President Xi Jinping Exchanges Congratulatory Messages with Nepalese President Bidya Devi Bhandari

President Xi Jinping Exchanges Congratulatory Messages with Nepalese President Bidya Devi Bhandari

On August 1， Chinese President Xi Jinping and Nepali President Bidya Devi Bhandari exchanged congratulatory messages on the 65th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Nepal.

Xi pointed out in his message that the time-honored friendship between China and Nepal has grown from strength to strength. Since the establishment of their diplomatic ties， the two countries have enhanced political trust and mutually beneficial cooperation on the basis of mutual respect and equality. In 2019， Xi and Bhandari made reciprocal state visits， and elevated the bilateral relationship to a strategic partnership of cooperation featuring ever-lasting friendship for development and prosperity. In the fight against COVID-19， the two countries worked together and supported each other， writing a new chapter in their friendship. Xi reaffirmed his commitment to growing China-Nepal relations and his readiness to work with President Bhandari to take forward the bilateral ties， deliver greater benefit to the two peoples， and contribute to regional stability and development.

In her message， Bhandari noted that China and Nepal have enjoyed a deep-rooted， cordial friendship for ages. Nepal welcomes Chinas vision of building a community with a shared future for mankind and the greater cooperation through the Belt and Road Initiative. President Bhandari highly commends Chinas effective prevention and control of COVID-19 and sincerely thanks China for extending valuable support to its fight against the virus. Nepal will work with China to fully implement the broad consensus and understandings reached between the two presidents for the benefit of the two countries and peoples.

Wang Yi Chairs Quadrilateral Video Conference on COVID-19

Foreign ministers of China， Afghanistan， Pakistan， and Nepal held a video conference on COVID-19 on July 27. The meeting was chaired by State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi of China.

Wang stressed that China， as a neighbor and partner， will continue to stand shoulder to shoulder with all three countries in these trying times， work together to protect peoples health， reopen the economy， and secure peoples livelihood in a joint effort to prevail over the disease.

Wang made a four-point proposal to strengthen cooperation among the four countries： First， strengthen the consensus on collective response to the virus. Second， carry out regional cooperation on joint response. Third， step up cooperation on COVID-19 containment and vaccines. Fourth， promote post-COVID economic recovery and development.

The other ministers supported Wang Yis four-point cooperation initiative， and thanked China for providing medical and food assistance， and sharing experience on COVID-19 containment. In particular， they highly commended President Xi Jinpings initiative to make the vaccine a global public good. The three countries will work with China in solidarity to deepen cooperation in the fight against COVID-19， strengthen joint response mechanisms， ensure unimpeded trade and transportation routes， facilitate personnel and trade flows， advance the “Silk Road of health，”and build a community with a shared future for mankind.

Wang Yi Speaks on the Phone with the U.K. First Secretary of State Dominic Raab

State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi had a telephonic conversation with First Secretary of State and Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs Dominic Raab of the United Kingdom on July 28.

Wang Yi noted that some people in the U.K. demand the “reset” of bilateral relations in an attempt to overthrow the two countries cooperation. At the crossroads of China-U.K. relations， both sides should remain rational and mature， abide by the basic norms of international relations， respect each others core interests and major concerns， and maintain the political foundation of bilateral relations.

Wang Yi reiterated that affairs related to Hong Kong are Chinas internal affairs. The British sides recent statements and actions regarding Chinas national security legislation for Hong Kong violate the basic norms of international relations， which the Chinese side firmly opposes. The legislation not only contributes to the high degree of autonomy， prosperity， and stability in Hong Kong， but also is conducive to safeguarding the legitimate rights and interests of all foreign companies and personnel in Hong Kong.

Dominic Raab said that the U.K.s policy toward China remains unchanged. The U.K. has always attached importance to the U.K.-China relations， and agreed that both sides enjoy broad prospects for cooperation. The current U.K.-China relations have encountered some challenges， but this is not the complete picture of bilateral relations. The British side rejects a comprehensive “reset” of U.K.-China relations and does not approve of repeating the outdated Cold War mindset. Instead， the U.K. stands for maintaining rational， mature， and candid dialogues and communication， and advancing practical cooperation. The U.K. supports the promotion of U.K.-China trade and investment relations， and stands ready to enhance cooperation in vaccine research and development， as well as economic recovery after the epidemic.