The 19th biennial meeting of the Western Pacific Naval Symposium (WPNS) will take place in Qingdao City, east China's Shandong Province from April 21 to 24, Chines Defense Ministry spokesman Wu Qian announced on Wednesday.
Hosted by the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy, the meeting includes series of activities such as a high-level seminar, and three thematic forums. There will also be bilateral meetings between naval leaders and delegations, Wu said at a press conference in Beijing.
Delegations from 29 countries, including Australia, Cambodia, Chile, France, India, Indonesia, South Korea, Russia, the United States, Pakistan, and the United Kingdom are set to attend.
"Hosting the WPNS annual meeting is a concrete action taken by the PLA Navy to implement the concept of building a maritime community with shared future. It aims to strengthen exchanges, enhance mutual trust, deepen cooperation with countries participating in the forum, and make new and greater contributions to jointly addressing maritime security threats and challenges and safeguarding regional peace and stability. Besides, this year marks the 75th anniversary of the founding of the PLA Navy. Around April 23, the PLA Navy will organize a series of commemorative events in Beijing, Qingdao, Ningbo, Zhanjiang, and other garrison cities and naval bases. These events will include flag-raising ceremonies, ceremonies honoring naval heroes, open days for military camps and ships, and outdoor theme light displays," Wu said.
19th biennial meeting of Western Pacific Naval Symposium to open in China's Qingdao City
People in Palestine have expressed their support for efforts to secure peace by their leaders as the two Palestinian factions have met in Beijing under Chinese mediation.
At the invitation of China, representatives of the Palestinian National Liberation Movement (Fatah) and the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) recently came to Beijing for in-depth and candid talks on promoting intra-Palestinian reconciliation, and achieved positive progress, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman confirmed on Tuesday.
The two sides agreed to continue this dialog process and strive for the early realization of Palestinian unity and reached an agreement on the next step of dialog, according to the spokesman Lin Jian.
In interviews with China Global Television Network (CGTN) on the talks between Fatah and Hamas, the Palestinian people in the war-torn Gaza Strip commended China for brokering this meeting, calling for a solution to restore peace and normal life of the people.
"We appreciate the Chinese role, but the problem unfortunately lies in the inability of the factions to find a solution. They must find solutions for us after all this that we have lived through. I believe an alternative body must be found to run the country," said Khaled Al-Mughrabi, a displaced Palestinian.
"We hope that we will return to Gaza soon to live in our cities like the rest of the residents of Palestine. Regarding the news we hear about Fatah and Hamas meetings under Chinese sponsorship, we hope that China will succeed in this role and can pave the way for reaching an agreement that will end these difficult circumstances in which we are living," said Am Muhammad Taima, a Palestinian refugee.
"We hope that it will build on what was previously agreed upon through these meetings in Beijing, and that we will start a new page, especially in the face of these complex political and security circumstances facing the people of Gaza and the West Bank as a result of this aggression condemned by all countries of the world," said Sufyan Matar, a member of the Central Committee of the Palestine Liberation Front.
The internal division between Fatah and Hamas began in 2007 when Hamas forcibly took over the Gaza Strip from Fatah. Since then, the Palestinian territories have been split into a Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip and a Fatah-dominated West Bank. Over the past 17 years, the two rivals have reached several agreements and understandings.
The Palestinian Authority is the Fatah-controlled government body that comprises most major Palestinian factions.
Palestinians hopeful for peace as Fatah, Hamas factions hold talks in Beijing
