Papua New Guinean FM highlights education project with China on enhancing friendship

Papua New Guinea's Foreign Minister Justin Tkatchenko highlighted an education program partnered with China when speaking about forging closer people-to-people relations between the two countries in an interview.

Speaking at a panel interview session with China Global Television Network (CGTN) on the sidelines of the Third China-Pacific Island Countries (PICs) Foreign Ministers' Meeting in east China's city of Xiamen on Wednesday, Tkatchenko spoke positively about his country's cooperation with China at all levels.

"We've seen some really great projects come forward with our partnership with China and also our sister city relationships with Shenzhen and with other provinces like Guangdong [Shenzhen City in Guangdong and other Chinese provinces] that have really inspired to bring our two countries closer together," he said. On people-to-people exchanges, Tkatchenko spoke of a school project funded by China as a key bridge to connect the two peoples, while providing thousands of Papua New Guineans with quality education each year.

"The people to people relationship between China and Papua New Guinea is very important. And it has come out through an investment into a school called Butuka Academy which is a school of excellence and a friendship school between China and Papua New Guinea which educates over 3,000 Papua New Guineans every year from elementary, primary to high school. It's a state-of-the-art school as well," said Tkatchenko.

Noting that the secondary school and primary school of the Butuka Academy are teaching Chinese classes, the minister proudly said that some of the students there can speak Chinese as fluently as native speakers.

"It has become a great success since the construction of that school and the opening of the school by the Chinese President in 2018. Now that shows you the dedication and the will and the need of partnership in this sector, which has really enhanced our relationship with China in our future generations. And that's going to be going on for a long, long time. And we look forward to the other projects as well, in health, and also in infrastructure development, roads and hotels and many other things that China's private sector and government have contributed to," he said.

Papua New Guinean FM highlights education project with China on enhancing friendship

Venezuela's acting president Delcy Rodriguez said on Sunday that the country is at a critical stage and must achieve national unity, emphasizing that maintaining internal cohesion is of utmost importance.

In a televised address, Rodriguez called on the public to continue trusting the government under the current highly complex political circumstances.

Her statement comes in the wake of a January 3 military operation conducted by the United States, during which Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife were taken into custody and flown out of the country.

The operation resulted in at least 100 fatalities.

Rodriguez, who was sworn in as acting president two days later on January 5, framed her appeal for unity against this backdrop of external intervention.

Meanwhile, Venezuelan Minister of Communication and Information Freddy Nanez denounced the U.S. actions as a "war crime of the 21st century" when speaking at an international cultural event on Sunday.

Nanez condemned not only the January 3 airstrikes but also the associated cyber and electromagnetic attacks.

He accused the United States of violating international law through the forced removal of President Maduro and his wife, while attacks on civilian infrastructure, including medical facilities, represent a flagrant breach of humanitarian norms.

He reiterated that the stigmatization and military attacks against Venezuela are driven by economic interests, particularly the desire to control its abundant natural resources.

Venezuelan acting president calls for national unity amid complex situation