Xi Jinping Meets with Belarusian President
On the morning of June 4, President Xi Jinping met with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko at Zhongnanhai. Xi Jinping once again congratulated Lukashenko on his re-election as president. Xi Jinping pointed out that China and Belarus are true friends and good partners. The two sides have always treated each other with sincerity and trust. The traditional friendship between the two countries has grown stronger over time, political mutual trust is unbreakable, and cooperation in various fields has been fully promoted. China has always viewed and developed China-Belarus relations from a strategic height and long-term perspective, and is willing to work with Belarus to promote the stable and long-term development of bilateral relations and mutually beneficial cooperation. The two sides should further strengthen coordination and cooperation within multilateral frameworks such as the United Nations and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, jointly oppose hegemony, bullying, and coercion, and safeguard international fairness and justice. Lukashenko stated that this is his 15th visit to China, and each time he has truly felt the profound friendship of China. Belarus thanks China for its long-term strong support and assistance, has high trust in China, and will unswervingly develop relations with China and actively promote cooperation with China. In international affairs, China firmly upholds multilateralism, opposes unilateralism, sanctions, and pressure, setting an example for the world. Belarus deeply admires this and is willing to work with China to defend international fairness and justice. Wang Yi attended the meeting.
Xi Jinping Congratulates South Korean President-elect Lee Jae-myung
On June 4, President Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory message to Lee Jae-myung on his election as President of the Republic of Korea. Xi Jinping pointed out that China and South Korea are important close neighbors and partners. Over the past 33 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations, the two sides have transcended differences in ideology and social systems, moved forward hand in hand, and achieved mutual success, realizing the steady and healthy development of bilateral relations, which has not only enhanced the well-being of the two peoples but also made positive contributions to promoting regional peace, stability, development, and prosperity. Xi Jinping emphasized that he attaches great importance to the development of China-ROK relations. At present, the world is undergoing profound changes unseen in a century, and uncertainties in the international and regional situations are increasing. As important global and regional countries, China is willing to work with South Korea to uphold the original aspiration of establishing diplomatic relations, firmly adhere to the direction of good-neighborly friendship, adhere to the goal of win-win cooperation, and jointly promote the continuous development of the China-ROK strategic cooperative partnership to better benefit the two peoples.
New Era, New Journey: High-Level Opening-Up Accelerates, Sharing Development Opportunities with the World
General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized that China will continue to promote high-quality development, expand high-level opening up, share development opportunities with all countries, and bring more stability and certainty to the regional and even global economy. Since the beginning of this year, China, relying on its super-large market advantage, has enhanced its opening-up capabilities in expanding international cooperation, continuously expanding new spaces for economic development, and sharing development opportunities with the world. At Shanghai Yangshan Port, 1,000 tons of Peruvian avocados and other imported goods, arriving directly from Peru's Chancay Port, are undergoing rapid customs clearance, and can reach supermarket shelves as quickly as the same day. As a landmark project of China-Latin America Belt and Road cooperation, the "Chancay-Shanghai" shipping route, since its opening at the end of last year, has driven a more than 60% increase in Shanghai's foreign trade import and export value with Peru. In the southwestern border region, the international road transport route from China to Hanoi, Vietnam, has been officially opened. Compared with traditional transport modes, each truck can save about one day, further improving the convenience of China-Vietnam international road transport. Since the beginning of this year, facing a volatile international situation, General Secretary Xi Jinping has repeatedly emphasized on various occasions the need to unswervingly expand high-level opening up. During his inspections in Guizhou and Yunnan, the General Secretary focused on local realities, emphasizing that Yunnan should build a radiating center facing South Asia and Southeast Asia, and Guizhou should actively integrate into a comprehensive opening-up pattern featuring land-sea linkage and two-way interaction between east and west. When meeting with representatives of international business circles, General Secretary Xi Jinping reiterated that China's reform and opening up will remain steadfast, the door to opening up will only open wider, and the policy of utilizing foreign capital has not changed and will not change. Since the beginning of this year, China's high-level opening up has accelerated and intensified. Institutional opening up continues to deepen. The 2025 version of the "Negative List for Market Access" has reduced the number of items from 117 to 106, and 20 measures to stabilize foreign investment have been released, including implementing a "zero" restriction on foreign investment access in manufacturing, and revising the "Catalogue of Industries Encouraging Foreign Investment" to add items in advanced manufacturing, modern services, high-tech, and other fields. Services opening is wider. Pilot areas are allowed to permit foreign financial institutions to carry out new financial services similar to those of their Chinese counterparts. Nine new service industry expanded