China appreciates the Asia Society for providing a platform for China-U.S. dialogue, said Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Beijing on Tuesday.
Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the remarks during his meeting with Kang Kyung-wha, president of the Asia Society and former Foreign Minister of South Korea.
"The Asia Society has its own traditions, focusing on balanced stances and the unity of knowledge and action. It is very important that you are willing to use this platform to spread Asian voices and understand Asian perspectives. To understand Asia, one must first understand China. We appreciate the Asia Society for providing a platform for China-U.S. dialogue," Wang said.
"As you say, the Asia Society endeavors to provide fact-based objective understanding about China in the United States and across the world," Kang said.
China appreciates Asia Society for providing platform for China-US dialogue: FM
Members of Britain's Gujarati community gathered on Friday at a west London temple to remember the victims of Thursday's Air India plane crash which has claimed 279 lives so far.
With somber air in the local community, no one wanted to be interviewed but many people said they had known the passengers on board the doomed flight.
"I hope god will grant them space to look after themselves, and please look after the family who are left behind," said Sunjit Mehta, chairman of the community organization Brent Indian Association (BIA).
The BIA has opened a book of condolence, and the chairman is planning to visit the relatives of the local families as well as others needing support.
"It's quite daunting for the family members to have to wait around until the bodies are handed over to them," said Mehta.
Meanwhile, BIA's former chairman Rajnikant Patel lost both friends as well as family members. He has been remembering his brother and sister in law Ashok and Shobana Patel.
"He was very good, calm and helpful person. He has helped me a lot, not me alone, if I call him and tell him look so and so is in trouble, can you do something for him, he has helped a lot of people. It's not easy to explain or express the feeling of myself or of the family, but everyone feels very bad, saddened about the incident," he said.
Special prayers services have been organized for the coming days both at this temple and at other centers across Britain, so people can come together to remember the victims of the crash.
Community leaders say they hope it will help people deal with the aftermath of the tragedy the hard days ahead.
Air India's flight AI-171, a Boeing 787-8 aircraft, flying from the western Indian city of Ahmedabad to London, descended rapidly and crashed into a building on Thursday shortly after takeoff, killing 241 people on board with only one survivor.
London community mourns for victims of Air India plane crash
