European Council President Antonio Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen arrived in Beijing early Thursday for the 25th China-European Union (EU) Summit, a meeting coinciding with the 50th anniversary of the establishment of China-EU diplomatic ties.
Chinese President Xi Jinping will meet with Costa and von der Leyen, while Premier Li Qiang will co-chair the 25th China-EU Summit with the two EU leaders.
China and the EU have recently experienced disputes on several issues, including the EU's imposition of countervailing duties on Chinese electric vehicles and restrictions on Chinese companies' participation in public procurement for medical devices.
Experts note that current China-EU relations are influenced by multiple factors, including China-U.S. strategic competition and policy uncertainties between the U.S. and Europe.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said in a regular press conference on Monday that "China hopes that the EU will work with China, pool consensus, rise above differences, jointly plan for the cooperation in the next 50 years, and open up a brighter future for the China-EU comprehensive strategic partnership".
EU leaders arrive in Beijing for China-EU Summit
EU leaders arrive in Beijing for China-EU Summit
EU leaders arrive in Beijing for China-EU Summit
Iran's Minister of Science, Research and Technology Hossein Simaei-Sarraf on Saturday condemned the United States and Israel for attacking Iranian academic institutions and research facilities, saying that more than 30 universities across the country have been directly targeted since the war started in late February.
The official made the condemnation when speaking to reporters at the site of the damaged Shahid Beheshti University in the Iranian capital Tehran.
Simaei-Sarraf said five university professors and more than 60 students had been killed in the strikes so far, describing attacks on Iranian infrastructure as "crimes against humanity."
Those killed include Saeed Shamghadri, an associate professor at the Iran University of Science and Technology. "Since the war started, five university professors, including Professor Shamghadri, and more than 60 university students have been killed. As I mentioned before, more than 30 universities in Iran have been attacked. It is unbelievable that in an era when democratic values, rights, international law, and human rights are being promoted, the most obvious of these rights are being trampled, violated, and attacked," said Simaei-Sarraf.
An U.S.-Israeli air raid hit the laser and plasma research center of the Shahid Beheshti University on Friday, destroying the interior of the entire building and shattering all the windows. The force of the strike also shattered almost all the windows on another building about 100 meters away from the explosion site.
A researcher at the university said it is incomprehensible that such a facility could become a target of attacks.
"You can see that there's neither any military personnel or military activity here. This is a place where only research was being conducted. Why did it become a target of attacks? What was the motive for this crime?" Azimi, the researcher, said in an interview with China Media Group.
Since the U.S.-Israeli strikes against Iran started, the Iranian government has repeatedly denounced the two countries for targeting the country's academic institutions and research facilities, calling such attacks serious war crimes.
Iranian official condemns U.S.-Israeli strikes on universities
