China once again calls for an immediate end to military operations in the Middle East to avoid further upending the world economy and global energy markets, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Mao Ning said on Thursday.
"Military means cannot provide a fundamental solution. To escalate the conflict does not serve any party's interest. Once again we urge the parties involved to immediately cease military operations, initiate peace talks as soon as possible, resolve the issue through dialogue and negotiation, and avoid causing more serious shocks on the world economy and global energy security," said Mao when asked to respond to U.S. President Donald Trump's latest threat of hitting Iran "extremely hard over the next two to three weeks".
Israel and the United States launched joint attacks on Tehran and several other Iranian cities on Feb. 28, killing Iran's then Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, along with senior military commanders and civilians. Iran responded with waves of missile and drone strikes against Israel and U.S. assets in the Middle East, while tightening control over the Strait of Hormuz by restricting passage to vessels belonging to or affiliated with Israel and the United States.
China calls for immediate end to military operations in Middle East: spokeswoman
The sales revenue of China's high-tech industries in the period from January 1 to March 25 increased by 14.6 percent year on year, the latest official data released by the State Taxation Administration showed Wednesday.
The growth in sales revenue highlighted the stronger competitiveness in the country's high-tech industries and deepened industrial upgrading driven by technological innovation.
The data also showed faster commercialization of scientific-technological research achievements. The sales revenue in the scientific-technological research and technical service sector rose 21 percent year on year during the very period, while the sales revenue of intellectual property-intensive sectors with high sci-tech content increased by 10.9 percent year on year.
"From January 1 to March 25, the sales revenue of core industries within the digital economy and the amount spent by enterprises nationwide on digital technology procurement grew by 9.5 percent and 9.7 percent year-on-year, respectively. [These figures] illustrate continued advancement of digital industrialization and industrial digitalization in China," said Huang Yun, spokesman of the State Taxation Administration, at a press conference in Beijing.
Next, Huang said, taxation authorities will further refine and implement preferential tax and fee policies designed to support sci-tech innovation. By leveraging tax-related big data and advanced information technology, Huang added, taxation authorities will keep delivering targeted policy guidance directly to enterprises to maximize policy dividends and help foster robust development of China's new quality productive forces.
China's high-tech industries record robust growth in early 2026