opening-up pilot zones have been added in Dalian, Ningbo, and other cities, with 155 tasks identified, covering telecommunications, medical care, finance, and other fields. A high-standard free trade zone network facing the world is accelerating its construction. The China-ASEAN Free Trade Area 3.0 negotiation has been fully completed, expanding cooperation in emerging fields and new quality productive forces, which will inject new impetus into regional prosperity. The "Belt and Road" circle of friends has gained new members. Since the beginning of this year, China has signed cooperation plans for Belt and Road cooperation with nine countries including Colombia and Grenada. From January to April, the scale of China's imports and exports with Belt and Road participating countries reached a new historical high for the same period, accounting for 51.2%. Not long ago, the construction of three tunnels for the Kyrgyzstan section of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway began, marking the entry of the main line project of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway into the substantive construction phase. Today, China has the most complete industrial system in the world and is one of the best investment destinations globally. From January to April, 18,832 new foreign-invested enterprises were established nationwide, a year-on-year increase of 12.1%. As of now, cumulative foreign investment in China is nearly 3 trillion US dollars. On the new journey of advancing Chinese modernization, China's door to opening up is opening wider, and opportunities for high-quality development are increasing, which will inject strong impetus into world economic development.
National High-tech Zones' Industrial Enterprises Above Designated Size Report Over 10 Trillion Yuan in Revenue in First Four Months
Reporters learned from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology that in the first four months of this year, the operating revenue of industrial enterprises above designated size in national high-tech zones reached 10.26 trillion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 7.3%, and the innovation-driven and industrial agglomeration effects continued to be released. Among them, Zhongguancun's new generation information technology industry has entered the ranks of trillion-level industrial clusters, and Wuhan East Lake's optoelectronic information industry scale accounts for 50% of the national total. In addition, national high-tech zones have laid out cutting-edge fields such as quantum information, humanoid robots, and next-generation internet, and related future industries have initially formed development advantages. As of now, there are 178 national high-tech zones nationwide, gathering 70% of the national manufacturing innovation centers and 80% of the national key laboratories, and possessing about half of the country's invention patents. A complete innovation chain from basic research to application transformation has been formed. The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology stated that the next step will focus on improving innovation capabilities, promoting national high-tech zones to deploy more high-level innovation platforms, strengthening original and disruptive scientific and technological innovation, breaking through a number of key core technologies, and continuously playing the strategic pivot role of high-tech zones in stabilizing growth and promoting transformation.
"Two New" Policies Continue to Boost Consumer Spending
Since the beginning of this year, various regions have continued to intensify and expand the "Two Renewals" policy, effectively promoting the accelerated release of consumption potential. Since the beginning of summer, sales of home appliances such as air conditioners and refrigerators have continued to heat up, and various regions have intensified and expanded the "Two Renewals" policy, allowing consumers to get more benefits. In Tianjin, major home appliance stores, in addition to "government subsidies + corporate concessions," have also launched special products, trade-in subsidies, interest-free installments, and other preferential activities. During the recent Dragon Boat Festival holiday, Tianjin's home appliance consumption increased by 40% year-on-year. In Nanjing, Jiangsu, some home appliance companies have also superimposed a "ten-year warranty" service to further stimulate consumption potential. During this period in Hubei, the "national subsidy + mid-year promotion + Dragon Boat Festival" triple discount has driven a nearly 25% year-on-year increase in the province's home appliance transaction volume, with "cooling" home appliances with smart interconnection and energy-saving and environmental protection functions becoming the focus of consumers. Guangdong has further promoted the "fiscal subsidies + corporate concessions + financial empowerment" model to unleash household consumption potential. In Guangzhou, home appliance consumption exceeded 9 billion yuan in the first five months of this year. Various regions have also optimized services and continuously promoted the decentralization of the "Two Renewals" policy. Zhejiang has promoted "trade-in" into communities, enterprises, platforms, institutions, and exhibitions. From June to September, it will also link platforms, financial institutions, and enterprises to launch a new round of subsidy activities. Xianyang, Shaanxi, has brought national subsidy stores into communities and villages, and at the same time provided "one-stop delivery of new and removal of old" services, installing new machines and recycling old ones on site, further providing convenience to consumers. In Xingye County, Guangxi, "government subsidies + corporate concessions" have accelerated the entry of energy-saving refrigerators, smart air conditioners, and other green smart home appliances into people's homes, further stimulating the consumption vitality of the county economy. Since the beginning of this year, Guangxi has cumulatively carried out over 3,000 trade-in themed activities, helping more than 20,000 operating entities achieve transaction volumes exceeding 24 billion yuan.
