A few days before the New Year, senior leaders of the Communist Party of China (CPC) sat down in the Zhongnanhai leadership compound for an annual criticism and self-criticism session.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has encouraged Howard Schultz, Starbucks Corporation's chairman emeritus, and the company to continue to play a positive role in advancing China-U.S. economic and trade cooperation and bilateral ties.

China firmly opposes any form of official exchanges between the United States and Taiwan, a foreign ministry spokesperson said on Thursday, adding that some U.S. politicians would pay a heavy price for their wrongdoings concerning China's Taiwan region.