China willing to work with Japan to promote strategic relationship: spokeswoman

China is willing to work with Japan to jointly promote their strategic relationship of mutual benefit in an all-round way, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said at a press conference in Beijing on Thursday, in response to a question on China-Japan relations in the new year.

"At the meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Japanese Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru in Lima, Peru, both sides agreed to maintain high-level exchanges between the two countries. Recently, the two countries continued high-level interactions through various means, and the relationship between the two countries maintained the momentum of improvement and growth," Mao said, recalling the meeting between Xi and Shigeru on the sidelines of the 31st APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting in Lima on November 15, 2024.

"China is willing to join hands with Japan to continue communications at all levels and in all aspects, promote political mutual trust, deepen mutually beneficial cooperation, and properly manage differences. China is willing to work together with Japan to comprehensively advance the strategic relationship of mutual benefit and build a constructive and stable China-Japan relationship befitting the new era," said the spokeswoman.

China willing to work with Japan to promote strategic relationship: spokeswoman

A meeting of film industry leaders from across China was held Saturday in Beijing to review the achievements of the past year and outline key priorities for 2025.

Shen Haixiong, deputy head of the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and president of China Media Group, attended the meeting.

The meeting highlighted that the total box office revenue of Chinese films surpassed 42.5 billion yuan (around 5.81 billion U.S. dollars), with total viewership exceeding over 1 billion, in 2024. Among them, the box office of domestic films was 33.43 billion yuan (around 4.57 billion U.S. dollars), accounting for 78.68 percent of the total.

It emphasized the need for deeper reforms to create a healthy and vibrant ecosystem for movie production.

To promote the high-quality development of the film industry, the meeting called for the creation of outstanding works that resonate with audiences.

It also urged efforts to innovate the promotion of Chinese films internationally, enhance global exchanges and cooperation, and boost the international competitiveness and influence of Chinese cinema.

Meeting of film industry leaders outlines priorities for movie sector in 2025