new round of violent conflicts.
US-Israeli strikes against Iran amid negotiations "shocking": Chinese envoy
US-Israeli strikes against Iran amid negotiations "shocking": Chinese envoy
Researchers at China's Chongqing University recently announced that a butterfly has successfully emerged from its pupa while orbiting Earth, yielding valuable data on biological survival in the harsh microgravity environment of space.
The butterfly chrysalis was sealed inside a small experimental space ecosystem payload developed by the university's research team and carried into space aboard the Kuaizhou-11 Y8 carrier rocket on Dec. 13, 2025.
Photos taken in space show the emerged butterfly moving inside the capsule, resting on leaves, and fluttering its wings, demonstrating notable adaptation to microgravity.
In order to witness the emergence of butterflies from their chrysalises in space, Professor Xie Gengxin of Chongqing University led a research team to conduct multiple rounds of screening and ultimately selected Swallowtail butterflies as the test subjects.
The selected butterfly species take approximately one to two weeks to transition from larvae to pupae and then to adult butterflies, which aligns with the duration of this on-orbit experiment. Additionally, the chrysalis's structure must withstand the various shocks encountered before and during launch.
"On the day of the launch, there will be intense vibrations. Therefore, when selecting the animals, we had to choose a species capable of enduring the two-week period of darkness and stillness before the launch while also being able to withstand the impact. In the end, we discovered that butterfly chrysalises were a relatively ideal target," said Qiu Dan, deputy chief engineer of the butterfly experiment payload.
The research team's payload, "Shennong Kaichu 2," serves as the "space home" for the butterfly chrysalises. It has a total mass of 8.3 kilograms and an internal usable space of 14.2 liters. In addition to the butterfly chrysalises, the research team also placed a chili plant, soil, water, and other materials inside the payload.
"With leaves on the chili plant, when sunlight shines in, it can carry out photosynthesis and produce oxygen for the little butterfly. We also introduced some microorganisms into the soil. On one hand, they help improve the soil; on the other hand, they can regulate oxygen and carbon dioxide levels while also purifying the air," said Xie, who is also the chief engineer of the butterfly experiment payload.
Data frameshifted back from the space show that technical indicators inside the sealed cabin of the "Shennong Kaiwu-2" payload, including pressure, temperature, and humidity, have remained stable and normal.
The successful hatching and flight of the butterfly in a microgravity environment not only verified the resilience of life on Earth but also provided important reference for life-support technologies in future long-term deep-space exploration.
Chinese space experiment sees butterfly emerge from in orbit
