International relations Archives - Friends of Socialist China

Iranian Foreign Minister visits Beijing

Iranian Foreign Minister Seyyed Abbas Araghchi visited China on May 6 for talks with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi.

Araghchi briefed Wang on the latest developments in the Iran-US negotiations and Iran’s next steps, stating that facts have proven that political crises cannot be resolved through military means. Iran will resolutely safeguard its national sovereignty and national dignity while continuously building consensus through peaceful negotiations to seek a comprehensive and permanent solution. Currently, the issue of opening the Strait of Hormuz could be promptly addressed. Iran highly appreciates and agrees with the four propositions put forward by President Xi Jinping [during his recent meeting with the Crown Prince of the United Arab Emirates {UAE}] on safeguarding and promoting peace and stability in the region. Iran commends China for always standing on the right side of history and making unremitting efforts with a constructive attitude to prevent the situation from deteriorating and spilling over. Iran trusts China and looks forward to China continuing to play an active role in promoting peace and ending the conflict and supports the establishment of a new post-war regional framework that can coordinate development and security.

The Iranian Foreign Minister added that his country is willing to take the 55th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries this year as an opportunity to strengthen exchanges at all levels, tap into cooperation potential, provide firm mutual support, and deepen all-round cooperation. Iran is also willing to strengthen communication and coordination with China in multilateral affairs and continuously deepen the Iran-China comprehensive strategic partnership.

Wang Yi reiterated China’s principled position on the situation in Iran, emphasising that China has been actively promoting peace and facilitating talks since the outbreak of hostilities. President Xi Jinping solemnly put forward four propositions on safeguarding and promoting peace and stability in the Middle East, which has received a positive response from the international community. The current regional situation is at a critical juncture between war and peace. China believes that a comprehensive ceasefire is of utmost urgency, that resuming hostilities is even less acceptable, and that adhering to negotiations is particularly important. China supports Iran in safeguarding its national sovereignty and security and appreciates Iran’s willingness to seek a political solution through diplomatic channels. Regarding the Strait of Hormuz, the international community shares a common concern about restoring normal and safe passage through the strait, and China hopes that the parties involved will promptly respond to the strong call from the international community. [In this regard it should be noted above that Araghchi said that this issue could be promptly addressed, whereas the same day, US President Donald Trump boasted that, “the blockade will remain in full force and effect.” Iran has consistently stressed that the Strait remains open to all but the US aggressors and their allies.]

Pakistan president pays tribute to Chairman Mao on Hunan visit

Pakistan president Asif Ali Zardari visited China’s Hunan and Hainan provinces from April 25-May 1.

In the year in which the two countries are celebrating the 75^th anniversary of their diplomatic relations, a key focus of the visit was on a wide range of economic sectors along with other areas of practical cooperation. It was also notable that the Pakistan head of state chose to visit the home province of Chairman Mao, paying warm tribute to the leader of the Chinese revolution and founder of New China and referencing his own family’s special relationship with China over three generations.

An April 26 post on the official social media page of The President of Pakistan, datelined from Changsha, Hunan’s provincial capital, noted:

“President Asif Ali Zardari, currently visiting Changsha in Hunan province of China, held a meeting with Mr Shen Xiaoming, Party Secretary of Hunan Province, and attended a banquet hosted in his honour by Governor of Hunan Province, Mr Mao Weiming…

“During the meeting, the President invited Mr Shen Xiaoming to visit Pakistan in connection with the 75th anniversary celebrations of diplomatic relations between the two countries. He underscored that Pakistan-China ties remain a cornerstone of Pakistan’s foreign policy and continue to enjoy broad-based support. He also referred to his long-standing personal connection with China, recalling that his family, including his late father-in-law Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and his late wife Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto, had always attached special importance to relations with China. He said this tradition is now being carried forward by the next generation, including his son, former foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and [daughter] First Lady Bibi Aseefa Bhutto Zardari…

“In his remarks, President Zardari said that Hunan holds a special place as the birthplace of Chairman Mao Zedong, whose legacy continues to resonate. He observed that the idea that power rests with the people remains deeply admired by the Pakistanis. Reflecting on his personal connection with China, he noted that he first visited the country in 1989 and that his affinity for China has grown stronger over time…

“Speaking at the banquet, the Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan Jiang Zaidong remarked that the President’s decision to visit Hunan reflects his special regard for Chairman Mao. He noted that Pakistan and China are expanding collaboration in agriculture, industry and minerals, and expressed hope that the visit would further strengthen bilateral cooperation, bring the two peoples closer and add significance to the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations.”

On April 28, the president’s social media updated from Chairman Mao’s birthplace, Shaoshan:

China sets out position on Palestine and Strait of Hormuz at UN

Chinese Ambassador to the UN Fu Cong has reiterated China’s clear positions on the rights of the Palestinian people and on the present situation in the Strait of Hormuz at open debates in the Security Council held on consecutive days.

Speaking on April 28, Fu Cong said:

“The Palestinian question has always been at the heart of the Middle East issue and must not be marginalised under any circumstances. For decades, the Palestinian-Israeli conflict has revolved in cycles. Its fundamental crux is that the two-State solution is only half-realised. The State of Israel was established long ago, while the State of Palestine remains out of reach. Although intense clashes have come to a halt, the Palestinian people are still forced to keep company with death and suffering, the situation in the occupied Palestinian territories continues to worsen, and the foundation of the two-State solution risks being completely hollowed out. Turmoil and war are not the fate of the Palestinian people. The international community must summon the greatest sense of urgency to reverse this negative trajectory and rectify the historic injustice endured by Palestine.”

He went on to make three points:

Gaza is not a permanent battlefield, and the suffering of its civilians must cease immediately. While efforts by the international community to broker a ceasefire in Gaza are welcome, the most pressing task remains cementing the ceasefire and scaling up aid. Since October last year, Israel has relentlessly mounted attacks and fortified its military presence, resulting in over 800 fatalities and more than 2,000 wounded. The humanitarian crisis in Gaza remains dire, characterised by scarcity of essential supplies, deplorable sanitary conditions, and a medical system teetering on the precipice of total collapse. Israel must fulfill its international humanitarian law obligations, dismantle all barriers to humanitarian access, and guarantee that UNRWA [the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East] and other humanitarian agencies can carry out their aid work.

Settlement activities are unacceptable, and tensions in the West Bank must be deescalated. Israel is currently accelerating the expansion of settlements, having recently approved the construction of 34 additional settlements and initiating the rebuilding of the Sanur settlement, which had been shuttered for many years. The escalating violence in the West Bank is equally concerning. Settler violence is intensifying, and the occupying power frequently conducts searches, arrests, and raids, even promulgating death penalty legislation specifically targeting Palestinians. Israel must heed the strong appeals of the international community, immediately halt illegal settlement activities, effectively curb settler violence, and ensure robust accountability for all attacks.

