China ready to work with New Zealand to deliver more benefits to two peoples: spokesman

China is ready to work with New Zealand to bring more benefits to the people of the two countries, foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian said on Friday.

At the invitation Chinese Premier Li Qiang, Prime Minister of New Zealand Christopher Luxon will pay an official visit to China from June 17 to 20.

"This visit will be Prime Minister Luxon's first visit to China since taking office, coinciding with the start of the second decade of the China-New Zealand comprehensive strategic partnership. During the visit, Chinese leaders will hold separate meetings and talks with Prime Minister Luxon to have in-depth exchanges of views on China-New Zealand relations and international and regional issues of common concern," said Lin.

The China-New Zealand relations have come a long way since the establishment of diplomatic ties over 50 years ago, the spokesman noted.

Last November, Chinese President Xi Jinping met Luxon on the sidelines of the APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting in Lima. Last June, Premier Li Qiang successfully visited New Zealand. Leaders of the two countries agreed to strengthen dialog and cooperation to promote the sustained and in-depth development of bilateral relations, Lin said.

"Facing the current complex and volatile international situation, China is willing to work with New Zealand to enhance strategic communication, increase political mutual trust, deepen practical cooperation, consolidate traditional friendship, jointly address challenges, promote the building of a China-New Zealand comprehensive strategic partnership featuring mutual respect, inclusiveness, cooperation and common development, and bring more benefits to the people of the two countries," said Lin.

China ready to work with New Zealand to deliver more benefits to two peoples: spokesman

The death toll from a landfill collapse in the central Philippine city of Cebu has risen to eight by Monday morning as search and rescue operations continued for another 28 missing people.

The landfill collapse occurred on Thursday as dozens of sanitation workers were working at the site. The disaster has already caused injuries of 18 people.

Family members of the missing people said the rescue progress is slow, and the hope for the survival of their loved ones is fading.

"For me, maybe I’ve accepted the worst result already because the garbage is poisonous and yesterday, it was raining very hard the whole day. Maybe they’ve been poisoned. For us, alive or dead, I hope we can get their bodies out of the garbage rubble," said Maria Kareen Rubin, a family member of a victim.

Families have set up camps on high ground near the landfill, awaiting news of their relatives. Some people at the site said cries for help could still be heard hours after the landfill collapsed, but these voices gradually faded away.

Bienvenido Ranido, who lost his wife in the disaster, said he can't believe all that happened.

"After they gave my wife oxygen, my kids and I were expecting that she would be saved that night because she was still alive. But the night came and till the next morning, they didn't manage to save her," he said.

Death toll in central Philippine landfill collapse rises to eight