An Egyptian war veteran expressed optimism about the situation in Gaza when commenting on the first phase of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal that took effect on Friday. Israel and Hamas signed the ceasefire agreement on Thursday in the Egyptian resort city of Sharm El Sheikh, bringing hope for an end to a war that has killed over 67,000 Palestinians in the enclave, a majority of them women and children. Speaking to China Global Television Network (CGTN), General Usama Kabier, an Egyptian war veteran and a chief at the Command and Staff College at Egypt's Ministry of Defense, said that it's a new day for Gaza after two years of conflict. "Everyone is happy. I would say it's a new day in Gaza after two years, not another day, it's a new day totally, and it seems to be strong this time at least for the first phase. Generally, I'm optimistic about that," he said. The first phase of the peace plan, achieved after three days of intensive negotiations mediated by Egypt, Qatar, Türkiye and the United States, includes the Israeli troop withdrawal from Gaza City, the north, Rafah, and Khan Younis, the opening of five crossings for the entry of humanitarian aid, and the release of hostages and prisoners. Kabier said that it is a significant milestone to having this agreement signed in Egypt. "Egypt has taken the responsibility of this Palestinian sophisticated and complicated problem since 78 years ago, so we know it very much. It's a strategic depth to Egypt's eastern borders, also Palestine for Egypt is an issue of national security. We know about Palestinians well, we know about Israelis too, we know how to negotiate with both peoples," he said. Meanwhile, Kabier voiced doubts over whether the ceasefire would be fully implemented, stressing that the road ahead remains uncertain.
"From the Israeli side, as you understand, it happens every time. You put the agreements, you put the ratifications, everybody would sign and suddenly they violate that, they break it. So hopefully they wouldn't do it this time. So these are only the two concerns that I have in my mind for Hamas and Israel," he said. "Let me tell you, first I'm happy for the sake of the people in Gaza Strip. For the very first phase, I think they will do it, it will succeed a 100 percent no problem. Maybe I'm suspicious about the second and third phases, because there's no timeline for that up till now, you will never know when it will stop and when will it end. We need to finish the whole thing quickly because it's sort of an accumulative truce," he added.
Egyptian war veteran optimistic about outlook of phase one of Gaza ceasefire deal
China will take further steps to expand high-standard opening-up and create a new landscape of win-win cooperation in 2026, which marks the start of the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030), Commerce Minister Wang Wentao said in a recent interview with China Media Group.
Wang said opening up and cooperation for mutual benefit are integral to Chinese modernization. This year, China will actively expand voluntary opening up.
The country will steadily open up such areas as value-added telecommunications, biotechnology and wholly foreign-owned hospitals, while accelerating comprehensive pilot and demonstration programs for expanded opening-up in the services sector, he noted.
"We will expand the scope and regions of unilateral opening-up and ensure the implementation of zero-tariff treatment on 100 percent of tariff lines for all African countries that have diplomatic relations with China. We will vigorously promote the effective implementation of policies for special customs operations of the Hainan Free Trade Port, further enhance the level of trade and investment liberalization and facilitation, optimize the regional layout and coverage of pilot free trade zones, and support these zones in carrying out more robust institutional opening-up trials in areas such as market access, environmental standards and government procurement, so as to better leverage their role as comprehensive pilot platforms for reform and opening-up," said Wang.
Wang said China will promote the orderly planning of cross-border industrial and supply chains.
Efforts will be made to deepen economic and trade cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative, enhance integration and connectivity across production and supply chains, and encourage cooperation in areas including green development, the digital economy, green minerals, new infrastructure and new energy so as to help build global production and supply chain partnerships that are equal, inclusive and constructive, he noted.
"We will give play to the platform role of overseas economic and trade cooperation zones, expand overseas marketing networks and explore international markets through outward investment, achieve mutual promotion between investment and trade, and advance the integrated development of trade and investment. We will also improve the overseas comprehensive service system and the national-level overseas comprehensive service platform," said the minister.
In addition, China will participate constructively in global economic governance, according to the minister.
In 2026, Wang said, China will pursue flexible and pragmatic approaches to negotiate trade and investment agreements with more willing countries and regions, while strengthening economic and trade cooperation under multilateral frameworks such as BRICS, G20 and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, to further promote mutual benefit and win-win outcomes.
China to expand high-standard opening-up to foster win-win cooperation: minister