The two-State solution is non-negotiable, and the independent statehood of Palestine must be supported. It is deeply concerning that voices opposing the two-State solution continue to come from Israel, with some even threatening to strangle the idea of a Palestinian state. The international community must increase support for Palestine to advance the early establishment of a fully sovereign and independent state of Palestine based on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital.

The previous day, Fu Cong made remarks on the Safety and Protection of Waterways in the Maritime Domain in which he said:

China and Laos mark 65 years of relations

On April 25, Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and Chinese president, exchanged congratulations with Thongloun Sisoulith, general secretary of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party (LPRP) Central Committee and Lao president, on the 65th anniversary of China-Laos diplomatic relations.

Xi said that as socialist neighbours in a community with a shared future, China and Laos are united by shared ideals and beliefs, identical social systems and similar development paths and that their “comradely and brotherly” bond, personally forged by the older generation of leaders of both parties and countries, has grown ever stronger over time.

The Chinese leader voiced willingness to work with Thongloun to take the 65th anniversary of China-Laos diplomatic relations and the Year of China-Laos Friendship as an opportunity to enhance strategic mutual trust, carry forward the traditional friendship, and push for more outcomes in practical cooperation across various fields, so as to deliver more benefits to the two peoples.

For his part, Thongloun said that over the 65 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations, the friendly ties between the two parties, the two countries and the two peoples — marked by solidarity in times of difficulty — have been lifted to higher levels, with fruitful outcomes in building the Laos-China community with a shared future. He expressed gratitude for the long-standing valuable support and assistance provided by the CPC, the Chinese government and people.

Chinese Premier Li Qiang and Lao Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone also exchanged congratulations on the same day.

A guest column contributed to the Xinhua News Agency by Liu Ting noted:

“Sharing weal and woe for the past 65 years, China and Laos enjoy a friendship that is rooted in the geographical proximity connected by mountains and rivers, tempered by the joint struggle for independence and liberation, and enriched by mutual support in their respective socialist causes.”

He added that: “The 2024-2028 action plan on building a China-Laos community with a shared future signed in October 2023 has drawn up a clear blueprint for all-round cooperation. Connectivity paves the way for win-win cooperation, and the China-Laos Railway stands as a landmark of friendship. As a landmark project of high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, the railway has continued to unleash the efficiency of a ‘golden corridor’ since its opening.”

It takes two to tango: Will Ukraine meet China halfway?

In the following article, Kemran Mamedov, a staff member of the Confucius Institute at the Free University of Tbilisi in Georgia, assesses the prospects for China-Ukraine relations, noting that the allegations made against China by powerful forces in Ukrainian society, from President Zelensky downwards, are generally “devoid of substantive content and carry a politically biased undertone.” In contrast, China has consistently sent signals of readiness for constructive dialogue with Ukraine, but Kyiv “rejects the proposed path of finding common ground in relations with Beijing.” In fact, a “careful analysis of Ukraine’s media landscape leads to the conclusion that the country’s leadership is launching a large-scale information campaign to discredit China’s policy.”

On March 2, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky once again made a loud accusation against China, stating that Beijing is “not involved” in the process of peaceful resolution of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict. “It is very important for us to involve China not in the war, but specifically in ending the war… For us, China’s participation would certainly be valuable, but so far we do not see its involvement,” said the Ukrainian leader.

The Ukrainian president’s attacks on China are traditionally devoid of substantive content and carry a politically biased undertone, which immerses the Ukrainian audience in an atmosphere of fictitious explanations for Ukraine’s military and economic failures as the result of cooperation between Beijing and Moscow.

Meanwhile, China is consistently pursuing a policy of seeking a diplomatic solution to the deep and systemic contradictions between Russia and Ukraine. During a briefing at the United Nations Security Council on February 17, dedicated to Ukraine, China’s Permanent Representative, Fu Cong, stated that Beijing holds an open and clear position on the Ukrainian issue, namely its unconditional willingness to assist in a peaceful dialogue. He emphasised that China is neither the creator of the Ukrainian crisis nor a participant in it. Earlier, during negotiations with Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha on the sidelines of the 62nd Munich Security Conference, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi stated that China and Ukraine should adhere to the “right course and support the stable and healthy development of bilateral relations,” highlighting Beijing’s commitment to the principles of mutual respect, equality, and mutually beneficial cooperation.

China strengthens ties with southeast Asian neighbours

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi paid visits to Cambodia, Thailand and Myanmar, three of China’s southeast Asian neighbours, between April 22-25.

The first meeting of the China-Cambodia “2+2” strategic dialogue mechanism between foreign and defence ministers was held in the Cambodian capital Phnom Penh on April 22.

Wang Yi and Minister of National Defence Dong Jun co-chaired the meeting with Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Prak Sokhonn and Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Tea Seiha. The two sides exchanged in-depth views on bilateral relations, political and defence security cooperation and international and regional issues and reached a broad consensus.

Wang Yi stated that the current international situation is undergoing turbulent changes and intertwined disruptions, weighing on the stability and development of regional countries. In the face of a complex and grim external environment, China and Cambodia have maintained strategic clarity, stood side by side and supported each other, which has further cemented bilateral mutual trust and steadily boosted strategic resilience. President Xi Jinping’s historic visit to Cambodia last April and in-depth strategic communication with Cambodian leaders opened a new chapter for building an all-weather China-Cambodia community with a shared future in the new era. The leaders of both countries agreed on establishing the “2+2” strategic dialogue mechanism between foreign ministers and defence ministers of the two countries to inject new impetus into fostering stronger strategic mutual trust and strategic coordination.

The Chinese Foreign Minister noted that amid accelerated major changes unseen in a century, China and Cambodia need to need to forge closer solidarity than ever before. Both sides should deepen political and security cooperation, strengthen the exchange of governance experience, enhance their respective governance capabilities, and firmly keep the initiative in national development and security in their own hands. China is ready to provide platforms for more comprehensive and effective communication between Cambodia and Thailand (following their recent border conflict). China will continue to support Cambodia in accelerating development and revitalisation, and its efforts to improve people’s livelihoods. China will also continue providing humanitarian support for the resettlement of Cambodian border residents and other needs, and advance cooperation on poverty alleviation demonstration projects.

He added that the international community is currently undergoing the most profound turbulence and transformation since the end of the Cold War. China appreciates Cambodia’s active support for the four major global initiatives proposed by President Xi Jinping, and stands ready to deepen cooperation with Cambodia within the framework of the initiatives, build an Asian security model featuring common security, seeking common ground while reserving differences, and dialogue and consultation, and steer the global governance system toward greater fairness and equity.

Xi Jinping says that China and Laos should take a strategic perspective on the future and destiny of socialism

Special envoy of General Secretary of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party (LPRP) Central Committee and President of Laos Thongloun Sisoulith, Saleumxay Kommasith, recently visited China. The visit took place within the context of the close comradely relations between the two neighbouring socialist countries, and in particular to further brief China’s leaders on the key outcomes of the 12th National Congress of the LPRP, which took place in early January, and also as part of the Year of China-Laos Friendship, with 2026 marking the 65^th anniversary of their diplomatic relations.