China Accelerates Renovation of Old Urban Residential Communities
Since the beginning of this year, the renovation of old urban residential areas in China has accelerated, and the level of refined renovation has continuously improved. These days, the Qiaozhuang North Street Community in Yuqiao Subdistrict, Tongzhou District, Beijing, is undergoing renovation. In addition to focusing on residents' concentrated opinions on energy saving, water supply and drainage renovation, the construction party has also arranged dedicated personnel to solve small problems encountered by residents during house renovation. Aunt Wen's balcony tiles in the community fell off, and workers were arranged to help repair them the next day. Through refined renovation of old residential areas, residents are more satisfied and live more comfortably. Since the beginning of this year, various regions have adopted multiple measures to achieve an all-round transformation of old residential areas from "appearance" to "essence" with "embroidered craftsmanship." Hebei, Gansu, and other places have focused on pain points such as environmental dirt and disorder, and introduced a series of measures to promote collaborative governance. Guangdong, Shanxi, and other places have created convenient, efficient, safe, and orderly living scenes by introducing smart devices and innovating management models. Ningxia, Shandong, and other places have actively added various service facilities to old residential areas to meet residents' diverse living needs. The latest data from the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development shows that this year, the country plans to start renovating 25,000 old urban residential areas. From January to April, 5,679 old urban residential areas were newly started for renovation nationwide. Six provinces and cities, including Hebei, Chongqing, Liaoning, Shanghai, Zhejiang, and Hubei, have an operating rate of over 50%.
Various Regions Vigorously Promote Construction of Major Projects
Various regions are solidly promoting the construction of a number of major projects to boost high-quality economic development. Construction of transportation infrastructure is progressing steadily. Today (June 4), the Tongbaiyuan No. 1 Tunnel, a controlling project for the entire Yan'an-Yulin High-speed Railway, a national key project, successfully advanced to 2,000 meters. It is the longest tunnel on the entire Yan'an-Yulin High-speed Railway, with a total length of over 14,000 meters. After the Yan'an-Yulin High-speed Railway is completed, the travel time from Xi'an to Yulin will be reduced from 5 hours to 2 hours. Today, track laying began on the Luobupo-Ruoqiang Railway in Xinjiang. The Luoruo Railway has a total length of approximately 297 kilometers. After the entire line is completed, it will connect with the Lanzhou-Xinjiang Railway and the Golmud-Korla Railway, further improving Xinjiang's "road-to-rail" transport capacity. The comprehensive立体交通网 of the Yangtze River Economic Belt is continuously improving. Today, the Xin'an River Grand Bridge of the Jinhua-Jiande High-speed Railway successfully closed. After the Jinhua-Jiande High-speed Railway is completed and put into operation, it will connect with the Hangzhou-Huangshan High-speed Railway, Shanghai-Kunming High-speed Railway, and other lines, connecting multiple regional economic circles such as the "Central Zhejiang Urban Cluster" and the "Huangshan Tourism Economic Circle," further promoting the development of tourism resources along the line. The Hefei-Wuhan section of the Yangtze River High-speed Railway has entered the comprehensive construction phase. Yesterday, the first steel truss girder of the Shihe River Bridge, one of the controlling projects of the Hefei-Wuhan High-speed Railway, was successfully hoisted. The Hefei-Wuhan High-speed Railway is expected to be completed in 2028. Construction of major new energy projects is also accelerating. Today, the expansion project of the Tianjin South 1000 kV UHV Substation, a key project of the national "14th Five-Year Plan," was put into operation. It can transmit more than 40 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity annually, further improving the transmission capacity of clean energy bases in Inner Mongolia, Hebei, and other regions to Tianjin, assisting the coordinated development of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei. In the Qaidam Basin, new progress has been made in the CGN Delingha 1 GW Concentrated Solar Power-Storage Integrated Project, China's largest single concentrated solar power and multi-energy complementary project under construction. All heliostats, an important facility of the project, have been installed and are entering the equipment commissioning stage. The project is expected to be completed and put into operation by the end of this year, and can transmit 1.8 billion kWh of green electricity annually, equivalent to saving about 550,000 tons of standard coal and reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 1.3 million tons.
