Chinese FM meets with Harvard professor Allison in Germany's Munich

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Friday met with Graham Allison, a professor at Harvard University, on the sidelines of the ongoing Munich Security Conference in Germany.

Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, said that as the world today is witnessing transformation and turbulence, and changes unseen in a century are unfolding at a faster pace, China must maintain firm strategic resolve, remain fully committed to managing its own affairs well, and vigorously advance Chinese modernization.

Wang further said that China should take on the responsibilities and obligations as a major country, continue to inject greater certainty into the world, and play a constructive role in promoting global peace and stability.

He said China will work with like-minded countries to jointly uphold the basic norms governing international relations based on the UN Charter, push for democracy in international relations, and advocate an equal and orderly multipolar world and a universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalization.

On China-U.S. relations, Wang reiterated that China's policy toward the United States has remained consistent and stable, and China will continue to deal with the the evolution and development of China-U.S. relations and push for healthy and stable development of bilateral ties with the guidance of the principles of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence, and win-win cooperation put forward by President Xi Jinping.

In an interview with the China Global Television Network (CGTN) after his meeting with Wang, Allison said he was "cautiously optimistic" about U.S. President Donald Trump's remarks on forging a successful relationship with China, but hoping that China will play a constructive role in resolving the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict. "I'm optimistic, cautiously optimistic about the Trump administration, about President Trump himself and the relationship with China. If you look and see all the things he said during the campaign, he has a very different conception of China and the U.S. relationship with China. So I'm hopeful that even in the not too distant future, we'll see China as a participant in what will ultimately be a peace agreement of some sort that will bring an end to the war in Ukraine," Allison said.

Chinese FM meets with Harvard professor Allison in Germany's Munich

Chinese FM meets with Harvard professor Allison in Germany's Munich

Chinese FM meets with Harvard professor Allison in Germany's Munich

Chinese FM meets with Harvard professor Allison in Germany's Munich

A major port in northern Venezuela came under U.S. airstrikes in the early hours of January 3, which caused extensive damage to civilian infrastructure, destroyed critical medical supplies in a warehouse, and severely impacted centuries-old cultural heritage sites, according to local residents.

The La Guaira Port, a vital hub for imports that support daily life in the region, was heavily damaged during the attack.

Large quantities of medical supplies stored at the port were destroyed. A historic cultural building dating back for some 300 years was also badly damaged by the bombardment.

Residents living near the port recalled the terrifying scenes as explosions shook nearby neighborhoods.

Humberto Bolivar, who lives in a community separated from the port by only a main road, said the blast waves shattered his home's windows, while stray shrapnel struck the water tank on his roof. According to reports, three missiles were fired at the port that night.

Bolivar said that beyond material losses, he is most concerned about the psychological impact on his children, who remain too frightened to leave their home days after the attack.

"The United States invaded our country. The children were frightened. This is not good for them, because it leaves some children with psychological trauma. They do not want to go to school or leave the house, because they are afraid that something worse might happen. We truly do not want this to happen to our country," he said.

Apart from civilian facilities, local cultural heritage site was also affected.

The La Guaira state government building, a structure with nearly 300 years of history and once served as the site of Venezuela's first national customs office, was struck by the force of the explosions.

Windows of the building were shattered, and furniture scattered across the floor.

"As people of La Guaira, we feel deep pain. Our cultural heritage has been bombed. We are living in constant anxiety and suffering, and life can no longer be the same as it was before," said a local named Henry Cumares.

The U.S. side has claimed the airstrikes targeted warehouses allegedly used to store narcotics. However, locals refuted such accusation.

"According to what Donald Trump said, they bombed this place using the excuse that the warehouses here were used to store drugs at the port. But based on the video released by our governor, these warehouses that were burned contained medicine for kidney patients and foods. Many people depend on these supplies to survive. I think the bombing is extremely despicable," said a local resident named Alejandro Capriles.

US strike hits Venezuelan port, wrecking medical supplies, heritage building