Chinese President and General Secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee Xi Jinping met with Saleumxay Kommasith on April 21.

Xi pointed out that the mutual dispatch of special envoys by the CPC and the LPRP to brief each other on major political agendas demonstrates the profound traditional friendship and high-level political mutual trust between the two sides. He expressed his belief that that under the leadership of the Central Committee of the LPRP headed by General Secretary Thongloun, the Lao Party, state and people will surely overcome all difficulties, successfully complete all goals and tasks, steadily follow the socialist path, and achieve the centenary goal of the Party.

Xi emphasised that, at this new historical starting point, China and Laos should follow the policy of long-term stability, forward thinking, good neighbourliness and comprehensive cooperation, and the spirit of being good neighbours, good friends, good comrades and good partners. The two sides should take a strategic perspective on the future and destiny of socialism to maintain close coordination and cooperation, deepen strategic alignment, expand practical cooperation, jointly address common challenges, and advance the building of a China-Laos community with a shared future toward high standards, high quality and high levels.

Saleumxay, who is a member of the Political Bureau of the LPRP Central Committee and deputy prime minister of Laos, conveyed a letter from Thongloun to Xi and briefed him on the 12th National Congress of the LPRP. He noted that China has maintained a safe and stable domestic political and social environment for a long time and created a miracle of sustained and rapid economic growth, and its role and influence on the international stage have been continuously enhanced.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who is also a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, met with Saleumxay on the same day.

Pioneers of Ireland-China friendship make 50th anniversary return trip

On April 22, 18 former students from University College Dublin (UCD) arrived in Beijing for what for most of them is their first visit to China for half a century. The last time was in September 1976 when they came as members of a 24-strong UCD Soccer Club squad, the first Western football team to play in China since the establishment of the People’s Republic in 1949.

In an interesting article previewing this return visit, Denis Staunton, the newspaper’s Beijing correspondent, writes in the Irish Times:

“Richard Nixon and Henry Kissinger had already initiated the West’s opening to Beijing, which was by then represented at the United Nations, but it was still a highly unusual destination for Irish people.”

Indeed, it was to still be another three years before Ireland and China established diplomatic relations.

Setting out some of the background, Staunton writes: “Paddy Dwyer was an 18-year-old commerce student when he captained the team in China on an expedition that seemed too outlandish when their coach Tony O’Neill proposed it. A medical student known as the Doc, O’Neill worked out the plan, found contacts in China and secured sponsors to help pay for the trip.”

“Certainly, my parents were in disbelief initially. I don’t think anybody believed that it was going to materialise,” Dwyer recalls.

“David Andrews,” Staunton continues, “who was the club’s president and already a Fianna Fáil TD [member of the Irish parliament], described the idea of playing in China as like going on a trip to the moon.”

Their first game was in Shanghai, where they played in front of a crowd of 40,000 people. Dwyer recalls: “We were wearing green Irish jerseys. And I think in retrospect, the Chinese soccer people believed that this was an Irish team. But this was an under-19 UCD team.

“For me, the team that we played against, it was like a provincial team. It would be the equivalent of a Leinster team or a Munster team now in rugby terms. It wasn’t a university side. I think they hammered us 4-1.”

Their trip was to take a dramatic turn. John McGrath, one of the team’s goalkeepers who was a first-year student of history and politics, recalls that a few days after the match in Shanghai, they walked up a hillside to a tea house where they were drinking “a cup of hot water with some tea leaves in it”, when Andrews appeared.

President Chapo’s visit strengthens traditional China-Mozambique friendship

Mozambican President Daniel Chapo paid a state visit to China, April 16-22, at the invitation of his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping.

Meeting with President Chapo in Beijing on April 21, Xi Jinping pointed out that the China-Mozambique traditional friendship has travelled through history and across mountains and seas. Since the establishment of diplomatic relations, China and Mozambique have extended mutual trust and mutual support for each other, setting up a fine example of China-Africa friendship and South-South cooperation. Under the new circumstances, further deepening China-Mozambique friendly cooperation meets the shared expectations of the people of both countries and conforms to the prevailing trend of stronger solidarity and coordination among Global South countries against common challenges. He further stressed that friendship and mutual trust are the defining features and political strengths of China-Mozambique relations. Facing the changing and turbulent international landscape, the two sides should continue to strengthen coordination, solidarity and collaboration in the UN and other institutions, and jointly advocate an equal and orderly multipolar world and a universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalisation, and safeguard international fairness and justice.

President Xi Jinping noted that in the past 70 years of China-Africa diplomatic relations, no matter how the international landscape evolved, the two sides have always forged ahead shoulder to shoulder, through thick and thin. China and Africa, together with other Global South countries, represent a just force in this turbulent and transforming world. The conflicts in the Middle East are spilling over into African countries. China is ready to work with Africa to navigate these challenging times and jointly promote peace and seek common development. As it expands high-standard opening-up, China always puts Africa in a special and prioritised position. Starting from May 1, China will roll out zero-tariff measures across the board to all the 53 African countries having diplomatic relations with China and further expand access of African products to the Chinese market through an upgrade of the green channel and other initiatives.

President Chapo noted that it is a great pleasure to be the first leader of an African country to pay a state visit to China this year, which testifies to the friendly and brotherly bond between the two countries, and carries great significance to the people of Mozambique. He congratulated China on its remarkable achievements made under the leadership of President Xi Jinping, and on China’s exemplary role among Global South countries. China is a true friend of Mozambique that all along extends selfless support and assistance to his country.

Following the talks, the two heads of state jointly witnessed the signing of over 20 cooperation documents in areas including Belt and Road cooperation, implementation of the Global Security Initiative, economy and trade, people-to-people exchanges, medical and health, and news media. The two sides issued the Joint Statement Between the People’s Republic of China and the Republic of Mozambique on Building the China-Mozambique Community with a Shared Future in the New Era.

The Mozambican leader met with Chinese Premier Li Qiang the same day.

Li said that China will help Mozambique extend its industrial chains, increase added value and better turn its resource advantages into development momentum. China stands ready to strengthen the alignment of development strategies with Mozambique, steadily expand the scale of bilateral trade, and deepen cooperation in fields such as agriculture, fisheries, energy and mineral resources, and infrastructure construction.

The two sides should also strengthen cooperation in healthcare, education, culture, tourism, disaster prevention and mitigation, among other areas. And given the changing international landscape, China and Africa should strengthen solidarity and collaboration, actively implement the four major global initiatives, uphold fairness and justice, and safeguard shared interests.

China boosts natural gas partnership with Turkmenistan

China and Turkmenistan marked a major advance in their cooperation in the natural gas sector on April 17 when Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang, in his capacity of special representative of President Xi Jinping, attended the ceremony to break ground on work to expand production at the giant Galkynysh gas field, in the fourth of seven planned development phases, together with National Leader of the Turkmen People and Chairman of the Halk Maslahaty of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov.

