China's top legislator Zhao Leji met with Richard Rasi, chairman of the Slovak National Council, in Beijing on Monday.
Zhao, chairman of China's National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, noted that leaders of the two countries decided in Beijing last November to upgrade China-Slovakia relations to a strategic partnership.
He said China stands ready to actively implement the important consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, deepen political mutual trust, expand mutually beneficial cooperation, enhance people-to-people and cultural exchanges, and continuously enrich the connotation of the bilateral strategic partnership. It is hoped that Slovakia will continue to play an active role within the European Union (EU) and promote the healthy and stable development of China-EU relations, Zhao said, adding that the NPC of China is willing to work with the Slovak National Council to give full play to the role of the legislative organs, deepen the exchange of experience in legislation and supervision, and create a favorable legal environment for practical cooperation between the two countries.
Rasi said that Slovakia firmly adheres to the one-China principle and is willing to strengthen cooperation with China in various fields such as economy, trade and culture.
He added that the Slovak National Council is willing to deepen exchanges with the NPC of China, and promote the development of the strategic partnership between the two countries to a higher level.
China's top legislator meets Slovak National Council chairman
Ongoing Israeli military operations in Gaza and the West Bank have led to multiple deaths, arrests, and rising tensions, as both sides report violence and economic fallout.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) issued a statement on Monday, saying that during operations in the southern Gaza Strip that day, IDF troops killed three "militants" who had crossed the "yellow line" of the military ceasefire. The statement added that IDF forces would remain deployed in the area and would continue operations to eliminate threats.
On the same day, the Palestinian Ministry of the Interior in the Gaza Strip issued a statement saying that Mahmoud Al-Astal, head of the police investigation department in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, was shot and killed. According to sources, Al-Astal was a key member of the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas). A Palestinian armed group in Gaza, backed by Israel, claimed responsibility for the shooting on Monday.
According to a report by the official Palestinian news agency on Monday, Israeli forces continued their raids across several areas of the West Bank and around Jerusalem, arresting more than 20 Palestinian residents and injuring one person. In some areas, the Israeli forces also conducted house searches, imposed roadblocks, and leveled farmland. Meanwhile, large numbers of Israeli Jewish settlers, under the protection of the Israeli military, entered Palestinian farmlands to graze livestock, damage olive trees, and assault Palestinian shepherds while attempting to seize animals, leading to clashes with local residents.
The Palestinian Ministry of Agriculture released a comprehensive report on Monday, saying that in 2025, the agricultural sector in the West Bank suffered systematic attacks by Israeli forces and Israeli Jewish settlers, resulting in direct economic losses exceeding 103 million U.S. dollars, an intensity rarely seen in recent years.
Tensions escalate as IDF operations continue in Gaza, West Bank
