Xi hails long-term dedication of int'l friends to cementing friendship with China

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday hailed the long-term dedication and contribution of international friends to cementing friendship with China.

Xi made the remarks when meeting with foreign guests attending the China International Friendship Conference which also marked the 70th founding anniversary of the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries in Beijing.

"Today is the Chinese traditional festival, Double Ninth Festival, which symbolizes respect for the elderly and family reunions. I'm very happy to gather with you to talk about friendship. The key to state-to-state relations lies in close bonds between peoples. All of you here have long been dedicated to the development of friendship with China and are good and old friends of the Chinese people. You have traveled great distances, crossing mountains and seas, all for the sake of this important friendship and the great cause of mutual goodwill among people. I highly appreciate this," said Xi.

Attendees spoke highly of China's role in the international community, lauded China's efforts in poverty alleviation and stressed the importance of establishing friendship among different cultures.

"Your Belt and Road Initiative has also provided significant momentum for global peace and stability, reflects China's visionary approach to global governance, and demonstrates the nation's active responsibility," former Nigerian president Olusegun Obasanjo told Xi.

"As a nation, China has transformed itself from poverty, and China's rapid development has been a beacon of hope for many developing nations," said Pokin Polakul, former President of Thai parliament.

"The history of Kuliang tells us that people from different countries and cultures, all with differences, can build a friendship together and pass it on from generation to generation. You need to spread the seeds of friendship in people's hearts, before it can grow into a mature relationship," said Elyn MacInnis, lead researcher of the Kuliang Tourism and Culture Research Association.

Xi hails long-term dedication of int'l friends to cementing friendship with China

Xi hails long-term dedication of int'l friends to cementing friendship with China

The U.S. State Department announced Wednesday that it is pausing immigrant visa processing from 75 countries.

The measure will apply to "countries whose migrants take welfare from the American people at unacceptable rates. The freeze will remain active until the U.S. can ensure that new immigrants will not extract wealth from the American people," the department said on X.

The pause impacts countries including Somalia, Haiti, Iran and Eritrea, "whose immigrants often become public charges on the United States upon arrival," said the State Department.

Earlier on Wednesday, the department announced in a memo that it would suspend visa processing for 75 countries, including Somalia, Russia, Afghanistan, Brazil, Iran, Iraq, Egypt, Nigeria, Thailand and Yemen, according to a Fox News report.

The pause will begin Jan. 21 and will continue indefinitely until the department conducts a reassessment of visa processing, the report said. The move came after the White House announced on Tuesday that it is ending temporary protected status for Somali immigrants amid fraud allegations in Minnesota.

On Monday, the State Department announced on social media that it had revoked over 100,000 visas since U.S. President Donald Trump took office nearly a year ago.

In November 2025, Trump announced his intention to permanently suspend immigration from what he described as "Third World countries", following the death of a National Guard member after being shot near the White House by an Afghan national.

U.S. freezes immigrant visa processing from 75 countries