DPP slammed for vilifying mainland's assistance to Taiwan compatriots stranded in Middle East

A spokesman for the Chinese mainland on Wednesday condemned the Taiwan Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities for ignoring the assistance sought by the compatriots from Taiwan stranded in the Middle East conflicts, while vilifying the protection provided by the Chinese mainland.

Chen Binhua, a spokesman for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, expounded on the assistance that the Taiwan compatriots have received from relevant mainland authorities.

"Compatriots on both sides of the Taiwan Strait are all Chinese. We have always been concerned about the safety of overseas Chinese citizens, including compatriots from Taiwan. Recently, due to the conflicts in the Middle East, many Taiwan compatriots were stranded there. In response, China's Consulate General in Istanbul coordinated with relevant parties to assist 93 Taiwan compatriots in taking flights of the Chinese mainland to Shanghai. Relevant departments promptly processed their mainland travel passes to help them have a smooth transit and return to Taiwan," the spokesman said.

"In addition, many Taiwan compatriots sought help through the Chinese Consular App and the consular helpline 12308. The Chinese embassies in Iran and Israel, and the Consulate General in Dubai have assisted Taiwan compatriots in returning to Taiwan or evacuating to safe areas. The compatriots who received assistance all praised it, saying 'the motherland is always be with us', 'we have personally experienced that people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait are of the same family', and 'mainland travel passes are our shields," he said.

"Turning a blind eye to the assistance sought by the stranded compatriots, the ruthless DPP authorities not only refuse to fulfill their duties, but have even repeatedly vilified the care and protection provided by the Chinese mainland. This is truly shameless. Who truly cares about Taiwan compatriots and who truly shields them from the wind and rain? The facts are right before us, and the world is not blind to the truth," the spokesman said.

DPP slammed for vilifying mainland's assistance to Taiwan compatriots stranded in Middle East

An adorable giant panda cub has been seen enjoying a bowl of milk and later cosily lying on a wooden platform after getting a little muddy during messy playtime in southwest China's Sichuan Province.

The playful panda, with its hair all wet and frizzy and covered in mud after presumably rolling around in its enclosure, is seen happily slurping on a bowl of milk provided by a panda keeper.

Later, the mischievous cub appears to be a little tired out from its exuberant activities, and is seen curled up having a rest on its wooden climbing frame.

Shared by the iPanda channel, this charming look into the life of panda cubs at the Wolong Shenshuping Base of China Conservation and Research Center for Giant Pandas (CCRCGP) was filmed on February 28.

The adorable cub is one of a pigeon pair of cubs -- born in August 2025 at the CCRCGP -- to the giant panda Jia Mei.

The CCRCGP is a world-leading institution dedicated to the breeding and conservation of the giant panda. The center has established the world's largest captive population of giant pandas and pioneered research on captive breeding and training for rewilding.

The center also holds the largest global platform for promoting international cooperation and exchanges on Panda conservation, involving 18 zoos from 16 countries and regions, 39 domestic animal breeding institutions, and over 10 scientific research institutes.

Panda cub enjoys bowl of milk, afternoon snooze at conservation base