Chinese and African people will never forget Chinese medical teams' contribution to their friendship, said Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun at a press briefing in Beijing on Tuesday.
Guo made the remarks in response to media query about the death of Zhang Junqiao, head of China's 27th medical aid mission to Tanzania, who lost his life while saving a drowning local woman.
Zhang, a 38-year-old anesthesiologist from Shandong, died on June 15 while trying to rescue a drowning local woman off the coast of Dar es Salaam. Witness photos showed him holding her above water and helping her into a life jacket before disappearing beneath the waves. Despite colleagues' efforts to save him, Zhang could not be revived.
"Comrade Zhang Junqiao heroically sacrificed his life to rescue a local woman, and he put into practice the spirit of China-Africa friendship and cooperation with his life, while carrying on the spirit of Chinese medical teams of fearing no hardship, being dedicated, saving the dying and healing the wounded, and laving all without a boundary. We extend our sincere sympathies to Comrade Zhang Junqiao's family, and we feel saddened for having lost such an outstanding member of the Chinese medical aid team to Africa," said Guo.
"Since 1963, China has delivered medical aid to Africa for 62 years. And it has been 58 years since China first dispatched a medical aid team to Tanzania. The members of these medical teams have worked to benefit the local people with their benevolent mind and medical proficiency, and brought up a medical team of their own for the local people. The contribution of the Chinese medical teams to China-Africa friendship will never be forgotten by the Chinese and African people, nor by history," he said.
Medical teams' contribution to China-Africa ties remembered forever: spokesman
Medical teams' contribution to China-Africa ties remembered forever: spokesman
U.S. stocks ended lower on Friday, pulling back from record highs set a day earlier, after U.S. President Donald Trump announced a new 35 percent tariff on goods imported from Canada and warned of even broader tariff hikes.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell by 279.13 points, or 0.63 percent, to 44,371.51. The Standard and Poor's 500 sank 20.71 points, or 0.33 percent, to 6,259.75. The Nasdaq Composite Index shed 45.14 points, or 0.22 percent, to 20,585.53.
Nine of the 11 primary Standard and Poor's 500 sectors ended in red, with financials and health leading the laggards by losing 1.00 percent and 0.88 percent, respectively. Energy and consumer discretionary led the gainers by going up 0.48 percent and 0.33 percent, respectively.
Trump justified the higher duties on Canada by citing fentanyl concerns and warned the tariffs could go even higher if Canada retaliates.
In an interview with NBC News, the president said he is considering blanket tariffs of 15 percent to 20 percent on all remaining U.S. trading partners, which is significantly above the 10 percent level investors had largely come to expect.
Markets are also watching for further trade developments, particularly with the European Union. While traders anticipate an update from Trump on EU negotiations, it is unclear whether he will impose new tariffs, as he did with Canada, or simply signal progress in ongoing deal talks.
The tech sector, which has helped propel the market to recent highs, was mixed on Friday.
Nvidia shares rose 0.5 percent, extending gains after the artificial intelligence chipmaker became the first company ever to close with a market cap above 4 trillion U.S. dollars.
Amazon added more than 1 percent as its Prime Day sales event wrapped up, while Tesla and Alphabet also climbed more than 1 percent.
Microsoft ticked higher, while Apple and Broadcom edged lower.
Meta Platforms fell 1.34 percent on Friday, one day after reports surfaced that the company had offered a compensation package exceeding 200 million dollars in an attempt to lure away Apple's top executive overseeing artificial intelligence models.
Bond markets reacted to the tariff developments as well, with the yield on the 10-year Treasury note rising to 4.42 percent from 4.35 percent at Thursday's close, reflecting increased uncertainty about inflation and interest rate policy.
Looking ahead, investors will turn their attention to next week's start of the second-quarter earnings season and key inflation data releases, both of which could shape the Federal Reserve's next moves.
U.S. stocks close lower to end week
