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China to host Africa youth forum, hold joint military exercise with Serbia

China

China

China

China to host Africa youth forum, hold joint military exercise with Serbia

2025-07-14 17:49 Last Updated At:22:57

China's Ministry of National Defense has announced the inaugural youth leadership conference of the China-Africa Peace and Security Forum and the first-ever joint special forces exercise with Serbia, both taking place this July.

Defense Ministry Spokesman Jiang Bin made the announcement at a press conference in Beijing on Monday.

"From July 15 to 19, the first youth leadership conference of the China-Africa Peace and Security Forum will be held in Nanjing, with nearly 90 mid- and senior-level military officers from over 40 African countries attending. The conference is hosted by China's Ministry of National Defense and organized by the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Army Command College. Under the theme 'Building Peace Together for the Future,' it aims to implement the outcomes of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) Beijing Summit, further build consensus in peace and security, strengthen solidarity, and expand cooperation, contributing to jointly building the all-weather China-Africa community with a shared future in the new era," said Jiang.

Jiang also announced China's first joint military drill with Serbia, scheduled for later this month.

"The Chinese and Serbian armies will carry out joint training in north China's Hebei Province in mid to late July. The training, code-named 'Peace Guardian-2025', will be the first joint training between the Chinese and Serbian militaries. It is expected to help strengthen the combat capabilities of participating troops and deepen cooperation between the two militaries," said Jiang.

China to host Africa youth forum, hold joint military exercise with Serbia

China to host Africa youth forum, hold joint military exercise with Serbia

Iran's state television IRIB reported on Sunday that the U.S.-Iran talks, mediated by Pakistan and Qatar, were suspended after about 80 minutes of discussions, as the two sides paused for a break and internal consultations.

According to media reports, no negotiations on Iran's nuclear program took place during the first round of talks, which focused on the implementation of clause 13 of the recently signed memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the two countries and prioritized issues related to Lebanon.

Qatari sources said the first round of talks focused on Lebanon, with discussions on the Strait of Hormuz to follow. A third session will address Iran's nuclear program and sanctions.

Iran's semi-official Tasnim news agency, citing a source close to the negotiating team, said the Iranian delegation left the venue of the talks in protest over comments by U.S. President Donald Trump.

Earlier in the day, Trump threatened on his Truth Social platform to "hit Iran very hard again" if Iran did not stop Hezbollah from "causing trouble."

US-Iran talks pause as Iranian delegation reportedly leaves venue in protest over Trump comments

US-Iran talks pause as Iranian delegation reportedly leaves venue in protest over Trump comments

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