On the Fields of Hope - Summer Harvest: Technology Boosts Summer Harvesting and Planting, Laying Foundation for Bumper Grain Harvest
At present, summer harvesting and planting are accelerating, and various regions are investing in modern agricultural machinery and relying on advanced technology to strengthen the foundation for a bumper harvest throughout the year. Wheat harvesting is in full swing across the country. Over 70% of Henan's 85 million mu of wheat has been harvested. In the high-standard farmland of Xiangfu District, Kaifeng, harvesters shuttle back and forth. This year, the local area has strengthened training for combine harvester operators on loss reduction skills to further reduce machine harvesting losses. Anhui's 43 million mu of wheat harvest is nearing completion. Huaibei's Suixi County has coordinated and deployed over 100,000 sets of agricultural machinery and trained over 1,500 agricultural machinery operators to ensure wheat harvesting. The county's more than 2 million mu of wheat is expected to be fully harvested within 5 days. Wheat harvesting has begun in Pinglu, Shanxi. The local area has established 16 "Three Summers" emergency harvesting teams and prepared over 260 harvesters. Through scientific scheduling, they ensure that wheat is harvested as soon as it ripens, striving to bring every grain back to the granary. Over 30% of Jiangsu's wheat has been harvested. This year, the province's wheat machine harvesting rate remains stable at around 99%. In Suyu District, Suqian, after harvesting, wheat is immediately sent to nearby drying plants for drying and then directly sold to grain purchasing enterprises, achieving a seamless connection from field to granary. Summer rice planting in the south is proceeding in an orderly manner. Fujian's mid-season rice transplanting area has exceeded 2.1 million mu. This year, the thousand-mu terraced fields in Pingnan County, Ningde, are using terraced light rail for summer planting. The more than 5,000-meter-long transport track connects the layers of terraced fields, allowing villagers to transport seedlings to higher fields simply by placing them in the carriage, greatly improving production efficiency. Yunnan's rice planting mechanization rate this year exceeds 77%. In the Qujing Rice Production Mechanization Demonstration Area, transplanting machines not only improve transplanting efficiency but also ensure better tillering and more guaranteed yields for machine-planted seedlings. Sichuan's rice transplanting progress is close to 90%. In Jintang County, Sichuan, drones connected to satellite signals calculate field areas through aerial photography, then automatically calculate the required seed weight and spreading density. One drone can broadcast one mu of land in just 2 minutes, greatly improving the efficiency of rice sowing in hilly areas.
Real Efforts for Reform and Development: Digital Empowerment Helps Chongqing Govern Megacity Efficiently
Chongqing, empowered by digitalization, has established city, district/county, and sub-district/township urban operation and governance centers, and improved the "large integrated and integrated" digital platform, making urban governance smarter, more efficient, and more precise. Since May, Chongqing's drone light show on the "Two Rivers and Four Banks" has been held regularly. The local area uses a digital platform to collect multi-source data such as passenger flow and ride-hailing vehicles, and uses big data algorithm models to predict pedestrian and vehicle flow in advance, monitor pedestrian and vehicle operation in real time, and coordinate multiple departments to minimize traffic congestion. Chongqing is a megacity integrating urban, rural, mountainous, and reservoir areas. In the past, various departments had their own data systems, and governance efficiency gradually failed to keep up with the needs of urban development. To this end, the local area has broken down departmental barriers, integrated various types of data at all levels, and built an intelligent platform covering city, district/county, and sub-district/township levels, with information covering eight aspects including safety operation, economic development, social governance, and production and living services. In Chongqing's Digital Urban Operation and Governance Center, through more than 17 million sensing devices and more than 4,000 vital signs indicators, the operation of the city's water, electricity, and gas pipelines, and the safety status of roads, bridges, and tunnels are clear at a glance, transforming urban governance from "passive response" to "active prevention."
