South Korea's Lee will visit France Sept. 6-9, the government said.

U.S. Vice President Vance said the United States never targets civilians in combat and never will.

CAS academician and Tianwen-3 chief scientist Hou Zengqian said at the opening of the Deep Space Exploration (Tiandu) international conference that the mission has entered its initial prototype development stage. Technical R&D and scientific preparation are proceeding in parallel. Tianwen-3 is planned for launch around 2028 with a Mars-sample return to Earth around 2031 and could become the first Mars sample-return mission. The program is intended to advance astrobiology and planetary geology and signals continued Chinese investment in deep-space capabilities.