Turkmenistan holds the world’s fourth largest gas reserves and nearly all its exports go to China. Galkynysh, which is located in the Karakum desert about 400 kilometres (250 miles) east of the capital Ashgabat, has been producing gas since 2013 and is the world’s second-largest gas field. The expansion work is being carried out by the China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) together with local partner Türkmengaz. Both are state owned companies.

Speaking at the ceremony, Ding, who is also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said that the smooth commencement of the fourth phase of the Galkynysh gas field will further elevate energy cooperation between China and Turkmenistan to a new level.

He added that under the strategic guidance of the two countries’ top leaders, China-Turkmenistan natural gas cooperation has yielded fruitful results, strongly supporting the economic and social development of both countries and benefiting their people.

And he advanced a three-point proposal:

Both sides should prioritise quality and build the project into a premium one by promoting craftsmanship and advancing construction to high standards, thus striving to deliver a first-class project that can stand the test of time.

Both sides should pursue innovation-driven development and make the project a benchmark by promoting innovations in project management, technology and cooperation models, so as to provide experience and demonstration for major natural gas projects.

Both sides should adhere to win-win cooperation and make the project a symbol of friendship by strengthening technical exchanges and personnel training, ensuring that the outcomes of cooperation better benefit the two peoples and contribute to China-Turkmenistan friendship.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of a symposium marking the 20th anniversary of strategic cooperation between China and Turkmenistan in the natural gas sector held in the capital Ashgabat the previous day, Ding said that natural gas cooperation has served as a cornerstone of China-Turkmenistan relations. Under the strategic guidance of the two countries’ leaders, China and Turkmenistan have always stayed true to their original aspirations, taking strategic mutual trust as the fundamental premise, traditional friendship as the solid foundation, mutual benefit as the key driving force, and a long-term perspective as an important safeguard.

Xi Jinping meets with To Lam: The leadership of the communist party is the most essential feature and the greatest strength of socialism

As previously reported by us, To Lam, general secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) and president of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, paid a state visit to China from April 14-17, his first foreign visit since his recent election as state president.

The majority of his high-level political meetings were held in Beijing on April 15. As reported by the Xinhua News Agency, meeting with General Secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and Chinese President Xi Jinping, the Chinese leader said that his country will advance high-quality comprehensive strategic cooperation with Vietnam and accelerate the building of a higher-level China-Vietnam community with a shared future that carries strategic significance.

“Your visit to China at the earliest opportunity after being elected president of Vietnam demonstrates the great importance you have attached to the development of China-Vietnam relations,” Xi said, adding that China has always regarded Vietnam as a priority in its neighbourhood diplomacy.

Xi expressed confidence that under the strong leadership of the CPV Central Committee headed by Lam, Vietnam will firmly follow the path of socialism and strive toward its two centennial goals of transforming Vietnam into a high-income and developed socialist-oriented nation.

Lam said Vietnam congratulates China on the successful completion of its 14th Five-Year Plan and its historic achievements, and believes that China will smoothly implement its 15th Five-Year Plan, continue to advance high-quality development and socialist modernisation, achieve the Second Centenary Goal as scheduled, and become a pillar and primary driving force for world peace and development. Vietnam will firmly regard the development of relations with China as an objective necessity, a strategic choice and a top priority.

Xi said the leadership of the communist party is the most essential feature and the greatest strength of socialism, and defending the socialist system and the ruling position of the communist party is the greatest common strategic interest of the CPC and the CPV. The two sides must maintain a high degree of strategic vigilance and strong strategic resolve, always remain confident in their path and system, and ensure that all reform will not change the direction of the path or the nature of the system.

Lam said Vietnam will work with China to upgrade the level of cooperation in economy, trade, investment, railways and other infrastructure, as well as tourism, and step up cooperation in education, training, science and technology, people-to-people exchanges, and sub-national cooperation, adding that efforts will be made to better manage the land border and maintain maritime peace.

The Vietnamese newspaper Nhân Dân adds that the two leaders expressed their satisfaction with the positive developments in bilateral ties in recent years. Notably, high-level strategic exchanges have become increasingly frequent; cooperation mechanisms have been more comprehensive, diverse, and trustworthy; and defence and security cooperation has evolved from exchanges to more substantive activities. Economic, trade, and investment ties, along with transport connectivity, have seen new breakthroughs, while local-level cooperation and people-to-people exchanges have remained vibrant. Coordination in multilateral frameworks has also grown closer.

China and Namibia reinforce traditional friendship

Minister of International Relations and Trade of Namibia Selma Ashipala-Musavyi paid an official visit to China between April 11-18.

On April 17, she met with her Chinese counterpart Wang Yi.

Wang Yi stated that the traditional friendship between the two parties [the Communist Party of China and the South West Africa People’s Organisation {SWAPO} of Namibia] and two countries is deeply rooted and has withstood the test of global changes. China and Namibia have stood shoulder to shoulder in the fight for independence and freedom and joined hand in hand for development and prosperity. Amid profound changes unseen in a century, it is even more important to strengthen unity and cooperation to uphold international fairness and justice. Expanding and deepening China-Namibia cooperation is in the interest of the two peoples, aligns with the development trend of China-Africa relations, and reflects the efforts of the Global South in strengthening solidarity.

China, he added, has been a reliable partner that Africa has always been able to count on throughout history, and China’s diplomacy stands firmly with developing countries and with African partners. China is ready to work with Africa in a spirit of mutual trust and support, jointly pursue common development, prosperity and modernisation, strengthen the Global South, and work for a more just and equitable global governance system, so as to make greater contributions to world peace, development, and international fairness and justice.

Selma Ashipala-Musavyi stated that Namibia and China are traditional partners and sincere friends, and their comprehensive strategic partnership is built on the foundation of mutual support and mutual benefit. She appreciated China’s long-standing and invaluable support to Namibia and other African countries, stating that without China, there would be no such development achievements in Africa today.

The two foreign ministers issued a joint press statement in which both sides reiterated their strong commitment to multilateralism, particularly in promoting international cooperation and strengthening global governance. They emphasised that global challenges should be addressed collectively through inclusive dialogue rather than unilaterally.

They agreed to continue to expand mutually beneficial cooperation across a broad range of sectors, including new energy, oil and gas, mineral, agriculture, science and technology, education, tourism, infrastructure, and human resources.

Namibia underscored the importance of such cooperation in enhancing the added value of natural resources, including critical minerals such as uranium. This is to be achieved by promoting processing, conversion and related downstream cooperation, thereby extending the value chain for local benefits. All these efforts are aimed at promoting industrialisation, strengthening local processing capacity, creating employment, and increasing Namibia’s integration into the global industrial chains, particularly in key sectors such as green hydrogen, oil and gas, mining, and tourism.

The following articles were originally published on the website of the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

Wang Yi Holds Talks with Minister of International Relations and Trade of Namibia Selma Ashipala-Musavyi

April 17 (MFA) – On April 17, 2026, Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Foreign Minister Wang Yi held talks with Minister of International Relations and Trade of Namibia Selma Ashipala-Musavyi in Beijing.

