China ready to promote flagship Belt, Road project, boost trade, investment with Ethiopia: Premier Li

China stands ready to work with Ethiopia to promote the sustainable development of the Addis Ababa-Djibouti Railway, a flagship project of the high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, and expand bilateral trade and investment, Chinese Premier Li Qiang said on Sunday.

Li made the remarks during his meeting with Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Since the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Ethiopia 55 years ago, the two countries have always treated each other sincerely and supported each other no matter how the international situation has changed, Li noted.

Li said Chinese President Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory letter to the Ministerial Meeting of Coordinators on the Implementation of the Follow-up Actions of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) in June, announcing new important measures such as implementing the zero-tariff treatment for 100 percent tariff lines for 53 African countries which have diplomatic relations with China.

Li said China will take the new measures as opportunities to work with Ethiopia to fully deliver the outcomes of the Beijing Summit of the FOCAC.

The Chinese premier called for deepening bilateral all-around cooperation and making bilateral relations a model for building the all-weather China-Africa community with a shared future for the new era.

For his part, Abiy said Ethiopia stands ready to intensify high-level exchanges with China and deepen mutual political trust.

The Ethiopian side looks to work with China to bolster cooperation in economy and trade, industry, and strengthen multilateral communication and coordination, so as to promote the steady and in-depth development of bilateral relations.

The Chinese premier arrived in Rio de Janeiro on Saturday to attend the 17th BRICS Summit.

China ready to promote flagship Belt, Road project, boost trade, investment with Ethiopia: Premier Li

China ready to promote flagship Belt, Road project, boost trade, investment with Ethiopia: Premier Li

China ready to promote flagship Belt, Road project, boost trade, investment with Ethiopia: Premier Li

Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said on Monday that the situation in Iran is "under total control" following violence linked to protests that spiked over the weekend.

Addressing foreign diplomats in Tehran, the foreign minister noted that armed terrorist groups had infiltrated the protests, attempting to divert them from their legitimate course. He claimed that evidence has been gathered showing Iranian security forces being shot at, with the aim of causing further casualties. He accused the United States and Israel of exploiting the unrest to interfere in Iran's internal affairs.

Araghchi further stated that the government is closely monitoring developments on the streets, emphasizing that "the situation has come under control." He also affirmed that internet services, curtailed during the unrest, would be restored after coordination with security agencies.

The government has engaged in dialogue with merchants and protest representatives and initiated reforms to address grievances related to price hikes and currency depreciation. Iran has taken a series of actions and measures to respond to the demands of peaceful demonstrators, the foreign minister said.

Earlier on Sunday, Araghchi said that clear evidence links recent riots and vandalism of public facilities in Iran to the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad. This came after former U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo mentioned Mossad agents operating on Iran's streets in a social media post. The Iranian foreign minister asserted that police are being attacked by "terrorists" acting under the direction of Israeli operatives, whom Pompeo publicly acknowledged.

The protests initially erupted over a sharp depreciation of the rial and sweeping subsidy reforms. Iranian authorities have blamed the unrest on foreign-linked agents and U.S. sanctions.

Iranian foreign minister says situation "fully under control," accuses Israeli intelligence of stoking unrest