08/06/2026

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Millions of Chinese students sit for gruelling college test

North Korea reaffirms nuclear status SEOUL: North Korea’s nuclear weapons programme is “absolutely non-negotiable”, the powerful sister of leader Kim Jong Un said in a statement carried by state media yesterday, ahead of a visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping. Pyongyang has long insisted on its right to a nuclear weapon and ballistic missile programmes although they are forbidden under UN Security Council sanctions. It enshrined its nuclear status in its constitution in 2023. “Our status as a nuclear power is absolutely non-negotiable,” Kim’s sister Kim Yo Jong said in a statement published by North Korea’s official Rodong Sinmun , adding that the North “will not tolerate any threats”. A key player in the country’s communications and foreign policy, Kim Yo Jong’s statement came on the eve of Xi’s visit to North Korea, scheduled to take place today and tomorrow. Beijing is a vital source of political and economic support to North Korea, which is one of the most diplomatically isolated countries in the world and under heavy international sanctions. Kim Yo Jong went on to slam Washington over its comments that the goal of North Korea’s denuclearisation had been reaffirmed during last month’s summit between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping in Beijing. The White House posted a fact sheet following the summit stating that Trump and Xi confirmed their goal to denuclearise North Korea, which Kim Yo Jong said was false. – AFP TOKYO: Heavy rain lashed southern Kyushu in southwestern Japan yesterday, sharply increasing the risk of disasters. Linear rainbands developed in Miyazaki and Kagoshima prefectures through yesterday morning, the Japan Meteorological Agency said, advising caution over possible landslides, flooding in low-lying areas, and swollen or overflowing rivers. Rainfall is expected to reach up to 300mm in Shikoku and 150mm in southern Kyushu and the Amami region within a 24-hour period ending at 6am today. Atmospheric conditions are likely to remain highly unstable across western Japan, the agency said. – Bernama CONTAINER VESSEL SINKS OFF BATAM, CREW SAFE SINGAPORE: A Tanzania-registered container vessel, Golden Star 1 , sank 6km off Batam Island. The Singapore Maritime and Port Authority (MPA) said the vessel reportedly took on water and sank on Friday night, with nine crew members safely rescued by Indonesian authorities. It issued navigational broadcasts advising vessels to exercise caution when transiting the area and to report any sighting of containers adrift. “Vessel traffic in the Strait of Malacca and Singapore remains unaffected. There were no reports of oil pollution in Singapore waters. MPA has informed the Indonesian authorities and is monitoring the situation. – Bernama HEAVY RAIN BATTERS SOUTHWEST JAPAN

BR I E F S

o Attitudes toward entrance exam changing

jobless, according to official data. Attitudes toward the test are changing, with students and parents more and more unwilling to trade physical and mental health for high test scores. “I’m pretty free range,” said mother Deng Ju, standing across from the exam hall holding a stack of practice books for her daughter, revising last minute with her friend nearby. “Just perform normally, that’s enough. I care more about physical health, the test is just a formality,” said Deng, 53. For Deng, whose daughter is not aiming for a “name school” such as the elite Tsinghua or Peking University in the capital, doing away with the gaokao would be ideal. “No more gaokao . Let’s not gaokao anymore. But that’s impossible” she said. For many Beijing students, the gaokao was still a step toward achieving their dream. “I hope I can go to my ideal university,” said Zhang. His friends also cared about the exam, he added. “But if we can calm down, we should be able to get to a stable mentality,” said Zhang. “Mentality is the most important when it comes to the gaokao .” – AFP

become harder to respond to. But, wearing his school uniform, the 18-year-old said despite the jitters, he thought he would do well, having spent the last year drilling practice questions. “The things we needed to master have been mastered,” said Zhang, who hopes to work with new energy vehicles. “Just go in with self-confidence, you’ll be solid.” Some mothers and fathers clustered outside the exam halls dressed in red, a symbol of good fortune in Chinese culture. Dozens of police and security guards milled about as parents stood beside the line of students waiting to enter the exam hall, hoping to film their children walking inside. High-level education has expanded rapidly in China in recent decades as an economic boom pushed up living standards – as well as parental expectations for their children’s careers. Yet the job market that fresh graduates enter is no longer as rosy as it once was, with high youth unemployment a significant concern. Roughly one in six Chinese between the ages of 16 and 24, excluding students, are

BEIJING: Hundreds of young Chinese students clutching pens and their IDs shuffled into a testing centre in blue-skied Beijing yesterday, swarmed by parents, joining millions sitting for the national high-stakes university entrance exam. Around 12.9 million students nationwide registered for this year’s “ gaokao ”, according to the Ministry of Education, which for most is the sole determining factor in admission to a Chinese university. The multi-day exam, which began yesterday, drills students on subjects including Chinese, mathematics, English, science and the humanities – with the tallied scores to be released later this month. “It’s my first time, so I’m a bit anxious,” said student Zhang Xinnan moments before entering the exam hall. The spectacled Beijinger admitted he was nervous for the essay portion of the Chinese test, as he said he thought the prompts had

Students line up to enter a school in Beijing yesterday on the first day of China’s National College Entrance Examination known as ‘gaokao’. – AFPPIC

Taiwan coast guard responds to China naval operation TAIPEI: Taiwan’s coast guard said yesterday it has deployed vessels “to respond appropriately” to a Chinese operation in waters east of the island, which it said “violates international law”. China, which asserts Taiwan is part of its territory, called the talks “illegal” and has claimed exclusive control over the waters. departing from Xiamen port, which had sailed outside Taiwanese restricted waters southwest of the island. delimit the maritime boundary” of an economic zone and continental shelf between them, angering Beijing.

lasted or whether it was still ongoing, and it did not say whether maritime police dispatched ships to the area. The operation was “a necessary action taken against Japan and the Philippines’ unilateral announcement they would start ‘negotiations on delimiting a maritime boundary’ near Taiwan”, Xinhua added. Taiwan said on Wednesday it should be consulted on the Japan Philippines talks. – AFP

On Saturday, Beijing’s Transport Ministry organised maritime police from coastal provinces Fujian and Guangdong to “conduct a special maritime traffic law enforcement operation in waters east of Taiwan Island”, Xinhua news agency said. The report did not give details of the operation, including how long it

Taiwan’s coast guard dispatched more than five vessels “to assist with surveillance”. It said “China does not enjoy any sovereign rights in the waters east of Taiwan”. Tokyo and Manila said last month they would start formal talks “to

The Chinese ships have been monitored “throughout the entire process” and Taiwan “has deployed the necessary vessels to respond appropriately”, the Taiwanese coast guard said in a statement. Taiwan said it had detected four Chinese government vessels

It comes after Chinese state media reported on Saturday that the “law enforcement operation” was in response to talks between Japan and the Philippines to draw a boundary in the affected waters.