Wang Yi stated that the traditional friendship between the two parties and two countries is deeply rooted and has withstood the test of global changes. China and Namibia have stood shoulder to shoulder in the fight for independence and freedom, and joined hand in hand for development and prosperity. Amid profound changes unseen in a century, it is even more important to strengthen unity and cooperation to uphold international fairness and justice. Expanding and deepening China-Namibia cooperation is in the interest of the two peoples, aligns with the development trend of China-Africa relations, and reflects the efforts of the Global South in strengthening solidarity. China is willing to work with Namibia to implement the important common understandings reached between the two heads of state, carry forward traditional friendship, enhance high-level exchanges, consolidate political mutual trust, expand mutually beneficial cooperation, and continuously enrich the connotation of the China-Namibia comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership.

Spain opposes a new cold war – Prime Minister Sánchez in Beijing

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez paid an official visit to China between April 11-15 at the invitation of his Chinese counterpart Li Qiang. It was the fourth visit paid to China by the Spanish head of government in four years and both this symbolism and the substance of the visit served to underline that Spain under its current government is the most friendly country to China in western Europe.

Sánchez’s substantive political meetings were held in Beijing on April 14.

In his meeting with President Xi Jinping, the Chinese leader noted that despite the changing and turbulent international landscape, China-Spain relations have developed steadily, forging a relationship with strategic resolve. An important experience of this lies in the ability to make the right decisions based on common interests. Facts have proven that deepening cooperation serves the interests of both peoples, aligns with the prevailing trend of our times, and bolsters each other’s strength and confidence in pursuing an independent path. China combines its long-term strategic goals with phased objectives, and acts with historical patience to draw up and carry out five-year plans generation after generation. China has firm resolve in advancing Chinese modernisation and the broad-mindedness to share development opportunities with the world through high-standard opening up.

Xi Jinping emphasised that today’s turbulent world faces the struggle between right and might. How a country approaches international law and the international order reflects its views of the world, order, and values, and its sense of responsibility. China and Spain are both countries that value principle and justice. We need to strengthen communication, consolidate mutual trust, and work closely together to reject any backslide into the law of the jungle, jointly uphold true multilateralism, safeguard the UN-centred international system and the international order underpinned by international law, promote an equal and orderly multipolar world and a universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalisation, and foster the building of a community with a shared future for humanity.

Sánchez noted that his four visits to China in four years demonstrate the high importance both sides attach to Spain-China relations. Investment and cooperation by Chinese businesses in Spain have strongly boosted Spain’s economic development. Spain firmly adheres to the one-China principle, highly values China’s status as a major country, and is deeply committed to developing a Spain-China partnership with strategic resolve. Spain hopes to strengthen cooperation in trade, investment, new energy, and other sectors, as well as to enhance people-to-people exchanges. Faced with a complex and challenging international situation and multiple recurring conflicts and disputes, only by adhering to multilateralism and fostering a multipolar world can lasting peace be achieved for humanity. Spain actively supports the four major Global Initiatives proposed by President Xi Jinping and stands ready to maintain close communication and coordination with China to jointly address challenges related to international geopolitics, trade protectionism, and climate change, while upholding international law and multilateralism. Spain opposes a new Cold War and attempts to decouple and sever supply chains, and supports enhanced communication, understanding and cooperation between Europe and China. The sound development of EU-China relations serves the common interests of both sides and contributes to world peace and stability.

In their meeting, Premier Li Qiang said that China is ready to import more high-quality products from Spain and encourages more capable Chinese enterprises to invest in Spain. The more volatile and turbulent the international landscape becomes, the more China and Spain should strengthen practical cooperation, empower each other and achieve mutual success.

China is willing to enhance cooperation with Spain in areas such as new energy vehicles and energy storage to create more highlights of cooperation, Li said, adding that China supports universities, research institutions and enterprises from both sides to strengthen joint research and development, enhance scientific and technological innovation capabilities, and work together to seize future development opportunities.

Sánchez said the Spanish side is willing to maintain close and high-level political dialogue with China, enhance strategic communication, increase mutual understanding, expand cooperation in trade, investment, science and technology, renewable energy, education, culture and other fields, expand tourism and people-to-people exchanges, continuously enhance the stability and sustainability of bilateral relations, and better benefit the two peoples. Spain is ready to enhance multilateral communication and coordination with China and firmly support the United Nations and multilateralism.

In his meeting with Zhao Leji, chairman of the National People’s Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, Sánchez said that Spain firmly adheres to the one-China principle and hopes to enhance cooperation with China in trade, investment, culture, education, tourism and other fields, promote exchanges between legislative bodies, uphold multilateralism, and facilitate the healthy and stable development of Spain-China and Europe-China relations.

The following day, the China-Spain innovative enterprises exchange conference brought together over 100 representatives from Chinese and Spanish businesses.

Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao said that China is willing to work with Spain to strengthen strategic alignment and policy coordination, continuously improve the business environment, and promote deeper cooperation among enterprises in technological innovation and industrial and supply chains. The two countries can foster more landmark projects in sectors such as new energy vehicles, intelligent manufacturing, and photovoltaic and wind power, which will benefit enterprises and people of both sides.

Sánchez said that bilateral relations are at their best in history, with deep cooperation in trade, investment, green energy, industrial manufacturing and technological innovation.

Earlier, on April 13, Sánchez delivered a speech at Beijing’s prestigious Tsinghua University.

Beginning by referring to the China visit of the Italian Jesuit Matteo Ricci in the late 16^th century, he said:

Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov visits China

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov paid a visit to China, April 14-15, at the invitation of his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi.

Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Lavrov on April 15 and urged closer and stronger strategic coordination between China and Russia to firmly defend their legitimate interests and safeguard the unity of Global South countries.

Xi stressed that China and Russia should maintain strategic resolve, trust and support each other, and pursue common development. It is necessary for the two sides to fully leverage the advantages of proximity and complementarity, deepen cooperation on all fronts, and enhance the resilience of their respective development, he added.

He also urged the two countries to strengthen multilateral cooperation, firmly uphold and practice multilateralism, join hands to revive the authority and vitality of the UN, engage in closer coordination and cooperation within the frameworks of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation and BRICS countries, and promote the development of the international order in a more just and reasonable direction.

Sergey Lavrov said: “Thanks to the diplomacy pursued by our leaders, you and President Putin, our relations have demonstrated high resilience to the economic and geopolitical shocks that have swept the world, as you have pointed out. Regrettably, these differences are increasingly acquiring a military dimension. In this situation, relations between Russia and China, which are playing a stabilising role in international affairs, are becoming increasingly important for the rest of the world, for the Global Majority, which does not want problems and turbulence but peaceful conditions for sustainable and long-term development.”

Discussions between the Chinese and Russian foreign ministers were held the previous day.

