china
Xi’s trip to Greece, Brazil to advance bilateral ties, BRICS cooperation
Chinese President Xi Jinping’s upcoming visit to Greece and Brazil is expected to intensify China’s relations with the two countries and enhance BRICS cooperation, officials said here Thursday.
At the invitation of Greek President Prokopis Pavlopoulos, Xi will pay a state visit to Greece from Nov. 10 to 12, said Vice Foreign Minister Qin Gang.
This will be the first visit to the European country by a Chinese president after an interval of 11 years, which will exert a historic influence of China-Greece ties and push forward China-Europe relations and Belt and Road cooperation, Qin said.
He noted that China and Greece, both with old civilizations, are trustworthy and helpful friends respecting and supporting each other on core interests and major concerns.
Greece is among the first European Union (EU) countries to sign an intergovernmental cooperation document with China to jointly construct the Belt and Road, Qin said, adding that Greek prime ministers attended the first and second Belt and Road Forum on International Cooperation in Beijing.
The two sides have conducted fruitful cooperation on the principle of mutual benefit and win-win cooperation and witnessed increased bilateral trade and investment, Qin said.
« The Piraeus Port project, a flagship project for the Belt and Road cooperation, has made important contributions to the local economic and social development of Greece and played an important role in advancing connectivity in various regions around the globe, » said the vice foreign minister.
(…)
China and Greece are new friends of the « 17 +1 » cooperation. In April this year, Greece became a full member of the China-Central and Eastern European Countries Cooperation Mechanism, adding new opportunities to the development of this mechanism, which is also conducive to developing China-EU relations and China-EU connectivity, Qin said.
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis led a delegation to the ongoing second China International Import Expo (CIIE). Xi met with him, and the two leaders visited the Greek pavilion, Qin said.
(…)
According to Vice Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu, at the invitation of Brazilian President Jair Messias Bolsonaro, Xi will attend the 11th BRICS summit in Brasilia, the capital of Brazil, from Nov. 13 to 14.
BRICS is the acronym for an emerging-market bloc that groups Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.
Xi is scheduled to attend the closing ceremony of the BRICS business forum, closed and public meetings of the BRICS leaders’ meeting and the BRICS leaders’ dialogue with the BRICS Business Council and the New Development Bank. The leaders’ declaration is expected to be released, Ma said.
China expels 32 South Korea missionaries amid missile defense tension
China has expelled 32 South Korean Christian missionaries, a Korean government official said on Saturday, amid diplomatic tension between the two countries over the planned deployment of a U.S. missile defense system in the South.
The 32 were based in China’s northeastern Yanji region near the border with North Korea, many of whom had worked there more than a decade, South Korean media have reported.
South Korea’s foreign ministry said on Friday it briefed Christian groups on the case of the missionaries, adding that they were expelled in January.
The ministry advised the groups on the importance of complying with the laws and customs of the areas where they work, it said.
In South Korea, China is widely believed to be retaliating against Seoul’s plan to host the Terminal High Altitude Area Defence (THAAD) system of the U.S. military, against the threat of the missile attack from North Korea.
But there was no indication of a direct link between the expulsions and tension over THAAD, said the South Korean government official, who requested anonymity.
« There was no official explanation from China, » he said. « There is no confirmation that it is related to THAAD. »
(with Reuters)
- ← Précédent
- 1
- …
- 3
- 4
TANIKO Madagascar 