Chinese Premier Li Qiang met with visiting Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in Beijing on Tuesday afternoon.
Lula is in the Chinese capital to attend the fourth ministerial meeting of the China-CELAC (Community of Latin American and Caribbean States) Forum and pay a five-day state visit from Saturday to Wednesday at the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Under the strategic guidance of Xi and Lula, China-Brazil relations have entered a "golden period" of development, Li said, adding that the talks between the two heads of state earlier in the day further drew a blueprint for promoting the building of a China-Brazil community with a shared future.
China is willing to enhance the alignment of development strategies with Brazil, deepen cooperation in various fields such as finance, trade, investment, and industrial chains, and move forward side by side with Brazil to enable each other's success on the road to modernization, said Li.
China is willing to maintain close multilateral coordination with Brazil to contribute important strength to maintaining world peace and stability, he added.
Lula said that Brazil attaches great importance to developing relations with China, and is willing to maintain close high-level exchanges with China, deepen mutually beneficial cooperation in areas such as finance and infrastructure, enhance multilateral collaboration, jointly resist unilateralism and protectionism, and promote the common development of the Global South.
Chinese premier meets with visiting Brazilian president
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
