Int'l Paralympic Committee lifts Russia, Belarus partial suspensions

China

Int'l Paralympic Committee lifts Russia, Belarus partial suspensions

2025-09-27 20:11 Last Updated At：21:07

The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) General Assembly voted on Saturday to reinstate the full membership rights of the National Paralympic Committees of Belarus and Russia.

The decision, taken at the 2025 IPC General Assembly in Seoul, South Korea, means NPC (National Paralympic Committee) Belarus and NPC Russia now regain their full rights and privileges of IPC membership, having been partially suspended at the 2023 assembly for breaches of their constitutional membership obligations.

The IPC General Assembly, comprising National Paralympic Committees, International Federations, and International Organizations of Sport for the Disabled, first voted against a motion to fully suspend NPC Russia, with 111 votes against, 55 for, and 11 abstentions. They subsequently voted against a motion to partially suspend NPC Russia, with 91 votes against, 77 for, and eight abstentions.

For NPC Belarus, the assembly voted against motions to fully suspend (119-48 with nine abstentions) and partially suspend (103-63 with 10 abstentions) the NPC. For a motion to be passed, a majority of 50 percent + 1 of all votes cast was required.

The IPC stated it will work with the two members to implement the practical arrangements for their reinstatement as soon as reasonably possible.

South China's Friendship Pass registers sharp growth in value of imports, exports in January-June

The Youyiguan Port, or Friendship Pass, in Pingxiang City of south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region neighboring Vietnam registered sharp growth in the value of imports and exports in the first half of this year.

The port, China's main gateway to Vietnam, recorded a total import and export cargo value of 364.12 billion yuan (about 53.77 billion U.S. dollars) in the first six months, up 26 percent year on year.

The trade with ASEAN member states dominated the port's performance, with the value of imports from and exports to ASEAN countries reaching 361.4 billion yuan in the January-June period, a 26.2 percent increase year on year, accounting for 99.3 percent of the port's total cross-border volume.

Machinery and electronic products remained the main categories of imports and exports through the port.

To facilitate economic and trade exchanges between China and ASEAN countries, the local customs authorities have introduced a series of measures to simplify the customs declaration and clearance procedures, raising the overall inspection efficiency by 40 percent.