China strands ready to make joint efforts with Colombia to make in-depth and solid progress in advancing the China-Colombia strategic partnership, said President Xi Jinping on Wednesday.
Xi made the statement when meeting with Colombian President Gustavo Petro, who is in Beijing for the fourth ministerial meeting of the China-CELAC (Community of Latin American and Caribbean States) Forum.
"During your successful state visit to China in October 2023, we held fruitful talks and jointly announced the establishment of a strategic partnership between our two countries, leading the growth of China-Colombia relations into a new stage. Over the past year and more, various departments of the two countries actively implemented the important consensus we had reached. That promoted the continuously deepening bilateral practical cooperation in various fields and the enrichment of strategic significance of bilateral relations. This year marks the 45th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Colombia. Standing at a new historical starting point, China is ready to make joint efforts with Colombia to make continuous in-depth and solid progress in advancing the China-Colombia strategic partnership, so as to deliver more benefits to the people of the two countries," Xi said.
Petro said, "Thank you very much, President Xi Jinping. The development of friendly relations between Colombia and China may have been a step-by-step process, but it has never stopped due to the geographical distance, and our two countries have been staying in solidarity. Here in Beijing, our two sides will sign a very important document. China is a part of the diversified world, and we hope that we could further strengthen relations with China and move forward together."
Xi calls for in-depth, solid progress in China-Colombia strategic partnership
Xi calls for in-depth, solid progress in China-Colombia strategic partnership
Xi calls for in-depth, solid progress in China-Colombia strategic partnership
The Russian Defense Ministry said on Thursday that Russia's armed forces continued to strike Ukrainian forces in multiple directions and has taken control of one more settlement in the Donetsk region, while Ukraine, on the same day, reported strikes against several key facilities in Russia.
"As a result of decisive actions, units of the Southern Group of Forces liberated the settlement of Sviato-Pokrovske in the Donetsk region," the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement.
Russian troop clusters continued to strike Ukrainian forces in the directions of Sumy, Kharkiv, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Dnipropetrovsk and Kherson.
Russian air forces, strike drones, missile units and artillery struck 142 areas of Ukrainian military airport and port infrastructure, strike drone production facilities, energy facilities supporting Ukrainian military operations, as well as temporary deployment points of Ukrainian forces and foreign mercenaries.
Additionally, Russian air defense systems shot down six aerial bombs, one U.S.-made HIMARS rocket, and 472 fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles in the special military operation zone over the past 24 hours, the ministry added.
On the same day, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said that to weaken the combat capabilities of the Russian armed forces, Ukrainian forces carried out strikes on several key facilities in Russia.
Two oil storage tanks caught fire at the southern Russian port of Temryuk after a drone attack.
The total fire area is approximately 2,000 square meters. And 70 personnel and 18 pieces of equipment are involved in the firefighting effort.
Temryuk is a major seaport on the Black Sea, vital to Russia's export of oil and petroleum products, and it is also one of the important logistics support hubs for the Russian military.
In addition, Ukrainian forces carried out strikes on the military airport located in Maikop City, claiming that the fire caused had a significant impact on the normal operation of the airport.
It also reported that Ukraine's air force struck the Novoshakhtinsk oil refinery in Russia's Rostov Oblast using Storm Shadow long-range cruise missiles, triggering multiple explosions, with the extent of damage still being clarified.
Russia reports multi-directional strikes against Ukraine, Ukraine claims strikes on key facilities in Russia
