News

China， Panama Forge Official Ties

June 13， Beijing： Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Panamanian Vice President and Foreign Minister Isabel de Saint Malo （left） pose with their documents after signing a joint communiqué on establishing diplomatic relations.

China and Panama announced the establishment of diplomatic relations， as the Central American country cut its“diplomatic ties” with Taiwan. According to the statement， the Panamanian government now admits that there is only one China， that the government of the Peoples Republic of China is the only legitimate government representing China， and that Taiwan is an integral part of Chinese territory. “This is a historic moment， and the China-Panama relationship has opened a new chapter，” Wang said. Both sides will make full use of their complementary advantages and conduct cooperation in various areas including trade， investment， maritime affairs， culture and education， as well as tourism.

Exploring the Deep Ocean

June 13， Yap Trench， West Pacific： Jiaolong， Chinas manned submersible， surfaces after a dive， completing the third stage of the countrys 38th oceanic expedition.

After each dive， the crew of the submersible brought back many intriguing photos and videos of sea creatures and underwater geography， as well as samples of seawater， sediment， rocks and deep-sea life， which can yield a better understanding of how organisms adapt to and live in extreme environments.

The expedition， which began on February 6， was the longest yet， and included the most missions for Jiaolong so far. The first two stages took place in the Indian Ocean and the South China Sea respectively， earlier this year. Named after a mythical dragon， Jiaolong reached its deepest point of 7，062 meters in the Mariana Trench in June 2012.

Strong First Year

June 16， Shanghai： Fireworks dazzle crowds at Shanghai Disneyland， in a celebration of the theme parks first anniversary.

U.S. entertainment giant Walt Disney looks to have hit the ground running in the worlds largest consumer market， with Shanghai Disneyland on track to break even in the first year of operation， CEO Robert Iger said. In its first year of operation， the resort has welcomed more than 11 million visitors. As a result of the huge tourist flow and strong consumption， Shanghai Disneyland has had a boost in its upstream-downstream industries， ranging from travel and accommodation to catering and retail.

Having found popularity with guests from across China， the resort has already announced its first postopening expansion， a new， immersive land themed around the Toy Story franchise， set to open in 2018.

Commemorating the Sage Confucius

May 26， Qingdao， Shandong Province： Actors perform a dance during the opening ceremony of the Confucian Temple in Jimo， held to commemorate the ancient Chinese philosopher.

The Confucian Temple in Jimo was destroyed by war in 1929. The reconstruction project started in January 2015 and finished in August 2016. To celebrate its opening， about 120 people from all walks of life attended the ceremony.

Confucius （551-479 B.C.）， an educator and philosopher， has been deified as a great sage of ancient China and is now regarded as a symbol of Chinas traditional culture. Rituals to commemorate Confucius started in 478 B.C.， the year after his death， and have now been held for more than 2，000 years. Now， the annual grand ceremony to commemorate the sage has been nominated by UNESCO as part of Chinas intangible cultural heritage.