Wang Yi stated that the current international situation is experiencing intense turmoil, with unilateral hegemony inflicting increasing harm, the global governance system facing profound adjustments, and humanity’s cause of peace and development confronting serious challenges. In the face of a complex and volatile external environment, under the personal attention and strategic guidance of President Xi Jinping and President Putin, China-Russia relations remain “unshaken by fleeting clouds”, with cooperation across all fields becoming “stronger through repeated trials”. The two sides coordinate and echo each other on the international stage, sending a clear message to the world that the right path still exists amid headwinds, and there remains steadfast responsibility amid upheaval.

This year marks the 30th anniversary of the China-Russia strategic partnership of coordination and the 25th anniversary of the signing of the China-Russia Treaty of Good-neighbourliness and Friendly Cooperation. It is also the first year of China’s 15th Five-Year Plan period. China and Russia should seize this historical opportunity, follow the trend of the times, fully implement the important consensus reached by the heads of state of the two countries, and elevate the China-Russia strategic partnership of coordination and mutually beneficial cooperation in various fields to a higher level. The two sides should strengthen cooperation within multilateral frameworks such as the United Nations, take the 25th anniversary of the founding of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation as an opportunity to implement the consensus of the Tianjin Summit through China-Russia cooperation, and support Kyrgyzstan in hosting a successful summit this year. The two sides should jointly maintain the momentum of unity among BRICS countries and safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of the Global South. The two sides should continue to maintain strategic coordination on major international and regional issues, jointly practice multilateralism and international morality, and jointly advance the process of world multipolarity.

China and the Iran war: creating an environment for peace

In the following article, which was originally published in the Morning Star, Jenny Clegg addresses some of the frequently raised questions regarding China’s stand and role in the context of the current US-Israeli aggression against Iran.

She notes that one should be clear that, “Donald Trump’s strategy has China in its sights. The 2025 US National Security Strategy with its focus on the western hemisphere was thought to shift US strategy from the IndoPacific — in fact the “Donroe” block on Chinese investment in Latin America specifically aimed to shatter the BRICS.”

The current Israeli-US actions, Jenny argues, are dictated by the fact that, “their plans for regional and global hegemony respectively were on the line.

“In June 2025, a new phase of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) opened with the inauguration of the Iran-China Railway. This direct connection between Iran and central Asia and China offers an alternative economic corridor for oil and mineral exports to navigate around US sanctions and maritime bottlenecks such as the Malacca Straits… Coming onto the horizon now was a new artery between the fast-growing and modernising regions of the Middle East/west Asia and south-east Asia linked by high-speed rail through Western China. The 21st century was being remade.”

In the current situation, she notes, China has been far from inactive: “Following the UN security council failure to rule Trump’s war as illegal, instead placing all the blame on Iran, China doubled down on diplomacy. A special envoy was sent to the region while Foreign Minister Wang Yi made multiple phone calls… China then met with Pakistan which had for its part been conferring with Egypt, Turkey and Saudi Arabia. Together they produced a five-point peace plan covering the cessation of hostilities, protection of civilians, restoration of maritime security and the primacy of international law.”

Looking at the ongoing reconfiguration of the regional geopolitical architecture, Jenny observes: “The Gulf states’ bargain, exchanging security for US bases and huge arms sales, has put them in the firing line… with the US in general decline, new developments have also been influencing the reshaping of the region — the Saudi Arabia-Iran rapprochement brokered by China; the reconciliation between the Palestine groups again mediated by the Chinese, and now with Turkey, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, all members of the BRI, seeking to take greater responsibility for peace.”

China and Cuba’s solar revolution: solidarity in practice

As Donald Trump tightens his energy stranglehold on Cuba – severing oil supplies, threatening countries that dare to help, and following the Kissinger playbook of “making the economy scream” – a remarkable story of socialist solidarity is unfolding.

Writing in the Morning Star, Carlos Martinez documents how China has stepped into the breach, assisting Cuba with its energy sovereignty and its green transition. Chinese solar exports to Cuba have rocketed from $5 million in 2023 to $117 million in 2025. Beijing has committed to building 92 solar parks on the island by 2028, with a combined capacity equivalent to Cuba’s entire current fossil fuel generation. Already, Cuba’s share of solar power has risen from 5.8 percent to over 20 percent in a single year – a pace of transition that energy analysts describe as one of the fastest ever achieved by a developing nation.

But as this article shows, China’s solidarity extends far beyond megawatts and megaprojects. Ten thousand photovoltaic systems have been donated for rural homes, maternity wards and health clinics. Five thousand solar kits installed across 168 municipalities are keeping medicines refrigerated and families powered through the blackouts. President Xi Jinping personally approved $80 million in emergency aid for electrical equipment. Chinese Ambassador Hua Xin has pledged “firm support under all circumstances.”

This, Carlos argues, is what South-South cooperation looks like in practice: technology, financing and humanitarian assistance with no conditionalities, no structural adjustment, no strings attached. Fidel Castro said in 2004 that China had become “the most promising hope and the best example for all Third World countries.” Cuba’s solar revolution
suggests his assessment has only become more prescient.

When the lights go out in Havana — as they have done for up to 20 hours a day in the worst months of Cuba’s current energy crisis — the causes are not difficult to identify.

The United States’ economic blockade, in place since 1962 and systematically tightened under successive administrations, has cost Cuba an estimated $160 billion ($2 trillion in current prices, which is equivalent to around 20 years of Cuba’s annual GDP).

The latest escalation of this cruel and illegal blockade has involved a full-scale energy embargo, with the US attempting to completely cut off Cuba’s access to oil.

The kidnapping of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro three months ago resulted in the severing of by far Cuba’s most important energy supplier.

Trump’s tariff threats then forced Mexico to cancel emergency oil shipments.
The result has been blackouts, fuel shortages and severe disruption to daily life across the island. The Trump regime is following the Kissinger playbook of “making the economy scream” in order to force regime change.

And life is unquestionably being made difficult. As a Cuban hairdresser told Medea Benjamin of CodePink in February: “You can’t imagine how it touches every part of our lives. With no gasoline, buses don’t run, so we can’t get to work. We have electricity only three to six hours a day. There’s no gas for cooking, so we’re burning wood and charcoal in our apartments. It’s like going back 100 years.”

Thankfully, at the end of March, a Russian tanker carrying an estimated 730,000 barrels of crude oil docked in Havana, providing some urgently needed relief. But Cuba’s energy import situation continues to be highly precarious and uncertain.

Nobody can blockade the sun

The Cuban people’s response to this siege has not been surrender. It has been transformation — and at the heart of that transformation is a remarkable programme of solar energy development, driven by one of the most significant acts of international solidarity in the history of the global green transition.

China’s support for the Cuban renewable energy programme has accelerated dramatically in recent years. Chinese solar exports to Cuba rose from $5 million in 2023 to $117m in 2025. A report in the Financial Times on April 6 notes that “thanks to Chinese technology, the Caribbean island has 34 solar parks in operation with a capacity of almost 1.2 gigawatts (GW), a 350 per cent increase on 2024, enabling Cuba to more than quadruple its proportion of solar-powered generation by the end of last year.”

