Cultural and educational exchanges have emerged as a defining feature of China-Mauritania relations as the two nations mark six decades of diplomatic ties, noted Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Cheikh Ghazouani.
The president stressed the growing people-to-people connections in an exclusive interview with China Media Group, citing the Confucius Institute at University of Nouakchott as a prime example of successful cultural cooperation.
"Cultural exchange holds vital importance in international relations, serving as a crucial bridge for people-to-people connectivity. I believe most nations, or one could say all countries across the world, aspire to deepen cultural exchanges with China. This sentiment is shared throughout Africa, including here in Mauritania. We maintain profoundly significant cultural and human ties with China." said the president.
The institute, established in 2019, has already attracted hundreds of Mauritanian students and become a hub for cultural exchange. Through learning Chinese language and culture, young people from both sides are building bridges of understanding that will last for generations, Ghazouani said.
Cultural exchange strengthened as China, Mauritania celebrate 60 years of diplomatic ties
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
