To celebrate the 28th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to the motherland and the Chinese People's Liberation Army's garrisoning in Hong Kong, the PLA Hong Kong Garrison held an open day event from Saturday to Sunday, inviting Hong Kong residents to visit the barracks in Ngong Shuen Chau, Shek Kong and San Wai, the Xinhua News Agency reported.

At Ngong Shuen Chau Barracks, a grand flag-raising ceremony was held at around 10 am on Saturday. As the national anthem played, the guard of honor marched in precise steps. Residents and garrison personnel stood at attention, saluted the national flag and sang the anthem.

Troops performed military demonstrations including bayonet exercises and hunter combat training to showcase their combat capabilities. In the equipment exhibition area, residents experienced handling firearms, observed military vehicles, boarded naval vessels and learned rope-tying techniques and conducted simulated shooting under the soldiers' guidance, according to Xinhua.

A helicopter flight demonstration drew large crowds at Shek Kong Barracks, with pilots expertly performing stunts such as sharp dives and sudden climbs. Still buzzing with excitement after the show, many residents visited the air force equipment display area to take photos in front of the helicopter.

Numerous local families visited the exhibition center to learn about the history and achievements of the Communist Party of China (CPC), the nation, and the military.

Hong Kong resident Jelly Chou took her child Xiaoye (alias) on Saturday to visit the Shek Kong Barracks, where Xiaoye experienced standing at military posture, toured the exhibition center, and listened to the stories of PLA soldiers stationed in Hong Kong.

Under the guidance of soldiers, Xiaoye also experienced simulated shooting. "My kid later told me that she wants to join the PLA after she grows up," Chou said. 

During the open day, the garrison staged themed performances showcasing the troops' loyalty to their mission and the deep bond between soldiers and Hong Kong residents.

Chou told the Global Times on Sunday that she was profoundly impressed and reassured within the barracks. "Children of my kid's generation live in a peaceful and advanced life, lacking practical understanding of those who silently safeguard them," Chou said, adding that the open day effectively helps children understand where peaceful life originates and appreciate the greatness of the PLA and the motherland.

"The sense of pride in the motherland should be instilled in children at an early age," she said. 

This marks the 35th open day held by the garrison, which has received 930,000 visits over the past 28 years. In recent years, the garrison has organized activities such as summer camps and patriotic education programs, and has taken part in tree planting, elderly care and childcare initiatives, according to Xinhua.

A NATO summit is set to be held on Tuesday and Wednesday in the Dutch city of the Hague, as the US pushes its allies to sharply increase their defense spending to 5 percent of their gross domestic product (GDP).

However, the goal has not only faced diverging reactions inside the bloc, but also prompted hundreds of protesters who took to the streets of The Hague on Sunday to show their discontent at NATO's climbing defense spending and a possible war with Iran, European portal euronews.com reported.

Even if the NATO summit agrees on the target as a symbol of unity, it will be difficult to deliver, Chinese observers said, adding that the upcoming summit is likely to once again demonstrate the transatlantic rift as NATO becomes obsolete and irrelevant, and it is no wonder that the leaders of Japan and South Korea have decided to skip it.

According to CNBC, the 5 percent figure is made up of 3.5 percent of GDP that should be spent on "pure" defense, with an extra 1.5 percent of GDP going to security-related infrastructure, such as cyber warfare capabilities and intelligence.

NATO members on Sunday signed off on this budget increase pledge, but Spain has struck a deal to be exempt from it.

Lü Xiang, a research fellow on US studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, doubted if the 5 percent pledge can ever be delivered.

Some NATO members don't even meet the 2 percent threshold that was agreed over a decade ago. While they might pledge to increase defense spending, whether these promises materialize will be the key question, CNBC reported.

The US is the core of NATO, but the incumbent US administration's policy is far from inclined to cooperate with traditional allies, as it makes no commitment to its allies and does not rely on them in international affairs, Lü told the Global Times on Monday.

Lü cited the example of the US' handling of the Israel-Iran conflict. As Germany, the UK and France engaged with Iran on Friday in a bid to avoid further escalation, and saying Iran is fundamentally willing to continue talks, per Deutsche Welle, the US launched strikes against the country's nuclear facilities the following day - "very likely without communication with its transatlantic allies," the expert said.

Without security commitments or strategic coordination, "the remaining value of NATO for the US is as a buyer of US arms," and the increase in defense budget will highly likely flow into the US given Europe's less than complete defense industry, Lü said.

"Hopefully, Trump is not going to leave early like he did from the recent G7 meeting in Canada," Jamie Shea, a former NATO official, told Deutsche Welle.

In the Hague, as was the case in Canada, there will be no lengthy communique, only short statements about new commitments, Politico reported.

There is widely existing anxiety within NATO as the alliance is becoming obsolete and irrelevant, Lü said, using the term "zombification" to describe this alliance born in the Cold War that is no longer compatible with the current global landscape.

Sources related to NATO earlier revealed to Nikkei that Trump wants to hold a meeting with leaders from Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand, the so-called four Indo-Pacific nations (IP4), during the NATO summit in the Netherlands.

But that IP4 meeting is unlikely and leaders of Japan and South Korea may not show up at the summit.

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has cancelled plans to attend the NATO summit in The Hague this week, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Monday. The ministry said only that "various circumstances" had led to the cancellation.

Japan has also scrapped the planned July 1 meeting in Washington of foreign and defense ministers (known as "2+2") with the US, media reported Sunday, citing an unofficial overture from Washington requesting that Tokyo increase its defense spending to 3.5 percent of GDP.