Domestic News Snippets
Implementation Plan for Digital Transformation of Electronic Information Manufacturing Industry Issued The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the National Development and Reform Commission, and the National Data Administration recently jointly issued the "Implementation Plan for Digital Transformation of Electronic Information Manufacturing Industry" (hereinafter referred to as the "Plan"). The "Plan" proposes that by 2027, the numerical control rate of key processes in electronic information manufacturing enterprises above designated size will exceed 85%; by 2030, a relatively complete data basic system for the electronic information manufacturing industry will be established, and the industrial database for electronic information manufacturing will be basically completed. China Organizes Pilot Programs for Integrated Development of Human Resources Service Industry and Manufacturing Industry Recently, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security and other departments issued a notice to carry out pilot work for the integrated development of the human resources service industry and the manufacturing industry in about 30 eligible cities, aiming to cultivate a number of professional human resources service agencies for the manufacturing industry within three years, promote high-quality and full employment, and help build a modern industrial system. China Will Further Improve Horizontal Ecological Protection Compensation Mechanism Today (June 4), the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, the National Development and Reform Commission, and other five departments jointly issued opinions, clarifying that by 2027, a unified horizontal ecological protection compensation mechanism for the main streams of the Yangtze River and Yellow River will be established, and various regions will basically establish cross-regional river basin horizontal ecological protection compensation mechanisms covering key rivers within their jurisdictions; by 2035, the construction of river basin horizontal ecological protection compensation mechanisms will fully cover the main streams and important tributaries of key river basins such as the Yangtze River and Yellow River. 2025 New Energy Vehicle Going to the Countryside Activity to Start in Mid-June The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and other five departments will launch the 2025 new energy vehicle going to the countryside activity in Jiangsu in mid-June. The activity will select a number of typical county-level cities with low new energy vehicle promotion rates and large market potential. Combined with policies such as trade-in, it will be carried out through a combination of "online + offline" methods. In the past five years, China has released 9 batches and more than 400 models of new energy vehicles for the countryside, with cumulative sales of nearly 15 million vehicles. Ministry of Finance Issues Third Tranche of RMB 12.5 Billion Treasury Bonds in Hong Kong Today (June 4), the Ministry of Finance issued the third tranche of RMB 12.5 billion treasury bonds for 2025 to institutional investors in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region through tender, which was widely welcomed by investors, with a subscription multiple of 3.96 times. Among them, the issuance rates for 2-year, 3-year, 5-year, and 10-year bonds were 1.49%, 1.52%, 1.60%, and 1.75%, respectively. Throughout this year, the Ministry of Finance will issue a total of RMB 68 billion treasury bonds in Hong Kong in six tranches. 2025 National "Service Consumption Season" Launched in Nanjing The launching ceremony of the 2025 National "Service Consumption Season" activity, sponsored by the Ministry of Commerce and China Media Group, was held yesterday (June 3) in Nanjing, Jiangsu. This year's event is themed "Enjoying Wonderful Services, Creating a Happy Life," and the "2025 National Service Consumption Season Activity Plan" and the top ten practical cases of national service consumption scene innovation were released at the event.
Russia Claims Control of Settlements in Sumy, Ukraine Says It Destroyed Russian Drones
The Russian Ministry of Defense stated on June 3 that Russian forces repelled multiple Ukrainian attacks and launched several offensives in the directions of Sumy, Kharkiv, and Donetsk, taking control of certain settlements in the Sumy region. Russian air defense forces shot down two HIMARS rockets and 199 drones of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. The Russian Ministry of Defense today (June 4) released a video showing Russian forces using Iskander missiles to destroy a Ukrainian air defense missile system in the Dnipropetrovsk region. The Ukrainian military stated on June 4 that Ukrainian forces attacked several concentrations of Russian personnel, weapons, and military equipment, as well as ammunition depots. Since the evening of June 3, Russian forces used 95 drones to attack Ukraine, and Ukrainian forces shot down 61 of them in eastern, northern, southern, and central Ukraine. This attack affected Kharkiv, Sumy, Odesa, and other areas. Ukraine claims attack on Crimean Bridge, Russia says bridge structure undamaged. The Ukrainian Security Service stated on June 3 that it carried out a "underwater attack" on the Crimean Bridge on that day, which caused serious damage to the bottom of the bridge's underwater support structure. Russian Presidential Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov said today that an explosion occurred in the area of the Crimean Bridge, but the bridge structure was not damaged, and traffic is currently operating normally. The day before, the Russian Federal Security Service announced that it had arrested a Ukrainian agent in Crimea suspected of manufacturing an explosive device, but did not mention the specific target of the arrested person's actions.
