
A man wearing a protective face mask stands on an observation deck overlooking the China Central Television (CCTV) building in the Central Business District (CBD) area amid a sandstorm in Beijing, China, 28 March 2021. A new sandstorm hit Beijing on 28 March as the city was already in the grip of high air pollution levels. EPA-EFE/ROMAN PILIPEY

Participants rehearse before a celebration at Tiananmen Square marking the 100th founding anniversary of the Chinese Communist Party, in Beijing, China, 01 July 2021. China celebrates on 01 July the 100th anniversary of the founding of the ruling Communist Party of China (CCP). EPA-EFE/ROMAN PILIPEY

A Buddhist monk plays table tennis at Wenshu Monastery, Chengdu, Sichuan province, China, 15 October 2021 (issued 25 October 2021). The Monastery is considered the largest and best-preserved Buddhist temple in Chengdu. EPA-EFE/ROMAN PILIPEY

Chinese President Xi Jinping (L) arrives for the second plenary session of the National People’s Congress (NPC) at the Great Hall of the People, in Beijing, China, 08 March 2021. China holds two major annual political meetings, The National People’s Congress (NPC) and the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) which run alongside and together known as 'Lianghui' or 'Two Sessions'. EPA-EFE/ROMAN PILIPEY

The Long March-2F carrier rocket, carrying the Shenzhou-12, takes off from the launch site at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, in the Gobi Desert, Inner Mongolia, near Jiuquan, China, 17 June 2021. China launched the Shenzhou-12 spacecraft carrying three crew members Tang Hongbo, Nie Haisheng, and Liu Boming to the orbiting Tianhe core module for a three-month mission on 17 June. The mission is China's first manned spaceflight in almost five years. EPA-EFE/ROMAN PILIPEY