Spokesman on fruitful outcomes of French FM's China trip

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot's visit to China has yielded a number of significant outcomes, said a spokesman for China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Friday at a regular press conference held in Beijing.

Barrot visited China from March 27 to 28. Premier Li Qiang met with him. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Foreign Minister Barrot had talks and jointly met the press. The two sides had in-depth communication on China-France and China-EU relations as well as international and regional issues of mutual interest, Guo briefed the press.

"Both sides shared the view that facing profound changes in the international landscape, as comprehensive strategic partners, China and France need to display a sense of mission, stay committed to multilateralism, dialog, coordination and mutual benefit, oppose unilateralism, bloc confrontation, decoupling and supply chains disruption, and demonstrate a new sense of commitment in another 60 years of bilateral relations," he said.

"Both sides agreed that they will make the high-level dialogs on strategy, economy and finance, and cultural and people-to-people exchange a success; deepen cooperation in traditional fields such as agriculture, tap potential for cooperation in innovative industries, including artificial intelligence, encourage two-way investment, and settle trade disputes and open up cooperation prospects through friendly consultation and dialog; implement the initiative put forward by President Xi Jinping during his visit to France last year, namely bringing the total number of French students in China to more than 10,000, and doubling the number of young Europeans on exchange programs to China in the next three years, further facilitate cross-border travel, and have closer exchanges in culture and other fields; strengthen multilateral coordination, firmly support the UN's central role, and safeguard the basic norms of international relations based on the purposes and principles of the UN Charter," Guo said.

"The two countries issued a joint statement on climate change. They said that the two sides commit to implementing the Paris Agreement in a comprehensive, complete and effective manner, and strengthening green and low-carbon cooperation. When the global climate governance comes under headwinds, the statement sends a positive message of the joint and firm response by China and France to climate change, which is of great importance for lifting confidence in global climate cooperation and promoting the multilateral process on climate change. During the visit, the French side reaffirmed their firm commitment to the one-China policy, which China appreciates," said Guo.

Spokesman on fruitful outcomes of French FM's China trip

The Iranian government is focusing on public concerns and maintaining stable supplies of essential goods amid recent protests, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said in a televised interview on Sunday.

In the city of Karaj, northwest of the capital Tehran, daily life has largely continued as normal. A video filmed by a local resident on Sunday shows food stores open and grocery shelves fully stocked.

"This is the block near my home, and there are some food stores here. Daily life continues here. Last night we did not see many protests in Karaj. Right now the city is very safe. This is a grocery store close to my home. All the food is available; nothing is in shortage. Here are noodles and different types of beans. Here are dairy products, cheese, and yogurt. I also checked other grocery stores and didn't see any shortages. Everything is available," said local resident Ali Reza.

Iranian officials have described recent disturbances as acts orchestrated by the "enemy," including some carried out by well-trained and armed "terrorists." The incidents have caused casualties among security personnel and civilians, as well as property damage.

The Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council Ali Larijani has directed authorities to severely punish the "terrorists."

Meanwhile, Iran's police chief Ahmad-Reza Radan said on Sunday that the police had raised alert levels and arrested several leaders of the troublemakers during the operations on Saturday.

President Pezeshkian noted in the interview that the normal demands of the Iranian people are reasonable and justified, but they must realize that triggering riots and carrying out terrorist acts are the enemy's attempts to undermine the country. He urged the public to remain vigilant.

Also on Sunday, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf warned that Tehran would regard U.S. and Israeli bases and facilities in the Middle East as "legitimate targets" if Washington takes military action against Iran. His remarks followed media reports saying U.S. President Donald Trump is "seriously considering authorizing a strike" against Iran.

Iranian state media reported that at least 109 members of Iran's security forces have been killed in clashes since the protests began 14 days ago. Meanwhile, human rights groups based outside the country said the number of protesters killed has exceeded 200, though the figure could not be independently verified.

The protests initially erupted over a sharp depreciation of the rial and sweeping subsidy reforms. Iranian authorities have blamed the unrest on foreign-linked agents and sanctions imposed by the United States.

Iranian president says government focusing on ensuring supplies amid protests