Chinese premier pledges joint efforts with Singapore for more just, equitable world order
China is willing to work with Singapore to implement the major global initiatives proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping to promote the development of the international order in a more just and equitable direction, Chinese Premier Li Qiang said on Saturday.
As the multilateral trading system comes under severe strain, China is ready to cooperate with Singapore to strengthen communication and collaboration within the United Nations and other mechanisms, oppose unilateralism and protectionism, uphold free trade and economic globalization, Li said during talks with Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong.
China, U.S. start economic, trade talks in Kuala Lumpur
The Chinese and U.S. delegations convened on Saturday morning for talks on economic and trade issues.
The two sides will hold consultations on important issues in China-U.S. economic and trade ties in accordance with the important consensus reached by the heads of state of the two countries during their phone calls this year, a spokesperson for China's Ministry of Commerce said in a statement on Thursday.
Fatah rejects any external guardianship over Palestinians
The Palestinian National Liberation Movement (Fatah) on Saturday rejected any form of external guardianship over the Palestinian people and said that opposition to a unified Palestinian authority would only deepen internal divisions.
In a statement, Fatah said international involvement should be confined to monitoring the ceasefire and overseeing reconstruction within a set timeframe.
It stressed that security in Gaza must remain under the control of official Palestinian security forces, and that any international troops should be stationed only along the borders under a clear UN Security Council mandate, without infringing on Palestinian sovereignty.
No positive ground for interaction with Washington: Iranian FM
Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi has said that no positive ground currently exists for interaction with the United States, citing deep distrust after years of negative experiences with Washington, Iranian media reported Saturday.
In an interview with Iranian online channel Sahra TV, Araghchi said "we do not have trust and will not have it" in the United States, pointing to Washington's track record of failing to honor commitments towards Iran over the past 10 years.
Despite Iran's past willingness to "interact with caution," it never received "a positive response" from the U.S. side, Araghchi said.■
