BEIJING: China and Bangladesh on Wednesday elevated their relations to a comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership. Chinese President Xi Jinping and Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who was on an official visit to China, announced the upgrade during a meeting in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. Xi noted that China and Bangladesh are close and friendly neighbors whose …
BEIJING: Chinese President Xi Jinping and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban had an in-depth exchange of views on the Ukraine crisis when they met in the Chinese capital, Beijing, on Monday. Orban briefed Xi on his recent visits to Ukraine and Russia. Xi commended Orban for his efforts towards seeking a political solution to the crisis, stressing that an early …
TEHRAN: Relative moderate Masoud Pezeshkian urged people on Saturday to stick with him on “the difficult road ahead” after beating a hardline rival to win Iran’s presidential election. Friday’s run-off vote was between Pezeshkian, the sole moderate in the original field of four candidates, and hardline former nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili. Pezeshkian, a 69-year-old cardiac surgeon, has pledged to promote …
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan will host the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) heads of governments’ meeting in October, Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch announced at her weekly media briefing on Thursday. “Pakistan holds the rotating Chairmanship of the SCO Council of Heads of Government (CHG), which is the SCO’s second-highest decision-making forum. In this capacity, Pakistan will be hosting the SCO Heads …
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Thursday clarified it would not become part of any “bloc” politics as regional security club leaders met in Astana to challenge the global order led by the United States. As the Russian and Chinese leaders called for a “more fairer and transparent” world order at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit, foreign office dismissed the perception that …
ASTANA: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday raised the issue of terrorism as a major concern for member states at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit and called for “meaningful” engagement with the Afghan Taliban government. PM Shahbaz arrived in Kazakhstan’s capital of Astana on Wednesday for a two-day official visit, representing Pakistan at the SCO meetings where leaders and …
DOHA: Leaders of the Afghanistan interim government held a meeting with Pakistani officials in Doha on Monday in what was seen as an effort to ease tension following the announcement of a fresh operation against the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which security officials insist operate from Afghan soil. Relations between the two neighbouring countries have lately become strained, largely because of the TTP …
WASHINGTON: In a significant display of bipartisan support, the US House of Representatives has passed a resolution expressing robust support for democracy in Pakistan by an overwhelming 368-7 vote. Lawmakers supporting resolution HR 901, titled ‘Expressing support for democracy and human rights in Pakistan’, claimed that the approval highlighted the United States’ commitment to promoting democratic values globally. The resolution — …
BEIJING: The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday urged the United States to revoke its plan to sell arms to China’s Taiwan region and stop arming the region with weapons. Lin Jian, a spokesperson for the ministry, voiced China’s strong condemnation and firm opposition in response to reports that the U.S. State Department has approved $360 million in weapons …
PYONGYANG: Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a deal with North Korea’s Kim Jong Un on Wednesday that includes a mutual defence pledge, one of Russia’s most significant moves in Asia for years that Kim said amounted to an “alliance”. Putin’s pledge overhauls Russia’s entire post-Soviet policy on North Korea just as the United States and its Asian allies try to …