Foreign news
Chinese ambassador: Xi’s visit to usher in next ‘golden’ 30 years of Sino-Kazakh ties
Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Kazakhstan will open up another “golden” 30 years of China-Kazakhstan relations, Chinese Ambassador to Kazakhstan Zhang Xiao said during an exclusive interview with China Media Group (CMG).
Noting that this year marks the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Kazakhstan, Zhang said the bilateral ties have been continuously lifted to higher levels with new results achieved. He said he is confident that the visit will provide a new blueprint, impetus and vigor for bilateral ties.
The Chinese ambassador said President Xi’s choice of Kazakhstan for his first visit after the onset of COVID-19 pandemic reflects the high importance China attaches to its relations with Kazakhstan and the high level of permanent comprehensive strategic partnership between the two.
According to Zhang, the two countries’ trade volume reached $17.69 billion in the first seven months of the year, up by 18.9 percent year on year.
Against the backdrop of the pandemic, the rapid and healthy development of Sino-Kazakh interconnection has made an important contribution to the stability of the global industrial and supply chains, he said.
The Belt and Road Initiative has proved to be a mutually beneficial road of friendship, prosperity and success for China and Kazakhstan, Zhang said.
Referring to the cooperation between China and Kazakhstan in the framework of multilateral organizations, Zhang said China and Kazakhstan are both founding members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).
Over the past two decades, the two countries have always upheld the “Shanghai spirit,” maintained close communication and collaboration within the SCO framework, facilitated cooperation among SCO countries in various fields, and made important contributions to the promotion of regional security, stability, development and prosperity, said the ambassador.
He said China and Kazakhstan support the SCO-Afghanistan Contact Group and other mechanisms in promoting the settlement of the Afghan issues and working together to address regional hotspot issues.
Zhang also stressed that China actively supports the Summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia, which will be hosted by Kazakhstan later this year. Wishing the meeting success, he said he believes it will inject new momentum to enhance trust and strengthen cooperation among Asian countries.
(Cover: A China-Europe freight train arrives from Kazakhstan at Xinzhu Station in Xi’an, Shaanxi Province, Northwest China, February 3, 2021. /Xinhua)
Foreign news
EU Cautiously optimistic on Syria engagement – Official
Irish foreign minister Simon Harris said on Monday that the European Union (EU) “is cautiously optimistic on Syria engagement” but called for more deeper engagement to strengthen relations with the country.
Harris said this at a news conference held at the EU Headquarters in Brussels, the Belgian capital.
“It’s early days, but I think there are signs of optimism. But it is important that we continue to engage.
“I don’t think it would be a good scenario if any other geopolitical actors and forces engage with Syria and for the European Union not to be in a position to intensively engage with them,“ he said.
In her remarks, Ms. Kaja Kallas, the Vice-President of the EU described Syria’s future as fragile but said that the bloc needed to take the right steps.
“But of course, we need to see the right steps as well. Right now, they’re saying all the right words, and they are doing also the right things.
“Therefore, we have this set step-for-step approach, and if they take the steps, then we are willing to take the steps as well,’’ she said.
On the war in Gaza, Harris said President Donald Trump and his team are very much a party to the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas after the intensive work that was put in.
He conceded that the Trump administration put in a lot of effort to arrive at a ceasefire agreement in the days before his assumption of office for a return to the White House.
“I think that was important and there is no doubt that the intensive work invested by the Trump administration played a very significant role in helping to bring about a ceasefire – a ceasefire that has now seen a cessation of hostilities, the killing, and the bombings.
“Also, that has seen the flow and has seen hostages being released. It’s really important that the ceasefire is in place.
“It is also important, though, to acknowledge in that ceasefire agreement itself, it does talk about people being able to return, and therefore, I think it’s important that we’re consistent in the approach that we take.
“The priority, I think, needs to be on implementing to the letter, the ceasefire agreement.”
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