The Beijing Hour

China and Indonesia have held the first meeting of their Comprehensive Strategic Dialogue Mechanism in Jakarta, with discussions aiming to expand cooperation beyond trade into security and defense coordination (01:13). The US has announced it will impose what it calls the toughest sanctions in history on Iran, while Tehran condemns Washington's move as "economic terrorism" (06:56). A Chinese anti-war film is sweeping cinemas nationwide, offering a fresh take on the traditional war-film narrative (52:33).

US President Donald Trump has threatened to impose what he calls "the most crushing economic operation ever" on Iran, while Iran has considered attacking US military targets in Europe if the war escalates (01:21). The Macao chief executive says the special administrative regional government will unite all sectors of society to implement the newly-released Third Five-Year Plan for Economic and Social Development (12:50). The US Treasury Department says the national debt has surpassed 40 trillion dollars for the first time, a milestone reached months earlier than expected (26:07).

China's Macao Special Administrative Region has unveiled its third five-year plan for 2026 to 2030, charting the next phase of the region's economic and social development (01:16). China has successfully launched the Zhuque-3 reusable carrier rocket, achieving the country's first-ever rocket recovery on land (10:29). Humanitarian aid sent by China has arrived in Colombia, providing emergency supplies for the victims of last week's deadly earthquake (18:59).

A senior Iranian official says the country will shift to a fully offensive military posture against the US, while President Trump has downplayed the prospects of reaching a deal with Tehran (01:12). The 17th Session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention to Combat Desertification, or COP 17, is underway in Ulan Baataar, Mongolia, with China's efforts and contributions in the spotlight (09:05). China has unveiled a set of measures aimed at further stimulating consumption in lower-tier markets and invigorating county-level consumer spending (36:13).

The Belt and Road Initiative has made fruitful achievements since the Chinese president stressed mutually beneficial cooperation in his speech on the initiative at a symposium exactly 10 years ago (01:15). Iran says it has not yet made a decision to extend the peace memorandum of understanding with the United States, which expires on Monday (13:36). Chinese authorities say the country's economy maintained overall stability in the first seven months of the year with a clear trend toward higher-quality and innovation-driven growth (36:58).