Beijing has committed to building 92 solar parks in Cuba by 2028, with a combined capacity of approximately 2GW — equivalent to Cuba’s entire current fossil fuel generation capacity. The solar parks already connected to the grid are contributing 1GW. As a result, Cuba’s share of solar in total electricity generation has risen from 5.8 per cent a year ago to over 20 per cent today.

Energy analysts have described this as one of the most rapid solar transitions ever achieved by a developing nation.

Cuba has set official targets of generating 24 per cent of its electricity from renewables by 2030, rising to 40 per cent by 2035 and 100 per cent by 2050. At the current pace of buildout, the 2030 target looks well within reach — and may be exceeded considerably sooner.

Battery storage — currently in place at only four of Cuba’s 55 solar parks — will need to be expanded significantly to address the evening peak demand. Wind energy will also make a growing contribution, with 19 wind farms totaling 415 MW currently being built, again with Chinese support. But the pace of the solar buildout, measured against where Cuba was just months ago, is already extraordinary.

Chinese support at all levels China’s contribution extends beyond large-scale infrastructure. Beijing has also donated 10,000 photovoltaic systems for deployment in isolated rural homes and critical facilities — including maternity wards and health clinics — ensuring that medical equipment can continue to function and medicines can be refrigerated even during power cuts.

A further 5,000 solar kits have been installed in health centres across 168 municipalities, each comprising panels, inverters and storage batteries. The head of Cuba’s Electric Union described the household-level systems as life-changing: enabling families to run a refrigerator, a fan and a television, and reducing the rural-to-urban migration that energy poverty drives.

Furthermore, in January 2026, President Xi Jinping personally approved $80 million in emergency financial aid for electrical equipment, alongside a donation of 60,000 tons of emergency rice aid.

China has been involved in Cuba’s energy sector for many years — supplying wind turbines since 2018, providing electric buses through Yutong since 2005, and supporting the assembly of Chinese electric cars, scooters and bicycles in Cuba through the Caribbean Electric Vehicles (VEDCA) programme.

In 2021, Cuba joined the Belt and Road Energy Partnership, the Chinese-led international framework for clean energy investment. But the current programme represents a qualitative leap, driven in large part by the urgency of Cuba’s situation and the depth of the bilateral relationship.

As Chinese ambassador Hua Xin stated at the handover ceremony for a recent tranche of solar parks: China stands with Cuba in “firm support under all circumstances.” Cuban Energy Minister Vicente de la O Levy stated that the co-operation between the two socialist countries represents “a joint commitment to energy sovereignty.”

Socialist solidarity

What is taking shape in Cuba is a demonstration, in the most concrete terms, of what South-South co-operation and socialist solidarity look like in practice: China is providing technology, financing, expertise, training and humanitarian assistance to a country under siege, with no conditionalities, no structural adjustment requirements, no demand for market access.

Hugo Chavez one described the flourishing ties between progressive Latin America and China as a “Great Wall against US hegemonism.” Cuba’s solar revolution is a powerful example of that wall in action.

Fidel Castro said in 2004 that China had become “the most promising hope and the best example for all Third World countries.” Two decades later, the US is raining bombs on Iranian civilian infrastructure, tightening its cruel blockade on Cuba, kidnapping Venezuela’s elected president, and supporting an ongoing genocide in Gaza.

China meanwhile is emerging as the major trading partner of the vast majority of global South nations; has become the world’s only renewable energy superpower; and consistently demonstrates its commitment to peace, international law and global prosperity.

Fidel’s assessment looks more prescient than ever.

Wang Yi visits DPRK

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who is also a member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), visited the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) on April 9-10 at the invitation of his DPRK counterpart Choe Son Hui, who is Foreign Minister and also a member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea (WPK).

In their talks on April 9, Wang said that in early September last year, Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, and Kim Jong Un, general secretary of the WPK, held a historic meeting in Beijing, reaching important consensus on the overall, strategic and directional issues concerning bilateral ties.

Their meeting provides important strategic guidance for further developing China-DPRK relations, pushes bilateral ties into a new stage and opens a new chapter in friendly exchanges between the two countries, which is of great and far-reaching significance, Wang added.

The past year has witnessed a series of highlights in China-DPRK exchanges, which strongly demonstrated that the two countries’ traditional friendship forged in blood remains everlasting and unbreakable, the Chinese Foreign Minister said, noting that this year marks the 65th anniversary of the signing of the China-DPRK Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance. (The DPRK is the only country with which China has a treaty of this type.)

Over the past 65 years, Wang said, no matter how the international and regional situations have changed, China and the DPRK, as good neighbours, good friends and good comrades, have always trusted and supported each other, making unremitting efforts to maintain regional and world peace and stability and promote their respective development.

Wang added that China is willing to work with the DPRK side to hold commemorative events for the 65th anniversary of the signing of the treaty, strengthen high-level exchanges, enhance dialogue and practical cooperation at all levels and in various fields, deepen people-to-people exchanges and mutual understanding, and contribute to their respective economic and social development.

For her part, Choe said that the DPRK-China friendship is based on the common socialist system and traditional friendship, describing bilateral relations as deep-rooted, solid and sustainable. It is the unwavering position of the WPK and the nation to advance DPRK-China friendship and cooperation following the trend of the times and the will of the two peoples.

The DPRK, Choe said, fully supports the one-China principle, firmly opposes any interference in China’s internal affairs, and resolutely supports China’s position on safeguarding sovereignty and territorial integrity concerning Taiwan, Xizang [Tibet], Xinjiang, and other issues of China’s core interests.

She also said that the DPRK side fully endorses the vision of building a community with a shared future for humanity and the four global initiatives proposed by Xi, and highly values China’s just position on and important role in international and regional affairs.

The DPRK government hosted a reception for Wang Yi and his delegation that evening.

In her speech, Choe Son Hui said that it is the consistent policy of the WPK and the DPRK government to value and steadily develop the friendly relations with China, which have given steady continuity to the good traditions of unity and cooperation with socialism as their core, overcoming all the tempests of history.

China’s peace diplomacy aids defeat of US imperialism

In what cannot but be described as a humiliating climbdown and significant defeat for US imperialism, on the evening of April 7, barely minutes before his self-set deadline for unleashing a genocide of unprecedented savagery and barbarism aimed at wiping out the millennia long Iranian civilisation, US President Donald Trump suddenly announced that he had accepted a Pakistani proposal for a two-week ceasefire, with negotiations between the two main protagonists set to begin in the Pakistani capital Islamabad on April 10.

After a month of bestial aggression characterised from the first day by the most egregious war crimes, including the massacre of more than 170 people, the majority of them little girls, in the bombing of a school, along with the murder of the religious and political supreme leader of the Iranian people together with numerous members of his family as well as leading political figures of the country; after a rising crescendo of ever more deranged and psychotic threats of a kind not publicly uttered by a head of state since Adolf Hitler, albeit the nazi leader refrained from using such profane language in public, the US mafia boss performed a volte face and declared that Iran’s 10-point peace proposal, which had been on the table since the start of the aggression, constituted a “workable basis on which to negotiate.”

