Chinese President Xi Jinping has urged pooling the strength of overseas Chinese and those who have returned to China to contribute to building China into a strong country and advancing national rejuvenation.
Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks in an instruction on work related to Chinese nationals overseas.
Xi called for fully implementing the Party's policies on work related to Chinese nationals overseas and encouraging overseas Chinese, as well as returned overseas Chinese and their families, to leverage their unique strengths in support of the cause of national reunification.
The national conference on work related to Chinese nationals overseas was held in Beijing from Monday to Tuesday, during which Xi's instruction was conveyed.
Wang Huning, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, attended the conference and delivered a speech.
Xi's instruction sets the direction and provides important guidance for work related to Chinese nationals overseas on the new journey in the new era, Wang said, urging efforts to promote the high-quality development in the field in the new era.
Xi urges pooling strength of overseas Chinese to help build strong country, advance national rejuvenation
Flights from across Japan to the country's Kumamoto have been suspended after a strong earthquake struck near the prefecture on Tuesday.
The earthquake, with a preliminary magnitude of 7.1, rocked Kumamoto and had a focal depth of 10 kilometers, the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) said.
As of 17:20 local time, 11 aftershocks, including a magnitude 6.1 temblor, have rocked the country's southwestern region, after the powerful quake, measuring max seven on Japan's seismic intensity scale, hit Kumamoto at around 16:27 local time, the weather agency said.
"Currently, flights from all over Japan to Kumamoto have been suspended. The fastest way to reach the disaster area in Kumamoto is to travel overland from Fukuoka or Kagoshima in Kyushu region to the epicenter," China Media Group (CMG) reporter He Xinlei reported at Tokyo's Haneda Airport.
As of now, more than 30 aftershocks have been recorded within about three hours after the main quake.
Apart from flights, all train services, including Shinkansen bullet and local trains, were halted in Kyushu after the quake, Kyodo News reported.
According to the JMA, this is the first time seismic intensity seven has been recorded in Japan since the Noto Peninsula Earthquake in January 2024, and also the first time Kumamoto Prefecture has recorded a seismic intensity of seven since the 2016 Kumamoto Earthquake, during which intensity seven was observed twice.
A tsunami warning of one meter has been issued for the Ariake Sea and Yatsushiro Sea in southwestern Japan.
Flights to Kumamoto suspended after strong quake
Flights to Kumamoto suspended after strong quake