US Imposes 50% Tariff on Imported Steel and Aluminum, US Media Says Multiple Industries to Be Affected
The United States' policy of increasing steel and aluminum tariffs from 25% to 50% came into effect on June 4, with tariffs on related products imported from the United Kingdom temporarily remaining at 25%. According to US media reports, this move could lead to a significant increase in US steel prices. Affected by this, domestic industries in the United States such as automobile manufacturing, appliance manufacturing, construction, transportation, and canning and packaging industries will all face rising costs. US media reported on June 3 that US steel prices have risen by 16% since mid-January. Many international figures criticize US tariff policy for harming itself. On June 3, the German Aluminum Association stated that the US tariff policy creates greater uncertainty in the operating environment, will further weaken the competitiveness of German manufacturing, and will also exacerbate global trade tensions. Brazilian President Lula stated on June 3 that if no agreement is reached with the United States on tariffs, Brazil may file a lawsuit with the WTO or take reciprocal measures. Mexican Economy Minister Ebrard stated on June 3 that the US tariff policy has a significant impact on the economy, and the relevant decision is unfair and unsustainable. OECD Chief Economist Pereira stated on June 3 that drastic changes in US trade policy have led to a downward revision of US growth forecasts, and US tariff policy brings uncertainty to global trade, impacting the world economy.
Lee Jae-myung Elected 21st President of South Korea, Officially Sworn In
South Korea's National Election Commission today (June 4) released vote counting results showing that in this presidential election, Democratic Party candidate Lee Jae-myung received 49.42% of the votes, while People Power Party candidate Kim Mun-soo received 41.15%. The Election Commission held a plenary session today to officially confirm Lee Jae-myung's election as the 21st President of South Korea. Subsequently, Lee Jae-myung, 61, was sworn in at the National Assembly. In his inaugural speech, Lee Jae-myung stated that he would strive to end confrontation and unite the South Korean people. He also said that he would first restore people's livelihoods and the economy, launch an emergency economic task force, achieve a virtuous economic cycle through national finances, and build a society of sustained growth and development.
Iranian President Says Iran Welcomes Talks but Rejects Bullying
Iranian President Pezeshkian stated on June 3 regarding indirect talks between Iran and the United States that Iran welcomes negotiations, but negotiations cannot be based on bullying or unilateral demands. He reiterated that Iran has always made it clear that it will not seek nuclear weapons and has always proven this stance through cooperation. He also stated that certain countries try to hinder the development of other countries while using their own development to pressure other countries, calling this "unfair, unreasonable, and unacceptable." Under the mediation of Oman, the United States and Iran have held five rounds of indirect talks since April this year, achieving some progress, but significant differences remain on several core issues.
International News Snippets
Houthi forces claim attack on Israeli airport, US transport plane obstructed. Yemen's Houthi forces claimed on June 3 that they launched a hypersonic ballistic missile attack on Ben Gurion International Airport in Israel, forcing a US military transport plane to be unable to land at the airport. The Israeli military stated that it intercepted a missile launched from Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen. Air raid sirens sounded in Tel Aviv and other areas on the evening of June 3. Bahrain and four other countries elected as non-permanent members of the Security Council. The United Nations General Assembly on June 3 elected Bahrain, Colombia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Latvia, and Liberia as non-permanent members of the UN Security Council. The newly elected five countries' terms will begin on January 1, 2026, for a period of two years. The Security Council has 10 non-permanent members, elected by secret ballot by the General Assembly, with five replaced annually. Canadian wildfires spread, smoke drifts to US and Europe. Wildfires continue to burn in Alberta, Saskatchewan, and other provinces in Canada, with multiple homes destroyed. According to data from the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre on June 3, there are still 202 wildfires burning in Canada, 103 of which are out of control. According to US media reports, smoke from the Canadian wildfires has spread to Minnesota and neighboring areas in the United States. The EU's climate monitoring agency also stated on June 3 that smoke from Canadian wildfires has drifted across the Atlantic to northwestern Europe.