China's ambassador to the United Nations on Monday called on parties to the Ukraine conflict to ensure the safety of humanitarian (人道主义的) corridors.

China calls on all parties concerned to exercise maximum restraint (克制), effectively increase     1     efforts, let the war stop, effectively protect the safety of civilian life and property and basic needs, and prevent a large-scale humanitarian crisis.

Russia and Ukraine reached an agreement on the establishment of humanitarian corridors, Zhang said. “I hope Russia and Ukraine can overcome the obstacles encountered during the implementation process,     2     a safe humanitarian corridor.”

Zhang   restated a six-point     3     put forward by Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on preventing a large-scale humanitarian crisis in Ukraine.

First, humanitarian assistance should be made in accordance with the principles of humanity, neutrality and impartiality.

Second, full attention should be given to the displaced people in and from Ukraine, and efforts should be made to provide them with proper     4    , Wang said.

Third, Wang called for ensuring the protection of civilians and preventing secondary humanitarian disasters in Ukraine.

Fourth, efforts should be made   to     5     safe and smooth humanitarian aid activities, including providing rapid, safe humanitarian access, Wang noted.

Fifth, he called for ensuring the safety of foreign nationals in Ukraine, allowing them safe departure and helping them return to their home countries.

Sixth, support should be given to the UN's coordinating role in channeling humanitarian aid and the work of the UN crisis coordinator for Ukraine, Wang added.

To    6     the current crisis, Zhang said, we must “uphold (支持) the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and respect and protect the sovereignty (主权) and territorial     7     of all countries; to rely on dialogue, negotiation and peaceful means for dispute resolution; to aim for long-term     8     stability and forge (创造) a balanced, effective and sustainable European security     9    .”

“China will continue to speak out and do its best for peace. China supports and encourages all diplomatic efforts conducive to the peaceful settlement of the Ukrainian crisis, and     10     action that may escalate (激化) the situation in Ukraine,” he said.

When El Salvador(萨尔瓦多)made bitcoin a legal currency on September 7, it became the first nation in the world to do so.

Bitcoin is decentralized,     1     money that can be sent from user to user on the bitcoin network. Its value is not supported by any country’s central bank.

President Nayib Bukele praised the use of bitcoin for its     2     to help Salvadorans living abroad to send money back home, while saying the U. S. dollar would continue as legal tender(法定货币). In practice, Salvador does not have its own currency.

In the capital, San Salvador, reactions were mixed, with some excited that the new currency could increase prosperity and financial     3    . Others were skeptical(怀疑的).

The government of Bukele placed one of 200 banking machines at the “Excuartel” market. They were supposed to permit bitcoins to be     4     or changed into U. S. dollars without paying extra costs. Sellers of goods were angry that officials didn’t explain how it would work. The feeling of     5     extended beyond San Salvador’s “Excuartel” market into the Central American country of 6.4 million people.

In July, three out of four Salvadorans were concerned about the bitcoin plan; public opinion research showed. Later, about 300 protesters     6     on El Salvador’s Congress to demand that the new bitcoin law be stopped.

Since El Salvador started using the U. S. dollar as its currency in 2001, inflation(通货膨胀) has been just two percent, one of the lowest in Latin America. Higher inflation,     7     argue, could come from the use of bitcoin because its value changed often and by large amounts.

The World Bank and the International Monetary Fund have pointed to environmental and transparency(透明度)    8     over the use of bitcoin. After the bitcoin law passed, credit rating agency Moody’s     9     El Salvador’s credit rating.

Hanke, one protester, believed that Bukele’s ideas would end with economic problems. “For the United States, this would mean yet another wave of     10     from an unstable Central American failed state,” he said.

Beijing angry over Seoul’s missile plan

South Korea’s Lotte Group has approved a land exchange with the government. According to the country’s defence ministry, the     1     will enable the authorities to deploy(部署) a controversial US missile defence system. The military said last week that it would soon begin area patrols and install fences.

The South Korean government decided last year to deploy the US Terminal High Altitude Area Defence(THAAD) system in     2     to the North Korean missile threat. The system will be deployed on land that is part of a golf course owned by Lotte in Seongju County. A military official said last month that the deployment could be completed by August.

South Korean government officials have said that THAAD is a defensive measure against North Korean threats and does not     3     any other country. However, THAAD has a powerful radar and is capable of penetrating(穿透) the     4     of China and Russia. Beijing has said that the defence system will do nothing to     5     the tension between South Korea and North Korea. It would only be a threat to China’s security.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang repeated China’s     6     to the deployment of THAAD during a daily news conference last week. He called on South Korea and the United States not to go ahead. “China will take necessary steps to protect its security interests,” Geng added, without giving details. “All the     7     of that are the responsibility of South Korea and the United States.”

The Lotte Group said earlier last month that Chinese authorities had stopped construction on a multibillion-dollar     8     project in China. Meanwhile, South Korea’s central bank said the number of Chinese tourists visiting the island of Jeju had fallen 6. 7% over the Lunar New Year holiday from last year. These have     9     concern in South Korea that the THAAD deployment decision will damage the country’s     10     ties with the world’s second-largest economy.

Opposite a university campus on the outskirts of Jakarta, motorbikes line the front of Ricky Salim’s ice-cream and tea store, one of thousands of Mixue franchise owners across Asia. This Chinese firm, which built its brand selling teas and soft-serve ice-cream in smaller Chinese cities with relatively     1     average incomes, is exporting its model across South-East Asia. Its nearly 22,000 franchised stores worldwide have made it the fifth-largest fast-food chain in the world.

Part of the reason for Mixue’s success     2     in selling Asia’s favourite drink: bubble tea, a milky tea containing chewy tapioca balls. In China, the market for these     3     teas was twice that for coffee in 2021, with a $20bn turnover, according to Momentum Works, a research firm in Singapore.

As growth has slowed in China, bubble-tea brands have set their     4     on South-East Asia, where the market was worth $4bn. Several other large Chinese tea brands, including HeyTea, Nayuki Tea, ChaGee and Happy Lemon, have also moved into the region.

Yet no ready-made bubble-tea chain has     5     faster than Mixue, which opened its first store in Vietnam in 2018. By March it had around 1,500 stores in Indonesia; the firm wants to double its     6     there by the end of this year.

Unlike fancier bubble-tea brands, Mixue     7     itself as cheap and cheerful, rather than trendy. Its viral song has been translated into 20 languages and is often played     8     in its franchises. “What it took our China team ten or 20 years to figure out, we’ve been able to     9     in just one year by learning from their experiences,” says Mr. Hartanto.

Mixue’s biggest ambitions for growth are in countries with emerging economies and many young people. Yet over the past year Mixue stores have also opened in Australia, Japan, Singapore and South Korea, and the firm has     10     its trademark in markets from Europe and America to Uzbekistan. It has announced plans for an initial public offering on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange. The singing snowman is coming your way.