South Korean President Lee Jae-myung ultimately determined that "it was simply not feasible" to attend in person, citing "a confluence of urgent domestic issues and growing instability in the Middle East," the Chosun Daily reported Monday.

Da Zhigang, director of the Institute of Northeast Asian Studies at the Heilongjiang Provincial Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times that the US has been exploiting both its allies' security dependence on Washington and their psychological need for greater security assurances in this volatile landscape full of tensions and disputes.

However, with "America first" on its mind, the current administration is not interested in providing substantial benefits, nor will it respond to Japan and South Korea's needs to communicate on other topics such as tariffs, the expert said.

Chinese Ambassador Jiang Zaidong met with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday local time and exchanged views on the current Pakistan-India situation, according to a press release published by the Chinese Embassy in Pakistan on its WeChat account on Friday.

Prime Minister Sharif briefed the ambassador on recent tensions between India and Pakistan, which were triggered by a sudden incident in the Kashmir region. He expressed appreciation for China's constructive efforts to promote peace and stability in South Asia and to help de-escalate the situation, according to the release.

Sharif reaffirmed Pakistan's commitment to safeguarding its national sovereignty, security, and dignity, and expressed a willingness to continue communication and coordination with all parties to jointly prevent further escalation and uphold peace and stability in South Asia, the press release stated.

Jiang thanked Prime Minister Sharif and stated that China understands Pakistan's legitimate security concerns and supports its efforts to safeguard national sovereignty and security interests. Jiang expressed China's support for a prompt and impartial investigation into the incident and called on both India and Pakistan to exercise restraint, meet each other halfway, properly manage differences, and jointly safeguard regional peace and stability.

Tensions between the two South Asian neighbors escalated following a deadly attack on tourists in Pahalgam, in Indian-controlled Kashmir, earlier this month, the Xinhua News Agency reported.

Fears of a broader conflict intensified earlier this week when Pakistani Information Minister Attaullah Tarar posted on X on April 30 that his country had "credible intelligence that India intends carrying out military action against Pakistan in the next 24-36 hours." CNN later reported that the timeframe had passed without incident. 

Pakistani and Indian fighter jets were involved in a brief standoff around the airspace over the Line of Control late Tuesday night, Pakistani security sources said on Wednesday, Xinhua reported on Wednesday. 

Four Rafale fighter jets of the Indian Air Force conducted a high-altitude patrol in the airspace over the Indian-controlled Kashmir along the Line of Control, prompting an immediate and vigilant response from Pakistan's Air Force, the sources told Xinhua.

Indian local media such as the Hindu also reported on Wednesday that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that the Indian armed forces have his full confidence and "complete operational freedom to decide on the mode, targets and timing" of India's response in the aftermath of Pahalgam attack.

Also, the director general of the Pakistani military's media wing on Tuesday accused India of being directly involved in orchestrating acts of terrorism within Pakistan, presenting "irrefutable evidence" of "state-sponsored terrorism," Xinhua reported in another report on Wednesday. 

China is displaying a selection of its top aviation products including the J-10CE and FC-31 fighter jets at an international defense expo that kicked off on Tuesday in Malaysia, with a Chinese expert saying that Chinese military aircraft and their associated systems could become good choices for potential international buyers.

The 17th edition of the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition (LIMA 2025) kicked off in Langkawi, Malaysia on Tuesday, with defense and associated companies from around the globe eyeing a higher profile in Asia's defense sector, the Xinhua News Agency reported on Tuesday.

China National Aero-Technology Import & Export Corporation (CATIC) brought models of the J-10CE fighter jet and the FC-31 fighter jet to the expo, the military channel of China Central Television (CCTV) reported on Tuesday.

Many visitors gathered at the CATIC booth to see these two models, according to the CCTV report.

Recently, China's made-for-export J-10CE fighter jet has been under the spotlight, with major media outlets having focused on the news that the J-10CE has recently achieved its first real combat success.

Fu Qianshao, a Chinese military affairs expert, told the Global Times that the J-10CE is a combat-proven warplane. With advanced avionics and radar systems plus the PL-15E missile, the aircraft has strong beyond-visual-range combat capabilities.

Displaying a model of the J-10CE at the LIMA 2025 showed China's willingness to promote the export of the aircraft. With the J-10CE being a top-class fighter jet, many countries could consider procuring to modernize their warplane fleet, Fu said.

Wang Ya'nan, chief editor of Beijing-based Aerospace Knowledge magazine, told the Global Times that the J-10 series fighter jet has also been widely deployed by the Chinese military, which adds to the aircraft's reliability.

Besides the fourth-generation fighter jet J-10, China is also offering the fifth-generation fighter jet FC-31. It is more and more likely that Chinese defense products will gain a greater share in the international market in the future, Wang said.

In addition to the J-10CE and the FC-31 fighter jets, the Chinese booth also displayed models of the Y-20 strategic transport aircraft, the Y-9 tactical transport aircraft, the Z-10 attack helicopter and the Z-9 multirole helicopter, the CCTV report showed.

Fu said that China is exhibiting complete systems of aviation equipment, including different genres of aircraft of different sizes and purposes. They can meet the different demands of potential international buyers, who can choose from the Chinese products based on their needs.

It also showed that China's aviation industry is developing in all directions, offering all types of products, Fu said.

The LIMA 2025 is scheduled to last until Saturday. Organized biennially, the exhibition features 860 exhibitors representing various sectors in maritime and aerospace. They will be joined by 140 delegates from 46 countries and regions, including heads of military, enforcement agencies and other government officials, according to the organizer, Xinhua reported.