According to Iran’s Press TV, these ten points are as follows:

No new aggression against Iran
Continued Iranian control over the Strait of Hormuz
Acceptance of (uranium) enrichment
Removal of all primary sanctions
Removal of all secondary sanctions
Termination of all UN Security Council resolutions
Termination of all (International Atomic Energy Agency – IAEA) Board of Governors resolutions
Payment of compensation to Iran
Withdrawal of US combat forces from the region
Cessation of war on all fronts, including against the heroic Islamic Resistance of Lebanon

Even on the reasonable assumption that any serious negotiation is unlikely to see any side fully realise all its objectives, and irrespective of what the future holds, this climbdown by Trump represents a humiliation for the United States on a scale not seen since the defeats inflicted by the heroic peoples of Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia half a century ago.

A statement from Iran’s National Security Council said:

“On the first day, when the criminal enemies of Iran began this oppressive war, they imagined they would succeed in complete military dominance over Iran in a short time and force Iran to surrender by creating political and social instability. They thought Iran’s missile and drone fire would be quickly extinguished and did not believe that Iran could deliver such a powerful response beyond its borders and across the entire region…

“Iran and the Resistance almost completely destroyed the American military machine in the region; they dealt crushing and profound blows to the vast infrastructure and facilities that the enemy had built and stationed around the region over the years for this war against Iran. In regional dimensions, they imposed extensive casualties on the criminal American army, and within the occupied territories, they delivered heavy and shattering blows to the enemy’s forces, infrastructure, facilities, and assets…

“Now, the honourable Prime Minister of Pakistan has informed Iran that the American side, despite all outward threats, has accepted these principles as the basis for negotiations and has surrendered to the will of the Iranian nation. Accordingly, at the highest level, it has been decided that Iran will engage in negotiations in Islamabad with the American side for a period of two weeks, based solely on these principles. It is emphasised that this does not mean the end of the war; Iran will only accept the termination of the war once the details—given the acceptance of Iran’s preferred principles in the 10-point plan—are finalised in the negotiations…

“If the enemy’s surrender on the battlefield is transformed into a decisive political achievement in the negotiations, we will celebrate this massive historical victory together; otherwise, we will fight side-by-side on the battlefield until all the demands of the Iranian nation are met. Our hands are on the trigger, and the moment the slightest error is committed by the enemy, it will be responded to with full power.”

China strengthens ties with Portugal and Spain

The speaker of the Portuguese parliament Jose Pedro Aguiar-Branco recently visited China.

Meeting his guest on April 8, Zhou Leji, Chair of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress (NPC), said that China and Portugal are traditional friendly countries and comprehensive strategic partners with mutual respect, mutual trust and win-win cooperation. China is willing to work with Portugal to respect each other’s core interests and major concerns and continuously build and expand consensus on the basis of equality and sincere dialogue.

Noting that the two sides should deepen cooperation in culture, science and technology, education and tourism, and build a solid public opinion foundation for bilateral ties, Zhao called for making good use of mechanisms such as the Forum for Economic and Trade Cooperation between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries, expand trilateral cooperation with Africa, Latin America and other regions, and jointly practice true multilateralism.

Aguiar-Branco said Portugal firmly adheres to the one-China policy, adding that deepening the comprehensive strategic partnership between Portugal and China is an important consensus among all political parties in Portugal.

Chinese Vice President Han Zheng met with Aguiar-Branco the same day. He said China is willing to work with Portugal to jointly expand cooperation using Macao as a platform, promote the China-EU partner positioning, and maintain international unity and cooperation.

Aguiar-Branco said the Portuguese side appreciates the successful implementation of “one country, two systems” in Macao and hopes to further promote bilateral practical cooperation and multilateral communication and collaboration with China.

Friendly relations between China and Portugal have developed steadily since the April 1974 revolution overthrew the fascist Caetano regime and especially following the formal establishment of bilateral diplomatic relations in February 1979. What is particularly striking, and indicated above, is the contrast between the Portuguese approach regarding Macao and that of British governments regarding Hong Kong. In the latter case, continual neo-colonial interference and bad faith act as a constant irritant in and impediment to bilateral relations. In stark contrast, Macao acts as a bridge of friendship and practical cooperation not only between China and Portugal, but also between China and all the Portuguese-speaking countries, both bilaterally and multilaterally.

Additionally, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez will pay an official visit to China from April 11 to 15 at the invitation of his counterpart Li Qiang.

Announcing the visit, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning observed that this would be Sanchez’s fourth visit to China in a four-year period, adding that it represents another significant high-level exchange between China and Spain in a short period.

Noting that Spain is an important partner of China within the European Union, Mao pointed out that in recent years, China-Spain relations have developed at a high level under the strategic guidance of the leaders of both countries, with solid progress made in cooperation across various fields and benefiting the two peoples.

“China is willing to work with Spain to take Prime Minister Sanchez’s visit as an opportunity to further deepen strategic mutual trust, enhance communication and cooperation, strengthen multilateral coordination, and promote China-Spain relations to a higher level, contributing more to safeguarding world peace and stability,” Mao said.

Sanchez has stood out as a strong opponent of the US-Israeli war of aggression against Iran, as well as in defence of the rights of the Palestinian and Lebanese peoples, prompting US President Trump to make an escalating series of threats against Spain, including one to sever all trade.

The following articles were originally published by the Xinhua News Agency.

Vietnam’s new president to visit China

At its first session, held in Hanoi on April 7, the 16^th National Assembly of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam elected To Lam, who is the general secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam, to serve concurrently as state president.

In combining the top posts of the party and state in the same individual, the political arrangements of Vietnam in this regard now mirror those of China, Laos, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and Cuba.

In a message of congratulations sent the same day, To Lam’s Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping noted that China and Vietnam are a community with a shared future that carries strategic significance. In recent years, under the joint guidance and promotion of the leaders of the two parties and the two countries, China-Vietnam relations have achieved leapfrog development, and the comprehensive strategic cooperation has yielded fruitful results, bringing tangible benefits to the people of both countries.

Xi added that he attaches great importance to the development of relations between the two parties and the two countries, and stands ready to work with To Lam to advance development and national rejuvenation, promote steady progress in the building of a China-Vietnam community with a shared future, continuously strengthen their respective socialist causes, and better benefit the two peoples.

On April 9, it was announced that To Lam will pay a state visit to China from April 14 to 17. This will be his first foreign visit since becoming head of state.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said that: “China hopes that through the visit, the two countries will carry forward the traditional friendship, continue to deepen the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership, advance the building of an even higher level of community with a shared future that carries strategic significance, jointly promote the socialist cause in the world, and together maintain regional and world peace, stability and development.”

The following articles were originally published by the Xinhua News Agency.

Xi congratulates To Lam on election as president of Vietnam

BEIJING, April 7 (Xinhua) — Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, extended on Tuesday congratulations to To Lam on his election as president of Vietnam.